#body shaping in Melbourne

[williamborschmann93]

HOTEL SHOWER PART 1

© William Borschmannn 2023

[godigitalbuzzpro]

Why Celebrities Are Using Freezing Fat to Get Rid Of Pockets of Fats

In celebrity culture, maintaining a picture-perfect appearance is not just important - it's essential. From hitting the gym daily to adopting strict diet plans, many celebrities go to great lengths to stay in shape and look their best on and off the red carpet. However, despite all their efforts, stubborn pockets of fat can remain. Enter freezing fat - a non-invasive technique that promises to banish these troublesome bulges for good! Join us as we explore why more and more A-listers are turning to this innovative treatment method for achieving their ideal body image goals.

Introduction to freezing fat

When it comes to weight loss, there are a lot of different methods out there. Some people prefer to diet and exercise, while others opt for more invasive procedures like liposuction. A new method of fat loss has been gaining popularity among celebrities: freezing fat.

Freezing fat, also known as cryolipolysis, is a non-invasive procedure that uses cold temperatures to break down fat cells. The treatment area is exposed to extreme cold for a short period, causing the fat cells to crystallize and die. Over the next few weeks, the body naturally eliminates the dead fat cells, resulting in a slimmer appearance.

Overview of how freezing fat works

Assuming you are referring to a CoolSculpting procedure:

CoolSculpting is an FDA-cleared alternative to liposuction that uses cryolipolysis™ fat-freezing technology to safely and effectively eliminate fat cells. During your CoolSculpting treatment, a gel pad and applicator will be placed on your skin. The applicator suits the skin and fat "pouch" and delivers precisely controlled cooling below the skin's surface. You may feel some pulling, tugging, or mild pinching as the applicator delivers controlled cooling to the targeted fat.

Why are celebrities raving about the procedure?

There are many reasons why celebrities rave about Freezing fat Melbourne:

It is a very effective way to get rid of pockets of stubborn fat that diet and exercise alone may not be able to get rid of.

The procedure is minimally invasive and requires no surgery or recovery time. It is ideal for busy celebrities who want to maintain their appearance without undergoing a major procedure.

Freezing fat is a relatively new technology constantly improving, so celebrities can be among the first to try out the latest and greatest treatments.

Many celebrities are also concerned about their health and well-being, and freezing fat is a safe and healthy way to slim down and improve one's appearance.

Pros and cons of a freezing fat procedure

The freezing fat procedure, also known as cryolipolysis, is a non-invasive cosmetic procedure used to remove pockets of fat from the body. The procedure involves freezing the fat cells with a cooling device, which causes them to break down and be eliminated by the body.

The main advantage of this procedure is that it does not require any surgery, so there is no risk of infection or other complications associated with surgery. In addition, it is a relatively affordable option compared to other cosmetic procedures.

However, there are also some disadvantages to this procedure. One is that it can only be used on small body areas simultaneously, so multiple treatments may be necessary to achieve desired results. In addition, ice crystals are likely forming in the skin, which can cause pain and irritation.

Risk factors associated with the procedure

There are a few key risk factors to consider when considering this procedure. First, as with any surgery, there is always the potential for infection or other complications. Secondly, there is the potential for asymmetry, meaning that one side may be frozen more than the other, resulting in unevenness. Finally, there is the possibility of scarring.

The popularity of freezing fat and its success rate

Thanks to celebrities, the news, and social media, more and more people are learning about a new way to get rid of pockets of fat that they can't seem to target with diet and exercise: freezing fat.

This new method, also called CoolSculpting®, is a nonsurgical alternative to liposuction that uses controlled cooling to "freeze" away unwanted fat cells. The treated area will gradually decrease in size over the next few months as your body eliminates the frozen fat cells.

The CoolSculpting procedure safely delivers precisely controlled cooling directly to stubborn pockets of fat in specific areas of your body to gently and effectively target the fat cells underneath the skin. The treated areas gradually diminish in size as your body removes frozen and dead fat cells through your natural metabolic processes.

CoolSculpting is a safe and effective procedure with few side effects (such as redness or light bruising). Most patients can return to normal activities immediately after treatment and experience desired results in two to four months. The results are long-lasting, as freezing fat cells destroys their ability to store fat in the future.

Conclusion

All in all, freezing fat is a great way for celebrities to get rid of stubborn pockets of fat and achieve their desired body shape. The non-invasive nature of the procedure makes it an appealing option for those who want to avoid more invasive treatments such as liposuction. While there is still some uncertainty about its effectiveness, the fact that many celebrities are using this technique suggests that it has potential and could help others reach their goal too.

[mybeingthere]

Described as a ‘Virtuoso of the potter’s wheel’ by Peter Timms, Art Critic for the Melbourne Age John Stroomer is a master potter who is internationally recognized for his work with Crystalline Glazes. His forms are classical, balanced, simple, full bodied and reflect his mastery of both the potter’s wheel and crystalline process.

“I have been making for almost 50 years, employing 23 potters during the 80s/90s supplying wheel thrown domestic stoneware to major retailers, direct selling companies and homeware stores Australia-wide.

The recession of 1981, a devastating factory fire in 1988 followed by the 1990 recession and subsequent fluctuating market forces eventually led to a change in personal philosophy/direction. They were all pivotal in leading me to where and who I am today.

The exacting nature, temperature control, balance and understanding of materials and glaze technologies demanded by the Crystaline process reflect John’s mastery of his craft over many years. Each pot is fired at over 1,300 Degrees Celsius for at least 18 hours. Once peak temperature has been reached, the kiln is rapidly cooled to pre-determined temperatures, at which point the crystals begin to be formed. As crystal formation requires slow cooling, the temperature is held and slowly reduced/managed with a crystal growth period of an additional six hours.

Crystals can take on a myriad of shapes and are three dimensional in nature. In direct sunlight or strong light, spectacular effects can be created by the refraction of light bouncing off the crystals, giving each pot a true three dimensional appearance.

Metallic oxides and combinations of various materials are used to produce a wide range of colours, ranging from dark browns, to cobalt blues and coral greens, amongst many others.

The end result are a range of pots that are exquisite.

[avaetin]

‘Yours is green. It’s a pity they're the wrong shade.'

@haiseiscute333 @sunshines-child

Dark! Percy...?

He wants to kill.

He wants to rip a person apart.

He wants to destroy everything.

But, above all, he wants Nico di Angelo.

Cold, sea green eyes gazed at the saved image of Nico on his phone - that one image taken by the paparazzi of him at the concert in Melbourne, Australia, smiling warmly towards the camera, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink from the heat and his skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. He looked so soft, so sweet… like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. And, oh, Percy had a ravenous appetite for him.

Seeing him tonight, bathing in his presence… his voice… his scent… his taste… Percy could feel his loins stirring from the memory.

The industry’s darling - his darling - had the face of an angel, but his body was the greatest sin incarnate. So soft and slender… Percy knew from memory that Nico’s thin and delicate waist can fit perfectly in his hands. His legs - gods those legs - which Percy had only seen in the magazines of his summer photoshoots. They were hairless and had the most perfect proportions. Percy was more than willing to worship them for hours. They would look glorious, littered with his marks… wrapped around his waist… or draped over his shoulders. It was possible, Percy was certain. Nico did tons of ridiculous poses, Percy was aware of how flexible his body was. Then there were his lips, those sweet bow-shaped lips. Percy had loved kissing them; they tasted absolutely divine.

But most importantly were those warm, brown eyes, more beautiful than any jewels in the world. So, so beautiful. So, so gorgeous. So, so… expressive.

Percy lifted one of his hands, the hands that touched Nico’s hips, and licked his palm. He moaned underneath his breath, the sound guttural, as the memory of his angel’s delicious groan surfaced to the front of his mind.

‘Percy.’ He stared at his image once more, engraving those mesmerizing eyes and that enchanting smile to his memory.

‘Percy.’ He licked his lips as he envisioned how debauched Nico would look like underneath him as he voraciously plunged into his depths. Gods, Nico shouting in euphoric rapture as Percy filled his tight body and claim him as his would be his greatest symphony.

‘P-Percy…!’ It mattered little to him that his brother got a taste of Nico first. As long as Percy was the last. He was confident that he could pleasure his angel a thousand times better than Aeon. And when he’s delirious with ecstasy, he would ingrain the truth into Nico’s senses.

Nico only needs him.

No one else.

Especially not Aeon.

“Percy… What are you doing out of bed…?” Percy turned around and stared at the pitiful yet voluptuous body on the queen-sized bed. She was a gem too. It’s a pity though that she was gray when he only wanted and needed brown.

Pressing his lips to the image of Nico, he locked his phone and placed it on the bedside table before he rejoined Annabeth on the bed. Staring at the image of his angel and thinking about him made him aroused to the point of needing to vent it out. The warm body could be used. Annabeth could be used.

“Hmm… Percy…”

“Don’t talk.” Percy only needed a warm body. Hearing her talk and seeing her visage was ruining his pleasure. Even her scent and her flavor ruined his fantasies. But they would have to do for now. Until he could have the actual person in his arms, her warm pliant body would just have to do.

“Pity…” Percy whispered into her ears as he slipped once more inside her depths and immediately started pounding into her core. Even in the haze of pleasure, Annabeth knew what he was thinking.

‘It’s a pity they’re gray. Would be nice if they were brown.’

She would let him have her one last time - as a parting gift - before she would break the terms of their agreement come morning. She was done playing his unwinnable game; she would rather some other poor unfortunate soul did before she completely lose herself.

An exhausted smile curled her lips as an amusing thought formulated in her head. Yes, perhaps it was a pity that her eyes weren’t those warm brown hues he had been yearning for. Still…

‘Yours is green. It’s a pity they're the wrong shade.'

[nohtora]

process stages & comments below

( original painting )

process: i did 70% of this (up to img #6) on my samsung tablet, on my train commutes, battling motion sickness & neck pain lmao

drawing on my tablet is still a lot harder & feels more restrictive for me bc i'm limited by unfamiliar software (still learning CSP) and lack of keyboard shortcuts (my digital art workflow for years). i also struggle with starting / continuing artworks on my tablet unless i've already planned / sketched most of the composition on my PC. likely because 90% of the time when i'm drawing on the tablet, it's on the train. hard to get in the zone as it turns out lol

this is the first full painting i've started and made substantial progress on purely with my samsung tab, so i'm happy it's starting to feel a bit more natural.

also first time i've tried doing a funky gradient map as a colour base. then applied colour on top with multiply blending mode. 10/10 would use fun gradient maps again - helped me introduce more colour variation bc i feel like my colours are usually quite flat by comparison

given the nature of the fucking bumpy melbourne trains & my broken commutes, i can still only do so much rendering on my tablet. the more refined painting will probably always happen using photoshop on my PC bc that's where i feel i have the most control

i tried not to overwork / overpaint it too much as i often tend to do, and kept the brush strokes rough and loose as much as possible. made sure my brush wasn't set smaller than a certain size so i wasn't tempted to go into fine detail. you can see i didn't refine harry's form/clothes much beyond img #4 because i didn't want to lose the soft/loose quality of the clothing folds. pretty damn proud of that shoe though. but then i posted it before i realised i forgot to paint in his fucking tie lmaoooo

but yeah, i got my tablet as a secondary drawing device to help me draw more often so i'm gonna keep trying to get the hang of it !!

composition/concept: the pose was referenced from this shot of arthur in peaky blinders and i had a vision of HDB slumped over in his kitchen like this

the composition was built around that, and i had the idea of framing it him in shadow and having a strip of light from a doorway illuminating his body. evidence of his drinking and smoking are kept in the shadows.

the original idea was to have a silhouette of someone standing in the doorway (likely jean finding him), but it didn't work with the overall balance & i felt like it interrupted the shape of the light too much / wasn't very legible at that angle. kitchen design was inspired by soviet & post-soviet era style kitchens.

*** feel free to send in an ask if you actually want me to explain how i did things in more detail. these are mostly thoughts for my personal reference

[conradscrime]

The Murder of Linda Agostini: Was She Really "Pyjama Girl"?

November 26, 2023

Florence Linda Agostini (Platt) was born on September 12, 1905 in South East London. She travelled to New Zealand at the age of 19, and lived there until 1927, when she then moved to Sydney, Australia.

Linda worked at a cinema and lived in a boarding house on Darlinghurst Road. It was said that Linda liked to drink and party a lot. She married an Italian man named Antonio Agostini in 1930, and it was not a happy marriage.

The couple moved to Melbourne, believing to be because her husband wanted Linda to get away from her partying friends.

In late August of 1934, Linda disappeared. A week later, an unidentified body of whom would later be dubbed "Pyjama Girl" was found in Splitter's Creek, near Albury.

The woman's body was found by a man named Tom Griffith, who was leading a prize bull along the road. Tom saw the body in a culvert running under the road and noted there had been a strong smell of kerosene present.

The body was badly burnt and had been hidden by a hessian grain sack, making it impossible for drivers to be able to see the body.

Pyjama Girl's head was wrapped in a towel, she had been beaten extensively, and upon an X-ray it was discovered she had a bullet in her neck. She was dubbed Pyjama Girl due to her wearing yellow silk pyjamas with a Chinese dragon motif. This clothing was known to be luxurious for the time.

It was determined that Pyjama Girl was petite and in her 20's, though her identity could not be found. The body was taken to Sydney, where it was put on public display. She was preserved at the Sydney University Medical School until 1942, where she was then transferred to police headquarters until 1944.

Some people suggested that Pyjama Girl could be a couple different women that had gone missing in the area, including Linda Agostini. Linda matched the physical characteristics as well as the age. However, New South Wales police did not believe Linda could be Pyjama Girl.

In 1944, 10 years since the discovery, forensic evidence was re-examined, and the body was matched to be Linda through dental analysis.

Linda's husband, Tony, had recently gone back to Sydney, after being held in internment camps from 1940 to 1944. Police commissioner, William MacKay, who had known Tony from before the war, interviewed him and noticed that Tony was quite nervous.

Tony then confessed to killing his wife, Linda, stating that he had accidentally shot her when they lived in Melbourne. Tony drove Linda's body over the state border to Albury, and had dumped her in the culvert. He set Linda's body on fire to destroy the evidence.

Tony was charged with murder and extradited back to Melbourne and tried for murder. He was acquitted on the murder charge but found guilty of manslaughter. Tony was sentenced to 6 years in prison but served only 3 years. He was released in 1948 and deported to Italy, dying in 1969.

While the case is technically solved, many doubt that Linda is the true identity of Pyjama Girl. In a 2004 book, written by historian Richard Evans on the case, he believes that Tony's conviction was the result of police corruption.

It was also stated that Pyjama Girl had brown eyes, while Linda had blue eyes and the two women had different bust sizes and different shaped noses. Richard Evans also claims that 125 women were on the police list of possible identities, and not eliminated or traced.

[sepelios]

[ olivia cooke, cis-woman, she/her ] look who just landed! WREN PALMER, i sure hope you packed all you need. perhaps you’re not worried as an X CODER at X ACADEMY & INFORMANT for THE GREY LILIES. the city has plenty of spots for a 32 year old HUMAN like you. you’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE TRAITOR, being INQUISITIVE and ANXIOUS.

.ACCESSREQUEST record; employee number 039278 authorising... ACCESS GRANTED

EMPLOYEE NUMBER 039278 <BASICS>

full name: wren palmer

nickname: none (but is open to them!)

date of birth: 12th march, 2373

gender: cis woman

pronouns: she/her

sexual orientation: bisexual (women/nb)

romantic orientation: biromantic

current age: thirty two

modification: human

affiliation: x academy the grey lilies

birthplace: melbourne, australia (earth)

current neighbourhood: akumu

occupation: x coder, specialising in android programming

known languages: english, indonesian, japanese

<PERSONALITY>

positive traits: inquisitive, compassionate, observant, just

neutral traits: analytical, intelligent, unassuming, inhibited

negative traits: anxious, sensitive, impatient, obsessive

peeves: being interrupted, people who don't apologise, doors left ajar, code that doesn't work, gum chewing

fears: getting caught as an informant by her employers, confrontation in general, hospitals, feeling lonely for the rest of her life

skills: coding and programming, going unnoticed, problem solving, listening attentively

goals: help expose the true nature of x academy, find some sort of closure for the death of her brother

<APPEARANCE>

faceclaim: olivia cooke

height: 5’6”

eye colour: dark brown

hair colour: auburn

clothing style: best described as dark academia reimagined by someone who works in tech — typically soft, loose fabrics in warmer earth tones, wide-legged trousers, oversized shirts and knitwear, graphic tshirts, boots or sneakers

jewellery: small hoop earrings, a simple gold necklace with a small star pendant, a gold signet ring

tattoos: a bird in flight on the back of her right shoulder

marks/scars: none

modifications: none

scent/fragrance: violet, musk, bergamot

<INSPIRATIONS>

quote: "i learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."

label: the traitor — a person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle

tropes: cowardly lion; amateur sleuth; fighting from the inside; the atoner; taking up the mantle; beware the quiet ones

parallels: elisa esposito (the shape of water); mabel mora (only murders in the building); peeta mellark (the hunger games); klaus baudelaire (a series of unfortunate events); allison cameron (house)

song: the body is a blade — japanese breakfast

<FAVOURITES>

likes: waking up early, the ritual of a coffee and a pastry every morning on her way to work, burning candles, oversized knitwear, avoiding social obligations, antiques

dislikes: sweltering heat, having her photograph taken, ketchup, large crowds, frequent feelings of overwhelming dread

hobbies: visiting the cemetery, cooking for herself, people watching, long runs, weekly phonecalls with her parents that she always tries to avoid

habits: stress smoking, tucking a pen or pencil behind her ear, spending hours walking around the grocery store, cracking her knuckles when nervous

cherished item: the gold ring she wears at all times that belonged to her brother

<SUMMARY> death of a loved one tw

the palmers moved from earth to new jakarta with their two children, having bought into the propaganda of there being a better life available for everyone on mars. as it turned out, this better life was out of reach for them. the only place they could afford to live was the slums in akumu, and the well-paying jobs that they had been promised failed to materialise, forcing them into blue-collar labour for minimal wages.

wren grew up wanting to live a more comfortable life, and when she developed an interest in tech, she used this to drive her, aspiring to one day work for x academy. her twin brother, robin, took a different path, instead growing bitter about the disparity of wealth in the city and wanting to punish those in positions of power who exploited the lower classes.

eventually, wren was accepted at the university in sora around the same time her brother was inducted into the grey lilies. though she didn't judge his choices, and even empathised with him, she didn't engage with that side of his life, though he repeatedly told her that her skills in coding could be useful to the gang. they maintained a relationship, even as she was offered a job at x academy after her graduation and he begged her not to take it, even as he repeatedly put himself in more danger and she tried to get him to stop taking risks with his life. this back and forth, endless worrying about the other, last for several years.

when robin told her that he thought there was a link between the golden tears and x academy, wren dismissed it as a lie designed to get her on his side. the two fought bitterly over it, and she stormed out of his apartment. several days later, wren was notified that he had been killed in a clash with the golden tears.

after taking as much bereavement leave as she was allowed to take, wren returned to work at x academy with her brother's warnings echoing around her mind, and decided that it was finally time for her to hear him out. incrementally, and without drawing attention to herself, she began to look into this where she could, only to discover that he had been correct. horrified at the company for its association with the gang, and at herself for living in denial, she approached the grey lilies with an offer to be their informant, replacing robin.

[eventtimeltd]

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[fin-stabilized]

A reflection on identity, and a public apology to Hopscotch user we2fd

Years ago, around 2015, when I first moved back to shanghai, I found myself unable to connect to the things I used to love watching - YouTube in particular. However, I did still crave online interaction. So what I did was install the mobile app Hopscotch - an app where you can code things with simple shapes and an intuitive block coding system, as well as - critically for me - a way to upload your creations to the world. (Don’t try the app now if you think you’re interested - it’s been enshittified.)

Also in 2015, I was… insecure about my identity. Something had already felt wrong, with me feeling that maybe I wasn’t the boy that I made myself out to be, but at that time I didn’t know how to express it, and so I tried my absolute best to present as close to the status quo as possible - perhaps hoping that by defending the system enough that eventually I would fit in. And so, when I came across another user on the site trying to explore their own identity, saying that they could turn into a cat, I sort of latched on to the concept in the worst way possible.

Bogus biology on my part. Throwing random numbers out in an effort to seem logical - I remember very clearly the nights I spent fuming over the fact that someone couldn’t turn into a cat. It made me enemies, too, as people clearly more well-adjusted than I recognized that what I did was tantamount to bullying, and tried to intercede.

I was an asshole! and a hypocrite too - a scant few years earlier, when I still lived in Melbourne, I had prided myself on playing pretend with my friends at lunch break.

Another possible reason for my actions in those few months was that I was… kind of jealous, in an odd way. Being able to turn into a cat - wouldn’t that be fantastic? no need to do the song and dance I do now, just sprout fur and a tail and walk out, y’know?

But, I digress. Fact of the matter was, I wanted to be on the “right side” of the fight, I wanted to stand for reason and logic and science and just be the most *correct* person in the room, just so there was nothing wrong with me.

… Is it any wonder that I fell straight down the conservative rabbit hole?

From 2016 through 2019 my desire to be “right” brought me down the wrong path. I focused too much on confirming my own repression and it led me to hurt some of the people who I had been closest to at the time. I happily threw away relations on my path to being the most antagonistic student in my whole school. And, of course, the feeling never subsided. Instead, my thoughts on who I *really* am, my dissatisfaction with my body and name… they gnawed a hole in me that I couldn’t resolve ever.

Come 2020, however, and lockdown hit. I had gotten a VPN working for some time now, and I decided to hop on discord. I met people - real people with things to say, and I discovered that my experiences weren’t just me. It took me a while, but I grew out of that repression, realized that I was trans, and, more recently, began to experiment with otherkin things. but most importantly, I realized that I was wrong. Someone could be a cat, if they believed hard enough.

So, with all that in mind:

we2fd. If you’re out there, which you probably are, I hope this message finds you. And I hope you know that I, Hopscotch user Marron Cinq Coding, or whatever the hell name I came up with back in the day, was dead wrong on all counts. I’ve grown, and changed, and I��m fully convinced so have you; so, if you’re out there, and you remember that username being yours on that silly little coding app, please get in contact with me. I’d love to talk. And I’m sorry for everything I’ve done.

[thedivinelights]

co-writers: @vincentholdsapen , @vixx-ari

Ten years have passed since those fateful visitations, and Ebenezer Scrooge finally casts off his life as a mortal to ascend to the afterlife. Yet this is not the end of his tale, for Jacob Marley comes with a proposal he wouldn't dare to refuse.

Now learning how to harness his newfound abilities, the former miser must now prepare himself to defend the both the living and the dead, wielding the chains he cast aside to collect the rebellious souls who dare to harm either realm alongside the spectres who once guided him... with some unfamiliar spirits.

Needless to say, Scrooge has quite the journey ahead of him.

[SNIPPET UNDER THE CUT]

Because none of it mattered in the end, did it? All of the pounds, dollars, francs, rubles and florins accumulated in a lifetime meant nothing once the final breath escaped from one's lips. Lispans were merely a currency that existed solely to give people a semblance of the life they once had. Perhaps it was a foolish idea to even have currency in the afterlife. Perhaps it was not. Who was he to give any say on the functions of the afterlife?

And yet... despite his mild abhorrence of mankind's hypocrisy and the twisting of theology, he still could not help but reach for the scriptures that remained untouched on his bookshelf, as if by cruel irony some higher power was willing him to do so.

Even crueller was how he knew every word, every verse inscribed into his phantom heart and metaphysical mind like scars upon his soul. It was as if his disdain for religion had only intensified his knowledge of it, as if his rejection had pushed him closer to understanding it. He couldn't deny the power those ancient words held, the way they resonated deep within him, stirring emotions he had long since buried. It was a delicate dance between rejection and attraction, a battle of conflicting sentiments that consumed his thoughts in the solitude of his spectral existence.

It was something he could never fully reconcile with, yet here he was, unable to tear himself away from the lessons and parables that shaped the society he had once been a part of. And he had been so engrossed in those tales that he barely even registered the chime of the bell above the front door, signalling the arrival of a visitor.

Startled, Marley hastily put the tome on his desk before looking to the clock that ticked in the room. It was half-past five, almost closing time. What reason would anyone have to come this late?

The heavy chains that bound him seemed to tether him in more ways than one, almost tightening in anticipation. With a tremendous grunt of effort, Marley tried to lift himself off of his chair, desperately trying to will his body to stand but to no avail. He slumped back in exhaustion, cursing profanities from under his breath as he did so. Scrooge looked up from his ledgers, immediately noticing Marley's discomfort. He need not have been prompted any further, for he would have done anything to ease his beloved and most dearest friend's burdens. He... He owed him that much, at the very least.

The door to the office flung open as Scrooge welcomed their visitor in, the Christmas Ghosts all coming through from the other room to greet whoever had come to visit them so late in the day. It was certainly clear from the way Past had been rubbing their eyes and how Future's robed figure seemed to sway from Present using them as a sort of crutch that their unexpected visitor had roused them from a well-deserved nap. Even Prudence herself had been roused from the land of her dreams, a low growl of annoyance escaping the mastiff as she lifted her head ever so slightly.

"Lord Melbourne?" Marley looked incredulous, having finally pushed himself out of his chair and had circled around his desk. "What brings you here so late into the evening?"

Despite their exhaustion, Present still had the common courtesy to attend to Melbourne's hat and coat as the guest appeared splendidly dressed, as though he had arrived directly from a lavish ball. The striking coat boasted a luxurious deep blue hue, its exquisite gold embroidery tracing intricate patterns around the buttons and hems. Similarly, the elegant hat stood tall, crafted from a rich blue velvet that perfectly complemented the captivating ensemble. Truly a sophisticated outfit for a sophisticated man.

Yet such sophistication was not the main focus for the group at the moment.

"Forgive me for dropping by unannounced." Melbourne gave the group an apologetic smile, looking towards the fatigued Enti in the background. "But I fear this is something that cannot afford to wait any longer.

"What appears to be the problem?" Scrooge asked, his voice taking on a deeper, more serious tenor, reaching into his waistcoat to pull out a familiar notebook. Melbourne looked to him with thinly-veiled surprise, but immediately brushed it off.

"I wish I could say that this visit is under more auspicious circumstances, but even I could not fabricate such an irreproachable lie." Melbourne moved closer to the group, his fingers deftly trailing the wood of Scrooge's desk as he examined its immaculate craftsmanship. "I've come regarding a case. One which I believe is best suited for your firm's expertise."

Tagged: @undeadchestnut @girlbosseveyhammond @pinkytoothlesso11

[scuderlia]

🌍, 🛩️ for the asks!!

from here

🌍 - what is your favourite accent?

it oscillates a bit but currently any South African accent. one of my coworkers speaks Zulu and i could listen to her talk all day, the way that she shapes her words and syllables is so pleasing.

🛩️ - if travelling was free, where’s the first place you’d go?

Melbourne, without a doubt. the GP weekend overlaps with my birthday this year, plus i'd kill for the chance to go to some local shows. their music is fantastic, but the punk scene specifically... my whole body is vibrating at the thought. Amyl and the Sniffers are based there, and Amy Taylor is basically my high priestess, so i'd do illegal things to see her perform live.

[jenareuter]

Content-warnings: mention of animal mutilation, gore

Blood splatters on the ground shaped in numbers.

The ravaged remains of a cat.

An old computer held up by a sheer black, undefined body, absorbing all light, ending in long arms and talons, eeked out of the trash.

The screen beeped.

Then it generated a string of numbers.

*"M-must f-find… perf-perfect…..paassssssworrdd."

Read the story

The Melbourne secret agency, SCP Foundation, was never a big blip on the global stage, despite the demand for capturing the strangest of cryptids just as dangerous as the reputation of the country's fauna & flaura.

Lately, however, the local scene is undergoing a silent upheaval… of a branch driven to experiment beyond human limits, and a desperate rebellion pitted against it. Can the agents caught in the middle intercept the greatest distortion this backwater… or backdirt… has seen?

A tabletop roleplaying game captured in writing, of political intrigue injected with the horrors of monster and technology entwined.

Left to right: O'Byrne, Elijah Younan, Rufus. The remainder of my lovely players, @condraws_ & @kazylgon, enter the game at a later point.

For the past year and a bit, I've been game-mastering a Monster of the Week game for some friends. What started as a one-shot to give it a go turned into a multi-session extravaganza!

Read on in my blog for the first instalment of dark intrigue:

Keep reading

[whileiamdying]

Barry Humphries (Dame Edna to You, Possums) Is Dead at 89

Bewigged, bejeweled and bejowled, Mr. Humphries’s creation was one of the longest-lived characters ever channeled by a single performer.

Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage in the one-person show “Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance” at the Music Box Theater on Broadway in 2004. Credit... Sara Krulwich

by Margalit Fox April 22, 2023Updated 12:35 p.m. ET

Oh, Possums, Dame Edna is no more.

To be unflinchingly precise, Barry Humphries, the Australian-born actor and comic who for almost seven decades brought that divine doyenne of divadom, Dame Edna Everage, to delirious, dotty, disdainful Dadaist life, died on Saturday in Sydney. He was 89.

His death was confirmed by the hospital where he had spent several days after undergoing hip surgery. In a tribute message posted on Twitter, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia praised Mr. Humphries as “a great wit, satirist, writer and an absolute one-of-kind.”

A stiletto-heeled, stiletto-tongued persona who might well have been the spawn of a ménage à quatre involving Oscar Wilde, Salvador Dalí, Auntie Mame and Miss Piggy, Dame Edna was not so much a character as a cultural phenomenon, a force of nature trafficking in wicked, sequined commentary on the nature of fame.

For generations after the day she first sprang to life on the Melbourne stage, Dame Edna reigned, bewigged, bejeweled and bejowled, one of the longest-lived characters to be channeled by a single performer. She toured worldwide in a series of solo stage shows and was ubiquitous on television in the United States, Britain, Australia and elsewhere.

A master improviser (many of Dame Edna’s most stinging barbs were ad-libbed) with a face like taffy, Mr. Humphries was widely esteemed as one of the world’s foremost theatrical clowns.

“I’ve only seen one man have power over an audience like that,” the theater critic John Lahr told him, after watching Dame Edna night after night in London. “My father.” Mr. Lahr’s father was the great stage and cinematic clown Bert Lahr.

Mr. Humphries conceived Edna in 1955 as Mrs. Norm Everage, typical Australian housewife. “Everage,” after all, is Australian for “average.”

Housewife, Superstar, National Treasure

But Edna soon became a case study in exorbitant amour propre, lampooning suburban pretensions, political correctness and the cult of celebrity, and acquiring a damehood along the way. A “housewife-superstar,” she called herself, upgrading the title in later years to “megastar” and, still later, to “gigastar.”

Mr. Humphries as Dame Edna, wearing a hat in the shape of the Sydney Opera House, in 1976. Credit... Wesley/Getty Images

In Britain, where Mr. Humphries had long made his home, Dame Edna was considered a national treasure, a paragon of performance art long before the term was coined.

In the United States, she starred in a three-episode series, “Dame Edna’s Hollywood,” a mock celebrity talk show broadcast on NBC in the early 1990s, and was a frequent guest on actual talk shows.

She performed several times on Broadway, winning Mr. Humphries a special Tony Award, as well as Drama Desk and Theater World Awards, for “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour,” his 1999 one-person show.

In her stage and TV shows, written largely by Mr. Humphries, Dame Edna typically made her entrance tottering down a grand staircase (Mr. Humphries was more than six feet tall) in a tsunami of sequins, her hair a bouffant violet cloud (she was “a natural wisteria,” she liked to say), her evening gown slit to the thigh to reveal Mr. Humphries’s surprisingly good legs, her body awash in jewels, her eyes agape behind sprawling rhinestone glasses (“face furniture,” she called them).

Addressing the audience, she delivered her signature greeting, “Hellooooo, Possums!”

By turns tender and astringent, Dame Edna called audience members “possums” often. She also called them other things, as when, leaning across the footlights, she would address a woman in the front row in a confiding, carrying voice: “I know, dear. I used to make my own clothes, too.”

Mr. Humphries with the English actress Joan Plowright at the Lyric Theater in London. Credit... Evening Standard/Getty Images

Performances concluded with Dame Edna flinging hundreds of gladioli into the crowd, no mean feat aerodynamically. “Wave your gladdies, Possums!” she exhorted audience members who caught them, and the evening would end, to music, with a mass valedictory swaying.

Between the “Hellooooo” and the gladdies, Dame Edna’s audiences were treated to a confessional monologue deliciously akin to finding oneself stranded in a hall of vanity mirrors.

There was commentary on her husband and children (“I made a decision: I put my family last”); her beauty regimen (“Good self-esteem is very important. I look in the mirror and say, ‘Edna, you are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous’”); and the constellation of luminaries who routinely sought her counsel, among them Queen Elizabeth II and her family. (“I’ve had to change my telephone number several times to stop them ringing me.”)

Dame Edna’s TV shows were often graced by actual celebrity guests, including Zsa Zsa Gabor, Charlton Heston, Sean Connery, Robin Williams and Lauren Bacall.

They came in for no less of a drubbing than the audience did, starting with the inaugural affront, the affixing of immense name tags to their lapels — for eclipsed by the light of gigastardom so close at hand, who among us would not be reduced to anonymity?

“Chuck,” Mr. Heston’s name tag read. Ms. Gabor received two: a “Zsa” for the right shoulder and a “Zsa” for the left.

A few pleasantries were exchanged before Dame Edna moved in for the kill.

“You’ve had nine hits this year,” she purred fawningly at the singer-songwriter Michael Bolton on one of her British TV shows. “On your website.”

Turning to the audience after delivering a particularly poisonous insult, she would ooze, “I mean that in the most caring way.”

Those guests who emerged relatively unscathed had the savvy to take Dame Edna at face value and interact with her as though she were real. The moment he donned those rhinestone glasses, Mr. Humphries often said, Dame Edna became real to him too, an entirely separate law unto herself.

‘I Wish I’d Thought of That’

“I’m, as it were, in the wings, and she’s onstage,” he explained in a 2015 interview with Australian television. “And every now and then she says something extremely funny, and I stand there and think, ‘I wish I’d thought of that.’”

But the truly funny thing, Possums, is that when Mr. Humphries first brought Dame Edna to life, he intended her to last only a week or so. What was more, she was meant to have been played by the distinguished actress Zoe Caldwell.

Mr. Humphries created a string of other characters over the years, notably the boorish, bibulous Australian cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson. But it was Dame Edna, the outlandish aunt who engenders adoration and mortification in equal measure, who captivated the public utterly — despite the fact that in later years, her mortification-inducing lines sometimes landed her, and her creator, in trouble.

So fully did Mr. Humphries animate Edna that he was at continued pains to point out that he was neither a female impersonator in the conventional sense nor a cross-dresser in any sense.

“Mr. Humphries, do you ever have to take your children aside and explain to them why you like to wear women’s clothes?” an American interviewer once asked him.

“If I were an actor playing Hamlet,” he replied, “would I have to take my children aside and say I wasn’t really Danish?’”

By all accounts far more erudite than Dame Edna — he was an accomplished painter, bibliophile and art collector — Mr. Humphries, in a sustained act of self-protection, always spoke of her in the third person.

She did likewise. “My manager,” she disdainfully called him. (She also called Mr. Humphries “a money-grubbing little slug” and accused him of embezzling her fortune. He did, it must be said, cash a great many of her checks.)

But as dismissive of her creator as Dame Edna was, she rallied to his aid when he very likely needed her most: after years of alcoholism culminated in stays in psychiatric hospitals and at least one brush with the law.

Mr. Humphries at the Booth Theater on Broadway in 1999 in “Dame Edna: The Royal Tour,” for which he won a special Tony Award, as well as Drama Desk and Theater World Awards. Credit... Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

‘I Hated Her’

John Barry Humphries was born in Kew, a Melbourne suburb, on Feb. 17, 1934. His father, Eric, was a prosperous builder; his mother, Louisa, was a homemaker.

From his earliest childhood in Camberwell, a more exclusive suburb, he felt oppressed by the bourgeois conformism that enveloped his parents and their circle, and depressed by his mother’s cold suburban propriety.

Dame Edna was a response to those forces.

“I invented Edna because I hated her,” Mr. Humphries was quoted as saying in Mr. Lahr’s book “Dame Edna Everage and the Rise of Western Civilization: Backstage With Barry Humphries” (1992). “I poured out my hatred of the standards of the little people of their generation.”

Dame Edna emerged when the young Mr. Humphries, under the sway of Dadaism, was performing with a repertory company based at the University of Melbourne; he had dropped out of the university two years before.

On long bus tours, he entertained his colleagues with the character of Mrs. Norm Everage — born Edna May Beazley in Wagga Wagga, Australia, sometime in the 1930s — an ordinary housewife who had found sudden acclaim after winning a nationwide competition, the Lovely Mother Quest.

Unthinkable as it seems, Edna was dowdy then, given to mousy brown hair and pillbox hats. But she was already in full command of the arsenal of bourgeois bigotries that would be a hallmark of her later self.

For a revue by the company in December 1955, Mr. Humphries wrote a part for Edna, earmarked for Ms. Caldwell, an Australian contemporary. But when she proved too busy to oblige, he donned a dress and played it himself. After Edna proved a hit with Melbourne audiences, he performed the character elsewhere in the country.

By the end of the 1950s, hoping to make a career as a serious actor, Mr. Humphries had moved to London, where Edna met with little enthusiasm and was largely shelved. (She blamed Mr. Humphries ever after for her lack of early success there.)

Mr. Humphries played Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker, in the original West End production of the musical “Oliver!” in 1960, and reprised the role when the show came to Broadway in 1963.

But though he worked steadily during the ’60s, he was also in the fierce grip of alcoholism. Stays in psychiatric hospitals, he later said, were of no avail.

His nadir came in 1970, when he awoke in a Melbourne gutter to find himself under arrest.

With a doctor’s help, Mr. Humphries became sober soon afterward; he did not take a drink for the rest of his life. He dusted off Dame Edna and, little by little, de-dowdified her. By the late ’70s, with celebrity culture in full throttle, she had given him international renown and unremitting employment.

Edna did not seduce every critic. Reviewing her first New York stage show, the Off Broadway production “Housewife! Superstar!!,” in The New York Times in 1977, Richard Eder called it “abysmal.”

Nor did Edna’s resolute lack of political correctness always stand her, or Mr. Humphries, in good stead. In February 2003, writing an advice column as Dame Edna in Vanity Fair, he replied to a reader’s query about whether to learn Spanish.

“Who speaks it that you are really desperate to talk to?” Dame Edna’s characteristically caustic response read. “The help? Your leaf blower? Study French or German, where there are at least a few books worth reading, or, if you’re American, try English.”

A public furor ensued, led by the Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek, who appeared on the magazine’s cover that month. Vanity Fair discontinued Dame Edna’s column not long afterward.

In an interview with The Times in 2004, Mr. Humphries was unrepentant.

“The people I offended were minorities with no sense of humor, I fear,” he said. “When you have to explain the nature of satire to somebody, you’re fighting a losing battle.”

Mr. Humphries drew further ire after a 2016 interview with the British newspaper The Telegraph in which he denounced political correctness as a “new puritanism.” In the same interview, he described people who transition from male to female as “mutilated” men, and Caitlyn Jenner in particular as “a publicity-seeking ratbag.”

Sailing Above the Fray

Dame Edna, for her part, appeared to sail imperviously through. She returned to Broadway in 2004 for the well-received show “Dame Edna: Back With a Vengeance” and in 2010 with “All About Me,” a revue that also starred the singer and pianist Michael Feinstein.

Mr. Humphries was back on Broadway as Dame Edna in 2010 with “All About Me,” a revue that also starred the singer and pianist Michael Feinstein.Credit...Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

As herself — it was she, and not Mr. Humphries, who was credited — Dame Edna played the recurring character Claire Otoms (the name is an anagram for “a sitcom role”), an outré lawyer, on the Fox TV series “Ally McBeal.”

Under his own name, Mr. Humphries appeared as the Great Goblin in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012); as the voice of Bruce, the great white shark, in “Finding Nemo” (2003); and in other pictures.

Mr. Humphries’s books include the memoirs “More Please” (1992) and “My Life as Me” (2002) and the novel “Women in the Background” (1995). He was named a Commander of the British Empire in 2007.

Dame Edna also wrote several books, among them “Dame Edna’s Bedside Companion” (1983) and the memoir “My Gorgeous Life” (1989).

Mr. Humphries’s first marriage, to Brenda Wright, ended in divorce, as did his second, to Rosalind Tong, and his third, to Diane Millstead. He had two daughters, Tessa and Emily, from his marriage to Ms. Tong, and two sons, Oscar and Rupert, from his marriage to Ms. Millstead.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that his survivors include his wife of 30 years, Lizzie Spender, the daughter of the British poet Stephen Spender, as well as his children and 10 grandchildren.

Mr. Humphries continued to perform until last year, when he toured Britain (as himself) with a one-man show, “The Man Behind the Mask.” He returned to Australia in December for Christmas.

Dame Edna’s husband, Norm, a chronic invalid “whose prostate,” she often lamented, “has been hanging over me for years,” died long ago. Her survivors include an adored son, Kenny, who designed all her gowns; a less adored son, Bruce; and a despised daughter, the wayward Valmai. (“She steals things. Puts them in her pantyhose. Particularly frozen chickens when she’s in a supermarket.”)

Another daughter, Lois, was abducted as an infant by a “rogue koala,” a subject Dame Edna could bring herself to discuss with interviewers only rarely.

Though the child was never seen again, to the end of her life Dame Edna never gave up hope she would be found.

“I’m looking,” she told NPR in 2015. “Every time I pass a eucalyptus tree I look up.”

Constant Meheut contributed reporting.

Margalit Fox is a former senior writer on the obituaries desk at The Times. She was previously an editor at the Book Review. She has written the send-offs of some of the best-known cultural figures of our era, including Betty Friedan, Maya Angelou and Seamus Heaney. More about Margalit Fox

[f1]

F1 teams had big upgrades planned for Imola but what happens now?

One of the many disruptions the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix not going ahead has caused is that of the teams’ development programmes, with several squads having planned to bring big upgrade packages to the race. Formula 1 technical expert Mark Hughes explains what effect the event being called off will have on those plans – especially since the next round is at Monaco, an outlier in terms of circuit style... Mercedes, Ferrari and AlphaTauri had all confirmed their plans to introduce significant upgrades to their cars for the Imola race and it’s likely they would not have been the only ones. READ MORE: Hamilton ‘counting down the days’ until Mercedes upgrades arrive Mercedes’ update is particularly significant in that it’s the first one planned since the team acknowledged it had simply got it wrong with this car, that the aerodynamic concept it kept the faith in from last year was simply “wrong” in the words of team boss Toto Wolff. Front suspension, bodywork and floor updates for the W14 were due to appear at Imola, with the aim of providing a more stable aerodynamic platform for the car. The biggest shortfall of the W14 so far has been rear grip through high-speed corners and Imola would have been quite a good test of how effective the upgrade was in addressing that. This feature is currently not available because you need to provide consent to functional cookies. Please update your cookie preferences TECH TALK: How do Mercedes fix their car? | Crypto.com The upgrade will instead make its debut next weekend at Monaco. Although there is a distinct absence of high-speed sections here, the update will still be relevant and running this specification will give the team useful data prior to the Spanish Grand Prix the week after, at a circuit with plenty of high-speed sections. Likewise, Ferrari have revised upper bodywork as part of a package of changes which was initiated in Miami with the new floor. READ MORE: How Ferrari tried to tame their SF-23 with new floor upgrades in Miami There are also rumours of a revised suspension. The aerodynamic upgrades slated for Imola are expected to be seen at Monaco. The SF23’s shortfall has so far been a tricky, inconsistent balance through high-speed corners. But its speed into and through slow corners has been a real strength and Monaco should see it in its best light, especially so given Charles Leclerc’s renowned speed around here. Ferrari’s new floor (Miami, bottom, compared to Baku, top) features a more hooded outer edge in the forward section, revised vortex-generating shapes and a more pronounced ramp ahead of the rear wheels AlphaTauri continue to address a weakness in their car’s low-speed corner performance and the updates planned for Imola included another new floor (a development of that introduced in Melbourne) to improve the car’s aerodynamics at high rear ride heights. This will be particularly relevant for Monaco and the upgrade is due to be on the car there. TECH TUESDAY: 0.3s per lap and a sign of things to come – AlphaTauri's latest floor upgrades analysed There is always a greater risk of running new body parts around the street circuit with its unforgiving walls, but because the parts of all three of these teams were planned for Imola, they would likely have been on the cars for Monaco regardless. Imola not going ahead does mean the production departments of the teams will at least have been given a few extra days to make spares. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

[psdontgetdegrees]

Don’t Worry, I’m Still On My Learners… | Week 3: Tumblr Case Study

As a first time user of Tumblr, I would like to illustrate how easy this interface is to use! It’s actually pretty simple to start and get set-up. I found it really exciting to make an account on a social media site that I have never used before. It’s like a social media major’s christmas!

Hi, I’m “P’s Don’t Get Degrees”, and i’ll be explaining to you briefly what this is. I am enrolled in a Media and Communications Bachelor At Swinburne University, in Hawthorn, Melbourne. For one of my classes, as part of our assessment of knowledge, we have been tasked, as a class, to create a tumblr. And as part of the assessment, we must analyze and dissect each week's reading and display our knowledge in a short blog post on our page. Sounds pretty cool.

This is the first week, although the third? Confusing but it works out regardless. This is the beginning of a very cool story. I hope you enjoy it!

This weeks reading will be on Tumblr and a few case studies on

Required Readings: “Love the Skin You're In”

As a media industry, collectively, we still have a long way to go when it comes to broadening the concept of an ideal woman. We still “predominantly promote a narrow ideal”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P1) of what it means to be a beautiful woman, often discounting those with “higher weight”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P2). The idea however, that a few small creators could formulate a new trend through the use of social media, Tumblr to be exact, was exciting to a few women who didn’t fit the social norms of the western society. And thus the hashtag “#bodypositive”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P2) was created to fight back against the dehumanization that was placed on them.

Brave men and women adopted the “#bodypositivity”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P2) hashtag to “resist the fat stigma by promoting acceptance”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P6), which would grow the normalization of different shaped bodies. The use however on tumblr was a crucial point to the story, as it allowed users to spread content throughout the website, with no repercussions; these people weren’t shut out, censored or ostracized. Instead, users who utilized #bodypositivity were met with “a diverse and empowering feminist community”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P6). By being able to add blog-format written text, the posts with the empowering hashtag where seen not based on their follower count, but through siad hashtag, “allowing for a wider range of voices being heard”(Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022 P7, Cited from Renninger, BJ 2015)

Here are some links I think are relevant:

How to use tumblr: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-tumblr-tips-users/

Body Positivity: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-body-positivity-4773402

References

Reif, A, Miller, I & Taddicken, M 2022, ‘“Love the Skin You’re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumblr Hashtag #bodypositive’, Mass communication & society, vol. ahead-of-print, no. ahead-of-print, Routledge, pp. 1–24.

Renninger, BJ 2015, ‘“Where I can be myself … where I can speak my mind” : Networked counterpublics in a polymedia environment’, New media & society, vol. 17, no. 9, SAGE Publications, London, England, pp. 1513–1529.

Thank you!

[thedailyscribbler]

What is a panel beater and how they repair damaged vehicles?

A panel beater, also known as an auto body technician or collision repair technician, is a professional who specializes in repairing damaged vehicles. Their job is to restore vehicles to their pre-accident condition by repairing or replacing damaged parts, straightening bent metal, and addressing other cosmetic issues. There are some professional panel beater in Melbourne that offer professional panel beating services for any type of vehicle.

Here are some of the steps that a professional panel beater may take to repair a damaged vehicle:

Assess the damage: The panel beater will examine the vehicle to determine the extent of the damage and create an estimate for the repair work.

Remove damaged parts: The panel beater will remove any damaged parts that cannot be repaired, such as a damaged fender or door.

Straighten bent metal: Using specialized tools, the panel beater will carefully straighten any bent metal to restore the vehicle's shape.

Repair damaged parts: If possible, the panel beater will repair damaged parts rather than replacing them. This may involve welding, sanding, and painting.

Replace damaged parts: If a damaged part cannot be repaired, the panel beater will replace it with a new part.

Refinish the vehicle: Once all repairs are complete, the panel beater will refinish the vehicle by painting it to match the original color and texture.

Overall, panel beaters play a crucial role in restoring damaged vehicles and ensuring that they are safe to drive. They use specialized skills and equipment to repair damage and restore the appearance of the vehicle to its original condition.

How long does it take to panel beat a car?

The amount of time it takes to panel beat a car will vary depending on the extent of the damage and the specific repair work needed. In general, minor repairs that involve small dents or scratches can be completed in a few hours, while more extensive damage may take several days or even weeks to repair.

Here are some factors that can affect the time it takes to panel beat a car:

The extent of the damage: The more severe the damage, the longer it will take to repair.

The availability of replacement parts: If replacement parts need to be ordered, this can add to the time it takes to complete the repair.

The complexity of the repair: Some repairs may be more complicated than others, such as those involving structural damage or extensive paintwork.

The workload of the repair shop: If the repair shop is in busy area like Melbourne city, this can affect the amount of time it takes to complete the repair.

Overall, it's best to get an estimate from a panel beater in Melbourne to determine how long it will take to repair a car. They will be able to provide a more accurate estimate based on the specific damage and repair work needed.

What makes a good panel beater?

A good panel beater is someone who possesses a combination of technical skills, creativity, attention to detail, and customer service abilities. Here are some qualities that are essential for a good panel beater:

Technical skills: A good panel beater should have a strong understanding of the mechanics of cars and be proficient in using tools and equipment needed to repair them.

Attention to detail: Panel beating involves precise and detailed work, and a good panel beater should be meticulous in their work to ensure that every detail is perfect.

Creativity: In some cases, a panel beater may need to be creative in finding solutions to repair damage that may be difficult to repair using conventional methods.

Communication skills: A good panel beater should be able to communicate effectively with customers, insurance companies, and other professionals in the auto repair industry.

Customer service: A good panel beater should be friendly, professional, and provide excellent customer service to ensure customer satisfaction.

Time management: A good panel beater should be able to manage their time efficiently to ensure that repairs are completed within the agreed-upon timeframe.

Dedication to ongoing learning: The auto industry is constantly evolving, and a good panel beater should be dedicated to ongoing learning to stay up to date with the latest techniques and technologies.

Overall, a good panel beater should be skilled, creative, detail-oriented, and dedicated to providing excellent customer service.