#missing person investigation Australia
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How can you get assistance from the missing person investigation experts?
Till yesterday the person was with you. Indeed it is hard to accept when you lose someone. It becomes traumatic. But yes, being the well-wisher till your last breath, you will try your best to find out the real reason behind the persons getting missing. So here let’s check out the few facts which say how missing persons Brisbane can help you.
Legal Support
The legal process is quite complicated, so specialised knowledge is required. They help families to stay informed of their legal whereabouts and move accordingly.
Advocating
Families with missing persons often face mental dilemmas. They don’t know whether to come up with the problem for the other person. In that case, they go to the advocates for a way out. And missing person lawyers do handle it delicately. They work with complete compassion and try their best to win the case. Now such a friendly gesture automatically relieves the near ones and family.
Detailed investigation
Once you call up the missing person investigators, they conduct a detailed investigation. But before plunging into the case, they try to find the root cause at length. When a person disappears or gets missing, is it by self-choice, or something wrong happened to the person? They start to garner all sorts of manifestations that support the case. Also, they work hand in hand with the experts, like other Private investigators services and lawyers, to reveal the truth.
Assistance
When someone all of a sudden gets missing automatically, that is the case when you start to think about what happened. And honestly, you don’t get the answer so quickly like an investigator surveillance. But yes, it’s the most challenging time when you feel like getting some support. Well, of course, the investigators do help you overcome that. They allow you to cope with the anxiety that you face during such excruciating moments.
Final say
So you can call any Missing Persons Investigation experts and ensure that you get complete guidance in any case when a near one gets missing.
#missing person investigation#missing person investigation Australia#missing persons Brisbane#childeren Missing Persons Brisbane#Cheating Partners Investigations#address of the missing person#investigator surveillance missing person#fraud investigation#corporate fraud investigation#suspect fraudulent activity#lost friend#Missing family member
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Not to overthink about this or anything, but the consequences of some of Phryne's decisions are hilarious and genuinely life changing in ways that the show never touches on.
Phryne flies to England. In doing so, she becomes the first woman to fly solo between the two countries. The real first woman to fly between the two countries was Amy Johnson. Yes, that Amy Johnson. She was a complete unknown when she set off from Croydon, and only started attracting attention when she was in Asia and on schedule to break the record for fastest journey. When she eventually reached Darwin, she received over 500 telegrams, and a crowd of over 30,000 people welcomed her when she arrived in Melbourne. Shell received so many complaints about her route from people who wanted her to visit their town that they had to put an announcement in the paper that it was nothing to do with them.
Miss Fisher is not an unknown. By the time she leaves Australia, she is the daughter of a Baron and the niece of one of Melbourne's more respectable matriarchs. She has directed a box-office breaking film after investigating the murder of its much-loved star, organised a tennis tournament and investigated the murder of a rising tennis star, and additionally been involved in the investigation of the murders of a hugely popular and successful football player, a noted theatre actor, a well-known French artist and a racing driver.
It's no wonder she had Frederick Burn outside her house. She was already a celebrity, before she set off on such a ridiculous endeavour. She's the sort of woman who gets featured on stamps, and in ranges of inspirational books for little girls. She has almost certainly been a Barbie.
The personal life section of her Wikipedia is just going to be a list of notable men she was rumoured to be engaged to and then Jack, at the bottom of a 10,000 word essay about all the other ridiculous shit that she did, and it will double in length when the Official Secrets Act expires.
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Verstappen's Heart
First Max X reader 😊
AN: All mistakes are mine
Warning: Mention of abuse.
ENJOY 😊
Working as Max Verstappen’s Personal Assistant was an opportunity of a life time. Yn was a young American/British woman who had grown up watching Formula 1 with her grandfather during her teens and knew more about the sport than anything else. She had been studying for her masters degree in administration and had been taking a break for the holidays when she had literally ran into Geri Halliwell the former Spice Girl and wife of Christian Horner, team principle for her favourite team Red Bull. The two women had got to talking and some how Yn found herself at dinner with the Horner’s and with a job as Max’s assistant. She had yet to meet the man and as the new season grew closer she found herself more and more nervous about the meeting. That day happened to be the day Max was leaving to join his team for some pre season training. Max had been busy talking to GP his engineer when Christian had introduced her to him. She had quickly realised that she need not have worried because Max was a really nice and genuine guy who made her feel at ease and accepted from the get go. She could definitely see them becoming fast friends. And she had been right.
Max had been quite intrigued by the young blond woman who had entered his life and he could not deny that she was good at her job. In just the space of a few short weeks she had managed to familiarise herself with his schedule and everything else that was important to him. One thing that really surprised him though was the fact that his father Jos seemed to like her as well. That might have to do with the fact that she stood up for herself and never allowed him to intimidate her. That first day when she had called out his father Max had never liked the girl more.
One person however who did not seem to take a liking to YN was Kelly, Max’s girlfriend. The fact that Penelope had taken to Yn didn’t do her any favours. Max was convinced that Kelly was just jealous and had called he out on it a few times but Kelly had been adamant that there was something off with the American/Brit.
Yn was by no means a bad person and was genuine in everything that she did but Kelly had been right at least slightly. Yn had a secret well not so much that she had to keep it hidden, it was just something she didn’t like talking about.
Two days before Qualifying Max had asked her to dinner. He wanted to thank her for the great job she was doing. She couldn’t deny that there was something about him that made her heart flutter. They had both had a lot of fun that night but the next day the media had a field day with pictures of them, all with the same question, “Was Max cheating on Kelly?”
Max and Yn decided to ignore it as it was the 21st century were a man and woman were allowed to be friends and true fans of Max and Formula 1 knew who she was and loved her just as much. Kelly on the other end was not impressed and she had caught the next flight to Jeddah. She had started a huge argument and demanded that Yn should be let go. Max equally pissed at the demands of his girlfriend refused and told Kelly that Yn was not going anywhere. The atmosphere between Kelly and Yn was thick and the fact that Max refused to get rid of the her. Kelly knew she had to do something herself. She hired a private investigator.
2 weeks later:
Max was busy getting ready for media day in Australia when Kelly came walking into his drivers room, a smile on her face. “I need to talk to you.”
“Hi yourself,” Max looked over at her. He was a little surprised she had wanted to come to this race as she usually missed this one due to her work schedule, but yesterday she had called him to say that she was on her way.
“Hey baby.” She kissed him deeply.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Max, I know you like Yn but she isn’t who she says she is.”
Max sighed annoyed. “Kelly please I’m tired of your suspicions and accusations. I don’t know why you don’t like her and that’s fine but she is my co-worker and friend. You don’t have to like her.”
“I wish you could just listen to me for a change. Yn Logan doesn’t exists at least not till 6 years ago.”
“Not everyone posts their lives on social media Kelly.”
“I’m not talking about just social media. I mean she doesn’t exist anywhere. I hired a PI.”
“You what?” he snapped. “Are you out of your mind?”
She reached for him but he pulled away. “I’m trying to help you Max. This girl is dangerous.”
“No, you’re just jealous!”
“I’m not jealous. Oh her? Please.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Listen she’ll find another job and that will be that. Like you said she’s good at what she does.”
“I’m not firing her Kelly.”
Kelly huffed, “Still? Just how good is she in bed?”
“Excuse me?” he was fuming.
“Well,” she crossed her arms annoyed. “there is no other reason you won’t get rid of her unless you’re sleeping with her.”
“He’s not.”
The couple turned towards where Yn was standing. She had been on her way to go over some possible questions he might have to answer when she had heard them arguing. She was going to turn back to give them some privacy when she had heard her name.
“Of course you would say that. Little slut trying to protect herself.”
“That’s enough Kelly!”
“I think you should ask that investigator for your money back.”
“You heard that?” Max asked looking a her. She nodded. “I’m sorry, Kelly had no right to do that.”
She shook her head, “It’s ok. She was looking out for you.” She turned to the Brazilian. “They didn’t do a good job though.”
“Why?”
“They didn’t look that hard. Up until 6 years ago my name was Yn Alexander when I was legally allowed to change my name. Logan is my grandmothers maiden name.”
“And why would you need to change your name?” Kelly asked sarcastically.
“Because I wanted to get as far away from my family as possible. I wanted to rid myself of any connection.”
“Why?”
“Kelly, stop.” Max could see how uncomfortable Yn was and he didn’t need an answer unless she wanted to share.
“My biological father died when I was 2. Killed in action. My mother remarried her boyfriend less then 8 months after my dad died. Turns out they had been having an affair while my dad was on tour. My step dad had my name changed to his. Which he decided was enough of a reason to take what he wanted. I was 4 when he touched me for the first time and 5 when he raped me for the first time.”
Kelly’s face fell, she had not been thinking anything like that. Max walked over to Yn and put an arm around her shoulders. “Yn I’m so sorry.” Kelly replied.
“My mom never believed me and choose him. So I got rid of that name. But thank you for making me relive all that.” She moved away from Max and hurriedly wiped her eyes. “The media is waiting Max. You need to get out there.” She turned and walked out the room.
“Max,” Kelly started but he simply put up his hand to stop her before leaving the room.
She was quiet during the media and avoided any unnecessary contact with him. Charles who had been in the same group as his friend picked up that something was a miss. “Is Yn okay?”
“No,” Max couldn’t take his eyes off the girl. “Kelly fucked up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not my story to tell but she violated Yn’s privacy.”
“Why? Is she still acting jealous?”
“Yes.”
Charles nodded softly. “Can I asked you something without you getting mad?”
“Sure.”
“Do you like her?”
Max knew who he was asking about and it would have been easy to say no. But there was something there, he had realised it weeks ago but he had not said or done anything. He did love Kelly. Yn had this way about her, she was warm and caring. Everyone she met instantly connected with her. She never treated him like he was untouchable. She always saw him as just Max. He could be himself with her, something he had recently realised he was not able to be around Kelly anymore. She was too much of a wag and what that entailed that she had forgotten about her boyfriend and even at times her own child. “I do.”
Most of the weekend passed by uneventfully. Kelly, Max had noticed had made herself scarce and avoided Yn at all costs. She felt terrible for what she had done but she didn’t regret it, as she had just been trying to protect Max. But he was more worried about Yn. She didn’t spend anytime alone with him, making sure that she was the first to leave. He was worried he was going to lose her. And he was right.
After the race and celebrations for his win, Christian called him over. “Where’s YN?”
“She quit.”
Several weeks had passed since Australia and she was finally getting settled into a new job and routine back in Texas. She missed the races and the drivers especially Max but she had lived so long in a toxic situation and wouldn’t endure that again. Her feelings for Max was not easy as well. She had felt guilty for days for thinking that she had somehow made Kelly jealous, but soon enough she had realised that she hadn’t done anything wrong. No matter how much she had grown to like Max, she had never done anything inappropriate. Max had tried getting in touch with her over the weeks but she had ultimately decided to move past all of that and had simply sent him a message thanking him for everything and that she would miss him greatly before blocking his number. Charles on the other hand had become quite a good friend and had been keeping her up to date on the red bull driver. Just because she was gone didn’t mean that she had stopped caring about Max.
It was midway through the season and Max was doing well at least from a driving perspective. He was top of the championship and had yet to lose a race but that was because he had been determined to hide how sad and angry he was. Things with Kelly had soured significantly after Yn had left to the point were the two were barely talking to one another. The only thing in his relationship he cared about was Penelope. Most people wouldn’t have noticed the change in Max as he had always been focused and determined but both Charles and Christian knew something was wrong with the Dutchman and it had everything to do with his former PA. A week into the mid season break and Charles took the opportunity to help out his friend, both of them. He knew they had feelings for each other and deserved a chance regardless of what anyone said.
“Hey man, how is everything?” Charles asked one day over the phone. “How’s the break?”
Max sighed and Charles could tell he was tired. “Not great man. Kelly and I....it’s just exhausting.”
“Don’t you think maybe it’s time? You obviously don’t feel the same about her anymore. Why make yourself sick over a relationship that’s over?”
“I want to bit what about P?”
“Max I know you love that little girl but what about you? You’re in love with someone else. Someone who gets you and makes you feel like you matter. Not as a driver or athlete but as Max.”
“She doesn’t care about me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Charles, she blocked me from everything and hasn’t spoken to me since Australia which was months ago.”
“Because she was hurt. She hates her past and what happened to her. They way she had to tell you was not how she would have wanted to. In fact she might not have told anyone if she had the chance. Did you know the abuse lasted till she was 14?”
“What?”
“Yep, once a month for 9 years. Sometimes more. Her stepdad would lie in wait till her mom would be either out of town or too tired to notice. Each time threating her afterwards. She tried telling her mom but the woman refused to listen. It was only after her grandparents visited for the birth of her half brother that anyone helped her. Her grandfather woke up one night for something to drink when he saw her stepfather coming out of her room clothes not quite right. He had waited till the other man was back in his own room before he went into her and found her crying. She told him everything and when he confronted his daughter, you know what she said?”
“No,”
“Yn was a little liar and was trying to ruin her family and was jealous of her baby brother.”
“I would have killed that son of a bitch on the spot.”
“They removed her from the home and she changed her surname as soon as she turned 18. I’m sure you can imagine wanting to forget something like that as best as you can.”
“It’s terrible and I wish she could have gotten the chance to tell me on her own terms.”
“She asks about you all the time.”
“You talk to her?” Max asked now fully invested in the conversation.
“We’re friends.”
“How is she?”
“Aside from missing you for some reason, she’s doing okay. Lives in Austin. You should go see her. After you break up with Kelly. I like Penelope too but you can’t deny your own happiness because of her. She wouldn’t want you to.”
Max nodded before realising his friend couldn’t see him. “Will you help me?”
“What can I do to help?”
Yn was a little surprised that Charles had asked if he could come visit her for a week. Just days ago he had asked her to join him and Alexandra in Italy for a break but she had sadly had to decline do to work commitments. Although she was happy to get to see her friend again. He had arranged to met her at her apartment after work and now she was hurriedly trying to pull it together before they got there. She was just putting the last piece of her clothing away when she heard the door bell. “Coming.”
When she opened the door though the smile she had fell. “Hi Schat.”
“Max, what are you doing here?”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure,” she stepped aside allowing him in.
He looked around her apartment at everything that made sense. Her home represented her in every way. Minimalistic but classy and sophisticated. “Looks amazing.”
“Thank you. You still haven’t answered my question. Why are you here? And why do I get the feeling Charles has something to do with this?”
“Because he does. He was never coming. He was helping me.” He looked over her, drinking in the sight of her. He had missed her more than he could express. He walked towards her, stopping right in front of her.
The way he was looking at her cause her stomach to flip and the fact that he was so close to her wasn’t helping. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Why?” he asked reached a hand out and brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. The part of her skin he made contact with felt like it was on fire. “Because.”
“Because why? Are you afraid of me?”
“No,” she responded quickly shaking her head. “You just can’t look at me like you want to kiss me.”
“You’re not wrong there. I do want to kiss you. Have wanted to for weeks even before you left.”
“While as much I want that too you can’t.”
She made to move past him but he grabbed her hand and pulled her flush against his chest, lips mere inches from hers. “See now that’s where you are wrong.” He closed the distance and pressed his lips against hers. At first she wanted to resist but he was a really good kisser and it felt so good. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her up. Wrapping her legs around his waist he carried her to the couch lips never leaving hers.
Laying in his arms felt right but of course there was the elephant in the room. Kelly. Yn felt guilty that she had slept with a taken man. He could sense something was wrong as he lazily traced patterns down her bare arm. “I broke up with her.”
Yn lifted her head and looked at him, “You broke up with Kelly? Why?”
“Well, things had been weird between us since Australia but the main reason was because I fell in love with someone else.”
“Me?”
“No Danny,” he rolled his eyes playfully. “Of course you. I knew I felt something for a while but I knew for certain that I loved you after you left. Life just sucked.”
“I doubt that, you’re leading the championship.”
“Winning isn’t everything Schat. And truth is the more I won and you weren’t there by my side, the more it lost any appeal. My life is empty without you. Not to mention my cats miss you too.”
“Should have led with that.”
“Oh, so you love them more than me?”
She chuckled, “I didn’t say that.”
“And you didn’t say you didn’t love me too.”
“I do Max. I love you.”
“Come back. Be with me.”
“I want to but I have a contract and an apartment.”
“We’ll rent it out and use it for holidays. And as for your contract, Ill buy you out. I want you with me.”
“What about your new PA Greta?”
“I’m sure Danny will take her off my hands and she’ll be happy with that too.”
“What did you do?” Yn smiled knowingly.
“Nothing....too bad.”
She laughed, “You’re a stubborn man sometimes.”
“Exactly, which means I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“You make a tough offer to turn down. But I have one condition.”
“Let me have it.”
She shifted so that she was on top of him causing him to groan as she touch his sweet spot. “Can we keep this between us? The fact that we’re together, at least for the time being. Its so soon after you and Kelly split and I know how the fans can get.”
“I don’t care abut the fans, but I can do that for you. For a while a least. But we have to tell Charles and Alex. He is the reason we’re together. “
“Okay, we can tell them, and maybe Daniel, he is your best friend.”
“And Christian. I know he’ll be thrilled you’re back, second only to me.”
“Ok. I have one more request.”
“Mmm.”
“Do you think you can do that thing with your tongue again?”
In one swift move he had them turned over with him hovering over her. “Anything for you my liefie.”
Feel free to send in any requests
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So with Fairly odd parents and Nicktoons unite taking over my attention atm
And getting inspired by fairy Timmy au like @cubbihue @katescribblesabit where Timmy gets turned into a fairy and adopted by Wanda and Cosmo but I’ve also got some ideas from @nicktoonsunite nicktoons unite crossover ideas my fairy Timmy au will include the nicktoons unite games (as well as Jimmy Tommy power hour)
So most of us by now know Timmy’s birth parents are kinda dumb and neglectful annnddd we can blame them and Timmy’s teacher cocker for about half of Timmy’s wishes being out of wack BUT not all of Timmy’s wishes do bad like they’re been number of times Timmy’s wishes have saved Fairy world and they brought about Poof/ peri heck even saved their universe so it’s safe to say fairy world loves Timmy (( and like Wanda and Cosmo they’ll fed up with Timmy’s birth parents and so maybe when Timmy’s 13-14 years old the fairy council along with Jorgen have agreed that Wanda and Cosmo can adopt Timmy as they own child to raise with poof/peri because they have all shown how much they all love each other like a family and being as it’s been centuries from the last time a human child was turned into a fairy and as a temporary one the last one to be turn into a full fairy conducts the change witch is where my fairy oc Felicity comes in ( she was a human child turned fairy back when Australia was getting convicts from the British and was adopted by Jorgen’s Nana boom boom) who warns being as Timmy’s done so much for fairy world and their universe that like his little fairy bother peri Timmy gonna be a very powerful fairy child and it will take awhile for him to get used to to all the magic to settle and on top of that he will get his own anti fairy but Jorgen will be there to nab the anti fairy and send him to anti fairy world but she warns it’s not an easy change BUT Timmy thinking of everything Wanda Cosmo Peri mean to him and how much they’ve shown they care for him against everything and all his mistakes agrees to it and while he goes through this change he thinks of them
Also Negative Timmy starts to appear as Timmy’s anti Fairy while unbeknownst to the fairies Anti Cosmo Wanda and Foop/ Irep have come to see what fairy-world was up to being as all of fairy world came to Timmy’s turning into a fairy
Timmy makes it through the change and in his fairy form his brown hair now has pink green and purple highlights in it to represent Wanda Cosmo and peri; Wanda Cosmo and peri have to catch him because he had to take on a lot power and that can be a lot for one person to take and this is when anti fairy Timmy finished forming and this is when Jorgen was going to nab him but anti cosmo nabs the boy and wisks him anti Wanda and Foop/ Irep away to anti fairy world saying ah ah no Jorgen anti fairies I’m in charge of not you fairies (not that anti fairy Timmy can do anything yet he’s only just been created into existence so he’s still dealing with new powers backlash as well but he’s safe with anti Wanda and anti cosmo )
Now while fairy world celebrates in Timmy Becoming a full fairy and being adopted by Wanda and Cosmo back on earth Timmy’s birth parents don’t yet realise they no longer have their son ( it takes them about 2 weeks witch is when school asked why Timmy hasn’t show up for school and then then they realise Timmy’s missing and then call the cops about him missing but also get chewed out for taking so long to realise he was missing and a month long investigation goes into trying to find him but the case goes cold so they have to give up)
Now over with Jimmy’s universe he’s doing great in school he’s won quite few awards for his science experiments and inventions and he’s wondering how Timmy Danny and like are doing in their universes now Danny and SpongeBob reply but there are no replies from Timmy and so worried they go to Timmy’s universe to try to find him and find out he’s gone missing so they go to check out Timmy’s room to see if they can find some clues and frost thing Jimmy notices is the fish bowl that is now got nothing in it not even water
Witch is when they see a light start to appear by Timmy’s old bedroom window so Danny makes them all invisible with his ghost powers and then the light poofs into the room and turns into fairy felicity who’s there to take away the fish bowl with her magic so no more links to fairy world through the fish bowl and to make sure but then spongebob brings out a butterfly net to capture her when Jimmy says these holograms can hopefully lead into where Timmy has gone
Now felicity never met Jimmy Danny and SpongeBob so of course she starts trying to get out of the net but cannot and because she’s making a lot of noise Jimmy has to open up a portal to take them back to his lab
Now being as felicity was struggling while Danny was not so gentle taking her to Jimmy’s lab she ended up with a few cuts on one arm leading her to bleed a bit onto Jimmy’s lab table (also the butterfly net had a bit of iron in it and fairies can’t handle iron)
Now holograms/ programs don’t bleed (I’m of the nonion that Wanda and Cosmo never gotten any cuts around them before and never bleed around jimmy Dannny and SpongeBob before so the feb about them being programmers is going to be brought about
And of course then to help heal her and take away the iron she has to tell Jimmy Danny the SpongeBob the truth and poof up the fairy DA RULES book about how any god kid cannot tell anyone they have fairy godparents and SpongeBob going ooo so Timmy’s like cindaralla and has godparents witch felicity agrees it’s a bit like that but in Timmy’s case being as his birth parents are so bad he’s been taken away and turn into a fairy while Jimmy trying to digest the fact he’s been treating a magical legendary creatures like they were holograms this hold time while Danny and SpongeBob are making friends with felicity and asking what’s been going on with Timmy and she’s happily telling them of all the heroics Timmy’s been doing for fairy world and her universe witch is why they can’t let Timmy’s birth parents take care of him anymore
And she in thanks for healing her takes all of them to fairy world
When they pop into fairy world the anti fairies are causing trouble because now they have anti Timmy (witch will be going by Ymmit thanks to Foop/irep ) while fairy Timmy along with Wanda Cosmo poof/peri and Jorgen trying to fight them off
So Jimmy Danny and SpongeBob join in and help Timmy save the day so Danny Jimmy and SpongeBob being as they are from a different universe are aloud to keep their memories as long as they keep helping Timmy learn how to use his new powers
Also cue also them getting to meet toddler peri / poof who likes to hang off of his bother Timmy a lot
I could see Jimmy and Danny being great help to Timmy learning how to use his fairy powers as well (also seeing fairy Timmy and toddler Peri hiding in Jimmy’s hair Carl and sheen pop in to say hello to Jimmy from time to time would be funny too)
#fairly odd parents timmy#jimmy timmy power hour#nicktoons unite#fairy timmy#fairy odd parents#Instagram#jimmy neutron#jimmytimmy#danny phantom#the fairly oddparents#fairly oddparents#fairly odd parents#fairly odd parents a new wish#peri fairywinkle cosma#fairly odd parents peri#timmy turner#fairly odd parents timmy turner#fairy timmy turner au#chibi cartoon#my drawings
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The themes of various Commonwealth mystery shows
Agatha Christie's Poirot: The British upper crust deserves a swift beheading at the crest of a proletarian revolution; also the most important thing is a precise moustache.
Vera: Murder reveals secrets that destroy families
Midsomer Murders: Horrible people kill horrible people; also, adoption ruins lives, for some reason
Death in Paradise: A formulaic moment of epiphany reveals all
Beyond Paradise: Death in Paradise is very popular; also, low stakes crime is just as quirky; also, don't base your relationship on reproductive compatibility
Father Brown: Never consult your local pastor for investigative advice, even though he's always right; lip service to moral depth resolves any lingering doubts
Sister Boniface Mysteries: What if Father Brown but always consult your local genius nun for investigative help instead
Brokenwood Mysteries: Midsomer Murders is very popular, but instead of being horrible, we're quirky! Also Frodo is there for some reason
My Life Is Murder: As long as you act confident enough and are also Xena, nobody stops you from interfering even though you're not technically a cop; also the difference between Australia and New Zealand is less than you think
Mr and Mrs Murder: When in doubt, try breaking and entering
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Fabulous clothing and feminism are the answer to any question
Ms. Fisher's Modern Mysteries: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries was very popular
Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett series): Sherlock Holmes may have been the first great detective, but the Golden Age of detective fiction was a quarter century later, and it shows
Maigret (Rowan Atkinson series): Maigret is lawful good and finds injustice personally abhorrent
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CROSSTALK TOWER
A mystery/ sci-fi /thriller pseudo-anthology following an investigation into a bizarre Australian town. Unexplainable phenomena, an unreasonably high missing persons count and a mysterious radio signal are only the surface of the town of Chamomile’s mysteries.
The story follows three young women on their gap year, investigating the bizarre hometown of one of the girls. Chamomile, a town roughly 60km north of Melbourne, Australia, is renowned for its incredibly high missing persons count, and supposedly high density of unexplainable occurrences. The three girls with a shared love of the paranormal and an easy place to stay, decide investigating the town and interviewing its residents will be a perfect maiden voyage for their planned supernatural web-series.
However, they quickly discover that this rabbit hole might be too deep for them, and before they know it, they can’t climb out.
Locals say that no matter where you look in town, if you can see the sky, you can see the radio tower. Maybe it can see you too.
FINALLY I can talk about this project, I’ve had this one in the pot for roughly two years now and I’ve hit a point where I’m pretty confident moving forward with it.
It’s VERY much in its earliest stages, I’m still nailing down what format I’m gonna stage it in, however,story wise it’s practically done. Most likely I’d like it realized as a web-comic with small animated segments. Emphasis on small I might die.
I’m ridiculously exited to start properly working on this thing, and to share it with those who see it.
Don’t touch that dial, chamomile.
Link to the twitter thread, same text but includes a few more pics.
https://x.com/BirderOmurder/status/1752185843090063479?s=20
#digital art#oc#digitalart#original character#illustration#original story#oc story#personal project#comic#comics#webcomic#webcomics#sci fi#mystery#thriller
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Considering that suicide is a recognized social contagion maybe the local government should have offered counseling to the TQ+ community before sharing the method of death. But if they offered counseling they might hear about people getting trans medical treatments from unlicensed doctors in the first place and admit that therapy might be a better treatment that affirming people's fantasies
Adeshola Ore Thu 29 Aug 2024
The sale of a chemical used by three transgender women who took their own lives should be restricted by the federal government, the Victorian coroner says, after an inquest heard it has been used in dozens of suicides in the state.
Victoria’s coroners court last year held an inquest into the suicides of five transgender women who died between 2020 and 2021, including that of Matt Byrne, 25, who took her life after a botched back yard surgery.
The coroner, Ingrid Giles, on Thursday morning handed down her findings, including that at least three of the woman in the cluster – Byrne, Heather Pierard and a woman referred to by the pseudonym AS – used the same chemical. They each also directly knew at least one other person in the cluster.
The inquest had found Byrne was able to obtain the chemical, sodium nitrite, from an Australian-based online company, while AS obtained it from another Australian seller. It was unclear how Pierard acquired it, Giles said.
In naming the chemical, Giles acknowledged there were risks in drawing attention to suicide methods, but said they were counter-balanced by the “prevention imperative” of reducing its availability.
Giles concluded there was likely some discussion about the chemical, including with a New South Wales person who died on 23 July 2021 by the same method.
“The fact that four people (including one in NSW) who were socially linked to one another all used this method, within a matter of months, suggests very strongly that there was information-sharing between them, or between other members of the community, about the method,” she said.
Giles said the chemical was used in 52 suicides in the state between 2017 and 2023, and it had been investigated in a recent inquest into the suicide of a Victorian man who used it to take his life.
She recommended the federal assistant minister for mental health and suicide prevention investigate ways to further restrict the online sale and distribution of sodium nitrite in Australia.
Giles also called for urgent consideration of increased funding to meet the growing demand for public-funded health services delivering gender-affirming care to transgender and gender diverse people to reduce waitlists.
She said the connections between some of the deceased suggested that “contagion” played a role and some of the deceased, including those who did not know each other personally, were aware of other deaths.
Byrne died on 30 March 2021. AS, 19, died on 9 May 2021 and Pierard died two days later.
The inquest heard that Byrne sought gender-affirmation surgery from an unlicensed non-medical person, which resulted in an aborted procedure before GPs referred her to a qualified surgeon.
Giles said the fact that Byrne resorted to back yard surgery was “confronting” and an example of the need to improve the accessibility of gender-affirming surgery.
She also found several deficiencies in Victoria police’s investigation into Bridget Flack, 28, who died between 30 November and 11 December 2020.
Flack had been seeking admission to a private mental health facility before going missing on 30 November 2020. Her body was found by members of the LGBTQ+ community near a billabong in eastern Melbourne almost two weeks later.
Police recorded Flack’s risk level as “medium” when she was missing, the inquest heard.skip past newsletter promotion
Giles said there was a failure to appropriately identify and record the risk to Flack in the initial missing person report filed on 1 December which “infected the time critical steps in the investigation”.
Giles said Victoria police failed to capture risk factors which were known to police, including her transgender status, which carried an “increased vulnerability of violence and risk of suicide”.
The initial request to have Flack’s phone location searched via triangulation was not approved, the court heard. This was due to a legislative requirement for there to be an imminent threat, which has since been removed.
When a police investigator took over the case on 4 December, Flack’s location could not be found because her phone appeared to have been switched off.
Giles said the decision to not authorise triangulation of Flacks’ phone on the first request led to the search for her being based on less reliable data and delayed the discovery of her body.
“This led to considerable distress for her sister and for Mx Leigh [Flack’s sister’s husband] it also led to significant disquiet, fear, and outrage in the LGBTIQA+ community, a sentiment that unfurled and swelled in the days that followed and during which Bridget remained missing,” Giles said.
She recommended Victoria police implement all five recommendations from its review into Flack’s death, including identifying risks specific to priority communities such as LGBTQ+ people in missing person cases.
Giles also recommended mandatory LGBTQ+ training for all police and to improve data collection in relation to transgender and gender diverse people.
A Victoria police spokesperson said the organisation was aware of the recommendations made by the coroner and would consider them.
Outside the court, Flack’s sister Angela Pucci Love remembered Bridget as a fierce and dedicated activist.
“She was an artist, smart in every sense, a loyal and passionate person who loved to look after people around her and support causes very special to her,” she said.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
#Victoria#Dozens have died but it's when TIMS started to die that the government stepped into action to retrain that woke status#Matt Byrne took his life at the age of 25#Botched back yard surgery#Suicide is a social contagion#Being TQ+ is a social contagion#New South Wales#Australia
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Stacey Mitchell was a 16-year-old girl from Dorset, England. In 2001, Stacey and her family flew across the world to set up home in Perth, Western Australia. Once settled, Stacey made friends with ease, and she was known for her outgoing demeanor.
As she developed into a teenager, she described herself as a “party girl” who loved music and West Ham football club. On her MySpace, she had written: “I love me alcohol. I’m a party girl. I’m a very loud person. I talk 24/7. I m a very down to earth person if you get to know me.”
In December of 2006, Stacey had an argument with her parents and ran away from home. She went directly to the home of two young women that she had recently been introduced to: 19-year-old Jessica Stasinowsky and her 18-year-old girlfriend, Valerie Parashumti. The two young women lived in a share-house in the inner-eastern Perth suburb of Lathlain. They had moved in with the landlord’s son, David Ross Haynes, around June of 2006.
Stasinowsky and Parashumti welcomed Stacey into their home, but after just a couple of days, the relationship began to sour. Stasinowski became jealous of the perceived bond between Stacey and Parashumti and she was annoyed by the fact that Stacey wore bikinis around the house while she was at work. The relationship between Stasinowski and Parashumti was one of obsession, and they were always determined to prove their commitment to one another.
After not hearing from Stacey for several days, her parents, Andrew and Sophie, reported her missing. Naturally, the first place that investigators searched was the home where Stacey had been living. On the 21st of December, 2006, investigators descended on the home. While searching, they made a gruesome discovery in a rubbish bin in the backyard shed.
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞:
https://morbidology.com/bloodlust-the-tragic-case-of-stacey-mitchell/
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Fatal frame researching part 1
Fatal Frame, titled Zero in Japan and Project Zero in Europe and Australia, is a Japanese survival horror video game series created, published and developed by Koei Tecmo (originally Tecmo). Debuting in 2001 with the first entry in the series for the PlayStation 2, the series consists of five main entries. The series is set in 1980s Japan, with each entry focusing on a location beset by hostile supernatural events. In each scenario, the characters involved in the present investigation use Camera Obscura, objects created by Dr. Kunihiko Asou that can capture and pacify spirits. The series draws on staple elements of Japanese horror, and is noted for its frequent use of female protagonists.
Common elements
Series gameplay
The gameplay has remained consistent through the series' lifetime. Each environment is filled with ghosts, with separate games having different attack behaviors for them. While navigating these environments, the main character's only means of defense is the Camera Obscura, which can be used to damage ghosts, capturing them on film and pacifying them.
When using the camera, the view switches from a third-person to a first-person perspective. The camera locks onto a ghost, with the amount of damage dealt depending on how much of a focus the Camera Obscura has on the ghost, but ghosts fade in and out of existence, making focusing more challenging. Shots of varying closeness and angles also affect how much damage the ghost takes. The most damaging is a "fatal frame", which hits a ghost weak spot. A ghost's captured spirit energy is converted into points, which can be used to buy items to upgrade the Camera Obscura and obtain more powerful film.
In addition to hostile ghosts, there are passive ghosts encountered in parts of the environment: if they are not caught on film at once, they vanish from the rest of the game. Ghosts captured on film are added to a list, which reveals a ghost's past. For Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and later entries, the camera perspective was altered to a third-person over-the-shoulder view and character movement was increased a little to speed up gameplay.
Setting
The Fatal Frame / Project Zero series is set in the 1980s, before mobile phones were commonly used in Japan. Aside from a few recurring characters, each game has a self-contained story focusing on a different supernatural threat. The main unifying factor is navigating through haunted locations struck by a supernatural catastrophe, with a recurring setting being abandoned Japanese mansions. Recurring characters include Dr. Kunihiko Asou, an occultist who lived in the 1800s and created objects such as the Camera Obscura; and Miku Hinasaki, the protagonist of Fatal Frame and one of three protagonists in The Tormented, who also appears in Maiden of Black Water as one of the main characters' missing mother. A second recurring feature is the exclusive or frequent use of female characters in the leading role.
The first chronological entry in the series, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, takes place in 1980. The story revolves around three girls who travel back to the fictional Rougetsu Island to recover memories of being kidnapped while they lived there ten years before. On the island, they must investigate the secrets behind a local ritual dance and an ancient mask related to the ritual.
Fatal Frame is set in 1986, with Crimson Butterfly being set in 1988 The Tormented is set two months after the second game's events. Maiden of Black Water is set at an unspecified date after the third game. It takes place around the fictional Mount Hikami, a site infamous for suicides and rituals associated with local bodies of water. The main protagonists are each drawn to the mountain intent on rescuing someone, confronting hostile ghosts along the way.
History and development
The concept for Fatal Frame / Project Zero first occurred by Makoto Shibata. The idea occurred after the development of Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness. Inspired by his own experiences of supernatural events, and heartened by the success of the Silent Hill series, Shibata and Keisuke Kikuchi set to work on creating the basics for the game. Shibata was in charge of the majority of game and scenario development, while Kikuchi was in charge of general oversight.
The Camera Obscura was not in the initial discussions between Shibata and Kikuchi, with the original idea being that ghosts would be avoided and repelled by light. Ultimately, they decided to have a type of offensive power, which resulted in the Camera's creation.
For Crimson Butterfly, the team toned down the frightening aspects so players would be willing to complete a playthrough, alongside creating a stronger story. The story was inspired by a dream Shibata had, with the interpretive nature of the game's events being inspired by his feelings about the dream. For The Tormented, they decided to focus on horror elements emerging out of everyday life, focusing on the effects of dreams upon reality. Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was co-produced by Koei Tecmo, Nintendo and Grasshopper Manufacture, with Grasshopper Manufacture's Goichi Suda acting as a co-director with Shibata.
As they wanted to bring more people into the series, they included a stronger narrative and new gameplay elements to make the experience easier for newcomers.
Since Crimson Butterfly, theme songs have been created for each title, primarily performed by Japanese singer Tsuki Amano. The development team wanted an image song for Crimson Butterfly, and Shibata found the then-newly debuted Amano in the Japanese independent community. Amano created the song using documents on the game's story, themes and setting.
I chooses Fatal frame and their series of the games for my own inspiration is for the style of the characters and the ideas of having the camera as a weapon and the music to make the game more unsettling and feels like you are being watched at.
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How Can You Get Assistance From The Missing Person Investigation Experts?
Till yesterday the person was with you. Indeed it is hard to accept when you lose someone. It becomes traumatic. But yes, being the well-wisher till your last breath, you will try your best to find out the real reason behind the persons getting missing. So here let’s check out the few facts which say how missing persons Brisbane can help you.
Legal Support
The legal process is quite complicated, so specialised knowledge is required. They help families to stay informed of their legal whereabouts and move accordingly.
Advocating
Families with missing persons often face mental dilemmas. They don’t know whether to come up with the problem for the other person. In that case, they go to the advocates for a way out. And missing person lawyers do handle it delicately. They work with complete compassion and try their best to win the case. Now such a friendly gesture automatically relieves the near ones and family.
Detailed Investigation
Once you call up the missing person investigators, they conduct a detailed investigation. But before plunging into the case, they try to find the root cause at length. When a person disappears or gets missing, is it by self-choice, or something wrong happened to the person? They start to garner all sorts of manifestations that support the case. Also, they work hand in hand with the experts, like other investigators and lawyers, to reveal the truth.
Assistance
When someone all of a sudden gets missing automatically, that is the case when you start to think about what happened. And honestly, you don’t get the answer so quickly like an investigator company. But yes, it’s the most challenging time when you feel like getting some support. Well, of course, the investigators do help you overcome that. They allow you to cope with the anxiety that you face during such excruciating moments.
Final Say
So you can call any Missing Persons Investigation experts and ensure that you get complete guidance in any case when a near one gets missing.
#Missing Persons Brisbane#Missing Persons Australia#Lost Friends Investigator#Family Missing person#Debtor Missing person#missing person investigators#locating your missing person#Financial responsibility person
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How I remember MH17
17 July marks the anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) in eastern Ukraine in 2014. All 298 on board, mostly Dutch, Malaysians, and Australians were killed. I had just finished up with a short term job interstate and was looking for further employment at the time, and had the time to follow the reporting of the incident online. In 2014, I would not have guessed that the event would shape my view of discourse and disinformation in eastern Europe for years to come. Ukraine was on the other side of the world and I had no real interest or understanding of the invasion by Russia back then, but people from my country were on that plane, so I paid attention. The blame game started in earnest.
‘Ukraine fired the missile.’
‘Russia fired the missile’
‘It was an accident.’
‘The Ukrainians are looting the crash site.’
‘The Russians are looting the crash site.’
‘Malaysian Airlines was at fault and shouldn’t have been flying over a warzone.’
‘The pilot was at fault.’
‘The investigation is biased towards Russia/Ukraine/Malaysia/Australia/Netherlands...’
‘Russia/Ukraine tampered with evidence...’
It even got ugly in some less reputable ‘news’ sites and far right conspiracy theories spread online, that it was the ‘missing’ MH370 that crashed into the sea months earlier, that the US did it because reasons, islamophobia, men in black, hijackers, crisis actors, aliens... As a queer person, I paid attention to the fact that several AIDS researchers were on board, and stigma surrounding AIDS was and is still very rife, which fed into the more extreme discourse. The world wanted answers.
Round and round it went. It did eventually emerge that Russia, or ‘separatists’ - really Russian proxies - fired the missile, from a Buk launcher that was later filmed being carted back to Russia carrying three missiles instead of its usual four. The billboard was used to geolocate the truck and Buk’s to the border.
Pardon my terrible MSPaint edit.
The still image is grabbed from a video that was posted by Ukraine’s Defense ministry, but forms part of a broader investigation by Bellingcat, an independent collective of open source researchers, that is too detailed to write here but tracked the movements of the Buk and the truck carrying it to and from the launch site. (link: https://www.bellingcat.com/tag/mh17/)
There was nothing wrong with the plane, the pilot, or the flight path. Passenger planes from Air France, Air India and Singapore Airlines were transiting nearby.
Now, it was obvious that MH17 wasn’t an intentional target. The commanders of the brigade that the Buk belonged to initially posted on social media that they had downed a Ukrainian fighter jet, and then rapidly deleted their celebratory comments when photos of the wreckage appeared online. In my mind, all Russia had to do was acknowledge it was a mistake, or a mistake by ‘separatists’, court martial the guy who pulled the trigger, apologise and fork out some form of compensation. Install a plaque at the site, send flowers, and the world would have eventually looked away from the not-really-civil-war in faraway eastern Europe and their brush with a southeast Asian airline.
Why the lies? Acknowledging the mistake would have been magnitudes cheaper and simpler than the overall war effort. Why was continuing to perpetuate a firehose of falsehoods more important than the truth and trying to repair relations? I couldn’t answer those questions then, but now realise that keeping the information space muddied and flooded with crap is now the norm for disinformation coming out of Russia. Its like they can’t help themselves.
Fast forward to today.
The ‘separatist’ commanders are still involved in the invasion of Ukraine, now unmasked as regular Russians. No commercial flights operate over the country for now. Disinformation, so heavily weaponised during the long months of pandemic lockdown and the former president of the US, runs rife. I posted my own little memorials to the tragedy on social media, year after year, and got bot farm and troll reactions downvoting or pushing them into invisibility. I’m not important enough in the big scheme of things to have a flesh and blood russian troll come to debate me, not that I have the time and energy for it. I’m also not the only person who refuses to forget it, even if the loss pales in significance to the atrocities perpetuated on Ukraine from last year. The lies meant that when the 2022 invasion started along with the inevitable discourse, we also remembered which side was more likely to be lying. The Netherlands and Australia are very supportive of Ukraine, Malaysia is officially neutral (mostly due to convoluted reasoning of America = bad imperialists, America supports Ukraine, so supporting Russia good etc) though many individuals still go against the grain to donate or volunteer. I can’t change what others think, but at least I can prevent them from forgetting.
#long post#very long post#MH17#remembering MH17#invasion of ukraine#disinformation#ukraine#russia#military#politics#personal#russian invasion of ukraine
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When the children of Riverwood Primary School in Australia went out for recess one day, they found their playhouse filled with 1.5 liters of human blood…
Due to the amount of blood found, it was clear the victim would not have been able to get up and walk away. DNA testing was never able to match the blood to anyone......
#1 I didn't know we could do changing text colours in asks, neato.
#2
Police investigating the discovery of human blood at a primary school in Sydney's south believe it belonged to a child or small adult who was murdered.
Teachers at Riverwood Public School discovered the large pool of blood in a cubby house on the first day of the school year in January.
Police have formed Strike Force Laundry to investigate and are treating the case as a homicide.
Superintendent Stephen Blackmore says DNA tests show the blood probably belongs to a small boy or young man.
"From the amount of blood found within the cubby house, we strongly suspect the victim sustained a very significant injury and most likely would not have been able to get up and walk away from the area," he said in a statement.
He says police have been searching through hospital records as part of their investigation.
"There is no record of anyone being treated for an injury that might have resulted in such extensive blood loss," he said.
Superintendent Blackmore says police have also checked recent unsolved missing persons cases and student absentee records from schools in the area.
"So far those inquiries have not provided any positive leads and that's why we are again turning to the public for help," he said.
Anyone with information can contact Campsie Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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All kinds of yikes, not seeing anything in the way of updates just yet
Here's a more recent thing on it, but it's reading like a TCC write up to me so not updated news.
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hi i’d like to know more about your ocs could you tell me about them
so what i’ve gather is this one guy, jack, went missing and got killed by a doppelgänger who replaced him. that doppelgänger has orange eyes and looks like a dudebro and is friends with the red-haired one (teddy??)
the purple girl (mei?) was friends with the original jack and is suspicious of his doppelgänger. she also has a doppelgänger but she hasn’t yet been replaced i think? i’m assuming mei has suspicions and investigates or something?
@jinx-you-owe-me ok so.
there's jack (blond guy with orange eyes & sunglasses), mei (purple girl), teddy (brown messy/curly hair), and there's also [mei's friend] (dead guy)
jack is a shapeshifter who brutally murdered [mei's friend] for uhhh. reasons i won't say yet. and after that he basically stole [mei's friend]'s appearance, gave himself a makeover, named himself "jack", and now tries to integrate himself into society (again for reasons i won't say yet). no one actually knows (or cares about) how [mei's friend] died, the media try to cover it up & say that he committed suicide (which is completely impossible but the people are too terrified to question it)
mei is obviously not okay with how her friend's mysterious and brutal death was handled by both the police & the media, and doesn't believe that he just "killed himself" because that's simply impossible. so she does some investigative work (in secret because her dad happens to be the local sheriff) to figure out what actually happened, meanwhile jack has already kind of integrated himself into her high school by pretending to be "an exchange student from australia".
every student around him knows that he's not actually an exchange student because that can't be possible for [plot reasons], but at this point they're too scared to question anything that's happening around them & play along. mei grows suspicious of jack as soon as she takes notice of him, and soon concludes that he's somehow responsible for [mei's friend]'s death. she also finds out that jack is a shapeshifter, but she knows that she would sound completely delusional if she tried to tell another person about that.
also jack is aware of the fact that mei herself did something really bad in the past, and jack could easily destroy her reputation if he told other people about it. so know they both have to tolerate each other around other people, hoping that the other person won't randomly expose them & ruin their life. mei is secretly planning to avenge her friend's death, while jack continues to taunt her behind everyone's backs. (so no, mei doesn't have a doppelgänger, it's just jack being an asshole)
and teddy (protagonist) becomes friends with jack because she is kind of dumb and doesn't notice any of the red flags. also she just got out of a traumatic experience and is currently in a phase where she blindly trusts random people in hopes of forgetting about everything that happened. every person around her grows increasingly wary of jack & his true intentions while teddy is like "omg guys stop he's a completely normal guy 🙄 you're just delusional hahahah"
#ask#jinx-you-owe-me#VERY SORRY ABOUT THE LONG EXPLANATION. i know it's a little confusing#this is not even the main plot of the story btw. walks away in shame#why did i spend so much of my time fleshing out a subplot? dont ask me i have no idea leave me alone#suicide tw#death tw#also i can't upload images for some reason :(#luchsyy's ocs
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Do You Want to Start a Scandal. By Tessa Dare. Avon, 2016.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Genre: historical romance
Part of a Series? Yes, Spindle Cove #5
Summary: On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.
• Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
• Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
• Perhaps the butler did it.
All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.
But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit... and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.
Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?
***Full review below.***
Content Warnings: graphic sexual content, references to mental illness/suicide, public humiliation
Overview: As I've been having fun with this series, I decided to keep going and wrap it up. But while I very much enjoyed the previous installments in the Spindle Cove quintet, this one was a bit of a letdown. Not only did it feel like there were very little stakes in this plot, but the protagonists felt underdeveloped and a tad childish. For these reasons, this book only gets 2.5 stars from me.
Writing: Dare's writing isn't radically different than the writing in her other books. It's quick, clear, and balances showing and telling while inserting humor into everyday situations. But because I had issues with the plot, there were times when the pace felt off, particularly when no advancements were being made towards solving the mystery. If Dare had done more work to flesh out her narrative, I think the pace would have felt different, but as it stands, this book just didn't have the same snap as her previous ones.
Plot: The non-romance plot of this book follows Charlotte Highwood, a scandal-ridden woman of marriageable age who finds herself in the middle of yet another threat to her reputation. Charlotte arrives at Sir Vernon's house party and immediately goes about warning Piers Brandon (Lord Granville) that her matchmaking mother will try to throw her daughter at him. While they discuss their plans to avoid one another, they are interrupted by a couple who stumbles into the room. Charlotte and Piers hide behind a curtain and overhear the couple make passionate love, and the noises attract attention. Charlotte and Piers are caught together and everyone assumes they were having a passionate affair. Piers does the honorable thing and agrees to marry Charlotte to avoid a scandal, but Charlotte, not wanting to be seen as desperate for a husband, vows to uncover the couple's identities before the engagement is announced in two weeks' time.
Piers, for his part, is thrown for a loop with this engagement as he has a task of his own. We find out early that he has been assigned to investigate Sir Vernon to ensure he has no secrets that would compromise his promotion to overseer of reforms in Australia. Piers learns that Sir Vernon has been bleeding money from time to time, yet no evidence of blackmail, a mistress, or a secret vice has appeared. Although determined to know what is going on, Piers finds himself distracted by Charlotte - both by her single-minded pursuit of the mystery of the lovers and by her magnetic personality.
Personally, I found the plot of this book to be dull. Regarding the mystery of the lovers, I felt like the stakes could have felt higher if Charlotte were more desperate to mend her reputation. As it stands, she seems bothered by the way Society perceives her, but she's not so determined that it feels like the situation is (figuratively) life or death. I also didn't quite feel like I was being invited to solve the mystery along with Charlotte, and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that Dare seems more interested in scenes where Charlotte and Piers have mundane outings rather than scenes where they are working together to uncover information.
Regarding Piers' plot, I felt wholly uninvested in Sir Vernon's secrets. I didn't really care what he had to hide because it didn't seem to matter to Piers beyond a job well done. Things like national security, Piers' job, or Piers' past weren't at risk, and unraveling these secrets didn't seem to be much affected by Charlotte's meddling. If this plot thread had been more consequential, I could see Charlotte's involvement being a threat and thus, Piers and Charlotte would have been at odds. But instead, I didn't feel like I was reading a story about intrigue, just a story where intrigue wasn't enough to create drama.
Characters: Charlotte, our heroine, is somewhat sympathetic in that she is mortified by her overbearing, matchmaking mother, but my sympathy quickly ran out the more childish Charlotte became. Charlotte seems to think that she has a knack for puzzles and mysteries, but there was nothing about the plot that made me think she was particularly clever or competent. She does seem to be able to read Piers well, so if Dare had scaled it back and made Charlotte just particularly adept at reading people, I think things might have felt different. Also, the scenes where Charlotte is fretting over her baby blanket bookmark were confusing and made me see her as more of a teenager than a woman ready for passionate sex with a marquess.
Piers, our hero, is somewhat likeable in that he's assertive and takes control but doesn't do so in a toxic way. But aside from those qualities, he didn't have a lot going for him. He didn't wow me with his investigative skills, and he made some decisions in the last third of the book that made me question his emotional maturity (not to mention his morality and sanity).
Side characters were woefully underutilized, and I think having more robust side characters could have actually enhanced the plot. Delia, one of Sir Vernon's daughters and Charlotte's best friend, was so inconsequential that I didn't quite believe that her friendship meant so much to Charlotte, and when the two had a falling out, I didn't feel the loss very keenly. Frances, Delia's sister, seemed poised to be a good antagonist through her desire to keep Delia Charlotte's scandals, but she all but disappeared when the plot no longer focused on Charlotte's reputation. Sir Vernon wad also quite dull; he never really acted strangely or was on page enough to do anything that would make me want to see what he was hiding.
Romance: The romance between Charlotte and Piers was, in my opinion, a little too insta-lovey. While I liked that Charlotte posed a challenge to Piers because she is able to discern his secrets with ease, it felt like he fell for her way too hard way too fast. As a result, it didn't feel like their relationship grew so much as they just gave up all their protestations. Piers' life isn't the least bit threatened by Charlotte, so it doesn't feel like there's any real obstacle to their union aside from Charlotte's desire to marry for love (which quickly goes out the window). I think I would have enjoyed the romance a bit more if there was a little more external pressure, forcing them to evolve together. As it stands, the love story doesn't do much for me.
TL;DR: Do You Want to Start a Scandal is a disappointing end to the Spindle Cove series. With a low-stakes plot, a dull narrative, and characters who don't showcase many interesting traits, this book leaves both romance and mystery readers wanting.
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Who was the first woman to climb Kilimanjaro? Have you heard of her? Well, her name was Sheila Macdonald and I’d never heard of her either, until a few months ago. My then colleague, Stu Kenny, did an interview with Paula Williams, the curator of the Petticoats and Pinnacles exhibition at the National Library of Scotland. This led him to write an excellent piece about a Scottish mountaineer who didn’t quite make it into the exhibition: Sheila Macdonald.
When I proofread the article, I found Sheila fascinating. She was born in Australia in 1901 and was the daughter of Claude Macdonald, vice-president of the Alpine Club. She climbed in Scotland and the Alps; had summitted Mount Etna; and climbed Stromboli - an active volcano - rowing an open boat across a stormy sea to get away. She never set out to climb Kilimanjaro: she was meant to be visiting her cousin in Kenya. But she met a gentleman in an Alpine Club tie, Mr West, on the ship to Africa and joined his expedition instead.
Stu had found it challenging to uncover good and accurate information about the expedition, with a fair bit of misreporting in newspapers. But I wished that I could read a book about this awesome lady. So I started my own investigation, out of pure curiosity. On the way, I thought, “What about the Alpine Journals?” If her father was vice-president of the Alpine Club then surely someone would have mentioned her climbing Kilimanjaro. Even if women weren’t allowed to be members at the time.
A bit of a rummage and I found it: an expedition report written by Sheila Macdonald herself. The following extract is reproduced by the kind permission of the Alpine Club from their Alpine Journal archives.
KILIMANJARO IN 1927. By Miss SHEILA MACDONALD.
[The substance of this account is contained in a letter to Mr. Claude and Mrs. Macdonald, to whom we offer our best thanks.- Editor ‘A.J.’]
MOSHI, TANGANYIKA TERRITORY, August 2, 1927.
Mr W. C. West of the Alpine Club and I have climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro, and no woman has ever succeeded in getting there before. Kilimanjaro consists of two mountains - Kibo (19,710 ft) and Mawenzi (17,300 ft), separated by a 6-mile plateau. Mr. West and I and Major O. Lennox-Browne climbed Mawonzi first, choosing our route as we went, at least Mr. West did, and got to the highest point which had been reached by two German parties, both in 1912. We found their names and records in an old tin built into the cairn and added our names on the same piece of paper.
Our camp was at the foot of Mawenzi, but we could not stand the height for two nights running, and had to descend to 12,700 ft again before attacking Kibo. Mr. West and I were the only two to reach the top of Kibo, as Major Lennox-Browne, who suffered from the altitude, could go no further than three quarters of the way up. I never knew that mountain sickness and lack of oxygen could be so awful. And now I had better start from the beginning, as otherwise half the account will be left out.
The three of us joined together at Mombasa and came straight on here, branching off the main line at Voi. At Voi we got a ‘water train’ to Moshi, the only conveyance for nearly a week. It stopped every four miles to distribute water at wayside halts, and we travelled all day on the footboards - eight hours, and arrived at Moshi looking like Red Indians from the red dust. Here we stopped the night and just long enough next day to collect provisions, a cook and a personal boy. Then we travelled for two and a half hours on a Ford lorry with our camp equipment all about us, through scrub and up and down gullies-a most amazing road. I sat next to the native driver, and he was the best thing in chauffeurs I have ever seen-nothing abashed him, we took logs and ravines in our stride.
We got to Marangu in the evening and interviewed Mlanga, the Chief of the Wachagga, who was to provide us with fourteen porters to take our stuff to the highest hut on the mountain. He gave us eggs, milk and a leggy fowl, and I gave him a postcard of Kilimanjaro. He let us camp in front of his Council House. All our porters were rounded up by him, he sent out his ‘Royal Crier’, a picturesque gentleman in a blanket, who called the tribe together by making strange noises on a koodoo horn.
From Marangu we climbed up to Bismarck Hut through dense forests very much like those Knysna forests in South Africa, but more tropical - amazing creepers and lots of signs of elephant. Bismarck Hut suffered a lot during the fighting with Smuts, etc, but still offered the shelter of thick walls and a tin roof. It is high up on the mountain with a wide view of the plain, copper-coloured in the sun, while we were in shadow and mist in the middle of the cloud-belt which always encircles Kilimanjaro. This is one of the things that make the mountain so wonderful. It rises straight from the plain in one sheer mass, but the base of it is always separated from the top by this circle of mist and fleecy cloud, so that the great dome of smooth snow looks completely detached from the earth like a great moon hanging in heaven, especially at night when it looks too beautiful for description.
We left Bismarck Hut on July 27, and got above the cloud-belt into the sun again through a district of sweet-smelling shrubs, protea, giant heather and gladioli to Pieters Hut, where we turned in on very comfortable grass bunks. We saw plenty of elands standing as high as cattle. Major Lennox-Browne and I crawled towards a herd on our tummies with great success, while Mr. West (otherwise the ‘Skipper’) diverted their attention with his white helmet. We got near enough to take a photo when one of the porters dropped his load; it crashed down into the undergrowth and frightened the creatures away. We all sat outside the hut trying to spot animals with field-glasses. I found a big shaggy brown thing like a grizzly bear and distinctly saw it wag its tail, but in the morning it turned out to be an ant-hill.
The way from Pieters Hut to the foot of Mawenzi leads over rough country and crosses a corner of the plateau. We put up our tents near the foot of our proposed climb and spent a very cold night in them. In the morning, tea, ink and the Skipper's mixture of whisky and lime juice were all frozen ice. I was feeling giddy and headachey, Mr. West was violently sick and could not eat. The difficulty about Mawenzi is that there is such a mass of pinnacles and jagged ridges that the highest point is impossible to distinguish except from high up on Kibo. Several people have been up and thought themselves on the summit, discovering later that they had been on a minor peak.
It is the most lovely mountain for climbing; the difficult part was the first half before we got into the couloir that leads to the top. We used the rope for a few difficult steps leading up into the NW gully. This gully reaches almost to the top, broken by one sheer wall, where we had to climb out on to the righthand side of it again. There were excellent hand and footholds, mostly alternating with exhausting slopes of scree and loose rocks. At the top of the gully were three pinnacles, which seemed to us of equal height.
We found the cairn and records of the two German ascents on the most southerly and insignificant looking of the three pinnacles. This is Hans Meyer Spitze (17,300 ft). We rested here a few minutes and shuddered at the tremendous drops on the E side of the mountain. The summit is split into jagged pinnacles of every size, some of them only a few feet thick and piled to heights of 40 and 50 ft. From them precipices drop to sheer depths of thousands of feet.
We had meant to go straight from Mawenzi to Kibo, but decided that it was worth going down to Pieters Hut to have a good rest in between, especially as Mr. West was really suffering from the height, so we had a cup of Bovril each when we came down from Hans Meyer Spitze at 5 pm, and started back for Pieters Hut, getting there at 8 pm. Major Lennox-Browne was rather seedy, and suggested a day's rest, which we had and enjoyed, though I rather wanted to have a ‘go’ at Kibo while keyed up to the struggle.
So Friday was a slack day, and on Saturday, July 30, we climbed up to the plateau again and made for the foot of Kibo, where there is a cave (Hans Meyer's Höhle), where we meant to spend part of the night. The plateau was a horrid grind, slightly uphill all the way, drifting sand and the wind in our faces. When we got to the other side we discovered that the four porters we had chosen for the last lap to the cave did not know where it was, so we hunted about the rocks until I found a beauty, well sheltered, with a sandy ground- ‘The Sheila Cave’ this is to be called. We turned in while the boys built a large fire in the entrance.
Mr. West 's idea was to start the climb at midnight, so as to get to the top at sunrise, before the heat of the sun made the ascent too difficult in soft snow. However, we only had a lantern, which was quite inadequate; it went out five times before we decided to wait till daybreak and risk the soft snow at the top. We settled down in the scanty shelter of a rock and waited 3 hrs for light to come; then started the most awful climb for hours upon loose rocks, stones and sand; everything you put your foot on slipped back with you, and after 3 hrs’ hard climb we looked up and seemed to have made no progress.
At first we rested every hour, but at about 18,000 ft we dragged ourselves for about 20 ft at a time with stops between each bit to get our breath in working order. However much one gasped and panted, nothing seemed to get into one's lungs. I was rather ahead of the others, because I had found some firmer rock at about 800 ft from the crater's rim. When I found that the others were not following I cooeed several times, and finally Mr. West came round a mass of rocks - by himself! Major Lennox-Browne was completely finished, and could not go a step farther. I can't understand how Mr. West could keep going, when he had been sick and dizzy with nausea. I think he was feeling rather weak just here, though he didn't give in.
Well, up to this point I had been wondering several times how long I could stick it out, but I braced myself up and was comforted by feeling that I was not the weak one of the party. Mr. West and I had a good dose of whisky and lime juice out of our drinking bottle, pulled ourselves together, and went on. We reached the crater's edge at Johannes Notch, and bore round to the left, past Stella Point (reached by the Kingsley-Lathams last year) and on round the crater to Kaiser Wilhelm Spitze, the highest point, reached once before by Mr. West, in 1914, when he was the first Englishman to make the ascent.
We crawled to the summit foot by foot. I am not being dramatic, it really was like that. It was just in front of us, and I thought we should never get there. You can't imagine the relief of leaning up against the cairn and realizing that we were there. We inscribed our names in the pocket-book that is hidden in the cairn, and split a bottle of champagne carried all the way from Moshi for the occasion. We had poor Major Lennox-Browne's share as well, but unfortunately had to drink out of the bottle and got very little but fizziness - better than nothing, though.
Several women have reached the crater's rim, but very few people have been beyond - no women. The inside of the crater is amazing. Imagine a huge bowl of ice with hanging glaciers all round its inside walls and two great lakes of greeny-blue ice at the bottom of it, huge crevasses and seracs around its rim. I have never seen anything like it. The cold made it impossible to stay up there for long, so we took one or two photos and followed our tracks back to the crater's rim.
The way down was ridiculously easy; we just ‘glissaded’ down steep slopes of lava-dust and small stones, and it took us less than 2 hrs, though we took a wrong turning near the bottom and found ourselves in a narrow gully with a sheer cliff at our feet, dropping a good 80 ft to the plateau. So we retraced our steps again (more upward scrambling!), reached our cave just in time for a 20 minutes' rest and a cup of tea before starting on the 4 hrs' tramp to Pieters Hut again - anything for comfortable grass bunks and a good night's rest.
Darkness overcame us on the way, and we got lost and had to squat down where we were, with a huge fire lit as a signal to the boys at the hut. They found us at about 10 pm and led us to Pieters Hut with great torches of sweet-smelling shrub. There was much waving of branches to make the sparks fly. What a day! and the next morning we had to walk 25 miles to Marangu; dropping 8000 ft in 7 hrs.
So now it is done, and I would not have missed it for the world, though I cannot say I ever want to do Kibo again. Mawenzi I should like to do dozens of times. We have a lorry to take us and our luggage to Nairobi to-morrow, about 250 miles, as the train does not go until Saturday. You cannot imagine how splendid Mr. West has been on this expedition, always cheerful and most optimistic. The boys loved him, and he always managed to get things done, though none of them spoke a word of English, and all we could say in Swahili was ‘tea’, ‘coffee’, ‘water’ and ‘prepare food’.
__
The report is then followed by a commentary from Mr West, refuting claims that other women had summitted first. It seems there was quite some controversy at the time. It also contains a few black and white pictures of what Kilimanjaro used to look like. You can view it on the Alpine Journal Archive 1928 Vol 40.
#kilimanjaro#climbing history#climbing#women in history#women climbers#women in sport#female athletes#Sheila Macdonald#alpine club
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