308: Tales From A Podcast

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Dear Patrons,

We revisit the DOOMED RAIDER story with this update. I'm still attempting to catch up on updates, or at least find a rhythm of updates that makes it more streamlined. For this, the next few updates may be story-light and may just involve just the artworks. I think I may have stressed myself a little too much trying to write something ambitious for each update such as this one which sometimes have me involve delays in putting out the updates. I have this itch where I feel I don't want to put out an update which feels a little half-baked especially if it doesn't involve a story. But perhaps if it involves sacrificing my update rhythm, sometimes I must. Just a warning and a hopefully I could be forgiven.

Again, I still hope to put out the updates in quick succession to make up for the slack for March & April subscribers. I'll keep trying, for you my valued Patrons. Thanks again for being very patient with me.

Bon appétit.

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. 

I. DOOMED RAIDER

-- Transcript from a True Crime Podcast --

One year ago, on the 11th of March 2024, a chartered private jet landed in Mazatlán, Mexico. On board, were three friends. They were classmates and former graduates at the University College London. A famed heiress and archaeologist L____ C____. A photojournalist and videographer S_____ N_____. And anthropologist and esotericist A_____ E____ . These three remarkable women embarked on an exciting journey that if successful would open a new chapter in Meso-American studies. Instead, they themselves would be a subject of a new mystery the likes of Amelia Earhart, for in the heart of the jungles of Central America, all three had vanished without a trace.

What happened to the C____ Expedition?

Welcome to the Tales of the Vanished Podcast where we at the Doe Patrol explore stories of the missing. The silent voices unheard. Without a voice of their own, our show asks questions on their behalf we are their voices. Where investigations grow cold, we keep the memories of the missing alive. 

This case is a departure from our usual fare where we delve into forgotten cold cases of missing persons of decades past and the strange connections they have among each other. However, the circumstances of these events are too hard to ignore for they involve missing persons, true crime, cartel activities, ancient lost cities and histories, ancient archaeology, astronomical events and even... the paranormal. But most importantly, by this podcast's end, we aim to reveal a bombshell revelation that proposes a strange connection to the other missing persons cases that you won't want to miss.  This will be a multi-part series, so please like, subscribe to our channel and turn on all notifications so you won't miss our weekly updates.

--

Mazatlán, Mexico. Located at the southern tip across from the Baja California Peninsula of the with a population of just under 400,000. Tourism thrives in this modest little town. Usually, a haven for beach-goers seeking wild nights of partying and tasting delicious local cuisine, in April 8, 2024, this town would attract a new unique crop of visitors. Instead of beaches, seafood or the pristine ocean of Baja California, they were here to to witness a very special astronomical event will occur here for the first time in many generations. A total solar eclipse known as the Great American Eclipse of 2024.

It is amidst this backdrop that days before this event, L____ C____, S_____ N_____ and A_____ E____ were last seen hitting the bars and chatting up local contacts. Their presence had been striking for these are three beautiful women. L____ had looked like a super-heroine female Indiana Jones. Athletic, attractive and self assured. S_____ with her exotic mixed Asian-European looks, a little more timid and shy, but alluring in a gentler sense and A_____ who was strikingly blond, aloof and somewhat intimidating. These were mentioned consistently by the locals who have seen the three went about their business.

Through our multi-part deep-dive, we ask, what were the three women doing in Mazatlán? And why on that date in particular? Is there a connection to this celestial event on April the 8th to their secretive expedition? From the expertise of these individuals, is it safe to surmise that they were about to embark upon some sort of journey of discovery perhaps of lost ruins and temples of ages past involving the Aztec, Maya or even the Olmecs? Were they seeking a lost city of well-repute such as the Lost City of Z, El Dorado or the birthplace of the Aztecs, The legendary city of Aztlán? Or is there something else we do not know? Perhaps the three women were working for an intelligence agency on a secret mission who in the end ran afoul of the powerful cartel known to operate not far from the region? Further details of the investigation is still under seal by the PFM, Scotland Yard and Interpol, but through interviews from locals and whistleblowers of our own who had directly contacted us and whose identity we've kept secret, through this podcast, we will piece together the facts the best we can. You will hear from Ignacio O, a local restaurant operator. who mentioned military looking mercenary-types who were either seen with the women or following them. Another such individual, local B&B host and guide Gustavo A. even joked that the three women had been sleeping with each other. Or Maria G. an elderly fishwife who exposed to us tales of folklore, regarding strange happenings and tales of cults still performing ritual human sacrifices as they had done before Hernán Cortés' arrival. As wild as the dry tropical forests of the region, so are the rumors and we hope to separate the truth from fiction.

While thousands of miles away across the Atlantic, in London, England, a legal battle ensues. What is to become of the C____ estate worth hundreds of millions of pounds? Without any heir apparent and a formal will, the estate is left to the family butler and conservator, W______ J______ who is also acting as the C_____ family attorney. As the legal battle rages on, news had recently surfaced that under his direction, a new expedition team is being formed, this time, more well prepared and well-armed and this time, with the cooperation of the Mexican government to seek out the fate of the missing women to hopefully find them alive in the forest. It would seem that no stone would be left unturned when the fate of hundreds of millions pounds worth of priceless historical artefacts and assets which had already drawn the watchful eye by private equity groups and secretive asset management corporations, hang in the balance.

But in the end, everything hinges on what this new expedition can discover. As we wait, the best we can do is to seek the truth.

You are listening to the Tales of the Vanished Podcast and we are the Doe Patrol. Please like and subscribe, and donate to our Patreon page if possible. Links are in the show notes and we thank you for your support.

Next week on the Tales of the Vanished Podcast, part 2 of the C_____ Expedition. We begin at the beginning. For us to know, it is better to know more about our missing women. And we shall begin with L____ C____ herself, her famous father and noted explorer, Sir R_____ C_____ and what her background can tell us about this mystery.

-- the end? --

II. ADDITIONAL DOOMED RAIDER ARTWORKS

The following are more works related to the DOOMED RAIDER storyline, be it alternate versions or works in progress. The first, for those who have not seen the piece which I've published before is the unobstructed view of the Raider without the perpetrator pulling on her underwear.

Image 4: (1 complete colored artwork of a similar scene)

And here is the work in progress of the moment before the slaughter for those interested in my work progress.

Image 5: (1 colored work in progress of a previous scene)

III. VARIOUS ODDITIES

I'm starting to revisit, touch up and finally color this scene which started off as a commission years ago that lay dormant until another patron has chosen to pick up the project and help me complete it with his generous donation.

Image 6: (1 work in progress)

Here's a couple of works in progress that started off one way which now I might pivot to another storyline with a few minor edits.

Image 7-8: (2 works in progress of a similar scene)

Here is a slim TAILLEUR CUT roast which has been sitting around for a while waiting to be attached to a story. I might re-edit & re-color this piece in the future. But I thought I'd share it now, why not?

Image 9: (1 colored artwork)

IV. THE HALL OF FAME

Here's another celebrity victim. Was she cloned and replaced, where the clone had been collected and later consumed? Or was it the original that was the one consumed? 

Image 10: (1 colored work in progress)

V. BONUS SKETCHES

A simple pair of sketches, the first of a cut I call the BOHO CUT, and the second is that of a MIDI CUT bathed in a cooler filled with ice.

Image 11-12: (2 black & white sketches)