To ask where the house fire/insurance/PIL thread went?

[PrimalLass]

Has it been zapped or are my searching skills rubbish?

I always get taken in! I can't imagine why anyone would bother making it up.

Do you think maybe people try out plots for novels or soaps on here?

I know they do.

There's a writer's club for one. I bet there's loads of talentless wanna be writers trying stuff out.

I thought it was FiL not having bought insurance, and trying to keep that from the family. But I was suspicious because it was SO OTT. If the OP had made it a bit less dramatic (3 bed house, no dogs etc) then she could have kept it up for longer.

I got taken in by another thread last night which has now disappeared. It must be midsummer madness bringing out the trolls.....

I've been taken in by the PIL/house fire thread and the lizard thread today and I don't know if I'm more cross with myself for being taken in by stories that are obviously so far fetched to be ridiculous, or the OPs for spinning such a pile of steaming bullshit.

I've just spotted the thread where the poster went away with her DH and left the DCs with the ILs only to come back and find that they have cut the DCs hair, rearranged the house and cut down all the trees in the garden, and I now need to know if that is also a bullshit thread, or real. What makes me suspicious is the slightl familiar paragraphing in the OP and the PIL theme......

KnackeredMuchly Can someone give me a run down of what went on? Sounds fun!

Knackered, if I recall, it was a long rambling cock n bull story about the OP whose PIL had a house fire, DH said they could stay at their's, so they all trooped in, including 2 teenage SILs a vicious dog who couldn't be controlled. They stayed for months, no contribution and FIL took over their bedroom, making them sleep on the sofa bed. The OP was beside herself, was trying to think of options rather than kick the PILs out on their fat lazy sponging backsides Lots of good advice about querying the insurance money that was taking one helluva time for them to cough up! Everyone knows those claims tend to be prioritised as the PILs were homeless.

I lost the will to live after reading it. Not surprised it got zapped!

Yes, there were a group of amatuer writers who tried out there pisspoor efforts on MN. The one that got me properly cross was the Zebrugge one. This poster claimed to be orphaned by the Zebrugge ferry disaster and then cheated out of her home by her wicked Uncle and Aunty. However after one chat with a solicitor was able to move back into her family home and her Uncle and Aunty clapped in handcuffs, where in reality the process would have taken months, if not years.

Not only was the time process completely unrealistic, but the posting style was totally unrealistic, sometimes she posted like she had learning difficullties and others she had a vast understanding of complex legal issues.

The annoying thing was that poeple had invested emotionally in this and the naked exploitation of a tragedy like Zebrugge which could have been read by people actually gennuinely affected by the tragedy was pretty low.

OnIlkley... The thought also crossed my mind, I will admit.

It was the bit about having a tiny garden completely covered in trees like a jungle, because they are albinos. And PILs cutting all the trees down in a weekend.

You just couldnt make it up!

I've just skimmed the ILs/trees/haircuts thread, and despite there being a few accusations of bullshit mid-thread, it seems that the consensus is that it appears to be genuine.

I think in future, I will have a good think about whether something could reasonably happen, before getting involved in a thread.

I miss Sharon.

The amount of first time posters with dramatic tales of wow is reaching fever pitch.

And don't get me started with people posting self indulgent bollocks and ending the sentence with a smiley face. I will still think you're full of shite even with a smiley face.

Where's the IL/haircut one? I've had a look and can't find it!

It amazes me that anyone falls for such pish.

It amazes me that anyone falls for such pish.

I have stories of my own that would make people very skeptical they were real. I also know people that have some bizarre tales.

I give people the benefit of the doubt, both online and irl. Worst case scenario, they lied and it didn't make me a worse person to give a shit about them. Best case, they're telling the truth and got the support they needed. Or middle case (is that a thing?), they were seeking attention for whatever reason and got it.

For Compos

Here

I think the 'fire' thread was someone trying out an idea for a new novel. His/her grammar and sentence structure was actually pretty good. Perhaps that's how to tell the fake stories - the person has the time to make sure it is really presentable (unlike that poor woman who was lambasted when she needed help with her FIL and the FB photos).

The 'lizard' thread was clearly attention seeking - I thought the OP was a victim of DV who started a silly thread hoping that someone would realise what she really wanted to talk about.

I don't know if "dramatic first post" is a reliable indicator of troll. Surely many people are prompted to post here by a significant and/or unusual event. Especially given the reaction to dome of the more mundane AIBUs.

Trolls are so easy to spot though. Even when they change their name they carry on with the same themes and styles - even the rhythm of their posting is the same.

The ones I am always about are those who claim to be "first time poster" dont flame me, please be kind to me yada yada, and yet know all the rich MN lingo, and I don't just mean the normal abbreviations but the stuff that turns it into its own language. And its those people who say they are the DH or DBF, who would have needed to have read and interacted on MN for a looong time to be talking like that.

They just don't come across as authentic (maybe it's women's intuition, I don't know), I think who are they trying to kid..

Whos Sharon?

Was the lizard thread not true?

I believe everything! It just never occurs to me to question it for some reason.

Glad the PILs house fire thread was not true, I find myself getting so annoyed with these people who can't say enough is enough!

Lizard is also a wind up then?? Thank goodness, that was another one that was just irritating to read.

Maybe the number of name changes you have used should be next to your name, so I would be Chippednailvarnish (nc3).

I missed this one, but AIBU to ask what on earth happened to the lizard thread without starting a new one?!

So did the monitor monitor grass the OP up to the head about the thread and it had to be whooshed?! Or does £400 only buy an illiterate lizard? Was it the world origami championships or only semi's? In which case surely for doing well next time would result in at least a pony being provided by the school. So much unanswered, I'd only gotten to page 9!

Cheers on I'm on the fence a bit with that one!

Yep restrictions or at least an indication of no of name changes would be helpful and maybe restrict the ability to start yhreads until you've racked up a certain number of posts on other threads.