#this is basically the same info as the one from the main just a few things added

[foone]

Have you heard about the Polish Train company, Newag, and the bullshit it turns out they got up to?

So, the regional rail operator Koleje Dolnośląskie bought some Newag Impuls back in 2016 . In late 2021, some of them need to have major maintenance done, as they've been in service a while. So the company SPS (Serwis Pojazdów Szynowych) gets the contract to fix them. They basically take the train apart, replace a bunch of it, following all the rules in the documentation Newag gave them, and... it won't move. The train says everything is fine, the brakes are off, there's plenty of power, but you push the throttle up and it won't move.

SPS spends a while trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong, with no luck. So they hire some hackers from the Polish security group Dragon Sector. Dragon Sector figures out how to get into the code of the computer system that runs the train, and OH MY GOD.

So it turns out there's a secret train-lock system. If it's on, the train won't move. This will be triggered in some situations you might think are normal: the clocks are wrong, the serial numbers of the various parts have changed, and a firmware mismatch between the main computer and the power system. Now, the fact that it makes sense to not run the train in these situations until someone can check it? that doesn't extend to the fact the train uses a SECRET lock system, rather than just popping up an error message telling you what's wrong. There's also the problem that while these are all potential error problems, they can't be cleared by anyone with the technical manuals, which are supposed to cover everything about how to run these trains. Only Newag themselves can reset this system.

Which, you know, keeps SPS from properly fixing them. Only Newag can fix them now, but not because SPS lacks any technical ability, but because Newag sabotaged their own trains. But don't worry: it gets worse.

So now that Dragon Sector knows what's happening, they get to look at other trains. It turns out the trains aren't all running the same software, and there are other tricks in there.

One of them is a "how long has the train been stopped?" check. If the train hasn't hit 60 km/h in 10 days, the train locks itself and won't move until Newag can clear it. So, like, if a train is ever out of service, like it's going to a repair place... it'll break itself. Unless the repair place is owned by Newag.

But two of the trains go further: See, these trains have GPS built in, right? You may be able to guess where this is going...

THEY JUST MAKE THE TRAIN CHECK IF IT IS PARKED AT THEIR COMPETITORS' REPAIR YARD AND BREAK ITSELF IF IT WAS.

The sheer audacity of this move. This is frighteningly bullshit anti-competition self-sabotage.

This has, obviously, made some parts of the Polish government to start investigating this. Newag may be (and hopefully will be) in a lot of trouble.

For more info, there's a great video of a presentation by the three people from Dragon Sector who did the hacking, which was presented at the 37th Chaos Communication Congress in Germany.

Ars Technica also has an article on it, but it predates the presentation so it doesn't have some of the later details.

Anyway, the good news is that in the end the hackers at Dragon Sector were able to unlock most of the trains: A few had additional trickery that they didn't want to hack around, because it might break the train's certification. For the others, they discovered undocumented "cheat codes" in the software that they could use to bypass the secret lockouts... presumably the same ones that Newag would have used when they "repaired" trains.

[marigoos]

Updated scam alert

So, as some of you guys know, I've received an ask from a known scammer a few weeks ago. Since I found their main post reblogged by 300 or so people, thinking they were helping a palestinian diabetic lady, I made a pinned post (this one) and warned everyone.

At some point this week, that account has been banned (or deleted), to my great dismay (the best vaccine against this kind of thing is letting victims know, since these scammers will just make new accounts); however, I found out that one of the names used in one of the many of his PayPal accounts has also been used in (as of today, 11/23) gladysconnoisseurpost thanks to this other post!

I already added that new piece of info in my old pinned (the one linked above in pink), and just today I received this ask on anon - worded very similarly to this other one that I got (off anon!) immediately after I called him out the first time.

So, in short: it's clear it's the same person again, there are sources to prove my point in the first link, there's one more here (el-shab-hussein saying it's a scam), thus I'm resuming my little hobby here.

IF YOU'VE BEEN MENTIONED IN THE REPLIES HERE:

-read the post in the first link. I'm basically doing the same thing, just with another post since it's about a different account and it could cause confusion

-I'd like you all to either delete your reblog of this scammer's post or edit it to include a warning to your followers

-if you're having a hard time tracking your reblog down (some date back to August), let me know and I'll help

-some of you reblogged it more than once, try to get them all (I tried to take note of those who did, if you have any doubts let me know)

-I did recognize some of your names from the last time - I'm sure you're all more knowledgeable now, it's just that it's the same scammer that contacted you multiple times, and I found an older instance. It's unlikely you falled for it once more after I warned you, so no worries. Still! Keeping up your reblog with no warning helps making it look more legitimate, so if you would kindly do me a favour and delete/edit this one too 🙏

-usual disclaimer that I transcribed all urls manually and I may have gotten something wrong. Hmu if you think I made a mistake, so I can contact the right person (or prove that it was in fact you)

-and again, no worries. You're all doing a good thing, you're not at fault for this piece of shit taking advantage of your good heart. Just be more wary next time :*

-I'm still gonna check for name changes, both on Tumblr and Paypal. Most recent on top

Oh, and let's not forget my List of Actually Verified Palestinian Fundraisers Who Contacted Me. Gotta uplift their voices too

[vhygoxo]

Wolf Pack Headcanons

My personal head canons on the shifters and what they get up to 🫶 I’ve been missing seeing wolf pack content. Plus there isn’t much info or anything on the Wolfpack outside of Jacob. Most of these come from the fact I know what it’s like to live on a rez. Debating if I should do nsfw head canons next 🤭

There’s hardly any down time for the shifters. Since the Cullens came into town there had been almost constant activity in the area. After the birth of Renesmee everyone thought it’d calm down. But instead activity got more frequent. Patrols and executions were part of their routine after a few years

When Vampire activity is low they still protect the rez in their own way. Most of the guys took first aid and security classes. Since chief and council know about the secret of the shifters they pay all of them (except the younger ones aka minors) through their security program. So when there are hardly any vampires they work in the security program

Everyone helps Emily with the household such as cleaning and cooking when they can. But most just help pay for the groceries since she feeds all of them

The rez has a mixed view of the shifters. To everyone they’re all secretive and intimidating. But because of how many people they’ve helped over the years they’ve also earned a lot of respect. Some believe they are arrogant and entitled to the rez. Others believe them to be protectors of the rez in a way. Sometimes people have issues with them to the point of harassing them. Sam, Paul, and Jared are usually the main targets. Like Bella thinking they are a gang ☠️

These guys all have trucks and drive everywhere+anywhere. Kim is the only one to own a car. They have many different chill spots around the rez (not just them but everyone in La push goes to these places) usually to drink and have bonfires

When they aren’t driving on the Rez they’re heading into town for some fun. Shopping sprees, eating out, and gambling is usually what’s on the agenda for these guys. Although they drive a lot locally it’s because they can’t travel too far

Everyone especially Paul dreams of the day they no longer have to shift. Once they stop they have all the freedom to travel and explore

The guys love to go mudding in their trucks and have contests

Emily has a projector and hosts movie nights in the backyard when it’s nice out

Emily and Kim craft and bead together. Emily does more sewing than beading, she’s made all the guys ribbon shirts, from youngest to eldest. Also enjoys making ribbon skirts occasionally especially Appliqué ribbon skirts. Kim loves to make beaded earrings and necklaces. These two give away more than they sell

Kim is always wearing big ndn girl™️ earrings. Beaded, quilled, dentillium, shells, you name it. (Once she wanted to make some out of Jared’s wolf fur but he refused. She found a way)

All of them are hella competitive with each other. And since they’re basically non human their strength and abilities are crazy. They all enjoyed testing their strength, think Bella and Emmett arm wrestling, same energy with these guys. Both in human and wolf form they strived to show off. The imprintees of them all had to take some time to get used to seeing such things. Like two mega beasts fighting on the front lawn, switching back to human, and playing it off like nothing

Paul, Leah, and Embry are the ones who struggle the most with being a shifter. In the beginning their rage and frustration was almost uncontrollable. Even as the years passed they still had moments where they burst out of control. (Once they imprinted the out bursts stopped completely) So these three became close since they were similar especially in their struggles

High energy for all of them. They have to find ways to burn off energy or else they legit couldn’t sleep. Which the solution is always intense exercise. Most times you’ll find Paul and Jared are competing to see who can do more push ups. Or the younger wolves doing relay races on their usual trails. Embry, Quil, and Jacob liked to box and spar with each other only. Leah and Paul get way too aggressive when sparring with everyone. It’s usually just Leah vs Paul if they really need to get rid of their aggression. Sam and Jared spar together since they actually follow the rules lol

Emily and Leah are still close and Leah never dated Sam lol

It wasn’t Sam that scarred Emily it was a rogue vampire. Sam punishes his self since he wasn’t fast enough to protect her. But he was quick enough along with Paul to stop the vampire before he could change her. It’s why Leah distrusts Sam. She believes he can’t protect her sister/cousin well enough and punishes him daily in their hive mind. Also constantly questions him as a leader

Quil and Kim are cousins lol I imagine them being close like brother and sister growing up. So it works well for them to be in the wolf pack together

For the shifters it’s hard for them to drink any alcohol. Not that they don’t it’s just that their body burns the alcohol quicker than normal humans. Smoking 🍃 actually has an effect on them like normal

Majority of them rarely drink, it started from Sam believing he needed to be in a clear mind, in order to be a leader. Not only that but being a shifter meant being very spiritually connected. And in most native cultures it’s believed that alcohol dulls the spirit. (Doesn’t stop some of them lol)

Quil, Embry, and Jacob were the first to start smoking 🍃 and out of the whole pack Quil is the biggest stoner. Claims it’s what “keeps him chill” since he doesn’t have a hard time shifting

They hunt game while they’re in wolf form. Natives love wild meat, deer, elk, moose, you name it. So them being able to shift makes it way easier to catch game. The guys gut and skin whatever they catch. Emily and Kim are usually the two who process the game. (Tbh it’s mostly Paul, Leah, and Sam bringing back game home because they raged out)

Everybody is in someway jealous of Jared and Kim. Since Jared had an easy time with shifting even in the beginning. And when he imprinted on Kim their relationship had always been easy and full of love even now

Jacob and Quil are the mechanics of the group. All the guys know some basic skills but these two are the best at it. Anytime anyone has issues it’s them who take care of it

It was actually Seth who took on his mom’s role and was training to become an emergency service provider. Eventually he wants a job in medicine. Leah knows basic cpr and first aid like the rest of the guys

All their minds are linked, when they shift they get a download, of what everyone was doing while not in wolf form. Nothing is secret or sacred lol they all know everything about each other. In their human form they’re still connected of course. But they have to get consent to connect telepathically in human form. In wolf form they have no control and everything is shared in the mind in an instant

Tbh around others especially in crowded places they gained their rep of being stoic and silent bc of this. Even in human form they talk more with each other in their heads than with their voice. Usually if they’re in a group but silent they’re talking in their heads to each other. They all have their own ways of blocking out certain things the others go through

The pack tolerates renesmee but pretty much just Emily and Kim visit her, out of pity and empathy, Jacob understood this well. Instead of making his brothers uncomfortable he’s usually with the Cullens. Occasionally he’ll come by his self but not for long. Sometimes he brings her but it’s usually short visits

Quil Atera III (quil’s grandfather) Billy Black, Harry Clearwater, and Sue Clearwater are one of very few people who know history of the shifters. Majority of what everyone knows about shifters is because of the knowledge they possess. The pack rely on these 3 the most

I felt this was enough head canons for now even tho I have way more lol. Hoping to upload one of my fics rewritten soon here. But I’m having fun with these wolf pack head canons for now. If you enjoy this and my writing feel free to send me an ask! I’m open for requests ✨

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITAH for hiding my fanfiction hobby from my husband?

I do not think I'm the asshole here, but a few friends online have told me I am so seeking an outside opinion. I (32F) have been married to my husband (35M) for almost 9 years. We have a good relashinship with the average amount of disagreements over the basic stuff (financies occasinally, planning conflicts, in-laws, you get the idea) never anything big. Overall we have a very happy together.

Along with having common interests, we both have our own hobbies. For me, this is writing fanfiction. I'm what I would consider a semi-serious writer. I have well over 100 fics posted, several of which are pretty long (50k+), and pretty much all of them are very spicy (M or E rating, and all M/M). I write in my down time on my laptop and on my phone, and it's my main form of solo relaxation.

Now, here is where, according to a few online friends, I'm the asshole. My husband knows nothing about this hobby. I never talk to him about writing or fandom stuff. It's just not a hobby/interest we share. We watch some of the same shows and get invested, but he is not part of as I would put it "fandom culture". Shows and movies are something to enjoy, but he doesn't immerse himself in them like I do (he is well aware I get more invested in them than him sometimes). My online friends say that since I hide it from him, and especially since I write spicy things, I am basically cheating emotionally. Which I disagree with. My writing never interferes with us spending time together, I don't put it before him, and it doesn't effect our activities in the bedroom (I don't really think that's relevant but thought I would mention it). I am devoted to him. I just like having this hobby. They say it shows I do not trust him.

The main reason I don't tell him is not that I don't trust him, its that I simply don't trust anyone. I was bullied horribly in middle and high school (verbally and physically) for being interested in fandom things and fanfics. Since then, the idea of talking face to face about it gives me great fear and anxiety. So I just prefer to keep it to myself. He has seen me writing on my phone and asked what I'm doing, my response simply being "I write short stories sometimes," and we move on. For all I know, he has figured it out and just respects my privacy.

This is another reason they say I'm an asshole. I value my privacy and his. I'm not the type that thinks we are married and are basically one person required to share everything. We are allowed to be our own people with part of ourselves that are just for us. My friends say that's selfish and not how marriage works. (To preface, they are in relashinships where their partners' share their interest in fandom culture).

So, AITAH for keeping this hobby to myself?

What are these acronyms?

[extrajigs]

The Atlantic's immune system yay!! BIG info dump below!

Basically when the blood ocean was created it was of course a conversion of all water within the Atlantic to living human blood. The blood of the caster to be exact. This came with the full mix of blood, not just the blood cells themselves. Plasma, immune cells, and even a small percentage of stem cells. For a short time after its revision, a vial of blood from the Atlantic would be indistinguishable from blood drawn from an average person. However while most of it DID decay and rot away it was eventually replaced! For the sanguine sea has a will to live all on its own and it will do what it has to to keep itself alive. Let's just say that magic radiation gave it a boost to adapt before it all would have just turned to sludge!

Also think of this as like a part one as it is not ALL of the bits and bobs.

The Main Gist

The immune system of the Atlantic has undergone slight changes from what goes on within the human body. While in the early days of the ocean, the cells within gorged and swarmed the masses of dead sea life, nowadays all that old death has long since sunk to the anoxic depths. Only the few top meters of blood hold onto the oxygen that can be grabbed directly from the air. This topmost layer is the bastion that these fellas defend and replenish, large colonies working in sync to make sure fresh blood is always around. Thus they are responsible for the bounty of the blood sea, as much as they try to eliminate it. Anything that has different DNA than the blood sea gets a not so warm welcome from it.

1. Shards

These are the scouts of the system, using two fins they meander through the blood at pretty reasonable speeds. The only senses the colonies have reacquired are those of scent and touch, the former for searching out anything strange in the blood column and the latter for when they bump into it. These guys are ill prepared to fight aside from a few acidic tendrils, but once detecting a foreign body they’ll turn tail and rush back to their main colonial swarm. If the poor animal they found out is lucky, it will have time to turn and flee before the cavalry arrives.

2. Marrow Worms

These are not the cavalry, in fact if you were to even poke these guys they are more likely to disintegrate into a plume of sadness. But do not think them worthless for their pitiful offense, for these are SUPPORTIVE WORMS! Being that the colony's individuals are derived from former immune cells, they never regained the ability to self replicate. If they were injured or simply degraded due to age, they could never repair or regenerate the cells they lost within their bodies. Luckily the marrow worm is here to save the day!

Let's say a shard is wounded, its fin torn from its body, whilst it is in no danger of bleeding out, it is in danger of becoming useless to the sea. The solution is that when the immune bodies of the sea take damage, they release a powerful chemical signal to call for aid. This draws in the marrow worms who will swarm the individual and spread their bodies over them like a hot slice of butter. The marrow worms function as mobile stem cells, sacrificing their own bodies to grow into the parts needed for the other members of the colony. Most will have every part of their body replaced throughout their lifetime. And there is a philosophical idea in there somewhere but it's time to get onto the stabby members of this band!

3. Tacks

These guys tend to stay by the main hubs of the colony, defending them from any threats that manage to get by. However they are quite eager to zip off through the blood once called upon by a scouting Shard. Their main weapon is a stabbing keratinized spike through which they inject a powerful mix of digestive enzymes. These same enzymes are used within the trailing tendrils they use to ensnare smaller intruders. With sheer force of numbers they attempt to use this acid to kill any animals they find, though luckily they are lacking in stamina so can be outrun if spotted early enough.

4. Hubs

These function as the housing for the most precious members of the colony, the marrowcores. They provide coverage for these most delicate structures as well as pumping fresh oxygen filled blood from the surface over the tendrils of marrow. Slowly swimming through the ocean they are eternally accompanied by huge swarms of supplementary organisms that feed and defend them at all costs. And with good reason! The hubs allow for the birth of new marrow worms and they are shepherded around as needed through the sea.

5. The Marrowcores

These are the true center of the ocean. Long spindled frames of bone from which long strands of marrow grow and waft. These feathered segments can break off and become new marrow worms, but the main job of these cores is to mass produce blood on a nigh unimaginable scale. So proficient are they, that that topmost layer of the ocean can be completely replaced every two months. Pretty important piece, but these individuals are the strangest of the whole lot, continuously losing and replacing parts yet holding onto some vague memory amongst themselves. Weird.

And that’s the first go of it! I hope ya like these fun lil guys!

[qqueenofhades]

Hello! This is kind of a weird ask, I'm sorry to bother you, but seeing as you're a very intelligent studied historian that I deeply respect, I was hoping you could offer some advice? Or like, things i could read? Lately, i feel like my critical thinking skills are emaciated and its scaring the shit out of me. I feel very slow and like I'm constantly missing important info in relation to news/history/social activism stuff. Thats so vague, sorry, but like any tips on how i can do better?

Aha, thank you. There was recently a good critical-thinking infograph on my dash, so obviously I thought I remembered who reblogged it and checked their blog, it wasn't them, thought it was someone else, checked their blog, it also wasn't them, and now I can't find it to link to. Alas. But I will try to sum up its main points and add a few of my own. I'm glad you're taking the initiative to work on this for yourself, and I will add that while it can seem difficult and overwhelming to sort through the mass of information, especially often-false, deliberately misleading, or otherwise bad information, there are a few tips to help you make some headway, and it's a skill that like any other skill, gets easier with practice. So yes.

The first and most general rule of thumb I would advise is the same thing that IT/computer people tell you about scam emails. If something is written in a way that induces urgency, panic, the feeling that you need to do something RIGHT NOW, or other guilt-tripping or anxiety-inducing language, it is -- to say the least -- questionable. This goes double if it's from anonymous unsourced accounts on social media, is topically or thematically related to a major crisis, or anything else. The intent is to create a panic response in you that overrides your critical faculties, your desire to do some basic Googling or double-checking or independent verification of its claims, and makes you think that you have to SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE NOW or you are personally and morally a bad person. Unfortunately, the world is complicated, issues and responses are complicated, and anyone insisting that there is Only One Solution and it's conveniently the one they're peddling should not be trusted. We used to laugh at parents and grandparents for naively forwarding or responding to obviously scam emails, but now young people are doing the exact same thing by blasting people with completely sourceless social media tweets, clips, and other manipulative BS that is intended to appeal to an emotional gut rather than an intellectual response. When you panic or feel negative emotions (anger, fear, grief, etc) you're more likely to act on something or share questionable information without thinking.

Likewise, you do have basic Internet literacy tools at your disposal. You can just throw a few keywords into Google or Wikipedia and see what comes up. Is any major news organization reporting on this? Is it obviously verifiable as a fake (see the disaster pictures of sharks swimming on highways that get shared after every hurricane)? Can you right-click, perform a reverse image search, and see if this is, for example, a picture from an unrelated war ten years ago instead of an up-to-date image of the current conflict? Especially with the ongoing Israel/Palestine imbroglio, we have people sharing propaganda (particularly Hamas propaganda) BY THE BUCKETLOAD and masquerading it as legitimate news organizations (tip: Quds News Network is literally the Hamas channel). This includes other scuzzy dirtbag-left websites like Grayzone and The Intercept, which often have implicit or explicit links to Russian-funded disinformation campaigns and other demoralizing or disrupting fake news that is deliberately designed to turn young left-leaning Westerners against the Democrats and other liberal political parties, which enables the electoral victory of the fascist far-right and feeds Putin's geopolitical and military aims. Likewise, half of our problems would be solved if tankies weren't so eager to gulp down and propagate anything "anti-Western" and thus amplify the Russian disinformation machine in a way even the Russians themselves sometimes struggle to do, but yeah. That relates to both Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine.

Basically: TikTok, Twitter/X, Tumblr itself, and other platforms are absolutely RIFE with misinformation, and this is due partly to ownership (the Chinese government and Elon Fucking Musk have literally no goddamn reason whatsoever to build an unbiased algorithm, and have been repeatedly proven to be boosting bullshit that supports their particular worldviews) and partly due to the way in which the young Western left has paralyzed itself into hypocritical moral absolutes and pseudo-revolutionary ideology (which is only against the West itself and doesn't think that the rest of the world has agency to act or think for itself outside the West's influence, They Are Very Smart and Anti-Colonialist!) A lot of "information" in left-leaning social media spaces is therefore tainted by this perspective and often relies on flat-out, brazen, easily disprovable lies (like the popular Twitter account insisting that Biden could literally just overturn the Supreme Court if he really wanted to). Not all misinformation is that easy to spot, but with a severe lack of political, historical, civic, or social education (since it's become so polarized and school districts generally steer away from it or teach the watered-down version for fear of being attacked by Moms for Liberty or similar), it is quickly and easily passed along by people wanting trite and simplistic solutions for complex problems or who think the extent of social justice is posting the Right Opinions on social media.

As I said above, everything in the world is complicated and has multiple factors, different influences, possible solutions, involved actors, and external and internal causes. For the most part, if you're encountering anything that insists there's only one shiningly righteous answer (which conveniently is the one All Good and Moral People support!) and the other side is utterly and even demonically in the wrong, that is something that immediately needs a closer look and healthy skepticism. How was this situation created? Who has an interest in either maintaining the status quo, discouraging any change, or insisting that there's only one way to engage with/think about this issue? Who is being harmed and who is being helped by this rhetoric, including and especially when you yourself are encouraged to immediately spread it without criticism or cross-checking? Does it rely on obvious lies, ideological misinformation, or something designed to make you feel the aforementioned negative emotions? Is it independently corroborated? Where is it sourced from? When you put the author's name into Google, what comes up?

Also, I think it's important to add that as a result, it's simply not possible to distill complicated information into a few bite-sized and easily digestible social media chunks. If something is difficult to understand, that means you probably need to spend more time reading about it and encountering diverse perspectives, and that is research and work that has to take place primarily not on social media. You can ask for help and resources (such as you're doing right now, which I think is great!), but you can't use it as your chief or only source of information. You can and should obviously be aware of the limitations and biases of traditional media, but often that has turned into the conspiracy-theory "they never report on what's REALLY GOING ON, the only information you can trust is random anonymous social media accounts managed by God knows who." Traditional media, for better or worse, does have certain evidentiary standards, photographing, sourcing, and verifying requirements, and other ways to confirm that what they're writing about actually has some correspondence with reality. Yes, you need to be skeptical, but you can also trust that some of the initial legwork of verification has been done for you, and you can then move to more nuanced review, such as wording, presentation of perspective, who they're interviewing, any journalistic assumptions, any organizational shortcomings, etc.

Once again: there is a shit-ton of stuff out there, it is hard to instinctively know or understand how to engage with it, and it's okay if you don't automatically "get" everything you read. That's where the principle of actually taking the time to be informed comes in, and why you have to firmly divorce yourself from the notion that being socially aware or informed means just instantly posting or sharing on social media about the crisis of the week, especially if you didn't know anything about it beforehand and are just relying on the Leftist Groupthink to tell you how you should be reacting. Because things are complicated and dangerous, they take more effort to unpick than just instantly sharing a meme or random Twitter video or whatever. If you do in fact want to talk about these things constructively, and not just because you feel like you're peer-pressured into doing so and performing the Correct Opinions, then you will in fact need to spend non-social-media time and effort in learning about them.

If you're at a university, there are often subject catalogues, reference librarians, and other built-in tools that are there for you to use and which you SHOULD use (that's your tuition money, after all). That can help you identify trustworthy information sources and research best practices, and as you do that more often, it will help you have more of a feel for things when you encounter them in the wild. It's not easy at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes more so, and will make you more confident in your own judgments, beliefs, and values. That way when you encounter something that you KNOW is wrong, you won't be automatically pressured to share it just to fit in, because you will be able to tell yourself what the problems are.

Good luck!

[p-redux]

My conclusions after researching Lauren Marie, the woman photographed holding hands with Sam Heughan in London on May 29, 2024. And my opinions on the whole situation. Also, some stuff regarding Sam and Sarah Holden. With a little Chloe Montana thrown in...

As per usual, this is gonna be a LONG one. You know what to do...put up your feet, grab a beverage, and dive right in.

But first, for those who need a refresher, here's my previous post on Lauren Marie and Sam Heughan. 👇

Okay, now onto the assertion by many, that Lauren Marie seen with Sam in London is an escort. First, let's clarify what that means. An escort is not necessarily a prostitute. A prostitute offers sex in exchange for money. An escort may or may not offer sex. But their main role is to accompany rich men to dinners, events, or travel with them. I know what you're thinking...why would a man pay a woman to basically be his date and not also get sex out of it? Men are dumb sometimes, what can I tell you. You can bet your bottom dollar that if I'm gonna PAY some hot dude for his company, he better be doing more than taking me out to dinner. Much more. Mind bogglingly, MANY, MANY, MANY men are literally okay with shelling out thousands of dollars just to have a beautiful, sexy woman on their arm. Some like to take on the role of Sugar Daddy and they lavish their Sugar Baby with gifts, condos, etc., for the pleasure of their dinner or travel company. Don't ask me how I know so much about this. Let's just say I had to do some research for it related to one of my work projects. I've interviewed men who are Sugar Daddies and women who are Sugar Babies. But I digress...

Onto Sam's Lauren Marie (I'm gonna call her that to make it easier to identify her in this post). If you Google "Lauren Marie escort," you get a few escort websites. The first one that pops up is xlamma. So, the picture on the account looks like it could be Sam's Lauren Marie. Keep note of the phone number and her tattoo. 👇

Here is another escort site with same name, similar info, same phone number, two new pics, and the same one from the other website. Again, same phone number, same tattoo. And now we see another tattoo on her other arm. 👇

Here's a 3rd escort website with two of the same pics from the other websites, plus a new one. Both tattoos match again. Same phone number as the other two websites. This woman is in Fort Lauderdale Florida. 👇

Here is a 4th escort website with the SAME phone number. And the woman in one of the pics has the SAME shoulder tattoo as in some of the previous websites. But this one is a totally different city and state--Detroit, Michigan. 👇

Why am I pointing out the tattoos? Because the escort's tattoos DO NOT match Sam's Lauren Marie's tattoos. 👇 The woman on the left has a huge tattoo on her right upper arm, Sam's Lauren Marie does NOT.

Here's more. Before you look at both pics, keep in mind that both pics are SELFIES looking in the mirror. Mirrors show reverse images of everything. What look like tattoos on their left arms, are actually tattoos on their right arms. The woman on the left has a single tattoo on her lower right wrist. She is the one on the escort website. The woman on the right is Sam's Lauren Marie. She has 3 tattoos on her right arm. Two on her lower right wrist and one that is some writing on her inner upper right arm. The woman on the left has no writing on her inner upper right arm. 👇

Below, is the same escort selfie pic in a mirror, showing one tattoo on her lower right arm. And Sam's Lauren Marie taking a selfie video, showing her lower right arm with TWO colorful tattoos.

In conclusion, the Lauren Marie on escort sites does not seem to be the Lauren Marie that was seen holding hands with Sam Heughan in London on May 29, 2024.

Since I was deep into my research, I decided to actually CALL the number that was on the escort websites. The things I do for you guys. 👇

Guess who answered? NO ONE. I got the automated message "the number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service." So, that means there's no chance of Sam...or any other man contacted escort "Lauren Marie," that way.

So, since I know about this subject. Again, don't ask how. By and large, the pictures on escort sites are FAKE. Rich, old dude, who's not getting his willy wet at home decides to hire an escort for some company and willy wetting, and 99.9% of the time, he ain't getting the bodacious babe that's in the ad. Oh, there will be a woman behind the door when he comes a knocking, and she will be semi attractive and very attentive, but it won't be the one in the picture. Only if the man is very picky or not super desperate, will he turn her down, most men, will be "Okay, fine, you'll do." The people running these operations know this. That's why they employ the old "bait and switch" technique. It works out fine most of the time. Now you know.

Having said that, WHO is Sam's London Lauren Marie? We've all already seen her Instagram account. 👇 ALL are pics of her looking sexy and glammed up, galivanting all over the world. She's posted from Los Angeles, to New York, to Dubai, to South Africa, to Brazil and many other places. Yet, she doesn't post what she does for a living in her bio. No links to businesses, no company endorsements, not even Only Fans.

But she's clearly traveling and having a great time on a consistent basis. Here's her gay best friend saying they travel the world together. 👇

He has a bunch of other Tik Tok videos showing them traveling together. There's one where he posts they "finessed," a month in Paris. Unless the dudes hiring are into some kinky "busty babe with her gay best friend" threesome, I find it odd that she would be an international escort with her gay bff in tow. Some women do travel with a "bodyguard" of sorts, basically a beefy guy who can extricate them from precarious situations, but this guy is definitely not the "bodyguard" type. Anyway, she doesn't always travel with him.

Here she is on her own Tik Tok account, trying to forge a path as an influencer. 👇

She also hangs out and goes to events with other sexy models like Corrie Yee, who she was mistaken for initially. They attended the BabesInToyland charity event. Click on the video to watch it. 👇

So far, the impression I got was that she was doing what MANY young women do who count on their looks and sex appeal to get them ahead, she was trying to capitalize on that. There is such a huge market for it and there is a broad spectrum on how that capitalizing can occur. You an interpret that as you wish. I didn't really think anything negative about her. Just another sexy wannabe. That was until, I watched the video below. Yikes. Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint, and I love copious f-bombs, but in this video she and her friends drop f-bombs and "bitch" like it's their JOB. It's SO CRINGE. Watch at your own risk. 👇

In summary, do I think Sam's choice of Lauren Marie was the best choice? No. Lots of other sexy bimbettes he could be hooking up with who don't sound like truck drivers. In fact, all the other women we know he's dated or hooked up with, even the ones that verged on bimbette, haven't acted this way. I'm a very tolerant person, but if I'm honest, even I was "what the hell, Sam?" Ironic, I know, I know.

Here are my opinions and my take on this. OMG, I'm SO tired you guys. Again, I must really love you. Okay, here we go.

Do I think Sam pays for escorts? ABSOLUTELY NOT. He doesn't have to. He has women teen, young adult, adult, middle-aged, grandma aged, one foot in the gravers, ALL kinds of women, lining up for him. And that's just fans hahaha. Besides fans, his social media DM's are FULL. I know this for a fact. Sources, people, sources. And we know he's on the celebrity dating app, Raya. Anytime he wants to have a no-strings-attached hook up or fling, all he has to do is go through his virtual Rolodex (the youngens will have to Google that reference) and boom, he can meet up with a woman. Some will say, "but the reason men go to prostitutes or escorts is because they want to be able to walk away, no expectations, and no one spilling their secrets." Yes, but celebrities are different. They know thousands of women are ready and willing to sleep with them for FREE and they will keep their mouths shut. I know we sometimes hear stories of celebrity hook ups, but think about HOW MANY we don't hear about it. That's because the women either want to keep sleeping with the celeb and/or they don't want to get sued, etc. Sam Roland Heughan, at age 44, still handsome as hell, in amazing shape, charming as all get out, does not at this point in time in his life have the need to hire an escort. To quote an old, semi-offensive classic song by Dire Straits, "money for nothing, and your chicks for free."

Do I think Sam meets women on the exclusive, celebrity dating app, Raya and has hooks up that way? ABSOLUTELY YES. And that's HOW I believe he met Lauren Marie. This is just my speculating, but I imagine she got herself an invite to be on Raya and then she meets rich, famous men there. She gets to travel and be pampered that way. And hey, many women are dating and having sex with non famous, non rich guys, why not try your luck with the rich and famous ones. So, I think either Sam contacted Lauren Marie or vice versa on Raya, and they agreed to meet up, and obviously more.

Do I think the pics in London of Sam and Lauren Marie were a staged pap walk? A PR set up by Sam and/or his team? NOPE. No way in hell. Sam is still doing very well, he is still visible, Outlander hasn't ended, and all his business and charity endeavors are super promoted. He doesn't need any pap walks. BUT, IF he did, they would be for GOOD PR. Being seen with Lauren Marie was BAD PR. And he has a very experienced team who would never pull a stunt like that. A true pap walk would have involved a known or semi known actress, model, not a woman no one knows and one that could or could not have a shady history. It also doesn't involve the subjects looking down, looking miserable. If it was a pap walk, they would have been smiling, preening for the camera. Also, I was just reminded that after the pics with Lauren Marie went viral, Sam turned off tags on his IG account. You don't do that if the intent was for PR.

So, then why the hand holding you ask? If it was "just a fling," why are they holding hands? I wondered that too. My guess is that they must have had a great time together and were fine being affectionate with each other in public. OR, this was not the first time they've met up. This is just the only time they've been photographed. I'm sure Sam has had other hook ups that the paps didn't get wind of with her and with other women.

Who called the paps? Definitely NOT Sam. Again, this is not good PR for him, and he definitely knows that. And I actually don't think she did either, or else she would have looked happier. But I guess, it's still possible it was her. This IS good PR for her. An unknown being seen with a hot, famous actor? Guess, what? Now her pics are all over social media and celeb news outlets. Here we are talking about her. If it wasn't her though, then as is the case many times, someone at the hotel, or a restaurant, or shop recognized Sam and called the paps. It happens ALL THE TIME.

Regardless, I am not the person to turn to if you want to shame Sam or Lauren Marie about their choices. I think all sex is good, as long as it's between consenting adults. Obviously, these are two adults consenting to be together in whatever manner they deem fit. I don't see anything wrong with it. If you do, that's your right, but please try to be civil about it on my blog.

What about Sam and Sarah Holden "didn't you say you had proof they were dating?!" I never said I had "proof," I said I KNEW 100% they were dating. And that still holds true. I know for sure Sam and Sarah were dating before May 29 through two direct insider sources I know and trust. Apart from that, two people who claimed to have info from Sarah's camp also confirmed it. But those two people I don't know and can't vet completely, so I took what they told me with a grain of salt. Regardless, I completely trust the other two people whose identities I know. And they both confirmed #samarah. And remember, it's not just me confirming it...there is proof they vacationed in the Canary Islands together, there is proof Sam was cheering on Sarah at Hyrox, Glasgow and he didn't compete. And there is proof that Sam didn't compet and was cheering on Sarah at Hyrox, London, holding her purse, and eating at an outdoor restaurant with her. There's not disputing that and Hyrox London wasn't that long ago. So, we have independent proof and I have my identifiable trusted sources who confirmed #samarah to me. Now, the thing is I was not told whether they were dating exclusively. So, the Lauren Marie London thing could have happened because Sam and Sarah are not in an exclusive relationship. OR they broke up after being in London together for Hyrox, and Sam felt like drowning his sorrows in something brunette. Sarah will be at Hyrox World in France next week. If Sam shows up, then that may give us a clue. Also, if we see Sam with Lauren Marie again, then we'll know she wasn't the one who called the paps. If we don't see her again, then we'll know she did or Sam thinks she did.

In summary, I don't believe Sam's Lauren Marie is on the escort sites shown. I do think she probably has some "arrangements" with certain wealthy men she knows, and that's how she travels the world. Unless, someone can show me other business ventures she has. I do believe she and Sam met on Raya. Sam had no idea who she is. Just a sexy woman he found attractive and wanted to hook up with. He didn't Google her, like we did. And there was no pap walk from his team. They would FOR SURE have Googled her and vetted her. Lauren Marie may have called the paps. If not, hotel, restaurant, or shop did. I knew with 100% certainty Sam and Sarah were dating. Didn't know if it was exclusive or not. I'm not sure if Sam and Sarah are still together. But, even if they were not dating exclusively, seeing those pics of Sam holding hands with Lauren Marie had to sting a little. It's one thing to know the man you're dating is dating other women, it's quite another to SEE it. I'm sure I forgot something. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm exhausted.

In other news, past rumored date, Chloé Montana poked her head into the conversation and posted a Jamie Fraser reference in her IG stories hahaha! The screenshot on the left is from a clip of the Bravo show The Valley. One of the men on the show dressed up as Jamie Fraser. Why he's wearing a black wig and not red, I'll never know. And on the right is the Jamie Fraser/Sam Heughan reference. I'm still cackling over it. Gotta love Chloé's sense of humor. 👇

PS. I know you all have LOTS of feelings and opinions about all this. I simply ask that you are respectful of Sam and Lauren Marie. They're both human beings living their lives, they're not out killing puppies, let's all take a deep breath. None of us know them personally. They haven't DONE anything TO us. If you want to badmouth Sam or Lauren Marie, there are plenty of blogs wanting to take you under their wing. If you want to continue engaging with my blog, I ask that you be civil. The only people I'm not civil with are haters who have made my life hell, namely Extreme Shippers and ex-Extreme Shippers. And people who are annoying assholes. Everyone else, I'm nice to. You be nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Simple.

I'm off to shower and then take a nap. Love you guys!

[spaceagebachelormann]

zigmar i come to you humbly on this fine evening with the simple request that you give me some sort of might duck sustenance por favor and muchas gracias

they can be incoherent and stupid and goofy and silly to the max i just need to rotate this little kids like rotisserie chickens in my mind (esp fulton portman and julie)

random miscellaneous tmd thoughts !

✧ warnings: some of them may be ooc ngl

✧ additional info: u got it pookums 😈😈😈🙏 also these can be read as either platonic or romantic (not luis)

✧ m.list — nav.

♡ charlie conway !

the most insane taste in music literally ever

bro goes from madonna to death metal SO FAST

but ngl his playlist is always the best and he always gets to play music whenever u go anywhere

but oh my god he’d love pierce the veil in present day

HES ALSO LIKE SOMEHOW AMAZING AT MATH. but he cannot do science for literal shit

also his clothing style changes js like his music taste

will literally be kurt cobain one day and morrissey the next (hed hate morrissey though)

♡ adam banks !

every team sleepover/event/literally anything could js be a spontaneous hangout is always at his house

it’s because he’s rich and his house is huge as fuck and he has every board game known to man

just do not play uno because a fight always breaks out (charlie is always part of it)

he’s always the one who ends the fight also

he has this very calming presence that’s so nice to be around and him js talking to whoever got into a fight immediately helps calm them down

also weirdly good at comforting in the middle of the night but never during the day??

♡ lester averman !

he would watch full house religiously prove me wrong

his favourite character is obviously joey because they are one in the same

everyone on the team and their mother has been forced to watch full house while he’s been at their house/vice versa

he can also cook like. decently well !! it’s not something he’d prefer to do but he will for his friends if they’re tired or smth

♡ fulton reed !

this little shit

he is so unbelievably competitive over the smallest things it’s actually insane

typa guy to race u to see who can get to one side of the room first and start genuinely tweaking if he doesn’t win

at sleepovers he refuses to fall asleep first even if it’s just by a few minutes

he could be dead to the world but still have his eyes open cause he refuses to let u win (unless ur his s/o cause he might consider it that way)

♡ connie moreau !

she is definitely a theatre kid idc

her favourite musicals are probably grease, hairspray and heathers

she likes female main characters!!

everytime she gets into a new fandom she immediately starts thinking abt what it’d be like a musical and probably wanted to be a composer at some point

would 100% beg to use the aux on a road trip and then blast hamilton loud as balls

she wholeheartedly believes six is a top tier musical and she will DIE on this hill

(fun fact i’ve met andrea macasaet <3)

♡ guy germaine !

modern day guy would’ve loved basic white girl music

“life is too short to pretend to hate taylor swift” —him

also 100% a britney spears girlie. and nsync and every stereotypical white girl artist

but i wholeheartedly believe britney would be his favourite and he has her whole discography on cassette, cd, vinyl, u name it he has a britney spears collection

also his ass is NOT straight 💀 i’ve never met a straight man who listens to britney spears

♡ julie gaffney !

lowkey a regina george multitude if she wasn’t kinda. yk. a bad person

she’s a mix of cher and regina

everyone at the fancy ass boarding school literally loves her because she’s calm, smart pretty nice etc etc she’s just a really great person to be around

shes that one student who has every assignment finisher a week early, all a’s and 100% in every subject WITHOUT being mean abt it!!

her ass is friends with the whole student population and knows every well and knows all the drama but won’t tell everyone if she thinks it’s too personal (it’s it’s random petty nonsense she tells the team)

♡ ken wu !

secretly rlly good friends with julie but nobody knows even though they do not try to hide it at all

literally wander the halls talking abt whatever just for everyone to be like “y’all are friends???”

also this man secretly loves lana del rey

him and julie will sit on his bedroom floor and literally tell him the most insane and jaw dropping gossip she heard that day while lana is playing in the background

everytime someone asks his favourite lana song he says grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he’s deep-sea fishing on did you know that there’s a tunnel under ocean blvd to fuck with them

♡ dean portman !

is actually very very good at math!!

he was a tutor for the 9th/10th graders for a bit to get volunteer hours and also cause he just likes doing math

you’d expect it to be like doing homework with ur dad and the poor kid is in tears while deans like “WHATS NINE. TIMES TWO.” but he’s actually surprisingly patient

if he’s explained something a few times and they still don’t get it he’ll just try it a different way until they get it and work them through the problem

has rlly strong relationships with the 9th and 10th graders cause of this and is essentially their older brother figure

the amount of 14/15 year olds that he’s given relationship advice too is insane (id be one of the 14 year olds probably)

♡ luis mendoza !

his type is secretly quiet girls cause he finds them rlly interesting and likes the thought of them being happy around him but quiet around everyone else

he’s like yes girl be urself with me

it all stemmed from the girl he liked in 8th grade who helped pick up his pencils when she accidentally knocked his pencil case out of his hand (she was a quiet nerdy girl)

like a whole year later and he’s still trying to rizz her up 💀

he’s one of those guys who takes forever to lose feelings

the girl is actually good friends with him btw

♡ dwayne robertson !

i feel like he is fucking AMAZING at baking

his icon is dolly parton and he heard berry pie so he immediately learned how to bake

if someone he knows has a birthday he either bakes the birthday cake or brings them something he made depending on how close he is with them

and holy shit it’s the most amazing thing u will ever taste and nothing will ever compare

yes he’s one of those guys who will go on an 18 minute tangent on how amazing dolly parton is if someone talks shit about her (same i love dolly)

[kirbybecomesastarwarrior]

Marx (Singuf) The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Marx is the Pied Piper of Hamelin but he didn't pipe away rats.. he pied Dark Matters away. (Hunold Singuf was the name of the Pied Piper... in one of the iterations, so I used it for Marx)

Marx despises his former happy-go-lucky self; this is also why he initially hates Kirby (because he reminds him of his former self...) and can't help but taunt Kirby on his overly trusting & good nature (because he used to be like that..)

Especially when Marx realizes how much he and Kirby can relate to each other... a fact that makes Marx second guess himself every step of the way for his plan...and when he realizes Kirby's basically another him... It really shakes him to his core

His main reason for revenge was due to the loneliness he was feeling and thought he couldn't belong anywhere else than Nightmare's fortress with all the other monsters. (Cause Kirby defeated Nightmare & the Cappies blew up the place. )

Basically he wanted Kirby to feel the same level of betrayl he felt with the people of Hamelin... only to find out that him and the cappies aren't as close anymore wha...

PLAN B: So instead he just exposed the growing cracks of his friendship with Tiff & Tuff (Fumu & Bun). Please read Marx's role in the story (here), this contains all the explanation of this and the background info on Marx.

Keep Reading for~

The story of Marx & Hamelin:

So, after the explosion of Nightmare's base, he is one of the very few monsters that survived. (Being blasted onto some remote planet... you guessed it, Hamelin). And wouldn't ya know it he fell right on his head so amnesia!

Marx doesn't remember his purpose (he was a monster that created Nightmare and was supposed to be the perfect friend for Kirby and made to trick him... yada yada yada... I explain it more in the previous post)

Basically, it's a dark mirror reflection of Cappy Town... Marx drops in on the town of Hamelin and the towns infested with Dark Matters. They welcome Marx inform him of the problem and give him all the hospitality they can offer (during this time of crisis)~

Originally, the town was filled with music, but since the Dark Matters came in (no music), the first thing they did was swipe the town's instruments... and now they seem to be going after the people! Half of the town belonged to the Dark Matters.

I wonder why?

The townsfolk so graciously ask for Marx's help (but in reality, they are looking for fresh meat to sacrifice while the other townsfolk have to save the hostages before they get possessed.)

Marx, not knowing what these terrible people had planned for him (throwing him head first into the den of wolves). But to him, he was repaying the nice people who sheltered him so he happily agreed... all he had to do was distract them.

So they went out to save the hostage with Marx running in the middle of town as a distract. Naturally, he was incredibly slippery and managed to stumble to the main stronghold.

Marx, having his natural curiosity figured, "Whatever they were guarding in there must be super valuable..." and scurried his way in. Imagine his disappointment when he found "just a bunch of crummy old instruments- WOAH wait, what that~"

The golden flute (the shiniest one), seemed to naturally catch his attention and before he knew it, it flew into his hands. He didn't know what drove him but naturally he started to play.

And just like that, all the Dark Matters were hypnotized by the flute's spell... Marx understood the power he had. And had the good sense to pipe them away from the town.

The people were all shocked and amazed (especially since they didn't think the little guy would survive the night!) But at long last, the Dark Matter infestation was solved, and quickly dubbed Marx as their savior and protector.

This was all just so new and exciting to Marx, and seeing all the happy faces of the townsfolk made. He feels like he truly belongs... and he couldn't help but say yes to all of it.

Marx mastered his craft, learned several (if not all) instruments, and would happily perform on the streets. Naturally expanding with classic juggling, magic tricks, etc. (Also, it was part of what he was made for by Nightmare~) Just a bring out a smile or two~

Not for pay, he just enjoyed making the people happy... and whenever there was a dark matter he'd gladly take care of it. Even happily helping the other neighboring towns and villages with their infestation problem.

But slowly, as time passed, the people started to take their hero for granted. They'd complain about how loud his playing was, why couldn't he get rid of the dark matter faster, couldn't have avoided the property damage...

And this ungrateful attitude seemed to increase as the town slowly seemed to become richer... buildings were being renovated... property expanding... that's weird...

The townspeople were nice to him still... but this love was all superficial only really loved him when they needed him or after the threat was gone~ He still felt like he was an outsider...Not really offer the genuine love and understanding he needed as an individual/as an actual person...

And it seems they needed the happy-go-lucky fun time Jester Marx... so he just played along...

Sound familiar to anyone~

This all came to a head when he saw the mayor carrying a suspiciously large sack of gold into town hall... Marx couldn't help but be curious... he managed to tail him inside, hiding under the main table to listen in.

The three others entered the room... Four more people made their way towards it to take their seats.

~

Mayor: Take a look at this haul *pouring the sack* Perhaps we should loan out the little urchin to some more of our neighbors to get rid of their pests.

Councilman: We're so lucky one of N.M.E's monsters fell right at our doorstep... I was surprised by how incredibly expensive a small one would be, I'm sure we could-"

Councilwoman: No we can't so that, you know owning a monster from N.M.E's monster is illegal now... ever since Nightmare's defeated the G.S.A is regaining control the new leade of the-

Mayor: We don't need to worry about him yet, all we need to do is keep him keep a low profile... is all.

Councilman: Fine... after all, we can't risk losing our dear Marx... annoying little brat... but he makes great money for just merely piping a toon, do you when such a thing understand the vaule of money

Mayor: Probably not, and besides, why was he our monster? We were not different from the many others, whoever ordered... this one just managed to drop in our laps, and we should be allowed to use him as

Assistant: We might want to rethink those plans. I just received this *reveal a letter with a G.S.A. logo,* I think they're on to us.

Councilwoman: So before you two idiots rudely ignored me... I've heard of those letters. I'm pretty sure a Star Warriors is coming in a sweep with town for any monster ownership... Sir Arthur will not allow any of this.

Councilman: We have to find Marx immediately... we can't have him getting us all in trouble...

Councilwoman: Frankly I'm surprised he survived this long given he was supposed to be bait... we just got this place back on it's feet we need to think of something quick!

Mayor: Perhaps this can all be solved by our little friend again.

Assistant: Ugh, we need to hurry they could be here-*door slam*

Everyone left sprinting out of the room~ All except one...

~

Marx was still frozen in horror at what he had heard... He leaves through the back door unseen. His mind was reeling at... "Surely this is a misunderstanding..." Despite only being afraid to find out the truth... Marx boldly ran up to the mayor in the middle of the town square...

Marx: Hey, we need to talk I heard you and-

Only to have someone grab him from behind.

Mayor: There it is.Thank you Sir Dragato so much for taking of this little monster~

Marx: Wha-

Councilwoman: He's been such an inconvenience having him run amok in our town... thank heavens it's over...

Councilman: Yes we do appericate your service nothing to see-

Marx: WAIT, WAIT WAIT- NO you can't this is my home too I've lived here, I'm good please I'd never hurt anyone I', the town protector I-

Lady: I've never seen that monster live here with us

Old man: He probably means the forest-

He watched one by one as each townsfolk helped weave this whole fabricated lie. Not one of them stood up for him or claimed him... Marx's heart sank even deeper with each one.

Councilman: Just one of Nigthmate playing his tricks again if you would be so kind as to get rid of-

Marx: Are all of you-* looks towards Dragato* Please ya gotta believe me they're lying please don't kill me I'm good-

Sir Dragato: *gives Marx an indifferent look and holds the sword near his neck* Pipe down-

Marx was seething with anger at this point and.... wait a moment piped down that's it! (Dragato of all the things you just had to say "pipe down")

Sir Dragato: Everyone! Please *extremely annoyed* it's just a small runt of a demon; there's nothing special about it I can just take him out with- *plays right into his ear* aaarghhaaaa! *Releases Marx*!

The townsfolk watched in horror as the sweet smile Marx bore turned into something sinister. He was overcome with shock & grief; the people who had been protecting them had merely seen him as a tool. Not only that they profited from his hard work! And now they're just going to throw him under the bus like this and... The negative nature he felt inside started to build.

He leaped into the sky raising his flute for one final show. And for the first time, his demoniac instincts kicked him... Then, grandly, the announced:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS WILL BE MARX SINGUF'S LAST PERFORMANCE AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE I WILL PIPE ALL THE DARK MATTER BACK INTO HAMELIN~

Soon, the town was overtaken by all the Dark Matter quickly overwhelming the town. And started to destroy it ...The people and Dragato watched in horror as the town was ripped to sherds.

Marx took his prized flute (the one he had held on so preciously as a memento on his first day in Hamelin as a luck charm...) and threw it away. And vowed to never play another tune ever again

Dragato is automatically put off by the power of Marx but still believes he could take Marx "You've terrorized this town long enough-"

Marx: Terrorize me.... terrorize me, Terrorize me *Marx's Soul form comes out for the first time, tears in his eyes* I DON'T THINK YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!

And pretty much beats Dragato to a pulp... "You will not succeed you will never take this town-ugh!" *Marx stuffs with a literal sock*

Marx: I don't want this crummy town you dingus *looks over to the townsfolk* I've had enough of it. *Snatches Dragato's bag* And here I thought you Star Warriors were supposed to be something special.

Looking through stuff see a Nightmare Enterprises logo... *triggers a memory* Maybe my answers lie there... *Smirks at the tied-up Dragato* you gave me a useful hit! SO LONG YOU RATHOLE TOWN HAVE FUN CLEANING UP YOUR OWN MESS!

This leads up to Marx's finding out his past and planning his grand revenge on the cappies and Kirby!

Shortly after (much to everyone's surprise, including Dragato's) Sir Arthur arrives... and the first thing he does is pick up the discarded flute of Marx... which was the real reason Sir Arthur sent the letter.

(Not for Marx as everyone had assumed ~)

Soon the mayor goes on to explain (his fabricated story) that Marx was the one who had brought in the Dark Matters... with his cursed flute...and Sir Dragato confirms their story... only for Sir Arthur to look at him disappointed.

Sir Arthur: I already know you're all lying through your teeth... you better tell the truth this time.

Mayor: But we already-

Sir Arthur: No, you didn't! You better tell the truth before I add to the list of charges you've already committed! *Brings out the scary dragon aura* TALK NOW!

Assistant : You're right we're lying~

Dragato: Wait wha-!

So townsfolk are forced to tell the truth, leaving Dragato frozen in disbelief... (Marx telling the truth). After the whole story was debunked Sir Arthur arrested the council members, leaving only Dragato and himself.

Sir Dragato: How did you know they were-

Sir Arthur: This flute is a sacred relic created by the Ancients... when they said it was cursed I knew they were lying and *he looked at Excalibur* these sacred items are all connected... And I knew its owner was in trouble...they were begging for anyone to believe them... but you.

*The golden flute quivered in anger and emulated a sad aura as if it were seeking justice for its owner*

Sir Arthur: You are demoted. You are responsible for cleaning up this fine mess you've made with the people of Hamelin *stares at the townsfolk's guilty faces* And as for the rest I will be confiscating this ill-gotten loot you made from Marx's hard work & whatever is not there you'll have to work to earn it!

Sir Dragato: It was their fault I was lied to... and that- he's one of-

Sir Arthur: We need to take accountability for our actions, and mistakes... *thinking back to Uther's regime* I'm trying to move the GSA in a different direction... one of tolerance away from the age of fear and paranoia I can not push things like this under the rug...

*looks at Dragato*

The situation was made worse due to your negligence... *flute starts angrily trembling* You were going to kill that boy from the looks of it, you don't even feel guilty for what you did...

I cannot trust you with any solo missions so from now on you'll be partnered up with Sir Falspar until deemed trustworthy and-

Sir Dragato: That "boy" as you call him is may I remind you... IS ONE OF NIGHTMARE'S MONSTERS! You can't do this-

Sir Arthur: I CAN AND I WILL! This happened because you ignored that boy's plea for help... You punished the innocent and nearly rewarded the guilty. Be grateful I do not permanently dismiss you...

We need to set an example... report back to me once you're done...

Dragato: *thinking to himself* (grr... you always did have a fondness for strays...*referring to Meta Knight*)

Notes:

Everyone has always said that Marx was supposed to Mirror Kirby in a way so... I made him the perfect Mirror to Kirby. The similarities in their stories are the main reason why Kirby is so sympathetic to Marx and the main reason Marx hates... (and not completely hate Kirby)

All the game characters I try to have them woven into the anime cast... With Fluff I made him have a connection to Falspar by using the Fisher King (King Fisher).

With Marx's storyline matching up with Dragato's... I know it seems like I wrote him rather villainous. But bear with me he has good reasons (aka Mommy issues with Dame Morgan).

Meta Knight, Dragato & Falspar are supposed to be reflections of Arthur, Morgan & Nonsura. (which I will expand on later~)

So Dragato is extremely jealous of MK (similair to Morgan with Arthur but for different reasons...)

I'll explain more on a later day. Right now, I have to stop myself before I write a whole novel.

And for those of you who are wondering what on earth inspired me to connect to mix the Pied Piper & Marx. WELL~

Perception check By Rom Cardy

TRY AND TELL ME THAT MARX IS NOT THE HUMAN BARD & NOT DO VICOIOUS MOCKETY! "LOOT THAT BODY"

(Sorry guys, I just wanted to end this on a light-hearted note~)

I think I'll try to post lore stuff like this once a week while the tournament is going on. I hope you guys enjoyed it & have a great day everybody.

[toastedjeans]

Siren Tower Maurice, Doise and Peddito!

The main cast is over here!

I just realized Doise's gloves should be more white but I'm too lazy to change that, just imagine they're white okay?

Some info about them down here

Maurice

Peppino's older brother and a piece of shit, who constantly belittles him and calls him a disappointment. His apartment has water damage or something similar, or maybe it got destroyed, so now he temporarily lives with Peppino until his flat is repaired. (Alternative: he didn't pay rent and got kicked out, continues not to pay rent to Peppino because "we're family, you can't charge your own brother.") He's either divorced or his girlfriend left him, is only allowed to see his son once a month. It's probably for the better.

Peppino is incredibly fed up with him but he tries to endure it, until he one day snaps and probably slaps him, they end up both kicking the shit out of each other (but Peppino is stronger because i said so).

Maurice invites himself to poker night and other activities Pep and the others do after work times, then complains that he's bored or something (M: "This sucks, why did you invite me?" P: "I didn't??"). He gets along a little with Mr. Stick, but only because they're both gamblers, he's somehow even more unlucky than Stick and keeps losing almost all his money. Doesn't get along with Hazel cause he doesn't take her seriously, thinks she's childish and stupid.

Doise

Goblin shark. He's basically Noise but blue. Noise hates him because he thinks Doise is imitating him, but they're just the same species of siren. He's a little more mellow and doesn't go feral as much or as easily as Noise. He throws rocks cause he doesn't know he's immune to sea urchin and puffer fish poison / venom. He can also go on land but needs water nearby.

He has heterochromia (one eye is blue, the other is purple-ish brown), and has the same "whiskers" as Noise, just turned down.

Absolutely terrified of Peddito, as he seems to always want to kill him, and has tried doing so a few times. Sometimes plays dead hoping that Peddito leaves him alone, it doesn't really work though.

Peddito

A failed clone of Peppino, made before Fakey. Pizzahead didn't like him as much because he didn't get the eyes right so he threw him out (basically the Other Eye problem, but he ended up leaving his eye sockets empty out of frustration). He can't see because of this, but he can still navigate through the water effortlessly. There's way less sea creature DNA in him, so he looks almost completely human just with a fin on his back and webbed hands. It's unclear where his vibrant coloring comes from.

He's strangely obsessed with Doise for some reason and doesn't interact with anyone cause he's just not interested in anyone else. He actually wants to be friends with Doise, but since Pizzahead designed him to be a killing machine, he doesn't know his own strength and ends up almost killing Doise several times. His "killer side" comes out every time he's near Doise, and he can sense his presence because of this.

When not near Doise, Peddito seems almost dead, he moves very little, and is unresponsive. He can't talk, neither human nor siren language, but he understands both. He doesn't swim, just floats through the water like a dead fish, despite this he's incredibly agile and fast. Would follow Doise on land, and could survive with pretty much no problems. He just slides across the floor when on land, as if he was on rails. The bottoms of his feet are always slippy, making it easier for him to move. Might leave a trail wherever he goes.

And here's your reward for reading, some doodles of various age and messiness

Also some shippy stuff hehe

[sanctus-ingenium]

I'd looove to hear a little about your worldbuilding process if you don't mind sharing. How do you go about it? I know you have shared in a few posts already but just wanna know moree. Also where did it all begin? What inspired you? (eating it all uppp!!!)

hi!! I know I wrote a big long thing like last year or the year before about the process to making a setting but I cannot be arsed to find it rn so here's some disconnected thoughts

Overall I don't really make Headworlds or Worldbuilding Projects the way a lot of people do (which is why u keep hearing me say 'setting' over and over) because mainly what I make are stories in the order of characters -> plot -> world. those three things have to serve one another in that order of importance, so the world itself bends to serve the narrative. for example, ultimately idgaf where the holy beasts' skeletons come from, that is not important because the beasts are basically just a big plot device to serve the story. i can make some post-hoc justifications for their existence (and i did) but at the end of the day it will not and does not matter how they work or where they come from. the world is full of mysteries that will never be solved because the characters are not in a position to solve them. aside from a single border conflict, the world outside the mezian empire is nebulous and unimportant.

I don't enjoy working in a world -> narrative order because what I want to produce isn't just a series of info posts or artpieces about a setting, but a closed and self-contained story which is the justification for the entire world's existence. Headworlds that are all world and no character don't interest me.

So basically in the process of worldbuilding, I have to serve the story. A while back I made a post about continental history around Inver, all these wars and occupations and schisms and so on. All of those exist solely to provide a particular political climate, justification for Aquitan's theocratic structure, and the spread of the southern church north into Inver. I already had the idea of this church, that it would be integral to the country as a main political faction, so now I have to figure out how it got there and the political ramifications of that. It's all worldbuilding for sure, but it's a support structure underneath the story about how that church eventually changes world history, because i wanted to write a story about a church lol.

I guess if I wanted to explain The Process for a world -> characters setting i'd just be giving you How To Write A Story 101 lol. But basically: I think of a concept which interests me (big mechs yay). Then I think of a conflict that might arise (where does the fuel come from? who controls that supply? what might that do to the concentration of power in this area?). Then I put a character in what I consider to be the most interesting position to observe the effects of this conflict (a knight, an enginesmith, an exile), and honestly the main plot generally writes itself after that. I extrapolate the hook from that.

In terms of characters, I try to avoid calling them 'ocs' because in my mind 'oc' tends to be a very static stand-alone thing. Like I couldn't make a useful ref sheet of my characters because they are all changed by the story. I couldn't say 'he has a carefree personality' because in a few chapters no he fucking won't. in the same way i struggle a LOT to talk about my Siren setting which as close to a specbio 'headworld' as i'm ever gonna get, because I am worldbuilding in vastly different time periods at once in a world which is always changing, i can't make a post about for example a map of Siren because that's just a map from one era, I'd need to make a dozen maps to show how things change, how time affects it all, etc.

Because nothing is ever static and everything is in flux, pretty much the only way I can handle a setting like this is, again, just to focus on a few small stories centered around a cast of characters separated by time (i have... 4 distinct stories in Siren. maybe more). this is actually a frustrating barrier to me sharing any information at all about this place lol i'm the struggler

Where did it all begin? When I was 11 I used to write stories in my copybooks in class. There has never been a time where I was not making stories and where my stories were not the only important thing at all to me, superseding literally everything else. I learned how to draw digitally in 2011 because I wanted to draw my characters.

What inspires me? Everything lol. I actually don't have time to Consume Media much, I struggle watching movies or tv and I mostly hate video games because I would much rather be productive and sitting and watching a screen feels like a waste of my time. but I like reading books because I can take them with me on my phone. I get ideas from all sources but mostly non-media sources, like obviously mythology but also my history with the church and my scientific education. Usually nonfictional sources interest me the most (i was going to write a whole story that was a post-apocalyptic plague plot based on canine transmissible venereal cancer haha and even to this day that's where "the Immortal Hound" title comes from, little easter egg in inver)

[leelarots]

DECA STUFF

this is a master post about my au/fic canon for the deca. i will link this in my deca posts in future, so i don't feel like I have to explain stuff every time. thank you so much to this sub-fandom for making me feel so welcome!

current lineup:

6/10 drawn, design ages frozen at 18-25

to do: vansell, drax, mortimus, jelpax

basic info from left to right:

Magnus | 6'4 | Oakdown | hazel eyes, black hair

Ushas | 6'0 | [?] | 'black' eyes, dark brown hair [portrait]

Koschei | 5'7 | Oakdown | blue-grey eyes, black hair [portrait]

Theta | 5'8 | Lungbarrow | brown eyes, light brown hair [portrait]

Millennia | 5'3 | Brightshore | hazel eyes, blue hair

Rallon | 5'10 | Stillhaven | brown eyes, black hair

[other info on the fic(s) below cut]

current word count: 2.3k

the fic:

will be separated into different 'books', each focusing on a select few characters and one main plot each.

will have theta as a regular gallifreyan instead of half human or another species. however, it's worth noting that for the narrative, I am going to make all 'freyans have some human genes due to past inbreeding

(with luck!) will be partially illustrated

won't be an attempt at following the incredibly messy canon. godspeed to those who try.

won't be centred around thoschei. as much as I wish it was, writing worldbuilding for gallifrey and fleshing out other members of the deca is also enjoyable to write about

other notes on my worldbuilding:

at this point in time, time lord households do not refer to parents or siblings. the hierarchy goes from bottom to top cousins -> aunts/uncles -> granny/grampas -> kitriarch

theta may not be half human/the timeless child, but I aim to still make him 'adopted'. he knows who his father is, but his mother is not of rank, and left him as a baby outside of the lungbarrow household. the connection between him and braxtiel is that they were both left with a note in the same handwriting, addressed to their father.

koschei's 'hypnotic' nature and high telepathic ability is a rare genetic condition. most gallifreyans have a weak latent touch telepathy, trained up in the academy. hypnosis is a different story, but koschei can carry off a potent version of hypnotism without training. he is only in the academy because of his condition.

related to the above's last sentence, becoming a time lord is somewhat class locked due to the initial exam for joining the academy requiring training only supplied by expensive tutoring. if you are not born into a time lord family, it is very difficult to get in.

a main theme of the fics will be around the stagnation that occurs when people in power do not change. as the occupants of the high council live for so long, they have the ability to enforce only their beliefs/beliefs of a small bubble, refusing to move with the times or address changing circumstance.

looming has only just come into existence during the fic canon. none (or at least most) of the deca are not loomed.

'shobogans' are the occupants of the capitol's surrounding slums. this may change.

religion is banned/illegal, but I aim to portray that as being hypocritical—time lords started out as a religious sect. the cloisters are indeed remnants of the original religious building, buried underneath the capitol.

a large portion of gallifrey is not optimal for human-like life. the largest part of the planet's gallifreyan population is centred in the glass globe cities, such as arcadia or the capitol.

humans regularly trade with gallifrey, although the trade lines go: widespread human trade lines -> undocked spaceships around gallifrey -> permanent human settler-traders on the planet. it is not permitted for anyone to go to and from gallifrey freely without a specific, hard to obtain permit. time lords can obtain a permit more easily.

related to above, this is my reason as to why gallifrey has cats and other human items. some human plants and animals are considered invasive.

human-gallifreyan marriage is somewhat taboo. theta is commonly rumoured to be half human without basis because of his being 'different'. once again, the fact most gallifreyans are part human is to show that they are hypocritical.

I could go on, but I won't lol this is long

I am aware of how ambitious this project is. for that reason, I can never promise that the whole fic series will be completed. drawing and sharing my headcanons is enjoyable for me, though, as the deca is my current favourite thing. it's been years of me tinkering about with them in silence, I'm rather hoping I can find others who like my ideas.

my ao3 is soupsmog

want to know something specific? want to talk? pop me an ask, comment on my deca related posts, or join this academy era server, where I'm pretty active. dms are not really open because they make me anxious, sorry!

[fandomchaser77]

This is a link to a WIP fanfic based off a mashup of AUs created by @deusvervewrites , specifically

Escaping Gravity + Hair Trigger + Hatsume for All + Aldera Uraraka + Engineered Solutions

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NIcJKa6ryDMGebE_yOIfyUZCLzbq_-triNy1pKjO4Gc/edit?usp=drivesdk

It's a very early WIP so everything is subject to change but there are a few things I'd like to clarify:

Since the current info about the AUs I based this on only briefly talk about a few key moments and minor details, I'll have to take some liberties when it comes to what the ask games didn't cover

Speaking of taking liberties, the biggest ones will be with Hatsume Mei for three reasons

1. Since Hatsume is a side character who only shows up a handful of times, we barely know anything about her outside of her wacky personality and her skills as inventor, so I've decided to give her a backstory since she makes up 1/3 of this fanfics main protagonists

2. 1/2 of her characters purpose in canon MHA was as a gag character, with most of her jokes involving her not respecting others personal space, her inventions blowing up, and/or her career plans. Since I intend to play the story straight I've decided to downplay this aspect of her a tiny bit. Specifically I've given her some emotional baggage to fit in more with the rest Class 1-A since almost every member has at least some form of trauma, character flaw, confidence issue and/or some combination of the three they have to overcome, and that's not even including our other two main protags, Midoriya and Uraraka who have villain parents. She's still gonna be the same goofball we know and love, she just has some issues to deal with now.

3. Since the two of the AUs that allow her be in the limelight for this fic are basically crackfics about Hatsume being OP, I'll be selectively nerfing her to keep the stakes high when necessary, but only in ways that make sense and seem fair during those parts of the story

And last but not least, I am open to criticism and suggestions (especially from the deusvervewrites) so I will have comments turned on in the google doc so feel free give any ideas

P.S. I'm terrible at making titles, so if anyone has any good ideas pls let me know 👍

[instantcaramel]

A month ago I went to Amsterdam and visited all the filming locations for Ted Lasso‘s „Sunflowers“, so I figured I‘ll finally put something together here.

First of all, basically all the scenes involving the majority of the Richmond himbos were not shot on location - their epic discussion followed by pillow fight was filmed in an abandoned hotel in London. (Info per David Elsendoorn). The same would go for Ted & Beard‘s room. Scenes on the bus or outside it were also filmed in Richmond.

The only Greyhound who doesn‘t have his own larger plotline in the episode who was actually in Amsterdam was David Elsendoorn, because they did film the first scenes at Johan Cruijff (you know how to pronounce it now!) ArenA, the home of Ajax Amsterdam (which is also the one place I didn‘t have time to visit). They could have easily filmed that in London in a different stadium but I guess they didn‘t want to pass up the opportunity - and give David something to do on his home turf.

Edit: I visited 3 months later, so here‘s some pics from the ArenA, I couldn‘t find out which hallway they used/dressed up for the press interviews, but here‘s some shots from the stadium and the VIP lounge we see at the beginning.

So, first up is Roy & Jamie‘s adventure: Jamie takes him sightseeing against his will, and the first place they stop on is Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge). (They run up the street to that before.)

Edit thanks to @warriorhoneybee: Roy grabs Jamie’s wrist at Diamond Factory on Rokin and then tells him he can‘t ride a bike outside Lyppens Jeweler at Langebruugsteg.

They go around the corner to Oude Turfmarkt (which is what I took a picture of) for Jamie to teach him how. For Grandad!!!

The fucking windmill they see before they lovingly gaze into each other’s eyes is De Riekermolen at the Southern end of Amstelpark, where they also cycle. (It‘s actually realistic for them to do that, it would be about half an hour between those locations by bike).

Rebecca doesn‘t see the obvious bike lane (that doesn‘t actually exist there) and falls into the gracht at Raamgracht. Boaty McBoatface‘s houseboat is still there, they just had it dressed up a bit with plants and such when they filmed. (Unclear if anyone currently lives there). The interiors were shot in a studio.

Trent follows Colin to Prik night club (which was absolutely buzzing when I was there, I really want to go back).

And then they sit at the Homomonument, the Pink Triangle memorial at Westerkerk, having that tearjerker of a conversation, before returning to party. (It walked that distance at night, it‘s a beautiful stroll and less than 10 minutes). When I visited someone had left sunflowers. 🌻

Leslie & Will first go to Hotel Prins Hendrik in the Red Light district (and steps away from Amsterdam main station) where Chet Baker died. They then make their way to Jazz Café Alto, which is just down the road from where Boom Chicago used to be on Leidseplein. (It‘s about 30 mins on foot between those two locations so they could have walked or just taken the tram for a few stops. The interiors were done at a studio though).

Ted of course visits the studio-filmed fictional themed restaurant where he has a BBQ sauce induced, Corey Burton-narrated epiphany about triangles, but first he sees Vincent‘s „Sunflowers“ at Van Gogh Museum during Museumnacht (which btw would mean the episode is set first weekend of November). As you can tell they moved some things around, so at least currently the painting isn‘t hung on that beautiful blue wall anymore.

As a bonus, here is a picture of where Boom Chicago used to be when Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly performed there - Brendan also used to live above the McDonald‘s on Leidseplein just steps away for a while. And the other picture is the current Boom Chicago on Rozengracht, definitely go enjoy a show there if you can.

Anyway thus concludeth my trip around Ted Lasso‘s Amsterdam. I visited for the Boom Chicago Comedy Festival and fell in love with the city, it was … magical / gezellig. I will never forget it, but then again, some people get Alzheimer’s.

[extrajigs]

Modern Diagrevies jaw settup! These guys are close relatives of the chimera. Or well maybe were? Modern times has seen them assume a more draconic form via chimeric assistance. Working on a more in depth overview of their current appearance but the heads/mouths have been the BANE of my existence for the past few months. Just happy to have it figured. Lil info dump below!

These guys are basically rocking chimeric jaws under a coat of dragon paint. They've completely lost their eyes now, relying on a thin strip of light receptors between the maxilla for their miniscule amount of vision. Instead they see through echolocation babyy. That's what them big ass holes in the back of the skull relate to and will be talked about on a later date. They have also abandoned the bellows system and breathe through a more avian set up, but air is coming in and out of the same holes now! The jaws still move independently from the head, pulling on each other to get closing power. With this set up they can also move them apart from each other to really yawn that mouth open. This is important as the crest of the draconic Diagrevies is located within the mouth! Instead of a slow ooze of magic goo, they instead opt for a concentrated spray of multipurpose sludge. The goo analogous to that of a chimeras casting ooze is actually not the main substance used. Instead, large sacks throughout their body hold a viscous liquid to be spat out when needed. This resin quickly takes on a thicker consistency once exposed to air before eventually hardening into an almost resin like substance. Magic goo is added to this liquid for the sole purpose of making it flammable. One quick ignition spell and they are basically a living flame thrower, the unfortunate thing being that post Godfall they lose their casting and rely on other means of lighting that fire. But it can still be lit! To be burned with Diagrevies fire is to feel flame welded to flesh. Not pleasant!!

(Also note actual dragons in this setting do not fuel their fires with anything but magic)

[onlymurdersintheafterparty]

OMITB S4:E3 ‘Two for the Road’

This episode was interesting and raised even more questions. While we start off and end the episode with the trio, in most of the episode we watch them branch off with their respective actors and have their own mini adventures. I thought it was a great idea to give us a better idea of who Zach, Eugene, and Eva are in this universe and to delve more into the main characters’ personalities apart from each other. There were several bombshells dropped so as always spoilers are behind the cut.

At the beginning of the episode, we find out from Detective Williams that the FBI has taken over meaning she won’t be on the case. That doesn’t stop her from giving them what information she does have as well as breaking the fourth wall in reference to the three previous seasons which was hilarious. We also learn that she’s a fan of Zach Galifianakis when she discovers the actors are also in the apartment and threatens Oliver not to let him get hurt and implies he’s her hall pass 🤭 Honestly same bc the man is not only hilarious but handsome as well. Shortly after she leaves is when everyone branches off so I’m going to break up each segment based off the duo.

Oliver and Zach don’t do any intentional sleuthing this episode. Oliver is fed up with Zach’s indifference and lack of desire to connect so he lies saying they need to monitor the ham radio and whisks him off to his apartment. I know Oliver is a mess but I really don’t like the way that Zach treats him like a loser. At some point they appear to bond as Oliver teaches Zach how to snort, grunt, and dress like him which seems to have gone well until Zach is overheard saying otherwise. Howard tries his best to stand up for Oliver in that passive aggressive way and we know he means well but it ultimately does nothing to change Zach’s impression. I agree on one thing though: Oliver’s resilience and choosing to wake up happy every day despite the chaos is admirable. That’s what life is about because every day is a chance to change your fate.

Charles and Eugene’s dynamic was different. Are they buddies? No but they both have the same goal in mind which is to get Vince to take off his eyepatch to see if he’s hiding damage from the gun recoiling. These two clearly share one brain cell because every attempt failed. First they come up with a story about Charles having a cousin who is an eye doctor with magic eye drops that they swear will work wonders. Instead of taking off his eyepatch then and there, Vince instead goes into the privacy of his bathroom. Take two goes even worse because Eugene’s idea of doing a spit take to get the eyepatch off leads to him getting punched in the face by Vince after he spits water on him. It does lead to a clue though. When they all hug it out, Eugene notices a photograph and signals for Charles to view it. It’s all the Westies and a figure with their face scribbled out. What in the world is going on here? Is Dudenoff Moriarty? Is Dudenoff not even involved and someone else just utilized his apartment as originally suspected? I’m so confused.

Mabel and Eva were giving frenemies. No actual hate, just two people forced together with nothing in common. Though her methods were unconventional and unhinged, Eva did manage to get a lot of info for Mabel.

The gun on the mantle is a movie prop that shoots nerf gun like ammo

Christmas Guy HATES Christmas; now this had me shook ngl; this man is a fitness influencer who has been typecast into a Christmas role and is basically held hostage by his decor 😭

The tinsel is not tinsel!

A few days ago I made a post about a theory regarding the killer(s) and whether or not they were in attendance at the party in the S3 finale and @bbeeebbo brought up a really good point about the tinsel being a red herring for Christmas Guy and that it very well could have been from the party. While we have yet to confirm if it was from the party, we now have confirmation that it’s actually not tinsel at all!

The sleuthing with the two ends shortly after this reveal and we see Mabel get the idea to look up squatter’s rights and temporarily move into the Dudenoff apartment. When they all reunite at the end for Mabel’s housewarming party, they put their clues together and realize that 445 is a radio frequency. Earlier when Mabel and Eva were sleuthing they discovered a ham radio in the Christmas apartment as well so clearly the Westies have some secret communication going on. When Mabel turns on the radio to the right frequency, a woman responds and tells them to stop snooping because the last person that did so is dead (Sazz). She also was in a hurry to disconnect giving the impression she’s on the run. Is she the mysterious Dudenoff or a tenant we have yet to meet? I’m so confused!

Final Thoughts

I feel like the writers have caught on to how smart the redditors are because a lot of theories were confirmed or debunked this episode. Someone theorized Mabel might end up squatting in the Dudenoff apartment which she does at the end of the episode and another theorized that Vince’s eyepatch was to cover a bruise from the gun’s recoil which is false (he actually does have pink eye and it’s gnarly 🤢). I’m bracing myself for the moment in the season finale where everything was obvious af and I was just overthinking everything 😂 What do you guys think so far now that we’re 3 episodes into the season?