This episode is more filling and less toxic than a Tide pod.

Sources:

Sources:

• https://www.npr.org/2022/09/22/1124252556/nyquil-chicken-challenge-fda-warning
• https://www.healthline.com/health/dont-eat-tiktoks-nyquil-chicken#talking-safe-use
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/09/07/paquis-one-chip-challenge-removed-from-shelves-following-teens-death/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/worcester-street-renamed-to-honor-teen-who-died-after-one-chip-challenge/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Chip_Challenge
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-teenagers-eat-tide-pods-2018013013241
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumption_of_Tide_Pods
• https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-51742854
• https://injury.research.chop.edu/blog/posts/skull-breaker-challenge-and-concussions
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_challenge
• https://academic.oup.com/jbcr/article-abstract/37/4/e395/4582201?redirectedFrom=PDF
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benadryl_challenge
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_and_ice_challenge
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackout_challenge
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale_Challenge
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_Challenge_hoax

Lorien gives Katharine a quick and dirty history lesson on the largest island in the world for...absolutely no specific reason at all...

Sources:

Sources:

• https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
• https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-advisers-discussing-options-acquiring-greenland-us-military-is-always-an-2026-01-06/
• https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-administration-mulls-payments-sway-greenlanders-join-us-2026-01-08/
• https://apnews.com/article/denmark-us-trump-greenland-talks-1b783621cbbbc1218986151be9c6836c
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#:~:text=During World War II, the,persuade the US to leave.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_United_States_acquisition_of_Greenland#cite_note-clingendael20202-73
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_the_Red's_Land
• https://www.norden.org/en/information/facts-about-greenland
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Greenland
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/10/denmark-pm-says-sorry-to-greenland-inuits-taken-for-heartless-social-experiment
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18249474#:~:text=982 - Greenland discovered by the,Age as temperatures fall significantly.
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Greenland/History
• https://japan.um.dk/en/about-denmark/greenland/history-and-culture
• https://www.historyextra.com/period/general-history/who-owns-greenland-history-explained/
• https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/02/through-indigenous-eyes-the-colonial-history-of-greenland-and-why-it-matters
• 1. https://apple.news/ALJhys51gS6eo8NSJkb5uPw

Katharine tells Lorien about types of flooding; Lorien (kind of) tells Katharine the plot of the 2006 movie Flushed Away.

Sources:

• https://www.weather.gov/phi/FlashFloodingDefinition
• https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-are-two-types-floods
• https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-dangers-of-floodwater
• https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/many-effects-flooding/
• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/august-25/yangtze-river-peaks-in-china
• https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/hurricane-katrina.htm
• https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/07/the-deadliest-floods-in-u-s-history/
• https://www.weather.gov/safety/flood-watch-warning
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Pacific_Northwest_floods
• https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-31/the-johnstown-flood
• https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/great-mississippi-river-flood-1927
• https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/13/us/camp-mystic-flooding-texas

Like a raccoon stealing shiny trash or a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter, Lorien has been collecting small anxieties to sustain her through the winter months.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colloid
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksand
• https://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/09/29/1471116.htm
• https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/terra_infirma.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_quicksand
• https://westsidesalvage.com/grain-entrapment/
• https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Archimedes-principle/599600
• https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-quicksand-and-how-to-escape-it-4163374
• https://wildlandtrekking.com/blog/is-quicksand-real/
• https://ksltv.com/local-news/hiker-rescued-after-hours-stuck-in-quicksand-in-arches-national-park/855476
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_nut
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium#Toxicity
• https://www.mdlinx.com/article/a-popular-nut-with-a-dangerous-toxin/11MiGRAzCC4OCfxOUU3wjL
• https://www.mdlinx.com/article/a-popular-nut-with-a-dangerous-toxin/11MiGRAzCC4OCfxOUU3wjL#LFC_Sources
• https://www.cdc.gov/angiostrongylus/about/index.html
• https://www.news-medical.net/health/Rat-Lungworm-Disease-in-Hawaii.aspx
• https://www.biisc.org/pest/rlw/
• https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/12/18/stressed-snails-rat-lungworm/https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/rat-lungworm-disease-detected-on-kauaʻi/
• https://health.hawaii.gov/news/newsroom/rat-lungworm-disease-detected-on-kauaʻi/
• https://www.usf.edu/health/public-health/news/2024/cc-ladder-safety-march-2024.aspx
• https://www.americanladderinstitute.org/page/NationalLadderSafetyMonthLadderAccidentsintheHomeArePreventable
• https://www.americanladderinstitute.org/page/BasicLadderSafety
• https://rosenjustice.com/blog/common-fall-from-ladder-injuries/#Statistics_on_Ladder_Accidents
• https://www.ehstoday.com/safety/news/55262291/ladder-incidents-have-decreased
• https://blog.ansi.org/ansi/common-causes-ladder-incidents/#:~:text=Missing the last step and,and top of the ladder.
• https://www.readersdigest.in/features/story-i-survived-falling-in-quicksand-127478

• https://people.com/i-survived-getting-partially-swallowed-by-quicksand-on-the-beach-8667623

Katharine tells Lorien a story all about how important it is to stay on schedule and have a supply list.

Sources

https://www.history.com/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-donner-party

https://www.nps.gov/cali/learn/historyculture/donner-reed-party.htm

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Donner-party

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/donner-party-cannibalism-nation-west

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party

Lorien, too tired for anything truly terrible, tells Katharine about a mysterious, anonymous, unsolvable set of puzzles.

Sources:

• ​⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_3301⁠⁠
• ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography⁠⁠
• ​https://www.npr.org/2014/01/05/259959632/the-internets-cicada-a-mystery-without-an-answer⁠⁠
• ​https://web.archive.org/web/20131125232546/
• ​http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet/10468112/The-internet-mystery-that-has-the-world-baffled.html⁠⁠
• ​https://www.fastcompany.com/3025785/meet-the-man-who-solved-the-mysterious-cicada-3301-puzzle⁠⁠https://web.archive.org/web/20150920023142/
• ​http://mentalfloss.com/article/31932/chasing-cicada-exploring-darkest-corridors-internet⁠⁠
• ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game⁠⁠
• ​https://web.archive.org/web/20170802043935/
• ​https://blog.threatstack.com/cicadas-security-part-2-when-a-verified-pgp-key-takes-you-on-a-trip-to-the-desert⁠⁠
• ​https://mashable.com/archive/us-navy-codebreaker-game⁠⁠
• ​https://apple.news/AMScMZtd3RAeKfsks16t3jA⁠⁠
• ​https://www.archive.vtmag.vt.edu/sum15/ology.html⁠⁠
• ​https://www.the-independent.com/tech/masonic-conspiracy-or-mi6-recruitment-tool-internet-mystery-cicada-3301-starts-up-again-9044049.html⁠⁠
• ​https://theface.com/life/cicada-3301-the-codebreakers-still-working-on-the-internets-strangest-mystery⁠⁠
• ​https://clevcode.org/cicada-3301/⁠
• ​https://www.truesec.com/hub/blog/dissecting-the-cicada⁠⁠
• ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware_as_a_service⁠⁠
• ​https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/cicada-ransomware-what-you-need-know⁠⁠
• ​https://www.ibm.com/think/news/has-blackcat-returned-as-cicada3301⁠⁠
• ​https://www.rapid7.com/blog/post/2024/08/20/selling-ransomware-breaches-4-trends-spotted-on-the-ramp-forum/⁠⁠
• ​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darknet
• ​https://vocal.media/history/cicada-3301-the-internet-s-greatest-mystery⁠⁠
• ​https://www.alaricstephen.com/main-featured/2016/9/18/the-cryptic-crossword-that-recruited-for-bletchley-park⁠
• ​https://www.schoolreaders.org/post/could-you-have-been-a-bletchley-park-codebreaker

Katharine teaches Lorien all about cracking and packing, monstrous political cartoons, and shapes. That's right, it's that sexiest of topics: Gerrymandering!

Sources:

• https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/gerrymandering-explained
• https://www.history.com/articles/gerrymandering-origins-voting
• https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5577000/north-carolina-redistricting-trump
• https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HSI-pf8MumE
• https://www.gilderlehrman.org/news/elbridge-gerry-and-original-gerrymander
• https://www.npr.org/2025/11/18/nx-s1-5604412/redistricting-midterm-election-texas
• https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/19/texas-redistricting-maps-supreme-court-whats-next/
• https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/17/indiana-legislative-leaders-dodge-discussing-redistricting-pressure/
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/utah-judge-rejects-republican-drawn-congressional-map-adopts-alternative-creating-democratic-leaning-district
• https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymandering-voting-maps-congress-trump-2ba53ae1f492f8e293f0fa261604e8c6

Lorien tells Katharine about a tragedy of gigantic proportions.

Sources:

• The Story of the Titanic: As Told by Its Survivors, Lawrence Beesley, Archibald Gracie, Commander Lightoller, Harold Bride, ed. Jack Winocour.
• https://www.history.com/articles/titanic
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic
• https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/titanic-tragedy-caused-by-fire-not-iceberg-claims-journalist/news-story/ef1bb657d02d64cd5f94cff4f361b4a7
• https://www.rd.com/list/titanic-survivors-what-happened-to-them-next/