A public service announcement

[tadorna]

Hello. Sorry I haven't posted for ages. I kept thinking I ought to post about this before I started on any of the usual waffle and fluff, and I've been putting it off because it's not something I particularly want to talk about or expend any more energy on. But it's been bothering me that there might be people who don't know about this, and who deserve to, and a public post seemed the best way to stop that from happening. A heads-up, if you will. I've thought about it, and discussed it with a friend, and I see no reason why this shouldn't be made known publicly. If there is a good reason I'm not aware of, then of course let me know.

So, this will mainly affect people who were around in the Lotrips fandom of olden times. I recently found out (from a friend on the flist, who found out from someone on her flist, etc etc) that Kia Bright, known on LJ as hjartad and then punkmeanscuddle, did not, as we were led to believe, die in 2005 from heart failure/suicide. She actually faked her own death, and is still alive. I don't know how it all came to light, but it seems pretty definite that this is the case. It seems she's still in the same job, and may have accounts at Twitter and Last.fm. Like I say, I know little else in the way of details, but feel free to email me about it if you want to.

The awful thing about cases like this (one of the awful things) is that they leave you feeling a fool. You've been duped, and you feel (however unjustifiably) that everybody else must have known and not told you. I have no idea, really, how widespread this knowledge is, but I spoke to at least one person who didn't know and was shocked to find out. And, you know... there are lots of people I like and respect around these parts, and who deserve better than the lie we were unfortunately being fed for the last few years. (Absolutely no judgement intended on anyone who didn't want to post about it, I nearly didn't myself). So, um -- if you already knew... as you were, and if you didn't, I'm really sorry to be the bearer of ugly news. Oh, and apologies to the many people to whom this will mean nothing at all -- permission to scroll on by!

Right. I shall now move on, and get back to the waffle and fluff you love so much and tolerate so kindly.

Comments

[lauramcewan.livejournal.com]

WHY do people DO this?

GRRRR.

[zoniduck.livejournal.com]

Wait, WHAT??? So her mother was in on the whole thing? Because unless my memory is totally shot, there are people on LJ who spoke to her mother after her death, or "death" as the case may be.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I dunno, Laura. In this case I think it was probably a combination of an intense desire for a clean slate/prurient curiosity about what people might say when she was 'dead'/wanting to get back at people she felt had treated her badly (I didn't get that last one until someone pointed it out, but it made a horrible sort of sense).

It's such a terribly damaging and selfish way to behave.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I don't know, I really don't! I assumed maybe she'd pretended to be her own mother, but even my knowledge of what happened at the time is so sketchy. I do seem to remember her mother emailed a selected group of people (I wasn't one of them), but I can't really remember. I'd quite like to know how it all went down, to be honest...

[elouisa.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Kudos to you for posting this. You know you're not alone in feeling duped by her.

I did alot of thinking about this at the time I spoke to you and I came to the conclusion that she isn't worth my time, she isn't worth yours either so please don't let it effect you too much. *hugs*

[zoniduck.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't have any details either, but I just emailed someone who was involved with all that, and she confirmed that it's true, Kia is still alive. You would think this stuff would stop surprising me after all this time, and yet...

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know, I know... I suppose in a way it's good we're still surprised though. Hopefully it means there are more nice, genuine people about than there are sad little fakes.

[lazulus]

I told Katie after I spoke to you and she was as WTF? as I was. That seems to be the favoured response to such an utter shitty piece of fuckwittery.

I am really glad you decided to post this.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

No, I came to that conclusion too. Like I said, if someone wants to be dead to me that much, I'm quite happy to oblige. It worried me that other people might still be labouring under the delusion that she was worth theirs though, so I thought it was best to pass on the info. I'm really glad you posted in the first place, it's always so much better to know these things.

*hugs* Onwards and upwards!

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

*boggles* You are fucking kidding me????? Was Shallow in on it? I remember they were really tight back in the day?

Jesus, man, I fucking mourned that girl. I can't believe she'd do something like this. How did it come to light?

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

To borrow one of your phrases, I'm pretty gobsmacked right now. I can't imagine how trianne is going to react. Kia stayed at her house, man.

[lazulus]

Trianne knows. She posted a cryptic post and when I went back to it after Duckie told me, she had added a note to say that's who she was talking about.

But yeah. Totally gobsmacked.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yep, what else can you say really?

I am really glad you decided to post this.

Yeah, I am too. Thanks for helping convince me! It was weirdly difficult to do, but I'm relieved to have done it.

My next post will be full of fun and babble. :) Or whinging. Or both.

[lazulus]

That's what I said to Duckie when she told me, people mourned her. A really shitty thing to do to people who thought they were your friends.

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

No kidding. I am so furious right now. Jesus...

[lazulus]

Go for whinging, it's always entertaining. ;)

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

Glad she knows. I'll have to find that post. Must've been while I was on vacation.

I feel so totally gullible right now. And sickened.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know, I know... pretty much what I said. And yep, me too.

Unfortunately I don't know any more details - don't know how it came to light, or if anyone else was in on it. A lot of the people she was closer to back then, I wasn't friends with and only knew by name. I suppose that may be one of the reasons I (and you, and others, I suppose) are only finding out now. Or maybe not, maybe it only came out recently. I honestly don't know!

[lazulus]

I think there are going to be quite a few people who feel exactly the same way. :(

[birdsflying]

Fucking hell. I am...christ. I don't know? Disappointed. Furious. Disgusted. All of the above. Christ.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know. You're not the only one. Like Jaq said, there was such a lot of goodwill towards her, and all of it wasted.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I know. That's about the size of it, all right. Really sorry to have to be the bearer.

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

And the fact that she'd obviously been planning it for months beforehand, because I seem to remember her talking about her headaches & going to the hospital & all of that.

Wow. I sincerely hope karma bites her in the ass & not in a pretty way.

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

It is fun. :)

[azewewish.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I drifted apart from a lot of those people from the early days, so it never occured to me that it was anything other than what it was. Unbelieveable.