#sleuthing a solution

[some-programming-pearls]

What is the significance of the Spring Cloud Sleuth in a micro-service environment?

Spring Cloud Sleuth is a distributed tracing solution designed specifically for microservices architectures built using the Spring Framework. Its significance in a microservices environment includes the following: Request Tracing: Sleuth automatically generates and propagates unique trace and span IDs across service boundaries. This allows you to trace requests as they propagate through…

[amorpho]

We may end up being a revolutionary to other fandoms too and others will end up adopting our solution.

This would be used in addition to the danny phantom tag, turning it into a true umbrella tag for everything related to Danny Phantom, while having a few major sub-tags for people to find exactly what they want.

---

After some more discussion with members of the fandom in the notes of my poll asking about a community and elsewhere, it seems like the better option for everyone might actually be a new tag, so I'm making a new poll here!

Some answers to questions I think people might have are below the readmore:

Q: Why are all of these only one word?

A: For the same reason the dpxdc tag is only one word! Tumblr's tagging implementation is Not Good. Tags with spaces don't play well with it, and especially don't play well with blocked tags. If someone wants to block non-crossover Danny Phantom content, we want to make it as painless as possible for them.

Q: What issues were raised around communities?

A: A few! To name some of them:

Limited interactions with posts: Communities only let you react with emoji and leave comments on posts reblogged into them. Not great, if we want to have long reblog chains riffing on one another

Original Posters aren't notified if someone else reblogs their post into a community, even if it's public. So if someone reblogged your post into the community for you, you wouldn't know about it -- or know to look for people interacting with it.

Communities have mods, and therefore would need trustworthy, engaged mods to make it work. Over a short time frame, we could probably manage it! But over a longer one, a community for an entire fandom would probably have moderator drama. That could lead to fracturing, or people leaving specifically because they don't like the mods, etc. A tag is a lot less active maintenance.

A few people also expressed a general dislike for the feature, even if they were willing to move to one. This seems like a much smaller change that will let those people stay away from a feature they don't like, while interacting with the content they do.

Q: What about less-common crossovers? Won't those get excluded from this tag?

A: They will. I'm asking about this poll first because I figured getting the community to make a decision about the other crossovers would be easier if we'd already decided on the non-crossovers.

The current idea is to move those to their own tag as well, so they can get dedicated attention from the crossover enthusiasts who love them. One of the people I talked to about this runs the niche-dp-crossovers blog, so it's on the radar. If you have concerns or suggestions about that, the notes on this post is as good a place as any to suggest them!

[thewertsearch]

One down.

"One Act, right?"

No, not kids! I mean these curtain dealies. I still need to set up, what, like another five of these rigs? God dammit.

Six sub-Acts, then - and the first ended the same way Act 1 did, with a seemingly-fatal explosion at the Egbert/Crocker household.

Sounds to me like these six sub-Acts will be 'remixes' of Acts 1 through 6, with events that 'rhyme' with the B1 session. I doubt we'll be rehashing everything, but I think I can make a couple of educated guesses about the path we'll be treading.

Act 6.1, as we've just seen, was dedicated mostly to wacky shenanigans in our protagonist's home, as well as hints of intrigue surrounding their friends. It ended with our hero in mortal peril - although everyone knows they're not really in any danger. The story just got started, after all!

Act 6.2 will probably be similar, but I expect to see Roxy and Dirk take to the stage with their official introductions. It may also introduce Jane's Exile, which had better be a Problem Sleuth character at this point.

By Act 6.3, most of our heroes are entering the Medium, and we've come to understand their lives a little better. We might finally begin to get a sense of the Guardians' personalities - and if we're lucky, the Earth's First Guardian might finally show its face.

Act 6.4 is when things will go horribly, horribly wrong, as powerful antagonists finally emerge from the woodwork to wreak havoc on the session. It might be Jack, again - but it could just as easily be the Condesce, or Lord English himself. The session, at this point, seems almost unsalvageable.

If we're really lucky, Act 6.5 will bifurcate again, and we'll start with a remixed version of Hivebent - this time, with the pre-Scratch trolls, explaining what really went wrong with their session. Then, 6.5.2 will compose the meat of the B2 session, as the kids rally, and try to salvage this new mess.

Scratching isn't an option this time - or, at least, I don't think it is - so I'm not sure what'll happen here. I definitely expect to see some God Tier ascensions, and I'm sure the B2 kids will have some crackpot solution for whatever's tearing their session apart.

Finally, we come to the end of our story - Act 6.6, where the callbacks begin to get recursive. I have no idea what the shape of this Act is going to be - except that it'll undoubtedly involve kids and trolls from at least four timelines finally coming together to end the English problem once and for all.

And that, ladies and gaydies, is my big-picture prediction for the rest of Homestuck. As always, I'm sure a good chunk of this speculation is way off-base - but I am confident that, broadly speaking, the next six Acts will be reflections of the previous six. I'm here for it!

[homestuckreplay]

oooo did rereading act 1/2 feel different now that you've read problem sleuth???

yes, definitely! I have stopped looking at Act 1 as a complete beginning, and started seeing it as a continuation of something that was already ongoing (MSPA as a whole). like, when Homestuck started, a young man standing in his bedroom wasn’t logged as Homestuck page 1, it was MSPA page 1901, and the people reading it back then were almost exclusively Problem Sleuth fans.

I saw a post a while back (which I sadly cannot find again) saying something like ‘people who didn’t spend a year waiting for Problem Sleuth to escape his office building will never understand what it felt like to see John easily leave his house 10 days into Homestuck’ and I think that post is correct – that must have been a very strange and surprising reveal. Problem Sleuth is so based on video game logic that it’s often very literal, and its puzzles only have one solution. PS, AD and PI are trapped in their building, and need the Megaton Key to escape. in real life, if you were trapped in an office building, you’d have options. calling some sort of building manager or locksmith, leaving via an emergency back exit, smashing a window, finding a YouTube tutorial on how to pick locks, etc. but a video game can bar all but the ‘correct’ solution (aside from cheats, mods, etc), as can an author. Homestuck sticks to this in some ways – the alchemy sequence in Sburb’s tutorial level, for example – but overall it feels much more grounded in reality than Problem Sleuth does, and much more metaphorical (its title, for example). those things only feel weird now that I have PS as a comparison!

in popular culture and especially in music, people talk a lot about ‘second album syndrome’, where an artist whose first album was a big success really struggles with their followup. sometimes that’s about the massively increased pressure on them, but often it’s that they put all their good ideas into their first album and haven’t had time to develop any new ones. in my opinion disappointing followups usually fall into one of two categories – either they try to do the exact same thing as the first album and feel like an uninspired retread, or they purposefully try to make something as different as possible, and end up experimenting without a solid artistic vision behind it. conversely, the second albums I love tend to take the ideas of the first album and build upon them. the artist is still working in the space that really interests them, but is actively trying to learn and advance their craft. a well known modern example of this is Olivia Rodrigo’s second album GUTS (2023), which is primarily about the same breakup as her debut SOUR (2021), but written with two years of perspective on those feelings, reflecting on her own actions and on other people’s responses to her original songs about them.

I think early Homestuck is basically doing the same thing, taking the core ideas of Problem Sleuth such as applying video game logic, inventories and battle systems to reality, characters interacting with their own medium, and telling a high concept story through small, reader-influenced actions, and exploring those through a different lens. PS, AD and PI could enter cheat codes for their own game and re-enter saved states, but due to their 1920s setting, none of them played video games outside of the one they were part of, so the mechanics that governed their lives had no context to them. John and his friends do play video games, program computers, etc, and so they’re able to more consciously game the mechanics of their own lives. Homestuck’s inventory systems are more complex and variable than PS’ equivalents, giving readers far more options (and opportunities for jokes) with their commands. the beta kids are far more similar to the average MSPA reader in their experiences, interests and senses of humor than Team Sleuth were, so might on some level be based on the types of people who were already reading the site. so PS and HS have similar ideas, very different execution

(for what it’s worth I think if Hussie had made a full Midnight Crew adventure instead of making Homestuck, it would have been far more of a retread of PS’ ideas instead of an advancement, and probably would not have recaptured the magic that PS accidentally stumbled on. but that’s guesswork)

anyway something else is that John, Rose and Dave are all Problem Sleuth fans!! and that meant something more to me on this reread than it ever has before. John, for example, has a poster of Problem Sleuth acting all hardboiled in his office with his gun and candy corn. John tends to identify with main characters over side characters, and he believes the front that people put up, even when it’s pretty obvious to other people that they’re faking. Rose has posters of Fluthlu and other strange beasts from PS’ imaginary realm, because she’s interested in occult and esoteric ideas over humor and puzzles. She probably read/played PS for its universe-destroying monsters more than any investment in whether Team Sleuth escape their building. Dave already has merch for Midnight Crew and the Felt despite not being super into the new adventure. He’s someone who doesn’t tend to stick with things for too long, and is always trying to keep up with what’s new so that he can have an opinion on it – PS is over, so he’s moved on. having your new main characters be a fan of your existing work feels pretty self indulgent, but the way they each interact with that work is VERY true to the rest of their characterization.

obviously there’s also a bunch of small references, like when Dave is described as ‘starting to flip the fuck out’ (p.465), or when John is commanded to ‘Fondly regard cremation’ (p.52), or my personal favorite, ‘CD: Punch clocks in faces to establish chronology’ (p.1180). Homestuck is always referencing itself too, with its many variations on doing an acrobatic fucking pirouette off the handle or stating immutable facts for the record or friendship being an emotion - specific turns of phrase that are used over and over to give the work its very strong voice and linguistic identity, keeping it cohesive even as it goes through wild shifts in tone, setting and art style, but without a greater ‘meaning’. the same way that a meme can circulate through different communities, platforms, even time periods, which makes it feel like there’s a singular ‘internet culture’ even though this is a huge and disparate place. so these references recurring from PS show that this concept I’d already noticed in Homestuck exists throughout MSPA and links these stories that seem like they’re taking place in very different worlds. I’m not someone who tries to pick out every tiny example of self-reference but the general idea does work for me.

anyway in conclusion: Problem Sleuth is very good and I don’t think it’s necessary to read it to understand Homestuck, but it has definitely changed my perspective on the early acts and given me some valuable context, which is very worthwhile!

[theplotmage]

Murder Mystery Tropes with Paranormal Fantasy, Horror, Whodunit and Slasher for Writers

The Detective - The main investigator of the crime, possibly with a supernatural edge.

The Red Herring - False clues or suspects designed to mislead.

The Locked Room Mystery - A crime committed under seemingly impossible circumstances.

The Butler Did It - A classic misdirection where a seemingly minor character is suspected.

The Femme Fatale - A seductive woman with potential hidden motives.

The Alibi - Evidence of suspects' whereabouts during the crime.

The Gathering of Suspects - Bringing all suspects together for the final reveal.

The Amateur Sleuth - An ordinary person drawn into solving the mystery.

The Police Inspector - A professional law enforcement officer involved in the investigation.

The Mysterious Stranger - A new arrival with unknown motives.

The Hidden Motive - Characters with secret reasons for their actions.

The Unreliable Witness - Witnesses with contradictory or biased testimonies.

The Hidden Clue - Seemingly insignificant details that are key to solving the mystery.

The Confession - A character admitting to the crime, often under false pretenses.

The Final Twist - An unexpected revelation at the end of the story.

The False Confession - A confession made to protect someone else.

The Cover-Up - Characters attempting to hide their involvement in the crime.

The Intimate Setting - A small, closed environment where everyone is connected.

The Victim's Secret - The murdered person had a hidden past or secret.

The Revelation Scene - The detective explains the solution to the mystery.

Paranormal/Horror Elements

The Cursed Object - An artifact tied to the victim that brings misfortune.

The Haunted House - The murder site known for ghostly occurrences.

The Vengeful Spirit - The ghost of a previous victim seeking revenge.

The Demon Possession - Indications that the victim or suspect was possessed.

The Shapeshifter - Rumors of a creature changing forms, adding confusion.

The Supernatural Detective - An investigator with paranormal abilities.

The Blood Moon - A rare celestial event coinciding with the murder.

The Psychic Medium - A medium providing cryptic clues from the spirit world.

The Ancient Ritual - The murder tied to a forbidden dark ritual.

The Disappearing Body - The victim's body vanishes, leaving eerie evidence.

The Doppelgänger - A sinister double causing confusion and fear.

The Possessed Doll - A creepy doll inhabited by an evil spirit.

The Time Loop - The murder repeating itself in a time loop.

The Night Terrors - Horrific nightmares providing clues to the murder.

The Sinister Prophecy - An old prophecy predicting the murder.

The Evil Twin - A malevolent twin emerging, complicating the investigation.

The Necromancer - A character raising the dead to manipulate events.

The Shape-Shifter - A creature changing forms, difficult to track.

The Forbidden Book - A dark magic tome found at the crime scene.

The Mysterious Fog - Supernatural fog hiding crucial evidence.

The Living Portrait - A portrait that moves, providing eerie clues.

The Witch's Familiar - An animal linked to a witch, influencing events.

Slasher Whodunit Elements

The Masked Killer - The murderer hides their identity behind a mask, creating fear and mystery.

The Final Girl - A trope where one girl, often resourceful and strong, survives the killer's rampage.

The Isolated Location - The setting is cut off from the outside world, increasing tension and fear.

The High Body Count - Multiple victims are killed throughout the story, each death more gruesome than the last.

The Survivor's Guilt - Characters who survive the killer's attacks feel intense guilt and paranoia.

The Urban Legend - The murders are connected to a local legend or myth that many believed to be just a story.

The Creepy Warning - A strange character gives a foreboding warning about the danger that lies ahead.

The Phone Call - The killer taunts the victims or the detective with eerie phone calls.

The Chase Scene - Thrilling sequences where characters are pursued by the killer, creating high tension.

The Brutal Weapon - The killer uses a distinctive, often gruesome weapon, like a machete or chainsaw.

The False Safety - Characters believe they are safe, only to find out the killer is still near.

The Dark Past - The killer's motives are tied to a traumatic event in their history.

The Power Outage - A sudden loss of power plunges the setting into darkness, heightening fear.

The Split Up - Characters decide to split up to cover more ground, often leading to their doom.

The Hidden Lair - The killer has a hidden lair where they plot and prepare for their attacks.

The Betrayal - A trusted character is revealed to be an accomplice or the killer.

The Fake-Out Death - A character appears to be dead but later reveals they survived.

The Booby Traps - The killer sets traps to catch and kill the victims in inventive ways.

The Creepy Clue - An unsettling object or message left by the killer, serving as a taunt or clue.

The Frantic Escape - Desperate attempts to escape the killer, often through dangerous or narrow paths.

Occult Fantasy Elements

The Magical Artifact - A powerful item with dark magical properties, central to the plot.

The Enchanted Forest - A mystical forest where occult rituals and creatures reside.

The Coven - A secret group of witches or warlocks practicing dark arts.

The Prophecy - A foretold event involving dark forces and mystical events.

The Secret Society - A hidden group with its own occult agenda, influencing events from the shadows.

The Sorcerer - A powerful magic user who may be an ally or an antagonist, often dabbling in forbidden magic.

The Occult Creature - Beings like demons, dark fairies, or shadowy entities that play a role in the story.

The Cursed Bloodline - A family with a dark curse affecting their fate, passed down through generations.

The Forbidden Spell - A dangerous spell that holds the key to solving the mystery or defeating the antagonist.

The Hidden Realm - A secret world or dimension that characters can access through occult means.

The Quest for the Dark Grimoire - A journey undertaken by the characters to find an important book of dark magic.

The Ancient Rune - Mystical symbols that provide clues or have magical effects.

The Time Portal - A gateway that allows characters to travel through time, often tied to occult practices.

The Occult Warrior - A skilled fighter who protects others using magical abilities and knowledge of the dark arts.

The Healer with Forbidden Knowledge - A character with the ability to heal using dark or forbidden magic.

The Shape-Shifting Demon - A being that can change its form at will, adding layers of deception.

The Enchanted Weapon - A weapon imbued with dark magical properties, essential for defeating the antagonist.

The Book of Shadows - A book containing powerful spells and rituals that characters seek or use.

The Dark Oracle - A seer who provides cryptic prophecies and guidance, often with a sinister twist.

The Elemental Forces - Characters or creatures that control the elements (fire, water, earth, air) through occult means.

[pupsmailbox]

MYSTERY ID PACK

NAMES︰ adler. aeris. agatha. aiden. aisha. akakios. alec. alistair. amadio. amos. anastasia. andie. annika. ansel. arden. ariel. aspen. atlas. auda. audr. august. augustine. augustus. aventurine. avery. barett. beau. belladonna. benedict. bentey. bentley. bian. blanc. blythe. bonaventura. bradley. briony. buenaventura. calix. caper. casey. castle. cebba. chance. chanceline. chancey. charis. chase. cipher. claude. cleo. cliff. clu. clue. clyde. colette. columbus. conan. constance. cora. corbin. cypher. daley. dalton. damon. daphne. darcie. darcy. darnell. darwin. dean. deanna. declan. dee. delia. devin. dex. dice. dot. dottie. doyle. duncan. edith. edmund. edric. edward. eivor. elmer. elysium. enigma. fog. fortuna. fortune. foxglove. gizem. godid. hannah. harley. harlow. harper. haze. holmes. indigo. iris. juke. jules. kasper. keme. king. leto. lilith. liraz. locke. maya. mist. morana. myst. mystery. nancy. neil. noir. noire. obscure. odilia. onni. ophelia. ortun. otto. pandora. poe. poirot. quinn. river. rivers. runa. rune. runfrid. sam. scarlet. selma. sher. sherlock. silver. sitheach. spy. sylvi. sylvia. tec. tyche. tychon. veil. veila. velma. vera. verity. vesper. vesta. watson. widow. wisteria. zero.

PRONOUNS︰ analyze/analyze. book/book. caper/caper. case/case. chance/chance. cipher/cipher. claw/claw. clu/clue. clue/clue. code/code. crime/crime. crime/scene. cypher/cypher. deal/deal. detect/detect. detect/detective. detective/detective. en/en. end/end. enigma/enigma. evidence/evidence. eye/eye. fate/fate. file/file. find/find. flaw/flaw. game/game. glass/glasse. grit/git. hidden/hidden. hide/hide. hint/hint. hunt/hunt. hypo/hypothesi. inv/investigate. invest/investigate. investigate/investigate. it/it. justice/justice. lore/lore. luck/luck. magni/magnifying. magnifying/glas. murder/murder. mys/mystery. myst/myst. myst/mystery. mystery/mysterie. mystery/mystery. noir/noir. note/note. obscure/obscure. per/perplex. poi/poison. private/private. psych/psych. puz/puzzle. puzz/puzzle. puzzle/puzzle. que/question. read/read. rid/riddle. rob/rob. rob/robbery. rpg/rpg. scene/scene. search/search. search/searche. sec/secret. secret/secret. see/see. seek/seek. sight/sight. sleu/sleuth sleuth/sleuth. sol/solution. sol/solve. solution/solution. solve/solve. spot/spot. spy/spy. stake/out. stake/stake. step/step. stole/stolen. story/storie. tape/tape. thon/thon. threat/threat. track/track. watch/watche. ⚰️. ❓. 🎭. 🎮. 🐦‍⬛. 💉. 💊. 💡. 📁. 📖. 📚. 📹. 🔎. 🔐. 🔑. 🕹️. 🗃️. 🗝️. 🗞️. 🚬. 🧩. 🧬. 🩺.

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you know any games that would fit a film noir detective style game? especially one with a gilded age or art deco aesthetic

THEME: Film Noir

Hello friend! So I knew of one or two games - but my buddy Sean, well he knows way more. Most of the games on this list are games that he’s introduced me to or knows about. So shout out to Sean!

Noirlandia, by Turtlebun.

Noirlandia is a murder mystery roleplaying game played with an actual cork board. When you first sit down, no one knows the answers.

You'll figure out the way your city ticks—maybe it’s blanketed in white ash, maybe it’s built atop the back of an enormous dying beetle, maybe only a few non-synthetics remain.

Your story follows a group of interconnected characters, a mind-bending case, and the cold stiff that started it all. Roll well, and you'll be allowed to pin new leads to your cork board or string connections between them.

Find the truth, or lose yourself trying. It’s just another day in Noirlandia.

A GM-less game, Noirlandia sets up each of your characters as someone who is connected to the victim - someone who demands justice in a world that has none. The city is created by the players, which tells me that you can decide some details about what the city looks like. The city itself feels like a character in this game - it has defined sections that you build using a deck of cards, each with a distinct personality and a host of slang words.

Because this game is GM-less, everyone gets to participate in the construction of the mystery, from who the victim is, to why their characters are involved. If you like world-building as much as you like following a story, you’ll want to check out Noirlandia.

Urban Jungle, by Sanguine Productions.

The early 20th century of the United States was rife with fantastic change: from the rise of industry giants, to the great experiment of Prohibition, to the tragedy of the Great Depression, onto the dawn of the Atomic Age. The sky was tamed, the world was mapped, and the possibilities of science seemed limitless, all blue skies and buttered toast…

… for some folks, anyway.

A complete game in one volume, URBAN JUNGLE makes you a player in an anthropomorphic world of pulp-adventure, hard-boiled crime, and film noir. You’ll tangle with hardened gangsters, with jaded debutantes, with world-weary veterans, and with all kinds of shady characters.

Urban Jungle uses different sizes of dice to determine your level of skill. Character creation consists of distributing dice amongst your traits, and then choosing from a list of species, types, careers, and personalities. The type and career options open up a wide variety of backgrounds for your characters - you don’t necessarily have to be hard-boiled detectives. You could be a criminal, an artist, a member of the social elite, or a down-to-earth labourer of some kind, just to name a few. As a result, the differences between the characters in Urban Jungle could lead to a rather mis-matched party, so you’ll likely want to talk with your group about what kind of story you’re telling.

Judging by the skills available in this game, you’re likely going to begetting in and out of scrapes, chasing, running, fighting and investigating. You might tussle with the mafia, or hunt down missing artifacts. You might try to get inside a swanky party, or try to win at a game of cards. If what you want is a toolbox to create your own plots with, you might be interested in Urban Jungle.

Junk Noir, by JadeRavens.

Junk Noir is a cooperative, zero-prep, GM-less mystery game for 2 or more players. Players share control of Tracer as the titular robo-sleuth investigates mysteries, visits Locations, meets Characters, finds Clues, and triggers Events. In Junk Noir, you'll dramatize scenes, form connections, make moves, and play to see what happens! 

Junk Noir mysteries don't come with pre-written solutions — that's the detective's job! Solving a mystery is about more than just finding clues, since clues are only as good as the theory that connects them. Players connect the dots and discuss theories over the course of an investigation. 

This is a game for folks who like generative mysteries, such as Brindlewood Bay or Paranormal Inc. Junk Noir helps you generate clues that you as a group will have to put together, while each player embodies a part of Tracer’s programming. This is also a GM-less mystery game, which means you can all sit down and play with no prep required - the game will guide you as you play it.

Deadlands Noir, by Pinnacle Entertainment.

New Orleans, 1935. Whoever called this “the Big Easy” sure got that one wrong. Things are tough all over. Honest work is hard to find, and even dishonest jobs are getting scarce. The one thing that’s not in short supply is trouble. From shady thugs to crooked cops to Mafia soldiers, there’s plenty of characters out there looking to give an honest Joe a hard time. And that’s not the worst of it.

There are stories going round about things that go bump in the night. Things you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley on a darker night. And those stories aren’t just coming from rummies or saps who read that Epitaph rag.

Still, there are a few heroes left in the concrete jungle. Steely-eyed private dicks, fast-talking grifters, wild-eyed inventors, and shadowy houngans still struggle against the encroaching darkness. With enough moxie—and more than a little luck—they might just be enough to turn the tide.

Deadlands Noir is a pen-and-paper roleplaying game set in the world of Pinnacle Entertainment’s award-winning Deadlands universe. It includes new Edges, Hindrances, and powers, as well as new rules for handling detective work, the state of the Union and the CSA in the Depression-era, a complete Plot Point campaign, and of course, more monsters and ghouls than you can shake a smoking .45 automatic at.

Savage Worlds is a great system for pulp-action and protagonists that are good at what they do. Deadlands Noir is a setting for Savage Worlds, meaning you’ll need the core rulebook in order to use it. The Deadlands setting as a number of books that relate to each-other, including a Weird West and a Hell on Earth setting. This means that this version of Noir includes a supernatural element, and the people behind any big upset could have magical powers. The setting itself is based on the New Orleans that often shows up in popular media, with hauntings and monsters turned up to 11. If you want something paranormal mixed up in your noir, this is the game for you!

Sword Noir 2e, by Sword’s Edge Publishing.

Imagine a barbarian prince embroiled in the criminal underworld of a cosmopolitan city as they seek for an artifact in the shape of a falcon statue. Consider two accomplished thieves—one an urbane duelist and the other a brawny skald—hired by a wealthy retired general to deal with a blackmailer, only uncover multiple murders tied to the general’s children. Envision hardboiled crime fiction in the worlds of sword & sorcery.

That’s Sword Noir.

The concept of Sword Noir is a combination of hardboiled fiction, the film noir it inspired, and sword & sorcery. The setting is noir while the characters are drawn from sword & sorcery tales. The PCs live in a world filled with injustice and apathy. Treachery and greed dominate and hope is frail. Violence is deadly and fast. The characters are good at what they do. They are specialists. Trust is the most valued of commodities—life is the cheapest. Grim leaders weave labyrinthine plots which entangle innocents. Magic is real and can be powerful, but it takes extreme dedication to learn, extorts a horrible price, and is slow to conjure.Now is the time for your characters to walk down mean streets, drenched in rain, hidden in fog, and unravel mysteries, murders, and villainy.

Sword Noir is probably the biggest step from the original noir trope, placing your characters in a fantasy world, far removed from technology like telephones or sleek cars. However, the corrupted city still lives and breathes here, full of ne’er-do-wells and shady characters. If you want to revel in noir tropes but play with the setting a little, maybe try out Sword Noir 2e.

Noir World, by John Adamus.

WALK THESE STREETS. TELL YOUR STORY. MAKE YOUR MOVIE.

It’s raining. The alleys are as dark as the streets. You’ve entered a world where light and dark mix with gray and the unknown, where your past collides with your present and future, and it’s safe to assume everyone’s out for themselves.

It’s the stuff dreams are made of, it’s the stuff of old movies, classic movies. Great stories.

This is Noir World. And this is your world and your Movie now. Your story is worth telling, even though it’s not going to be pretty. You might not make it out alive, but it’ll be one hell of a ride.

It’s true what they say: the City is full of stories, and not all of them have happy endings.

As a PbtA game, Noir World calls back to Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts, and The Sprawl as sources of inspiration. This means that you’ll be building your setting together, using noir tropes as guides to construct the story you want to tell. If this game is anything like its’ predecessors, the primary thing you’ll be focusing on is relationships; what do your characters mean to each-other, and how do those relationships affect their ability to get what they want?

Fedora Noir, by Less Than Three Games.

In Fedora Noir, you create the story of a flawed private investigator in the style of a film noir. Players take on the roles of the Detective, their Partner, their Flame – and their Hat, the Detective’s sharp mind and inner voice. Together, players explore the Detective’s messy life against the backdrop of a difficult case.

In Fedora Noir, two players share control of the story’s main character: the Detective and the Hat.

The Detective role-plays a private eye on a case, narrating their actions and speech. But here’s the catch – the person role-playing the Detective doesn’t get to say what they think. That’s the Hat’s job. The other two main characters – the Partner and the Flame – provide the Detective with personal relationships. People to care about… or disappoint.

Fedora Noir is a game for exactly four players. It takes the form of a deck of cards, which provide prompts and references to help you navigate the story - great for folks who don’t want to keep track of character sheets. There’s a whole bunch of settings included - and if you want the art deco style, then the New Hudson setting is made for you. Each city comes with a piece of art to set the mood, a list of locations you can choose to visit, and a cast of characters that may be getting involved in the case. You also choose a Case card to represent the Detective’s mission, Actor cards to help you depict what your detective looks like, and a series of chapter cards that will bring you through the narrative beats of a detective novel.

Other Games to Check Out...

Hardboiled, by Fat Goblin Games.

Noire: Elle Est, Elles Sont, by Ursidice.

Nitrate City, by Evil Hat.

[ao3feed-irondadspiderson]

The Devils in the Details

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61616833 by kyrion “Peter doesn’t have a coat.” Tony tears open three packets of instant hot chocolate and dumps them in a cup. “I’ve asked him five times already. Five! But nooo,” Tony imitates a whiny voice as he pours the hot water and begins to stir, “I’m not cold, Mr. Stark! I like my hoodie, Mr. Stark! That wasn’t a sneeze, Mr. Stark!”   __________ Somehow, Peter's missing winter coat is something Clint feels equipped to fix. He has a solution: darts. Tony and May's solution involves a bit of sleuthing ... and an old Lego box. Words: 4233, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: Gen Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Clint Barton, Aunt May Parker (Marvel) Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, Misunderstandings, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Clint Barton & Tony Stark Friendship, Clint Barton is Good With Kids, winter themed, Secret Santa, POV Alternating read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/61616833

[saturnyo]

💌Dating Gabriel Luna💌

A/N: Doing this because I can. And because who doesn't want to imagine a little....just a little blurb. Never done of those before.

It was just supposed to be a photo.

A simple one. Just you and Gabriel are on a night out, with wine glasses and the California air blowing through the breeze. You and he had just finished filming your own upcoming projects, Gabriel with The Last of Us season 2, and you with an anticipated new action film.

He was wearing a t-shirt of his, your favorite. A simple white one, but it hugged his arms tightly, and all night, you had the perfect view of them.

The restaurant's location was perfect and well-hidden. Your relationship has been under wraps for about a year now since you and Gabriel wanted to savor the time alone before the world found out.

But one picture you posted of his hand holding a menu, and the internet went wild. Fans and other sleuths analyzed every detail. The food, the background, and the most minor little marks on his hand. The next day, sitting on the couch in his home, cuddling together, your phone blew up with notifications from fans, friends, and your pr team.

mssarahcatharinepaulson Omg, Gabriel and Y/N? match made in heaven! pascalispunk You two are together? I knew it the first day she visited you on set bellaramsey My two favorite people together! I'm so happy for you two

You turned to Gabriel, sitting next to you, unfazed by the onslaught of notifications.

"Baby, that picture I posted...everyone is too in tune with details, and now they know," you groaned. His left arm on your shoulders pulls you closer in, and you inhale the scent of freshly washed clothes and cologne.

"Well, cariño, they were bound to find out eventually," Gabriel reasoned. He annoyingly had a habit of bringing solutions instead of joining you in your stressed-out rants.

You still loved him for it, though.

"I know, but I wanted it to be us that revealed, not the internet," you said. "You know how cruel they can be."

His hand cups your face, thumb brushing over your cheek. Gabriel's touch feels like heaven amid the storm of fans confirming their suspicions and your agent hounding you for info.

"How about we take control of the narrative?" he says, grabbing his phone. "Let's confirm it officially. Post a picture together."

You blink, taking in what he said. This is a significant development, confirming what everyone already knew, but it's even more notable coming from you and Gabriel. It will throw everyone into chaos.

"Are you sure? This is gonna be big and if-"

"Yes, I'm sure," Gabriel says, cutting you off with a kiss. His lips were soft and inviting, pulling you in and making you melt underneath his touch. "I want everyone to know you're mine and mine alone. I want to show you off."

You cuddle up to him, hand resting on his chest, and your head slightly on his shoulder. He takes the picture with him holding your hand, his thumb still caressing you, but now on your knuckles.

Gabriel looks to you, tagging you below the caption before he posts the picture. And within a few minutes, both of your phones went off like an alarm.

mi amor, mi querida Just nights like this with you will always be perfect 🌙

View all 12,689 comments 💬 pascalispunk: I knew it! You both were always giving each other gaga eyes. 💬 bellaramsey: Power couple of the century

💬 dakotajohnson: It seems my matchmaker vibes from Materialists worked on you two

2 hours ago • 📍Los Angeles, California

After he posted the picture, you and Gabriel lay there together on his couch, ignoring the outside world before it comes rushing in. The sound of the random Netflix movie you two chose became non-existent.

"Do you regret it? Now they know, and the press will be hounding us," you whispered.

He looks at you, shocked that you would even utter such a thing as that. It genuinely pained him to hear it.

"Baby, I am proud to call you mine, and I will forever shout that out loud," he remarks. "Even from the top of the Hollywood sign, if I have to."

You chuckle at his adorable antics. Gabriel had a way of making the worst days seem bright.

"You are something else, Gabriel, you know that?"

"Yes, but you love me."

"I do, baby."

[setsuuestsu]

Feveruary Day 10

Prompt: You’re Safe, It was just a dream

Sickie: Jungkook | Caretaker: Taehyung

Word Count: 401

Taehyung is awoken to the sound of a soft sob. Immediately, his eyes, though already open due to his sleeping manner, adjust to the darkness. He spots Hoseok in the bed across from his starfished on the bed with his blankets tossed in every direction possible. He rolls himself out of bed, ignoring the fact that he steps on Jimin, who is laying on the floor, in his haste of following the noise.

“Ouch!” Jimin sleepily exclaims, but he goes back to sleep immediately, so Taehyung isn’t too worried.

He quietly opens his bedroom door and winces as he hits someone on the other side. Namjoon squeaks, but continues sleep-walking to the living room. Its fine, there’s only three stairs on the way there. He probably won’t fall.

The person sobs again, so Taehyung continues to follow the sound. His super sleuth senses lead him to the maknae’s door, which he opens with haste.

“Koo?”

The maknae is curled into his blankets and squeezing a pillow tightly. He had woken up from a nap with a fever a few hours previous so Jin had sent him to bed verging high on medication and with a mug of some … herbal remedy he had discovered after hours spent scouring the internet.

Jungkook sobs again and Taehyung wraps himself around the maknae. “What happened? Did your fever spike?” He places a hand on Jungkook’s forehead. It’s not much higher, maybe by a degree or less.

“No … I thought-thought you guys left me.”

Before Taehyung can help it, he bursts out into laughter, obviously the solution for awkward, serious conversations. He physically can’t help it and before he knows it, he’s doubled over in laughter.

This only makes the youngest cry harder. “Please … stop laughing at me. I know it’s stupid …”

Taehyung shakes his head, still chuckling. “No! I’m not laughing at you. I’m just laughing because you literally could never get rid of us if you tried.”

He scrounges for an example. “Uhhh, you remember that time a while ago when Yoongi-hyung tried to ship me to the United States?”

“You mean yesterday morning?”

Taehyung nods. “Yeah exactly! See? You really can’t get rid of us!”

Jungkook sighs and lies back, shaking slightly from fever. “Okay, hyung.”

Taehyung plants a sloppy kiss on Jungkook’s forehead. “You’re safe, it was all just a dream, right?”

The maknae nods sleepily. “Right, hyung.”

[sleepanonymous]

i seem to have missed something deeply important in the sleep token community during my few weeks of tumblr sabbatical. dancing forever? something about a divide? what's up with the flamingo?? mother token please help

Oh my, yes, you definitely have. As far as I know right now, we are in a bit of a lull for this puzzle/ARG that Sleep Token has gifted us, so you're in luck. If you would like to figure this out properly, follow the steps below.

Visit showmehowtodanceforever.com

Open the website's code (ctrl+u should work if you're on pc) and scroll to the bottom.

You will find coordinates (as an example, they look like this: 40°41′21″N 74°2′40″W / 40.68917°N 74.04444°W)

Open a search engine and enter the coordinates.

The historical site you find will help you solve the letter scramble, and after it is solved, the website will give you the next step.

If you're not into web sleuthing like that, click on "keep reading."

This is what the website's code shows.

The coordinates above the archway is 52°48'05.0″N 2°00'45.0″W. They point to the geographical location of Shepherd's Monument at Shugborough Hall. The inscription at the monument is D O U O S V A V V M, this is the solution for the puzzle on showmehowtodanceforever.com

After clicking/tapping on the letters in the correct order, you will be prompted to enter your email, and then given eternal gratitude. The first email you'll be sent will offer you a choice: the green crest of the Veridian House, or the cream crest of the Feathered Hosts. Which crest you click on will sort you into either faction, and you should receive a second email as confirmation, where you will be caught up with the rest of us on this journey.

If you're wondering where fans found this mysterious site, feel free to check out Sleep tokens new TikTok account.

If you're wondering what the significance of Shepherd's Monument is, in short it is an 18th century monument with the above ten letters inscribed above a carving that resembles a painting titled Et in Arcadia ego. Translated this means "I too was in Arcadia," where "I" likely refers to Death. The Letters above the carving is something historians have pondered the meaning of to this day, and could even be code for the location of the Holy Grail.

No, I am not kidding. Vessel wants us to find him the Holy Grail. (Okay, maybe I am kidding a little bit, but this puzzle is heading that same direction.)

[skipppppy]

Fyi I’m still drafting the 1920s vintage lesbian detective story in my mind but I’m at an impasse. Because my sleuth is a butch woman I’m trying to figure out how she’d navigate the whole “sexist and homophobic society” situation. I’ve got 2 solutions but i want some perspective

Option 1 has more fake dating/domestic shenanigans and is generally more realistic. Option 2 is more idealistic but she gets to butch it up in public and I think that’s beautiful

[hoiststowline]

winter of our youth

[prologue - a03]

phase one

A moment passes, and after a brief stint of time, or so he thinks, his processor reminds him that his joints are starting to ache, a mild pain webbing up through his cables. Excruciatingly so, enough that he can't recall when he even sat himself on the ground, servos fidgeting restlessly against the cool metal of the device. The chair was not as comfortable as he originally assumed, moving the project to the floor however long ago proved a better solution.

He had everything scattered in front of him, for it was easier to see what he was dealing with this way. However, the more he stared at it, the more he moved a particular wire to the left and then played with a small spring between his digits, the more he was starting to lose his sanity. Hunched over on himself, he didn’t like the way his plating shifts, an echo of something more to be desired rings freely.

Another thought passes, harking back on how many Earth days have elapsed since his singular yet memorable interaction with one of its inhabitants. This version of time is lost to him, measures and hours bleed into deteriorating minutes until that gnawing fear crawls back that he isn't going to be successful in this endeavor, at least solo and moving at such a rate. Failure wasn't an option, at least to him, but he wasn't a fool, he knew when things were starting to look like burnout. 

Four days. His internal clock sneers, wondering if you had long brushed the encounter off as a drunken nightmare. Perhaps you'd already come to force yourself to believe he'd never dare to contact you again, elated to walk out your door to not find his alt-mode rumbling at the end of your driveway. 

It’s not as alarming as he originally thought to find a majority of his lengthy deliberations loitered back to you since that night. You were a missing piece to an equation he was straining to solve, whether he’d like to admit that aloud. He still had so many questions, so much more he wanted to apprehend as if your problems could provide him ripostes.

He understands you were lying candidly about why you were there that night, tearing through the woods like a bat out of hell. You saw something, and it was no figment of a wild imagination.

He'd heard it as well, pulling from his base to try and sleuth out what was puttering and idling amongst the trees. You had a reason to be there, looking for something more, and all you seemed to find was an interaction you'd sooner rather forget.  

Magnus finds it difficult to ask for help, even more so when it's from someone he lacks confidence in. You were terrified of him, and while it appeared to settle down towards the end of the evening, it was still an emotion that lingered in your words. But you had stared so intently at the device, small digits running over the machinery as if you knew roughly of it- 

"Is there someone you are trying to reach?" It was innocent, your subconscious pushing to have a polite conversation, and Magnus had snuffed your light out with a blatant bout of ignorance. Optimus would likely frown at his brashness, as well shake his helm at Magnus’ retelling of being so benighted. He was intruding on organic territory, the least he could do was be a little more effusive. Not everything was so top secret, nor was it so obstreperously black and white, you earned answers just as much as he did. 

It remains obvious that this is no longer a mission he can complete alone, a painful cue. Disgruntled, but he'll still acknowledge that somewhere in his spark, he wanted to check on you, on your health, and to see if your home was still as safe as it was five days ago. 

This is unbecoming of him, but he's also at a complete standstill in this task. With a heavy ex-vent, he goes eerily still with the fact that it's the first time he's used his voice box since speaking to you. He's isolated, and while he wasn't positive on how much help you could provide, the conversation would at least prolong the time until he went mad. 

The rain had started to fall, coating the air with a faint smell that you could only attribute to a damp autumn day. 

Hopeful of beating the storm, you slip on a pair of sneakers that had been tossed by the front door, scooping your car keys off the small wooden table that permanently resided there. Your sense of normal had finally begun to fall back into its routine, happy to enjoy the day off from work and run some errands. 

Magnus was the last thing on your mind, even though that night, only ninety-six hours ago, you were wide-eyed in bed, tears rolling freely down your freshly scrubbed cheeks. Just after he had dropped you home, you had hulled yourself away from the front door and all but crawled up the stairs, begging your subliminal to shut up.

Anxious to fall asleep, you wondered if he made it back to the woods okay, and if he’d appear randomly at your door the following morning. You weren't so afraid of him, after much thought, he had your best interest in mind for some otherworldly reason, but you could be the happiest person alive to never cross his path again.

Flipping the lock, your fingers find the cool metal of the knob as you spin it, stepping outside with your back to the street. A hum of some song you can't remember the title of persists on your lips, easily sliding your key into the lock and rotating it to the left. Just as you turn to assess just how heavily the rain has picked up, your heart drops to your feet, your throat constricting as if someone had squeezed the air right out of you. 

No. No. Your hands ball into fists to scour your eyes as if doing so would rub the image away. That damn blue truck, idling at the end of your driveway, lights flaring gently at your stare. "y/n-" His voice echoes loudly, firm but cut short. 

You're tempted to go back into the house, slam that door, and hide in there until he goes away. But you knew better, and for some ungodly reason, he knew you knew he wouldn't leave until he at least got a word in. 

Magnus hardly recognized you, not coated head to toe in mud and dressed in a much cleaner set of clothes. Your hair was not pulled back from your face, slightly unkept by the wind, your eyes conveying all you needed to say without so much as uttering a word.

Temper flared, you stomp down the front steps, brow furrowed and ready to give him a piece of your mind, yet, just as you approach the driver-side door, you are stridently reminded of his size. With an unsatisfied click, the door swings open, just missing your nose as he addresses you carefully.

"I can tell you are unhappy." He deadpans, interior blinking with his words. "And trust, I know you thought the other night would be the last you would see of me. I had planned the same." 

"So why," You start, but must take a deep breath in between to compose yourself, rain tickling your face. "Are you here?" 

There is a pause as if he doesn't know the answer to your question. Instead, he opts to ignore you, a habit he must know irritates the hell out of you. "Come out of the rain. I will explain myself,"

Against your better judgment, you sigh and yield to his wishes. "Don't make this a habit." Grabbing the handle, you haul yourself onto that first step, moving into the cabin and sliding past the steering wheel to settle into the passenger seat. Just like before, the seatbelt clicks across your waist with a mind of its own.

No gesture goes unnoticed by him, no matter how small, uneasiness radiates from you intensely.

"I would not be here if it was not my last resort." He gravels, door shutting over a little too forcefully for your liking. "Shall I put it this way? The faster you help me, the faster I will leave you alone." 

“It isn’t like that.” Why you are vying to make him feel better perturbs you, though you partially blame it on your irritatingly compassionate nature. “All I’m saying, a call first would be nice,”

“Is that a jest?” Magnus rasps, unmoving. “For I have no way to reach you. What would you infer I do?”  

You exhale loudly through your nose, arms crossing your chest in a defeated manner. “Can you just…why did you come back here?”

“I require assistance.” He says it as if it’s painful, a string of words that cause a behemoth like him vast injury.

“Elaborate.” You aren’t being all that forthcoming, but neither is he.

“I am referring to the communication device. You know something of it, something that I am missing or a part that you have or can obtain.” In a smaller voice, he continues. “That I cannot.”

You freeze an action that Magnus senses entirely. “Magnus- “

“It may be a matter of life and death.” His engine turns over, the rain begins to pick up as it runs down the windshield. “I hate to deploy such a responsibility upon you, but I am alone. Without that device I cannot contact my allies, meaning I cannot assist them. Your species may be in danger,”

For all you know, he could have made everything up. Bullshitted his way through a lousy speech to tug on your heartstrings, but damn was it working-

“You are asking me to help you fix your walkie-talkie, and then you’ll leave me be?” Magnus’ spark leaps, a small victory he can call a real one. You’re starting to come around, and you are half as tense as you were just four days ago.

“I cannot guarantee-“But he catches himself, starting to ease on the gas pedal to begin down your street. “I cannot ascertain that it will be the end of this relationship, but trust that I will do everything in my power to see that it is the last of it.”

 A voice rang in the back of his processor that this was wrong, for he was breaking so many rules that he’d have nowhere to commence when he finally rejoined the Autobots. Somehow, if he got your conviction, then he could prove the same to the others once the time came. You needed to be an collaborator, for it all to be fruitful and rational in his mind.

Trust. He keeps bringing that damn word up as if pestering you with it would cause you to believe he had yours. You suppose you could be a bit kinder; he did save your sorry ass only half a week ago and wasn’t holding it over your head as he rightfully should. Somewhere in your brain, you understood simply that you owed him a lot more than buying him a set of HDMI cables, and maybe if you could repay him this way, it’d end on a more peaceful note.

“S’okay.” Relaxing, numb fingers begin to fiddle together in your lap as your arms fall away from your chest. “I could always use a friend.” You mumble the last part, kept to yourself.

“Are you well versed in building machinery?” Magnus tries to ignore your whisper, moving forward in resolving his problems, yet your downheartedness is a familiar one.

“What? No.” Shaking your head twice, you press onwards. “I assumed you needed me to buy you jumper cables or something.”

“Jumper…cables? You still speak in jests?” Passing a familiar landscape, that faraway feeling of the same fear you felt days ago creeps forward. “You were focused on it the other rotation. You know something that I do not,”

You balk, scoffing a laugh. “Dude, it’s your communication thing. It’s probably technology NASA dreams of.”

“Ultra Magnus." He chides, and the bickering eases some of your nerves. "Or have you already forgotten?”

“No, it’s a term of-er, it’s a friendly term.” That vast forest appears on your right, a lingering reminder that you are fast approaching the foundations of your nightmare. “Sorry, I’ll knock it off. Force of habit.”

“Ah, understood.” He drawls, but you aren’t fully convinced he believes you. “However, you recognized something amongst your transitory overview. You are more intelligent than you realize.” 

Concisely, you can indistinctly evoke a memory of that one port in particular that had snatched your attention in your momentary solitude. Still, you couldn’t place which cord exactly went where, nor know if connecting it would turn it on. “I think you’re getting your hopes too high.”

When he doesn’t reply immediately, you add: “Or are delirious in thinking I can help you.”

“I am out of options.” His voice hitches, a grumble of something tilting to break free, but he catches himself.  “Perchance you missed the part where I mentioned this was my last resort.”  

“No, no. I didn’t forget that.” You’re starting to hate how normal this all feels, though the insanity does not pass by that you’re talking to a fucking car. “I’m not being stubborn, I’m being honest.”

“Good.” You weren’t expecting that, jolting slightly. “It is better that we are honest with each other.”

Sniffling, a sense of apprehension rises in your chest. “Yeah? How so,”

“Your caution is…warranted, though I appreciate your honesty, no matter how brutal it is.” With a sigh, you gather yourself, elbow resting on the armrest with the slightest amount of pressure, an involuntary action on your behalf.

“For some reason,” You start, realizing you are fast approaching the area you had seemingly just left. Swallowing down the round of stale tears that rise to the surface, you push away the memory of whatever was after you, collecting fumbled words to continue. “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine nor begin to understand your situation, but I owe you. The least I can do is try to help in any way I can.”

You’re rambling, words stumbling from chapped lips before you can even try to stop them. Magnus listens, intently at that, searching for deceit in your blundered sentences, but finds none. For once, when you meant it, you were being candid. It’s a relief, a step in the right direction, and eases some of his own trepidation about the whole thing.

“Many thanks.” It’s soft, words wrapping you in a hug you didn’t ask for.

Silently the ride continues another six minutes, until he comes to an eased stop, seatbelt pulling backward as the door opens. “Thank you.” You whisper, grabbing the same handle you squeezed goodbye just the other day as the door opens.

With a soft thud, you hit the damp ground, rain letting up momentarily, though it still mists over your clothes sporadically. Taking a few unsteady paces forward, halfway into a step, you hear that same clunking noise that alerts you the truck is no longer behind you.

You don’t think you’ll ever get used to that, jumping a bit as you turn, finding his confused stare looking back at you. His head tilts to the right, just enough that he catches himself and rightens his spine.

“Whatever is the matter?” Magnus breathes. “You’ve paled,”

Clammy palms come to slap at your cheeks, coughing awkwardly as a familiar warmth floods to your ears. He might be absolutely frightening, but he’s got a friendliness in his tone that you’ve yet to encounter, a kinder approach than his overreaching personality. You infer it’s because you’ve offered your help, a bit less stubborn than before, and he’s willing to drop a bit of his armor.“What?” You squeak, taking a step backward as he leans forward. “No, I’m fine.”

Standing beneath his shadow, even as he remains crouched on the ground like that, was nauseating still. There is no getting used to it, even as your neck starts to hurt craning it back like that to talk to him.

“Are you certain?” Your feet freeze to the ground, gasping as one of his fingers cups your chin, bent at the knuckle like he had the other day. He’s warm, contrary to what you would have previously thought, heart pounding in your ears as he assesses you with an exasperating amount of restraint. “You look as if you are about to faint, just as you did before.”

Slowly, you peel your palms from your face, fingers settling on his to apply a slight amount of pressure as if to shoo him away. “I feel fine.” Insistent, your voice must do the convincing as your strength was nothing compared to his.

“If, you are sure.” Not pulling back immediately, his touch lingers for a second too long before his digit falls from your skin. “Shall we?” He asks, moving off one knee to stand.

Swallowing thickly, a thought passes by that you feel talking to him is a tad easier when he is a truck. Not trapped under that dense stare, feeling impossibly small, your sarcasm and courage are retained when you can’t see his eyes. You don't think that same bubbling anxiety as you did the first exchange, but wariness still struggles deep within your heart. He's being plain-speaking, being accommodating, and the least you could do is return the favor. 

Feasibly, you could take this entire interaction with stride, hoping it would see itself through to the end. If fate had woven your paths for a reason, possibly someday you could look back on this memory fondly, wondering why you were so fretful about it all. 

Maybe in a distant future.

“Yeah.” You start, trudging towards the entrance you shouldn’t know. “We shall.”

“One more question,” You turn, not liking how long it takes you to meet his gaze. “What is a walkie-talkie?”

[theplotmage]

Basics of Starting a Murder Mystery

1. Victim

Description: Identify who the victim is. Provide background information and context for why their murder is significant.

Fantasy Adaptation: The victim could be a mystical creature, a royal figure, or a powerful sorcerer. The murder might involve magical elements or rare artifacts.

2. Setting

Description: Decide on the location where the murder takes place. This could be a mansion, a small town, a secluded island, etc.

Fantasy Adaptation: The setting could be an enchanted forest, a mystical kingdom, a hidden temple, or a floating city. Incorporate fantastical elements like magical barriers, ancient curses, or secret portals.

3. Detective/Protagonist

Description: Introduce the character who will be solving the murder. They could be a private detective, a journalist, or an amateur sleuth.

Fantasy Adaptation: The protagonist could be a magical investigator, a rogue thief, a wizard, or a knight. They might use spells, enchanted artifacts, or mythical creatures to aid in their investigation.

4. Suspects

Description: Develop a list of suspects, each with motives, opportunities, and secrets. Provide clues that point to different characters to keep the reader guessing.

Fantasy Adaptation: Suspects could include elves, dwarves, sorcerers, enchanted beings, or even gods. Their motives might involve ancient feuds, magical artifacts, or prophecies.

5. Clues and Red Herrings

Description: Plant clues throughout the story that lead the protagonist toward the truth. Include red herrings to mislead the reader and maintain suspense.

Fantasy Adaptation: Clues could be magical runes, ancient tomes, enchanted objects, or cryptic prophecies. Red herrings might involve false spells, illusions, or shape-shifting creatures.

6. Plot Twists

Description: Incorporate unexpected twists to keep the plot engaging. These should be surprising yet plausible within the story’s context.

Fantasy Adaptation: Twists might include hidden identities, secret magical abilities, betrayals by trusted allies, or revelations of ancient curses or prophecies.

7. Resolution

Description: Conclude the mystery by revealing the murderer and explaining their motives and methods. Tie up loose ends and provide closure for the characters and the reader.

Fantasy Adaptation: The resolution might involve a magical battle, a ritual to break a curse, or the revelation of a long-forgotten prophecy. The protagonist could use their unique abilities to bring the murderer to justice.

Applying the Framework to Different Genres:

High Fantasy: Set in a fully imagined world with its own rules of magic. The mystery might involve ancient prophecies, mythical creatures, and epic quests.

Urban Fantasy: Combine the mystery with a modern city setting that has hidden magical elements. The detective could be a supernatural being living among humans.

Dark Fantasy: Infuse the story with horror elements. The murder could involve dark magic, necromancy, or demonic entities.

Historical Fantasy: Blend historical settings with magical elements. The mystery might revolve around historical events altered by magic.

Steampunk Fantasy: Set in an alternate Victorian era with steam-powered technology and fantastical inventions. The detective could use gadgets and alchemy in their investigation

Common Plot Holes in Murder Mysteries and Suggestions on How to Avoid Them:

1. Unbelievable Motives

Plot Hole: The killer’s motive is weak, unconvincing, or unrealistic.

Solution: Develop deep, believable backstories for your characters. Ensure the motive aligns with their personality and history. Motives can range from jealousy, revenge, and fear to financial gain or protecting a loved one.

2. Convenient Evidence

Plot Hole: Evidence appears too conveniently to help the protagonist solve the mystery.

Solution: Introduce evidence gradually and logically. Ensure it’s discovered through the protagonist’s efforts and fits naturally into the narrative. The protagonist should work to uncover clues, facing challenges and setbacks.

3. Ignoring the Obvious

Plot Hole: Characters overlook obvious clues or suspects for no logical reason.

Solution: If clues are ignored, provide a plausible reason. Maybe the obvious suspect has a strong alibi or the clue is misinterpreted. The protagonist should follow logical steps and acknowledge obvious leads, even if they turn out to be red herrings.

4. Inconsistent Character Behavior

Plot Hole: Characters act out of character to serve the plot.

Solution: Ensure all actions align with established character traits and motivations. If a character needs to act unusually, provide a strong, believable reason for their behavior.

5. Unrealistic Technology/Forensics

Plot Hole: The story uses unrealistic or overly convenient technological or forensic solutions.

Solution: Research the technology or forensic methods you’re including. Use realistic, credible techniques and avoid relying too heavily on high-tech solutions. In a fantasy setting, establish clear rules for how magic or other fantastical elements work and stay consistent with them.

6. Lack of Consequences

Plot Hole: Characters face no real consequences for their actions, diminishing tension and realism.

Solution: Ensure actions have appropriate consequences. If a character takes a risk, there should be potential fallout. This adds realism and stakes to the narrative.

7. Coincidences Driving the Plot

Plot Hole: The plot relies on coincidences rather than character actions and decisions.

Solution: Focus on causality. Events should result from characters’ decisions and actions. Minimize coincidences and ensure the protagonist’s efforts are central to solving the mystery.

8. Underdeveloped Antagonist

Plot Hole: The killer or antagonist is underdeveloped, making their actions and motivations unclear or uninteresting.

Solution: Flesh out the antagonist’s character. Provide a detailed backstory, clear motivations, and a strong presence in the story. The antagonist should be a formidable and complex character, challenging the protagonist.

9. Excessive Red Herrings

Plot Hole: Too many misleading clues confuse rather than intrigue the reader.

Solution: Use red herrings sparingly and strategically. Each should serve to develop the plot or characters further. Balance red herrings with genuine clues to maintain a coherent and engaging narrative.

10. Unclear Resolution

Plot Hole: The resolution is unclear or unsatisfying, leaving questions unanswered.

Solution: Ensure the resolution ties up all major plot points and answers key questions. The revelation of the murderer should be logical and satisfying, with all clues making sense in retrospect.

How to Apply These Solutions in Different Genres:

Fantasy: Make sure magical motives are deeply rooted in the world’s lore. Use consistent magical rules and avoid deus ex machina resolutions. Character actions should have magical and real-world consequences.

Sci-Fi: Ensure futuristic technology and forensic methods are plausible within the story’s context. Character behavior should align with the setting’s norms and technologies.

Historical: Research the historical period to ensure accuracy. Character motivations should align with historical contexts and norms, and forensic methods should be era-appropriate.

Thriller: Heighten consequences and stakes. Character actions should drive the plot, with minimal reliance on coincidences. Develop a strong, believable antagonist.

[arimiaromage]

Strange house - DGM doujin fangame scenario B

I finished another ending in Strange house, the doujin LaviYuu fangame made by MOONLIGHT CAFE circle in Japanese in 2010! this route was called "Coming Home" and was 1 of 4 story routes in the game. (yes, I played these slightly out of order)

game guidebook scenario a - Dolly scenario c - Love Affair Trap: A Suspicious Bracelet

to briefly summarize Strange house, it's a visual novel where you play as Lavi while he, Kanda, and Toma are out on a mission. while returning back to the Order, you have the option of making various choices to either take detours, explore new missions, and more. depending on the first 2 choices you make determines which scenario (or “route”) you go down, with each focused on Lavi x Kanda.

here's a scan of the official guidebook for the game which shows a brief overview of this route as well as exactly how to get the true ending - every route has multiple endings, but only one good / true ending with the rest being bad endings or dead endings.

the route starts by Lavi saying they should find a place to stay and end up staying in the town nearby. Toma is able to secure them a place to spend the night - but rumor has it that the manor is haunted. according to local legend, the daughter of a lord lived and died there while waiting on her husband to return home from war. now, everyone avoids the place.

the three of them arrive at the manor and as soon as Lavi and Kanda walk inside, the door slams shut behind them - even their innocence can't break down the door and all of the windows show no sign of letting them escape.

they tell Toma to sit tight and that they'll sleep the night in the manor and it'll hopefully be resolved by the morning (or they'll be able to sleuth out a solution in time).

after doing some more exploring and finding nothing too abnormal, they decide to call it a night - in separate rooms, despite already being a couple (or maybe just coworkers with benefits?). Kanda tells Lavi he'll come get him in a few hours. of course, Lavi can be impatient, and if you do then nothing really happens aside from Kanda yelling at Lavi.

once Lavi waits, he hears something and goes outside his room to investigate...

...and there's a strange-looking Kanda there! Lavi is confused but naturally lets him in his room. Kanda immediately gets close to Lavi, sitting right up next to him on his bed.

and here you might notice, "wait, this is a different artist!" and you'd be right! it's not uncommon for visual novels to have a separate sprite artist and CG artist, but it is uncommon to have multiple CG artists (at least where they're each doing separate CGs rather than 1 artist doing sketches & lines and 1 artist doing the coloring). this route has several artists tackling CGs (and the most CGs in a route so far I believe?), which we'll see more of soon.

anyway, Lavi has 2 choices - denial ("this can't be Kanda!") or acceptance ("how could I deny my Kanda?"). if you accept Kanda's affection, he pulls Lavi close and pulls out a knife. the end.

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a dead end or what - it just says he pulls out a knife and cuts to the title screen. and given what the true ending is, I'm not even sure what the point is here, but I digress.

Lavi has to deny Kanda twice, pushing back on him and saying he's an illusion. if he does this, the seductive Kanda disappears. Lavi hears something outside his door and finds the real Kanda there.

Kanda says he had a dream where Lavi was there, except something was wrong - he was really calm and competent, no matter how much Kanda yelled at him. Lavi takes the jab and avoids telling Kanda what he saw, instead saying it was a weak Kanda. the two decide to explore the manor some more now that things are really suspicious with Kanda pushing Lavi to get up. Lavi realizes this is definitely his Kanda, but he's still a little sad...

they find a sprawling corridor full of similar-looking rooms. the corridor goes on for seemingly forever - Lavi takes the initiative to investigate while Kanda gets increasingly frustrated. not long after, Lavi realizes Kanda isn't beside him anymore. he frantically tries opening doors, only to find....

...a woman who looks incredibly similar to Kanda. she asks him why he's disturbing her, to which he asks if she lives in this manor despite being told it was vacant. she doesn't answer and disappears behind a door. when Lavi follows her...

he finds himself back in the Order's dining hall. Lavi tries to correct himself that this is only a room that looks similar to the dining hall, since he's still investigating the manor, but someone calls his name.

Allen and Lenalee appear, much to Lavi's confusion. they tell him they're about to leave on a mission - just the 3 of them, though. Lavi asks about Kanda.

when Allen asks him who Yuu is, Lavi hopes it's a mean joke and asks Lenalee to correct him. but when she also says she doesn't know who Yuu is, Lavi starts freaking out internally. he calms himself by going back over everything and coming to the natural conclusion that this is another hallucination.

while he ponders if this is the work of akuma or innocence, the Order (along with Allen and Lenalee) fade away and he finds himself in a room at the manor. in front of him is the same woman once more.

Lavi tries asking her some questions like if she's the cause of the illusions but she remains silent, only staring at him sadly. when he asks if she knows where his partner is, she looks stern but points towards the door, fading away once more. Lavi hurries along.

except, when he finally finds Kanda, he's in a bit of a Mood. apparently Kanda has been fighting off illusions of Lavi and thinks this is just another one.

the two immediately start fighting.

Lavi tries talking Kanda out of it and proving he's the real Lavi but it doesn't work. he has a choice to counterattack, call Toma for help, or do nothing, but the end result is still the same. Lavi can either fight back or run away.

if Lavi fights back, the resulting fight is so explosive they destroy the ground and end up on the floor below them. they're able to walk it off, now agreeing that they're both the real person, but the ghost appears once more - and takes Lavi off into one more eternal dream. this is the last "dead" end of the route.

the real answer is to run away - he doesn't want to hurt Kanda but he also can't talk his way out of it, so Lavi runs. they end up on the floor below where the ghost girl appears in front of both of them.

she explains that she just wanted Lavi to stay home. when Kanda asks why she created illusions where Lavi was attacking him, she says she just wanted him to die. her name is Juno Moreta and this is her manor.

Lavi realizing that they won't be able to escape until they help Juno realize that she's dead. Juno has been waiting for a long time for her husband to come home and believes Lavi is him.

she admonishes Lavi for showing up at home with another partner, there's a mention about Kanda looking like a woman, and Kanda and Juno begin arguing. if Lavi tries to stop Kanda it results in a bad ending where Juno disappears, letting them escape but not resolving anything. if Lavi waits for them to resolve it themselves, the story continues.

(this is probably my favorite CG in the route, I really like this artist's style)

Lavi is unable to really say anything and just watches them resolve it themselves, saying it's kind of nice to watch them both argue since they look so similar. Juno admits she knew immediately Kanda was a man and apologizes for saying that. now that they're not at each other's throats, Lavi explains that he's not her husband. again, she admits she knew that in the bottom of her heart because her husband is much nicer. but she kept them here because she heard a voice in the back of her mind telling her that that was her husband and she needed to trap him here.

the voice was strongest when she's at the entrance to the house, which was where all of this mess started in the first place. the three of them head over there.

Lavi explains that they couldn't open the door, to which Juno easily opens it. the three of them step outside the manor and hear Toma's voice over the golem. he says that while they were stuck, he heard another rumor from the locals - the woman's husband did eventually return, but died on the front door step before being able to see her and was buried in a grave by the manor. Lavi and Kanda thank him before pulling Juno off to see it.

the name on the grave is Lavil Moreta (because of course it is). seeing her husband's grave is almost enough to bring Juno some peace - almost. she asks Lavi and Kanda to move him to be with her grave, admitting that she's had the feeling she was dead for quite some time. Lavi agrees and she disappears for the final time.

while digging up his grave, they find the cause of all this - a notebook with innocence. the notebook reads that Lavil is worried Juno will be lonely without him and that he hopes anyone who stops by will keep her company.

Lavi and Kanda reflect on the love Lavil and Juno had for each other and Lavi hopes he'll be able to spend more of these precious moments with Kanda.

and that's the end of scenario b!

overall I enjoyed it, as this was written by the author from the first scenario, Dolly. scenario a is still my overall favorite but this one is definitely second. it felt very close to the source material but did feel rather short and most of the dead endings don't make sense here.

for one, I wish some parts of it were a little longer. this route by far had the most artwork in it, as not only did it have 3 CG artists across 6 CGs but it also had artwork for Allen and Lenalee (who don't appear in scenarios A & C) but was only used for maybe 10 lines total. I hope scenario D ends up using those sprites, because as a VN dev and artist it feels like such a waste of good art!! this scenario also had at least 2 brand new music tracks which were very welcome changes - there's a really sweet but melancholic romantic piece that plays when Lavi first sees illusion Kanda. lots of assets went into this route so I wish it was a little longer to make better use of them. for example, it would've been fun to see Lavi get stuck in the illusion of the Order with fake Allen & Lenalee for more than a few seconds, have him reconsider if he was even on a mission, but see through the cracks of the illusion and find out some kind of information on Juno or Lavil in the process (maybe a book? a portrait?).

secondly, this scenario had several dead endings which didn't make complete sense to me. I can understand why Juno wanted to kill Kanda at first, but why does Lavi end up dying in parts? why does illusion Kanda stab (???) Lavi? if this was Juno keeping Lavi here forever, why the mention of a knife? maybe I'm misreading it but that felt like an odd detail that could've easily been rewritten to something like "and Lavi never woke up again".

it's pretty funny though that the basis of this scenario is basically an alternate Kanda & Lavi where they're a straight couple, given what we now know about Kanda & Alma... this game released in September 2010, so it was in development before (?) Alma's backstory was released. truly, soulmate stories are intrinsically d.gray-man...

I am very curious though on what went on while making this scenario - the other 2 scenarios I've played felt more confined but this one felt like the scope kept ballooning. 2 brand new sprites that are only used for 10~ lines, 2 brand new music tracks, 6 CGs by 3 different artists... in a way, this route feels more akin to what fan projects end up being like - a lot of "yes"s to ideas which keep increasing the scope because everyone is a fan and pitching in and the directors/producers/leaders don't want to say no to a good idea. let's have Allen and Lenalee show up for just a few lines and make out sprite artist draw 2 brand new sprites and 2 face sprites that won't be reused! let's have 2 new music tracks that aren't in the other routes!

still, it's a cause for celebration that any fangame sees the light of day. making a game is hard and making volunteer fangames might even be a touch harder, especially ones like this that received a physical release. that's why I'll keep documenting doujinge like this for my doujin blog!

I only have one more scenario / route to play of Strange house which makes me sad, as I've yet to find their other 2 d.gray-man fangames that are confirmed to have had physical releases - Infinite Melody unendliche Melodie and Secret Garden. if you can find these games IRL or online, please let me know!!!

game guidebook scenario a - Dolly scenario c - Love Affair Trap: A Suspicious Bracele

[lilythelitten]

Blazed through Ready Set Solve and Sleuths on the Loose in record time (I told y’all I read fast XD). Obviously, spoilers below as I share some observations.

Okay, so embarrassingly, I didn’t actually solve the Sleuths on the Loose mystery. Well, I kind of did. I correctly guessed part of it. But I got so tunnel-visioned on what I thought was the correct solution that I missed the actual answer ^^;

Did figure out the Ready, Set, Solve twist though! Eggplant mentioned at the end that it was hard to distinguish between the virtual and real worlds and I was like “AHA! The kids are trapped in a video game!” Spoiler alert, the kids were trapped in a video game :P

Speaking of, Sleuths on the Loose pretty firmly sets Murdle Jr. as after Volume 2, since it’s specifically mentioned Major Red was deposed by the Convocation of Countries (as happened in Volume 2). (Incidentally, how the heck did Jake’s history teacher make that story sound boring? Volume 2 was insane.)

This also means that either a) Murdle spans a much longer time span than we all thought, or b) Murdle Jr. happens extremely quickly. After all, there’s only so much time until Volume 3. Only so much time until everything changes forever…

Okay, fine, my theory was wrong, there’s no connection. I did notice, though, that the assistant of Mother Mauve is explicitly named Mr. Lemon. I don’t think I need to remind y’all who also shares that color. (Maybe it’s just a coincidence, a fun shout-out like Rose in Curious Crimes, but…gut feeling says it could be more? I dunno. We’d need more books to solve that mystery :P)

Given Julius’s parents are out searching for Atlantis, I think it’s safe to say by now that Irratino’s extended family is as cuckoo as he is XD

Apparently, everyone at the Investigation Institute gets to choose their jobs for the summer. This also includes who gets to run the place. (I like to imagine Irratino lets them have it. Then they find out the hard way how much running the Institute is like herding cats, and hand the job back to him as soon as humanly possible.)

Also apparently, Drakonia uses dogs as spies. Or at least, Major Red does. Not sure how well that would actually work, but you do you, Red :P

Surprisingly precisely nobody since he appears in Volume 3, Eggplant survived falling off Castle Eminence. And apparently without any consequences. (I mean, in my HCs, he wound up breaking some bones and getting yelled at by his boss for f&$%ing up, which…is absolutely consequences XD)

Speaking of Eggplant, I get the sense he’s one of the only people at TekCo with much in the way of business sense (he does agree with Olivia that going into the game to fix bugs is a terrible way to make a game). I also get the sense he hates his job, but I got that from Curious Crimes already :P

Below:

This has nothing to do with my observations. But I needed to share it. They’re in love, Your Honor—

(Actually, maybe there is an observation there. That being “apparently, Jake has not noticed her detective idol is dating someone”. Between that and Julius just plum not knowing who Logico is in Curious Crimes, I’m beginning to worry the junior detectives might not be the most observant bunch :P)

Irratino would try to befriend aliens. …this isn’t, uh, this isn’t big news or anything, but. Good to have confirmation XD

Between the emerald and the future-seeing machine in Curious Crimes, and the Extreme Beta-Testing here…that makes two Murdle Jr. plots TekCo has been behind. I wonder if this is the start of a trend :P

…okay, so, like, Volume 3 kinda showed this off, but I think Murdle Jr. has managed to show it better, that being that CEO Indigo is fucking terrifying.

NO BUT SERIOUSLY. This is a man who sent people to abduct a ten-year old from the Institute grounds (and also abducted a cat, too) just to get beta-testers. This is a man who, when Jake went looking for her friends, actively tried to stop her, because I guess that would ruin the surprise that everything was just a video game. This is a man who was confronted by all of this, and basically shrugged it off with an “oh well, I’ll just pay the Detective Club to forget this ever happened”. (Yeah, I’m not sure if that would work on Logico, but Irratino’s already rich, so nice try :P)

And here’s some fridge horror for you: we see some of the other suspects in that virtual reality. Now, who’s to say if any of them are real…but who’s to say they aren’t? Who’s to say Indigo didn’t kidnap more people for the beta-test? And if he’s willing to kidnap people, including children and animals, for his own aims…what are the chances that, in Volume 3, anyone in TekTopia came willingly?

You really don’t expect the middle school puzzle books to give the context that makes a character scary. And yet, that’s what happened. Holy crap, Indigo ._.

(On a lighter note, Lapis has absolutely become a fave! Because reading is fun, and we both enjoy it ^^)