| History of VFD as far as he know. There are references to V.F.D. in each book (many of them visible only in retrospect). It is first mentioned explicitly inThe Austere Academy by the Quagmire Triplets, who do not get the opportunity to explain it. The theme becomes increasingly prominent in subsequent volumes as the Baudelaireorphans investigate its true meaning, and it appears to figure centrally in their parents' death, the schemes of Count Olaf. It eventually appears to be the name of an oraganization, and the most recent books suggest that V.F.D. probably stands for Volunteer Fire Department. In the books, theprotagonite (Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudeliare ) discover that their parents were members of this secret organization, as were all the guardians they were placed with after their parents died. At some point, the V.F.D. underwent a serious schism. When exactly this occurred is unknown, but it appears that a line has been drawn between those who stop fires and those who start them. While the real name of the V.F.D. organization has yet to be revealed, "Volunteer Fire Department" seems to be the most likely, due to many references to fires and the theme of fire running throughout the books. It is known that V.F.D. watches children who have been observed to have talent in note-taking or observation, contacts them, and with their permission, takes them from their home by the ankles. V.F.D. Codes. The organization makes use of many codes, most notably the Sebald Code. Other codes used include Verse Fluctuation Declaration, where the words of poems are replaced by code words, Verbal Fridge Dialoge, using the contents of a refrigerator to encode documents and various coded phrases, including "The world is quiet here", "Are you who I think you are?", "Not many people have the courage to help with a scheme like this," "I did not realise this was a sad occasion" and "Well, young lady, have you been good to When a ringing sound is heard, the code is activated. Every eleventh word plus the first word after the first ringing sound is a word of the code. When the ringing is heard again, the code ends. A typical scene from a film might go like this: (Doorbell rings) Gertrude: This is a very pleasant surprise! Please come in, Bob! Bob: How is Ebenezer? Gertrude: He is very ill. I have to give him an injection every hour. Bob: That's a shame. He once was an example of good health. Gertrude: For comfort he looks at old photos of when he was healthier. I took him to see Dr Sebald, but it seemed as if he was just talking in code. (Alarm clock rings) Gertrude: He must need another injection. Coming, Ebenezer! (All leave) The code relies on the actors speaking the words perfectly, and on the viewer being able to notice the scene. The movies Zombies in the Snow, Surgeons in the Theater, Ants in the Fruit Salad, The Littlest Elf, the play The World is Quiet Here, page 67 of The Penultimate Peril and wedding invitations from the Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes feature the Sebald code. Uncle Monty's death could be attributed to the fact that he never learnt Sebald Code; Sebald sent him a message about Count Olaf that he could not understand. Sebald himself is presumed dead, and his estate is being handled by his sister, Sally Sebald. Because of evidence provided in The Reptile Room and the Autobiography, it is resonable to assume that Sebald was drowned in a pool near Uncle Monty's house Verbal Fridge Dialogue is a code used in the Series of Unfortunate Events novels whereby volunteers can contact others through the use of a refrigerator. The recipient of the message will know that the code is being used by finding Very Fresh Dill in the fridge, and will find the addressee's initials scraped into the top of the darkest jam. To represent days of the week for a gathering, a cured, fruit-based calendar is used. One olive means Sunday, two means Monday, etc. Any spice-based condiment will have an ingredients label referring to coded poems. Fridges are used due to their contents having a high likelihood of surviving fires. Further details are provided in Book the Tenth: The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket. See also List of VFDs. The V.F.D. eye.
FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=" V.F.D.'s symbol is the human eye, especially one containing the organization's initials hidden in its design. To the Baudelaire children, the eye recalls Count Olaf, their first guardian, who had a tattoo of an eye on his ankle, and whose home was decorated with eye designs. Jacques Snicket also had this tattoo; for this, as well as for his resemblance to the Count, he was sentenced to be burned at the stake in Olaf's place, before he was murdered by the Count himself. The fact that both these V.F.D. members (and, according to "13 Secrets You wish you never knew about Lemony Snicket",) Lemony Snicket himself had the same tattoo implies that it may be a mark which all members share. The eye symbol is first mentioned in Lemony Snicket: The UnauthorizedAutobiography. It is also mentioned and described in The Carnivorous Carnival. The sugar bowl Another key element to V.F.D.'s survival is the sugar bowl, which is valued by both sides of the schism. The sugar bowl is the last bit of proof against Count Olaf. In a letter to Kit Snicket that was "hidden" in The Slippery Slope, Lemony Snicket stated that he possibly learned the whereabouts of the evidence that "exonerates" him (which here means, proves that it was Count Olaf, and not Mr. Snicket, that started so many fires), and that he was headed for the Valley of Four Drafts, to acquire the evidence. The evidence was probably the sugar bowl, and the letter explains its value to Lemony. Bowls are mentioned in many books; first in The Bad Beginning (containing fruit on Count Olaf's foyer tables), again in The Hostile Hospital (on a table holding pomegranates and other fruits), and finally in The Grim Grotto, where the search escalates, and both sides of V.F.D. desperately scour the oceans to find it. It is speculated that any of these bowls could be the sugar bowl. It is hinted at that the bowl was carried down the Stricken Stream of the Mortmain Mountains into the Gorgonian Grotto, which is located under the burned Anwhistle Aquatics. The sugar bowl is now believed by several characters to be at the bottom of the pond which lies in front of Hotel Denouement. However, the Baudelaires met a mysterious man in a taxi (presumably Lemony Snicket himself), who had possession of a small, damp object. It is possible that this man has the sugar bowl as of the end of The Penultimate Peril. In The Austere Academy, Vice Principal Nero says that a fresh bowl of fruit is placed in the dormitory every Wednesday. Also a possible reference. In the book Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, when listing the objects in the V.F.D. disguise kit, it mentions Optionals: Sugar Bowl. This could mean that the sugar bowl is used in disguising oneself. A deeper look into the sugar bowl's history was given in Book the 12th, or The Penultimate Peril. Esmé Squalor stated that Beatrice stole the sugar bowl from her, she also said this in Book the Sixth or The Ersatz Elevator, and it was stated somewhere in the same conversation that the 'thing' inside the sugar bowl is extremely important to the Snicket and Baudelaire families. The Baudelaires' discoveries V.F.D. is first mentioned by Duncan Quagmire in The Austere Academy, when he tries to tell Klaus something terrible about Count Olaf's past, but can only manage to yell the organization's initials before he's taken away. Next, in The Ersatz Elevator, the Baudelaires discover a tunnel from 667 Dark Avenue (the home of Jerome and Esmé Squalor) to the Baudelaire mansion. Esmé is part of the V.F.D.'s fire-starting side, and Jerome became apart of the firefighting side sometime after the events in The Ersatz Elevator. It is believed that this is how Olaf got into the Baudelaire Mansion to burn it to the ground. In The Vile Village, the Baudelaires are offered a home in a village known only as "V.F.D." Thinking this may be related to the aforementioned secret, they arrive only to find it stands for Village of Fowl Devotees. The two V.F.D.s are apparently unrelated. Also they find a man named Jacques who appears to be a member of V.F.D. In The Hostile Hospital, we meet a group of people who call themselves the Volunteers Fighting Disease, also probably unrelated to the organization. Also, they discover that one of their parents could be alive because of the sentence on the 13th page of The Snicket File: "Because of the evidence discussed on page ten, experts now suspect that there may, in fact, be one survivor of the fire." accompanied by a photograph of the Baudelaire parents and a few other people. In The Carnivorous Carnival they find out about the disguise kit and are introduced to the eye. We also learn that the one Baudelaire parent isn't alive. It could be that they are both dead or that they are both alive. In The Slippery Slope, it is suggested that the initials actually stand for Volunteer Fire Department, which ties in with a number of other clues in the novels (indeed, the author seems to have anticipated that some readers would have guessed already). In The Grim Grotto, Captain Widdershins tells the Baudelaires that V.F.D. started out as a Fire Department, but it eventually expanded to have planes and ships and included many areas of undercover studies. In The Penultimate Peril, the Baudelaires find a person named Dewey Denouement, who was the only one who knew where the sugar bowl is. When he died, the secret died with him. Snickets hints In Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography, we see many occurrences of V.F.D. but more importantly, it also reveals much more about the nature of V.F.D. as an organization: Many of its members seem to have belonged to VFD since they were children (reference: page 38). The goal of V.F.D. is to ensure that the World remains "quiet", as they call it (reference pages 36 and 39). Count Olaf seems to have been a member of V.F.D. (reference: page 45). Because of its greedy enemies, V.F.D. is very often forced to change its headquarters (reference: page 51). A ship called "Prospero" is often used to carry members. Throughout, it is strongly suggested that the "V" stands for "Volunteer" and the "D" stands for "disguise". V.F.D. members are habitually referred to as "noble" and "well-read" It also might be saying something in "The Penultimate Peril" on page 38. "Flaneurs are people who quietly observe their surroundings, intruding only when it is absolutely necessary. Children make excellent flaneurs..." And thus showing emphasizing the quietness, and note that we learn in The Unauthorized Autobiography that V.F.D. takes volunteers from very young ages, and so there's a suspicion that the "F" just might be "Flaneur". Thus if Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography is seen to have dominance over the other books, V.F.D. might stand for Volunteer Flaneur Disguises, or Volunteer Flaneurs in Disguise. Places with V.F.D. activity The following is a list of known places with V.F.D. activity. Count Olaf's House: It has the eye symbol all over the house, and Count Olaf used to be a V.F.D. member. It is located in the city. Uncle Monty's House: Home to the famed Reptile Room, which housed V.F.D.'s supply of reptiles, some of which were trained to sense arson activity. It also contains a library of V.F.D. and reptile books. The reptiles were removed by the Herpetological Society, and in The Slippery Slope, it was revealed that Olaf cheated a man out of the reptile collection, so they are now in Olaf's ownership ("except for one", slips Olaf, possibly referring to the Incredibly Deadly Viper). The reptiles' whereabouts are unknown, and the house was burned down. Has a secret passage to the Quagmire mansion. It was located in the countryside, on or near Lousy Lane. Aunt Josephine's House: Josephine Anwhistle's house. Has books of V.F.D., and could be vital for the Queequeg. Destroyed during Hurricane Herman. The Wide Window is similar to the one mentioned in The Slippery Slope. It was located by the seashore. Lucky Smells' Lumbermill? The archives for the Daily Punctilio were right by the lumbermill, though they were destroyed. V.F.D. members could be at the lumbermill, and Sir might be a member. It was near Finite Forest. Dr. Orwell's Office: The eye-shaped office. Headquarters for Dr. Orwell Prufrock Preparatory School? Could be a school for V.F.D. Mr. Remora, Mrs. Bass, and Nero could know about V.F.D. and Mrs. K, (who was Kit Snicket in disguise) was at the school, and recruited two children at the same school. 667 Dark Avenue: Home of the secret passage that leads to the Baudelaire mansion. The penthouse could hold V.F.D. secrets (Jacques Snicket knew about the penthouse). It is also located in the city. Village of Fowl Devotees? Could hold V.F.D. secrets. One of the few books in the library is the Littlest Elf by Loney M. Setnick, which is an anagram of Lemony Snicket, and it could be a library of V.F.D.'s coded books. Crows were mentioned in relation to V.F.D. at several points (as carrier crows), the village could be more than meets the eye. Hector lived there, and he is likely a volunteer. Heimlich Hospital: V.F.D. members were at the hospital (including Lemony Snicket, Beatrice Baudelaire, Daniel Handler, and the phrase "red herring"). Caligari Carnival: Home of Madame Lulu, and the tent has the insignia. It was mentioned that crucial evidence was hidden inside a figurine, but it is probably destroyed. Mortmain Mountains: Home of what used to be the V.F.D. Headquarters. Was burned down. It used to have the "Sugar bowl", though it was tossed out the window when the fire began. Several businesses were done, training, stargazing, and others. The HQ was located at the Valley of Four Drafts. A cave in the mountains is home to a Vertical Flame Diversion, where one can climb to and from the headquarters, and for security, a Vernacularly Fastened Door, which only opens on certain conditions. Several caves were home to Volunteer Feline Detectives, which were lions trained to smell smoke. (The lions could be the ones in The Carnivorous Carnival.) It was mentioned that when it was your turn to cook, you can see the beautiful waterfall out the large window. Anwhistle Aquatics: A marine centre that was burned down by Fernald Widdershins. The sugar bowl floated there, but was collected by someone. The Gorgonian Grotto is what was left of its remains. When it was destroyed, the Medusoid Mycelium was released onto the HQ. Hotel Denouement, V.F.D.'s "last safe place". It is hinted that the sugar bowl is in the laundry room. Baudelaire Mansion: Home to Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire, was burned down. Has a passageway to 667 Dark Avenue. Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes: A garden where marriages are held. Sometimes disguises itself as the Vineyard of Fragrant Grapes. Was possibly burned down by Count Olaf. Daedalus Dock: Where the Prospero goes. The Prospero is a ship for V.F.D. transport. Valorous Farms Dairy: A dairy where Lemony Snicket's birth took place. Was probably burned down by a cow in disguise.Which was Snicket if you have read AA Café Kafka? Ned H. Rirger Theatre? (Notice that the name Ned H. Rirger is an anagram of Red Herring) A place where plays like "Let the Bell Ring" and "The World is Quiet Here" takes place. 1485 Columbia Road Café Salmonella and Anxious Clown: Home to V.F.D. in disguise as waiters. Café Salmonella waiters are probably traitors. Versailles Post Office? Opportune Odors Horseradish Factory: Where the antidote to medusoid mycelium was constructed (horseradish). Located on Lousy Lane. The not-so-supermarket? The following list contains other V.F.D's that are not the organization. very fat director Vain Fat Dictator Valley of Four Drafts Valorous Farms Dairy Various Finery Disguises Veiled Facial Disguises Venom Feels Delightful Press (p. 167, LSUA) The publishing company for The Mamba du Mal: A Snake That Will Never Kill Me, by Tony Eggmonteror. Verbal Fridge Dialogue Verdant Flammable Devices Verifying Fernald's Defection (p. 220, The Grim Grotto) An article from The Daily Punctilio which states that Fernald was responsible for burning down Anwhistle Aquatics. Veritable French Diner (repeatedly in LSUA) Jerome Squalor's favorite restaurant and where he met Esmé. Vernacularly Fastened Door Verse Fluctuation Declaration (p. 157, GG) Versed Furtive Disclosure (p. 153, GG) The book Klaus finds in the Gorgonian Grotto. Vertical Flame Diversion Very False Documents Press (p. 162, LSUA) The publishing company which published Ivan Lachrymose: Lake Explorer, by Vincent Francis Doyle. Virtual Fighting Division Vertical Fall Drop Very Funny Daxter Vast Flying Device Verified Fire Detector Volunteers Fighting Disasters Very Fancy Doilies (throughout The Ersatz Elevator) Very Fancy Doily Press (p. 164, LSUA) Very Fascinating Drama "'Very Fast Delivery (p. 204, "LSUA") Very Fancy Doilies Very Flammable Detergent Very Fresh Dill Very Frightening Danger (p. v, LSUA) Under the copyright in the Autobiography, Snicket says: "If you recognize yourself in any of the photographs or illustrations in this book you may find yourself in Very Frightening Danger and/or slightly embarrassed but there is nothing you can do about it." Very Frightening Dilemma Very Fun Day Vessel For Disaccharides Village of Fowl Devotees Vincent Francis Doyle (p. 162, LSUA) The author of Ivan Lachrymose: Lake Explorer. Vinegar Flavoured Doughnuts Vineyard of Fragrant Drapes Vineyard's Famous Donkeys Violent Fat Doctors Vision Furthering Devices Violent Frozen Dragonflies Violet's Fifteenth Date Visitable Fungal Ditches (p. 102, GG) Voice Fakery Disguises Volatile Fungus Deportation (throughout The Grim Grotto) Voluntary Fish Domestication (p. 98, GG) Volunteer Factual Dispatches Volunteer Feline Detectives Volunteer Fire Department Volunteer Fire Detectives Volunteer Fish Domestication Volunteers Fighting Disease (throughout The Hostile Hospital) Volunteers Finding Disasters Volunteer Flaneurs in Disguise Though this is not directly said in the books, it has been suggested by some readers. Volunteers Forever Disguised Voracious Film Discussion Press (p. 165, LSUA) In A Series of Unfortunate Events, the fictional series by Lemony Snicket, the evil side of the V.F.D. have a convocation of eagles, which bend to their whim at the blowing of small, silver whistles. These eagles are used to carry off Bruce and the Snow Scouts. They are first mentioned (indirectly) in 'The Ersatz Elevator, when Jerome Squalor says to Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, "Ah! You're adventurous! I like that in a person. Your mother was adventurous, too. You know, she and I were very good friends a ways back. We hiked up Mount Fraught with some friends — gosh, it must have been twenty years ago. Mount Fraught was known for having dangerous animals on it, but your mother wasn't afraid. But then, swooping out of the sky—" (p. 27) Lemony Snicket also mentions that the eagles were originally trained to see smoke from a very long distance away. some of this the was found at wikipedia the free encyclopedia I'd Also liked to mention what many people have been thinking that
Lemony Snicket is the Taxi Driver metioned several times throughout the
series. This character is a mysterious one but I believe that he is not
Lemony Snicket but I'll explain that after I quote from the books:
The Reptile Room page's 40-41:
"I am not going to give you a tip because you talk to much, not
everyone wants to hear about your new baby" -Sephano to the Taxi driver
that drove Olaf to Montgomry's home. (See quote from the unauthorized
autobiography.)
The next one is in the Wide Window page 9:
"The cab driver was a skinny man with a skinny cigarette hanging out of his mouth" (see quote from the Penultimate Peril)
Next is in the Slippery Slope page 118:
"...When visiting Thailand to interview a Taxi Driver"
Next in the Grim Grotto page 40:
" 'A certain Taxi Driver managed to smuggle these charts to me' Captain Widdershins said."
And then of course in the Penultimate Peril on page's 244-251
"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. 'Do you three need a taxi?' he asked, and gestured to the
automobile that had brought Justice Strauss and Jerome Squalor to the
entrance of the hotel.
The siblings looked at one another, and then squinted up at the man.
The children thought perhaps his voice was familiar, but it might just
have been his unfathomable tone....(not relevant for a while) I do know
who the man was. and I do know where he went afterwards, and I do know
the name of the woman who was hiding in the trunk, and the type of
musical instrument that was laid carefully in the back seat, and the
ingredients of the sandwich tucked into the glove compartment, and even
the small item that sat on the passenger seat, still damp from it
hiding place."
Also in the 13 shocking secrets it says that in The Reptile Room a important taxi driver passes unnoticed.
And last but not least (assuming there is a least) Lemony Snicket:The Unauthorized Autobiography.
Page 107 "Taxi Driver disguise: Photographs of new baby to show to passengers. "
From what I can see the Taxi Driver is a common VFD disguise after all
Kit Snicket first met the Baudelaire's while sitting in a Taxi and
later driving it. One or more of them could be the same person
villainous or noble. It is impossible to tell.
The World is Quiet Here Quigley Quagmire.
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