#MFMM Year of Quotes

[door]

my friend asked me for murder show recs and i put together a list of a bunch of them and thought i'd also share it here in case anyone else who was not raised by the glow of mystery! on pbs might want an intro. extremely subjective commentary, obvs. enjoy.

hello. welcome to the world of finding television shows about people getting killed comforting. it's fucked up, but who isn't. here's a list of the ones i like and why and where to watch them.

midsomer murders (1997-current): this is one of those sterotypical "it ran for 25 years and did nearly 18 episodes" british shows. it was adapted from a book series, which are the early eps. they're really fucked up and great imo. the later ones lose that sharpness, but until seasons 20+ i think it's a really solid show. the theme song is performed on a theremin. pluses: every great british actor shows up at least once, incredibly great deaths, lots of hyper niche hobby groups, tom barnaby is the best. minuses: showrunner brian true-may quoted as saying that his version of "english countryside" is entirely white. he was booted from the show at that point, however. i've watched the entire series 2-3 times, except for s5e3 "Ring Out Your Dead" because there's a death in it that i found particularly tragic the first time i watched it and have no desire to revisit it (but ymmv). robyn's fave ep is s3e3 "Judgement Day," because a brass band plays the show's theme song at a village fete and also Orlando Bloom is run through with a pitchfork. (ACORN)

Poirot (1989-2013): truly the goat. David Suchet bodies this role. i don't know how familiar you are with christie, but hercule poirot was her recurring detective character, a fastidious little belgian living in 1930s England. in this show, it's the late 1930s for 20 years, and the sets and costumes are so good. not a single streamline moderne property in england is overlooked. the early episodes are short--40ish minutes each--but they transition to 90 minutes at some point. they adapt all of the poirot books, with the big ones--murder on the orient express and death on the nile--done as higher budget tv movies. (BRITBOX)

marple (2004-2013): another christie adaptation, with 2 actresses playing miss marple in sequence. they also adapted a bunch of non-marple stories to have miss marple in them. set post-WWII, mainly countryside english mysteries. (BRITBOX)

miss fisher's murder mysteries (2012-2015, film in 2020): set in 1920s melbourne, mfmm follows independently wealthy private eye phryne fisher. it's an adaptation of modern novels, so it's less conservative than the christies. phryne's best friend is a suit-wearing lesbian doctor. it's a sharp, smart show, and phryne herself (as well as her relationship with buttoned-up detective jack robinson) is very sexy. it ran three seasons and was followed by a crowd-funded film in 2020, which isn't GOOD, but it is FUN. there's another a spin-off set in the 1960s called miss fisher's modern mysteries, which follows phryne's niece. again--not good, but fun. nothing beats the og series tho. (ACORN)

lewis (2006-2015): this is technically a spin-off of the inspector morse series, which started in the 80s, but i've never watched it so you should be fine. this follows very un-academic inspector lewis and his very academic assistant DS hathaway in EXTREMELY academic oxford england. i really dig the pacing of this, as well as how profoundly weird smart people can be. the big downside is the actor who played hathaway is laurence fox, who's a real stinker of a dude. right-wing, racist, etc. so. ymmv. (BRITBOX)

vera (2011-current): vera is a nearly retired, irascible, set in her ways detective in northumberland. she heads her own department, so part of the appeal is definitely trim youngsters dashing to do her bidding with a "yes mum." she drives a huge old land rover, wears a raincoat everywhere, has no patience for class barriers, and in short i love her. in the newer seasons there is also a detective in her squad called Jaq who is a very cute butch. (BRITBOX)

dalgliesh (2021-current): adaptation of pd james novels following detective-poet adam dalgliesh. set in the 1970s, which sets it apart and which i quite enjoy. his character is really sensitive and thoughtful is a way that's unusual for cop shows. (ACORN)

annika (2021-current): i'm gonna dive into some of the weirder ones now. annika is still pretty serious, but the title character has a habit of breaking the 4th wall to loop the audience in on the meta nature of her thoughts--usually relating to a book or story. it's set in glasgow and they investigate marine crime specifically. annika is played by nicola walker, who full disclosure i find VERY attractive. she's norwegian, she's odd, and she's trying her best. she has a teenage daughter who's gay. (PBS)

queens of mystery (2019-current): this one is VERY odd. think british murders meets pushing daisies. there's a narrator, and occasional technicolor flights of fancy. it follows a very serious detective who was raised by her three aunts after her mother was killed. she comes back to work in her home town and has to navigate both sides of her life, plus still wanting to know who killed her mother. production was interrupted by covid, so the main actress changed between seasons, but the new person is also very good. (ACORN)

brokenwood mysteries (2014-current): this one is sort of...sillier than the rest? it's a new zealand show set in a small town. it's fairly queer (although not nearly queer enough), and one of the things i love the most about it is it maintains a roster of recurring characters (which i think is only possible because of the small size of the NZ film industry). pretty good maori rep, especially jared, a local who seems to know or be related in some way to everyone in town. i adore him. he's off the show now, and i miss him. (ACORN)

mcdonald & dodds (2020-current): set in bath, this is an odd couple partnership of an ambitious young cop lately from london and a shy older cop who has lived in bath all his life and hasn't seen action in a decade. their interactions are funny and lovely, and it's refreshing to see a black woman character allowed to be ambitious. (BRITBOX)

[foxspirit1928]

My MFMM Calendars 2023 – November

November 19 is International Men’s Day. To honor the wonderful male characters on the show, I dedicated a post to them 5 years ago on 19-Nov-2018 (image to the right). The calendar to the left was from Miss Fisher Snippets, 87, originally posted on 22-Oct-2022 with one of Phryne’s most memorable quotes, “I don’t allow myself to be lustfully compromised during my murder investigations”.

********************

p.s. I made these calendars for my personal viewing pleasure only, and they are not for sale.

(Posted 04-Nov-2023)

[missfisherchallenges]

Phryne’s Journey -- Bandar Abbas, Iran

This year, we are following Phryne’s journey from Melbourne to London, inspired by the route Amy Johnson took in 1930! This month’s stop is…

Bandar Abbas, Persia

Bandar Abbas customs house, 1917

The first records of Bandar Abbas date to the reign of Darius the Great (522-486 BCE), and it was a trading hub for centuries. It has been known by many names throughout the years, but was renamed Bandar Abbas in 1622 CE, after Safavid ruler Shah Abbas defeated Portuguese troops. One almost wonders if there’s a connection to Sheikh Kahlil Abbas from a certain upcoming movie. While it had previously been under Portuguese and British control at various points, Persia was independent in Phryne’s time and governed by a monarch, the Shah of Iran.

Gombroon ware, 18th century

Now part of Iran, Bandar Abbas was (and remains) a port and convenient refuelling stop on the coast of Southern Iran. It has a hot desert climate, with summer temperatures reaching upwards of 49°C. The area exports items including dates, citrus, tobacco, and fish. Bandar Abbas was formerly famous for its export of Iranian pottery, which was known in the west as "goombroon ware".

Prompt: An Iranian chemist shop, 1930s

Here is how the challenge works: use either the location or the prompt as inspiration for a fic, piece of fanart, or meta about the Miss Fisher world and add it to the collection Phryne’s Journey on ao3 between now and the end of the month. You can also tag @missfisherchallenges and we’ll endeavour to reblog any posts we are tagged in. Everyone is welcome, whether you’re new to the fandom or old hat, writing every month or leaping in when inspiration strikes. We’re all here to have fun, after all!

[thewardlowcollection]

November Roundup

Welcome to the monthly attempt to round up all the best fandom and fanfic related news: challenges, statistics, library announcements, and news from the wider Miss Fisher world.

Since our last roundup, the librarians have answered 2 Asks from you, dear readers, and wrote several themed posts. Please, keep your questions coming!

One of our librarians, @whopooh, wrote a post about the Whumptober fics; if you haven’t read the collection yet for fear of whump levels, this post can be a great guide.

The fourth Phryne Ficathon will begin posting today, December 3rd, and with 38 participants we should have a veritable feast of fic to sustain us!

The Year of Quotes continues. As with last year, December is an Amnesty Month. More details can found found in THIS POST. Next year’s theme is in the process of being finalised, so make sure to follow @missfisherchallenges for more information in the coming weeks.

The lovely @foxspirit1928 completed her Miss Fisher Reading List inspired by the show, which may be of some interest to our avid readers. Her daily posts, meta, and research are always a delight. Congratulations!

A sneak peek of the new Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries was just released, so check it out!

And the biggest news, of course…

IT’S A WRAP! Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears has completed filming and has moved into post-production. We’ll be waiting eagerly to hear more about it in the new year.

[aurora-australis-tumbles]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson, Jack Robinson & Elsie Tizzard Characters: Phryne Fisher, Elsie Tizzard, Jack Robinson, Tobias Butler Additional Tags: Unexpected Visitors, Unexpected family, Tea, MFMM Year of Quotes Summary:

“I was his first arrest, didya know that?”

“I did,” Phryne said. “But I’m afraid I don’t know the specifics. I’ve never been able to pry that particular story out of him.”

Elsie laughed. “Well, no wonder. Our poor Jackie boy don’t come off so well.”

“Oh?” Phryne leaned forward, her curiosity most definitely piqued. She crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, propped up at the knee. “Do tell.”

Inspired by the December (Amnesty) Quote Challenge.

[whopooh]

Phryne flies her father home to England. None of them knows what will happen when they finally get there.

This is for the April quote challenge -- I decided I needed to write it about Henry Fisher!

[wah-pah]

Phryne has returned to London and this trip has lead her to think about ‘home’ and where it is.

Here’s the 4th chapter of this fic - still part of my contribution to April’s Challenge of MFMM Year of Quotes *insert box-of-shame.gif*.

I hope you enjoy it.

If you prefer, you can find it on fanfiction.net too.

Your feedback is appreciated as always. Thank you-

[meldanya44]

Year of Quotes: L. M. Montgomery edition

Two little drabbles for @missfisherchallenges Year of Quotes: March.

L. M. Montgomery is my favourite writer so I couldn't let this month pass. They're both inspired by my headcanon that Rosie loves L. M. Montgomery.

Her Blue Castle. Some months after Fletcher's arrest, Rosie returns to his house to collect her things.

The Sampler. Jack Robinson is a respectable man with a strict routine who enjoys the quiet life. Until he meets Phryne Fisher.

[foxspirit1928]

No complaints here, @missfisherchallenges Phryne is pretty, and we never get tired of looking at her.

(Re-blogged 01-Sep-2018)

MFMM Year of Quotes – September Challenge

This month’s theme is Jane Austen

August seemed to be a particularly challenging month, but there were some delightful fics in the end. (And yes, I have stopped trying to find images to go with the theme and am now using “How pretty is Phryne Fisher?” as my guide. I doubt there will be many complaints)

The quotes this month are:

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.” ~ Jane Austen

“His cold politeness, his ceremonious grace, were worse than anything.”― Jane Austen, Persuasion

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves; it is not my nature.” ― Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

The collection is called Jane Austen (MFMMSept2018) and will be open from today until October 1st when the next challenge is announced.

As always, everyone is invited to participate–there are no length limits or rules, just add your fic, fanart, or meta inspired by this month’s challenge to the collection or tag @missfisherchallenges in a Tumblr post sometime between now and closing. We will endeavour to reblog any challenge responses we are tagged in. But most of all, have fun!

[omgimsarahtoo]

Chapter 9: Phryne and Jack head down to the police station to interview the man who attacked Jack, realizing that their suspect list is still distressingly long.

This month's quote is Jane Austen, from Northanger Abbey: “Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”

[scruggzi]

A bit of Hurt/Comfort for the prompts

'I'm in my underwear and everything hurts, but I'm OK.'

and

“She was there, in the full vigour of her personality, battered but not diminished” Willa Cather, My Antonia

Thanks to @deverewinterton for the first one and to @firesign23 for her mighty beta skills.

She didn’t often feel this fragile after a fight, but sometimes, once the adrenaline withdrew and she had time to catch up with herself, it would hit her hard. She made a point of not letting anyone see if she could help it.

[cafeshopau]

Answer the questions and tag 20 people you’d like to get to know better!

Thanks for the tag: @pragmatic-optimist (i love the explanation for your url)

Nickname(s): my legal name (rosie) is already kinda a nickname and also i love my name so i never wanted one. that being said, my brother called me tiny head when i was a baby bc i had...a tiny head and he sometimes brought that one out later on. he also sometimes called me rodie...the reason for that one has been lost to time.

Star Sign: gemini but don’t hold it against me

Height: 5 feet 5.5 inches. listen, that half an inch matters to me!

Time: 9:50 pm est (or it was when i started this)

Birthday: june 5

Favorite Band(s): realizing i don’t really listen to bands at the moment. just scrolled through my old itunes library and the ones that stuck out as still up there even though i may not have listened in a while are: little mix, superfruit, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, mumford & sons, scissor sisters, tegan and sara, green day. oh and now bts.

Favorite Solo Artist(s): sara bareilles, ingrid michaelson, kacey musgraves, diana krall, janelle monáe, beyoncé, maggie rogers, lady gaga, regina spektor, mika, bruno mars, cynthia erivo, jason mraz, sufjan stevens, amy winehouse. so many!

Favorite Food(s): french fries and cinnamon rolls :)

Favorite Colors: indigo and lately emerald green

Last Thing I Googled: jackass vanity fair bc i wanted to see if that quote going around about the homoeroticism in it was real (it was)

Last Show I Watched: abbott elementary!

Last Movie I Watched: camp (aka the musical theater nerd prerequisite)

Lucky Number: n/a

When Did I Create This Blog: either late 2011 or early 2012 aka 10 years jc

Do I Have Any Other Blogs: my mfmm sideblog (here if you’re interested - although haven’t updated in months) and another one that i don’t even remember saving

Do you get asks: sometimes and i always enjoy it (hint hint)

Why did I chose my URL: i like coffee shop aus

Blogs who follow you: 349 on here and 1,860 on my mfmm blog lol that’s what happens when you don’t switch fandoms every year

Dream Trip: japan

Instruments: i played the flute for like 5 years but it has been 15 since i picked one up so...no.

Average hours of sleep: 8ish

How many blankets do you sleep with: duvet and sometimes a throw

Tagging: i’m too tired to choose so whoever wants to do it consider yourself ✨tagged✨

[foxspirit1928]

MFMM Year of Quotes 2018 – October Challenge – Life Advice

We all agreed with Miss Fisher when she told Raymond, “You needn’t worry about Dot. She’s made of stern stuff.” (S2E9 Framed for Murder) Although Dot was a timid maid who was afraid of telephones (among other things) at the beginning, we saw her overcoming her fears and blossomed into a brave, confident, and competent assistant detective under Miss Fisher’s wings. So, how did her mentor accomplish it?

One is to lead by example. Phryne was a daredevil who sometimes took unnecessary risk, but she was not reckless as she was equipped with wide range of knowledge that would save herself in a life-or-death situation (e.g. the number of bullets each type of firearms could hold), and she made sure to pass that information and, more importantly, the mindset to Dot.

Second is to give Dot advice at the right time so that it would sink in. There were plenty examples in the three seasons, “A woman should dress first and foremost for her own pleasure”, “That doesn’t mean that’s the way things have to stay”, “You must stand proud and laugh it off”, etc. The common thread of Phryne’s advice was that we should not allow the fear of others’ opinions or judgement to dictate our course of action.

Third is to instill trust and confidence in her protege. One prime example is in Cocaine Blues when Phryne told Dot to call the police if she didn’t return by midnight even though she was well aware of the fact that Dot was afraid of using the telephone. By entrusting her life to Dot, who she had just met, she challenged her to overcome her fear. In terms of building confidence, there are many examples of Phryne encouraging and praising Dot’s input, “Dot, you’re a genius!”, “Oh, Dot! Why didn’t I see it before? You. Are. Brilliant!”, “Well done, fellow sleuth.”

That being said, if the pupil was not willing (or did not have the capacity) to learn from the master, the training would not have worked, so kudos to both ladies!

@missfisherchallenges

(Posted 20-Oct-2018)

[missfisherchallenges]

MFMM Year of Quotes – November Challenge

  This month’s theme is Male Authors

(I know, I know Mac. Just drink the whiskey.)

The quotes this month are:

“My life, I ask of you no stable contours, plausible faces, property. Now in your restless circling, wormwood and honey have the same savor. The heart that disdains all motion occasionally is convulsed by a jolt. As sometimes the stillness of the country sounds with a rifle shot." --Montale

'I am careful.’ 'No, you’re not…Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.’ 'I hope I never will,’ she answered. 'I hate careless people. That’s why I like you.’ ― F. Scott FITZGERALD, The Great Gatsby

The world was not wheeling anymore. It was just very clear and bright and inclined to blur at the edges.― Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

The collection is called Male Authors (MFMMNov2018) and will be open from today until December 1st when the next challenge is announced.

As always, everyone is invited to participate–there are no length limits or rules, just add your fic, fanart, or meta inspired by this month’s challenge to the collection or tag @missfisherchallenges in a Tumblr post sometime between now and closing. We will endeavour to reblog any challenge responses we are tagged in. But most of all, have fun!

[missingmissfisher]

Yaaaaay, sooo much MFMM awesomeness!!!

September Roundup

After some careful consideration (aka some very busy librarians), we’ve decided to complete the monthly roundup once the month has ended. Welcome to the monthly attempt to round up all the best fandom and fanfic related news: challenges, statistics, library announcements, and news from the wider Miss Fisher world.

Since our last roundup, the librarians have answered 10 Asks from you, dear readers, recommending 136 fics or collections. Please, keep your questions coming!

October is Whumptober–31 days of whumptastic fics inspired by @la-vie-en-whump‘s list. All the details for the Miss Fisher challenge can be found HERE. Please note, the main Whumptober organiser asks that NSFW prompts are not tagged with #whumptober, but #mfmmwhumptober is fine.

The Year of Quotes continues. October’s theme is Life Advice. You can see the quotes and add your fic to the collection HERE.

In the wider world of Miss Fisher, @adventuressclubamericas announced the 2019 Miss Fisher Con will be held in San Jose, California, with more details to come.

And the biggest news, of course…

Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears begins filming THIS MONTH! Make sure to follow Every Cloud Productions or director Tony Tilse on social media, we’re sure they’ll be sharing the occasional tidbit.

[aurora-australis-tumbles]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Jack Robinson, Original Characters Additional Tags: MFMM Year of Quotes, Family, Relationship Advice Summary:

A chance encounter by the foreshore has Jack playing agony aunt and reminiscing about his youth.

Inspired by the October Quote Challenge.