#'and then no one will be around to solve this murder mystery because we'll ALL be dead'

[supjello]

"Your son?" "My apprentice, but I think of him like a son."

[winedarkthoughts]

house of addams (3)

— 🌖 pairing: ot7 x fem.reader

— 🕷️ genre: mystery, angst + fluff + smut

— 🗝️ word count: 4k

— 🍄 summary: the coroner of Farrow's End finally invites you into his kingdom, and you can feel more than one set of watching eyes as you continue your investigation.

— ☕ content warnings: coroner!taehyung, assistant!jungkook, mentions of murder/death/suicide

— 🕸️ a/n: meeting more of the boys!!

previous chapter ← series m.list → next chapter

chpt. 3: into the morgue

"Have her come in," Taehyung says over dinner.

There's a collective clang as several sets of silverware are put down.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, hyung," Jungkook replies. He's nervous around you, especially because you can see more than you let on.

"We're going to have to eventually," Namjoon adds, and Jimin sends him a mischievous, knowing look. He knows how Joon likes to watch you in the bookshop, offering his assistance at his earliest convenience, asking if you need help finding anything specific.

"It's obvious she was hired by the mayor," Yoongi says. "Though, I'm not entirely sure why."

They all know that Mayor Summerbee runs in some of the same circles that they do, but they wonder if you're aware of that fact too. How much did she tell you?

"At the very least, it'll tell us what she already knows," Yoongi says.

"And if she scares easily," Taehyung adds, suppressing a smirk.

What kind of private investigator are you? Are you motivated by self interests? Are you just here to get the job done, bare minimum? Or are you the morbidly curious type? The kind that can't stop until a mystery is solved, even if it leads you to dangerous places.

Yoongi and Namjoon already have a guess at which type you are.

"She has some kind of sight," Jungkook says, biting his nails. The real question is how sharp is that sight?

"I don't think she knows that she has it," Jin pipes in.

They exchange glances, thinking.

"Well," Hoseok says, and they all turn to look at him. "I suppose we'll just have to test it."

september 27, 2004

You've seen your fair share of coroners. Good ones, even excellent ones, and the ones who never should've been appointed to the job in the first place. Most people aren't aware that there is no national standard for coroners, some don't even have medical training.

You remember a case not too long ago when a family mourning the loss of their son hired you to investigate the circumstances of his death, which was ruled "accidental" at the time. The coroner had not had any prior forensic training, he was an OBGYN turned politician. Elected by the small-town voters (nearly 80% of coroners in the U.S. are elected, by the way), he was cushy with the local police force.

And being your naturally suspicious self, or maybe it's a side effect of your job, you pressed for a second autopsy by an examiner actually worth his salt.

The external examination alone proved that it was far from accidental. His wounds suggested severe beating, and his cause of death was suffocation from being choked, homicide not accident.

Further investigation revealed police brutality. You pushed and pushed and pushed, and after being enough of a pain in the ass (and threatening several lawsuits), they finally convicted the officers responsible.

The family still sends you a Christmas card every year, and it more than makes up for being a pain in the ass for living.

So yeah, you don't trust coroners, or their reports, until you get the chance to evaluate their level of competence for yourself. And the fact that the coroner of Farrow's End has been so resistant to your attempts to contact him doesn't bode well.

But today, the Monday following your little expedition up to the Addam's House, he's finally available to see you. Last night you received a call at around midnight, seemingly from the same young man you saw on the other side of the gate the other day.

Of course you were awake, but you wondered why the coroner's office would be up and running at such an hour. Maybe a late night emergency autopsy? It wasn't unheard of, sometimes a Sheriff will request an autopsy to be completed as soon as possible when the press are particularly bothersome and the cause of death is unclear.

You didn't get the chance to ask, because the man started rattling off about how the coroner would be able to see you tomorrow morning, and he advised that you bring any notes you might have.

Good sign, it suggests that the coroner is willing to work with you.

It's early, maybe a little too early. The fog is blanket-thick and the clouds are sprinkling down a fine mist of rain.

You take your car as far as the rocky dirt road allows, park it at the base of the hill, and trudge on through the mud, the umbrella over your head immediately collecting dew.

You reach the gate, closed like last time. When you reach for it, you're expecting to find it locked, but just as your fingers are about to touch the cold metal, the gate swings open with a long creak.

You stand there for a moment, searching for some kind of mechanism that would make it open by itself, but you find nothing but old iron forged in intricate patterns.

Whatever, you've seen weirder. You slip through the parted gates and close them behind you.

Gigantic trees, pines it looks like, envelop the perimeter of the surrounding gates, with twisting, leafless trees in abundance nearer to the house, even though fall is just beginning to dawn and most leaves haven't even begun to change color yet.

You didn't notice it before, but these leafless trees are full of crows, black tufts perched on the reaching branches. No, crows and ravens. They call out as you pass by, and you get the odd sense that every single one of them is looking at you.

The cobblestone path leading up to the front door is overgrown with weeds. The exterior of the house, now that you can see it up close, is almost decrepit. The wood is rotting, the roof is sagging, the windows are dirty and smudged.

They rent this place out?

"Ma'am!" a voice calls out.

You search for the owner of the voice, finally finding it at the side of the house. It's the young man from the other day, peeking around a brick corner. He gestures you over and swiftly disappears again.

When you turn the corner, the man is standing by a double hatch door in the ground. Not a good sign for a supposed "morgue."

He seems to read as much on your face, because then he's saying, "I would take you down the elevator inside, but everyone is still asleep."

There's a childish nervousness in his voice, and it makes you send an uncharacteristic smile his way as you step through the door and down a spiral staircase.

Distracted, you don't see the curtains twitch, and the several faces in the windows above, watching.

The passage runs deep. You emerge in a wide hallway, lined with carved wooden walls and old portraits. The foundation is clearly old, but there are newly installed fluorescent lights that don't do the original craftsmanship justice.

"How old is this house?" you blurt out, and the young man can't suppress a high, boyish laugh.

"I'm not sure, around a century, I think," he says.

Wow hard to believe it's gone untouched for so long, you think as he leads you down the extensive hallway, passing several branching doorways.

Your eyes drink everything in, curious and scrutinous. Again, the man seems to read your mind.

"It might not look it, but we have a state of the art facility here," he begins.

"Crematorium," he gestures to one door. "Viewing room. Embalming room. Autopsy room. And the largest refrigeration unit in five counties."

This place is extensive, and the further you go, the cleaner and more modern it gets.

You notice that the man is wearing similar clothing from before: a large coat (broad shoulders) and big, thick boots. Black, laced up over his ankles it appears, it makes the thud of his footsteps echo against the walls.

You wonder if they are corpse-handling boots, or merely a style choice.

"Here's the office," he says, leading you into a small but cozy room fit with a cluttered desk and a few dusty but comfortable-looking armchairs.

"You can have a seat if you like," he says, nervousness creeping back into his voice.

You take him up on the offer, sinking into one of the armchairs despite the fact that you're a little damp from the rain. But judging by the state of the chairs, you doubt it would bother them.

It's then than you realize how chilly it is down here, in this basement maze tucked under an ancient house. Damn, you're so—

"Cold?" the man says suddenly. "I'm sorry, we get quite the chill down here. Would you like some coffee or tea?"

You perk up almost instantly.

"Coffee, please," you reply maybe a little too perkily, because it makes him smile at you, exposing those bunny teeth again. Very cute.

He disappears through another doorway, into some sort of kitchenette judging by the sounds coming from it (metal banging, water running, porcelain clanking).

You take a look around. The office walls are lined with framed photos and plaques all boasting the same name: Kim Taehyung. Bachelor of Science in Biology, Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Master of Forensic Science, Embalmer's License, Medical Examiner Certification, Doctor of Medicine.

Got it, this man is learned. Good sign.

The young man returns with a silver tray in his hands. He sets it down on the ottoman between the two armchairs, grasping the black teapot and pouring fresh steaming coffee into a matching black teacup. You notice that the sugar cubes are in the shape of skulls and bones, and a part of you admires the dedication to the aesthetic.

You prepare your cup and sip greedily. The coffee is rich and strongly-brewed. Another good sign. It may not contribute to your investigation, but at least you can respect him as a person.

The young man takes the seat next to you and prepares his own cup.

For the first time since you arrived, you aren't distracted by your surroundings, and you're realizing just how strange this young man looks.

His skin is a dull shade of gray, with slight red blemishes and spots of dark purple flesh that look like deep bruises. His lips are simultaneously pale yet also tinged red, like there's blood inside his mouth. And his eyes, they look like—

The man seems to notice you staring at him, because he shifts uncomfortably in his chair and coughs awkwardly.

You blink, and his form seems to blur at the edges, becoming fuzzier and harder to latch onto. Maybe he has some sort of skin condition. But that wouldn't explain the feeling that something isn't quite right about him, something uncanny.

"I'll go see if Dr. Kim is ready for you," he says, practically sprinting out of his seat and out of the room. You hear his footsteps pounding through the halls, then hushed voices.

You being you, the debate over whether to slip through the hall to eavesdrop on their conversation does cross your mind. But you figured that even with your silent feet, they would probably still hear you rustling around in the quiet of the morgue.

A few moments later, and you hear one set of footsteps returning to the office. The young man pops his head into the doorway.

"He'll see you now," he says, vanishing just as fast. The way he appears and disappears like a ghost is starting to give you whiplash.

You follow him down the hall, entering a fluorescent-lit room fit with chrome features. The walls are lined with little doors, drawer openings, and there are several gurneys scattered throughout the room. The chill is even stronger here, this must be part of that state of the art refrigeration system.

The man standing in the center of it all is wearing a white medical gown and black latex gloves. He looks up as you enter, and—

Oh. He's young, startlingly young, early thirties max. His skin is golden tan over strong, handsome features. Dark tiger eyes, sharp and perceptive. The only indicator of his age is several tendrils of silver hair growing from the crown of his head.

"Good morning," he greets in a deep, charming voice. "Miss ______?"

"Yes, Dr. Kim?" you reply, holding out a hand.

"Just Taehyung, please," he says, taking off his gloves to shake your hand firmly, and jesus his hands are large and very pretty.

Ah, so he's not a pretentious asshole who insists on being addressed as "doctor" constantly. Another good sign. Though, judging from his extensive education, in this case it would be justified.

"I'm so sorry we couldn't see you sooner. It can get quite busy with just the two of us down here," Taehyung says.

You can't help but take another glance around the room. Only two people running this whole facility?

"I understand that you're working with the mayor?" Taehyung inquires, his casual voice good at hiding his burning curiosity.

You, in turn, are good at hiding the slight suspicion from hearing the mayor mentioned yet again. You're not sure who you're suspicious of though, him or the mayor herself.

"Yes, I was hoping I could get copies of the autopsy reports for Michael Bradley, Jarvis Laplan, and Sharon Mason."

You say it matter-of-factly, curious if they will bend at the slight flex of authority in your voice. Or, if being associated with the mayor yields certain results.

The two of them glance at each other.

"Access to Laplan and Mason aren't a problem, but Mary Bradley has requested that no further information on her husband's death be released," Dr. Kim replies, cool as a cucumber.

Your eyes widen just a bit, unable to hide your surprise. Wait...what? He would just give you the reports for Laplan and Mason, just like that? No request for credentials? No questions asked?

Truth be told, you've never gotten hold of an autopsy report after the first ask. You've always had to jump through hoops to get the right permissions and authorizations, as is the case for private investigators since they are not real police. And rightly so, the fine details of people's violent deaths is not something to be made light of, in your opinion.

Clearly your confusion is evident on your face, because then Taehyung is saying, "Laplan's wife and Sharon Mason's parents are quite eager for further investigation."

Ah, so they suspect something unusual too. Hopefully they'll be more than willing for an interview.

"And Bradley...?" your voice trails off with the question.

Taehyung furrows his brows like he isn't sure how exactly to put it.

"Mrs. Bradley has had a bad experience with the press," is all he says.

You can feel your eyebrow raise.

"Is she still a suspect?" you ask, deadpan.

Taehyung is quick to correct himself.

"No, god no!" he says, eyes wide and head shaking. "His death was purely accidental, a tragedy that could've been avoided."

Your attention catches on that last part like a snagged thread on a nailhead.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" you ask, unconsciously taking a step forward.

Jungkook, who's silently watching the whole exchange, can't help but think it makes you look predatory, a hunter locked onto their target with frightening accuracy.

But Dr. Kim doesn't bend. He tilts his head ever so slightly as the corner of his mouth curves up, like he respects your drive.

"Well, Michael Bradley exhibited signs of extreme mental distress, many of them suggestive of suicide."

"But you don't think it was suicide, do you?" you say, before you can help it really, because your mind is running a hundred miles a minute right now.

Jungkook can sense it too, his eyes Bambi-wide and watching in fascination as the cogs turn in your analytical brain.

"No, I don't." It comes from Taehyung's mouth like a sigh. You don't see it (Jungkook does), but he's impressed.

"That's all I can say really," Taehyung says suddenly, sounding apologetic. "You'll have to speak with Mrs. Bradley about getting access, but talking about her husband is painful for her. And she's been through enough."

He cares about people, the ones he works on are not just bodies to him. Very good sign. You're coming to the conclusion than Dr. Kim is definitely a coroner worth his salt.

"I'll be sure to proceed delicately, then," you reply softly. You're trying to say it back. I care about these victims, this isn't just a case to me. Everyone has a story.

He seems to get it, nodding his head with a gentle smile. Something very small, almost ghostly, clicks between you.

Jungkook observes it all in a slight state of awe. He can already tell that the rest of them, his "family," are going to like you.

Taehyung gives you the copies of the autopsy reports, a sizable stack of folders and papers and photos. He even gives you a copy of the autopsy transcript.

You realize that he was prepared to give you this information before you even got here. Either Mayor Summerbee is a very persuasive person, or Dr. Kim is eager to work with you. Maybe both.

Your point is proven seconds later when Taehyung hands you a business card (with his personal number scrawled on the back), as he tells you that you're free to contact him with any questions you might have.

You profess your thanks with an armful of documents, making a point to shake Dr. Kim's and Jungkook's hand firmly.

Jungkook leads you back, his boots softly thudding with every step, and you can feel Taehyung's eyes on your back as you walk through down the long hallway.

Jungkook is kind. He offers to help you with the massive stack of documents in your arms, but you politely refuse. You've got liquid gold in your possession.

He holds the gate open for you, even offering to walk you to your car, but again, you decline and thank him for his offer.

The gate shuts behind you with a resonate clang. As you turn away from the house to begin the trek down the muddy hill, you feel an odd sensation, like tingling insects down your back.

Looking over your shoulder, you see the curtains of several windows suddenly fall back into place. Someone, several someone's, are watching you.

You can't find it in you to be creeped out, though. Something about this house, despite its run-down appearance, is welcoming. Beckoning, even.

It's dark and old and practically falling apart, but many things that you love also happen to have those same traits.

A slight smile tugs at your lips as you turn and make your way down the path. You'll have to find out more about this place.

"Again. She saw through my glamour again," Jungkook announces to the room, sounding slightly defeated.

"Don't worry, Kook. It's a solid spell, I checked it myself," Yoongi replies as he waters one of the endless houseplants adorning their home. Thanks to Yoongi himself, of course.

"She saw through mine too," Taehyung says, resolute. He's staring at the black and white checkered floor, deep in thought.

Everyone looks up at that.

"That proves it then," Namjoon says. "She has a heightened degree of sight."

"I wanna know why though," Yoongi interrupts in a sudden bout of passion. "She's human. Why is she able to see everything?"

"Not the house though," Jungkook blurts out. "The glamour on the house held up."

"Of course it did, the house magick is stronger than any of us," Jin quips from the kitchen, standing over a sizzling stove.

"Lots of humans have the sight," Jimin says lazily, sprawled out in one of the lounge chairs.

"Yeah, but it's the type of humans who turn it into a cheap gimmick," Jungkook replies, pacing around the room now.

Taehyung crosses the distance between them in a few strides, putting a large hand on Jungkook's shoulder. The younger man looks up at him, then lets out a breath and returns the smile.

"You're safe, Kook," Taehyung says softly. "No one's gonna put up a fuss."

Jimin chuckles. "She might."

Taehyung throws a scolding glance over his shoulder. "A real fuss, I mean. Everything's been kept under wraps so far."

"And she's not a phony, or a leech. The mayor made sure of that," Yoongi says.

"In any case," Jin begins, an authoritative edge to his voice. "Hoseok said to keep an eye on her, so that's just what we'll do."

september 28, 2004

You may be a damn good investigator, but you're no med student. So the next day you set out to the bookstore, determined to understand every last term and phrase in the autopsy reports.

The same man is behind the desk, but this time he's bent over a typewriter, clacking away. You can't help but observe him for a moment, watching as his dark eyes dart over the page, the way his glasses rest at the edge of his nose like a wizened old man.

"Welcome in," he calls out at the chime of the bell on the door, like an instinct.

You take a few steps into the ever-crowded space, your eyes shifting over all the things you missed the last time you were here. Because that's what kind of place this is, somewhere you could go a hundred times and find something new each visit. Places like this are quite dear to you.

You're about to examine a shelf full of perfectly preserved beetles, when you sense the man look up at you.

"Oh," he says, like he's pleasantly surprised. "It's you."

And you would be lying if you said it didn't make your gut feel something warm squirming inside it.

"Need help finding anything?" he asks, like he has every time you've visited this place.

"Yes, please," you reply, barely hiding your smile.

He leads you through the maze of shelves like it's a map of his own brain. Several times you have to hurry to catch up to him in his excitement.

Soon your arms are occupied by an impressive stack. Anatomy, general medical knowledge, crime scene identification, even a few textbooks on post-mortem examinations.

To you, it's more liquid gold. You profess your thanks to the bookshop keeper, dropping a generous tip into the jar when you go to checkout. Again, the books are almost too reasonably priced. Not that it matters, since research purchases are an easy business expense ride-off.

Just as you turn to leave, the man clears his throat awkwardly, like he's building himself up to speak.

"There's plenty of places to sit here," he almost blurts out. "Lots of cozy nooks. Perfect for...research."

You pause at the door to glance back at him. You find him watching you closely, his expression somewhere between innocently curious and suggestive of hidden knowledge on his part.

"I'll keep that in mind," you reply, a little teasing lilt to your voice. Because clearly he enjoys your company too.

Then you turn on your heel and let the door swing shut behind you, leaving him wanting more.

a/n: thanks so much for reading!! i would combust with joy if you'd tell me any of your thoughts :D

NEXT UPDATE: 05/25/24

[formosusiniquis]

any cosmo girl would have known

“Oh she did it for sure.”

“Steve!”

“Ten bucks, Bobert, don't give me that look last time we agreed double or nothing.”

“No,” Nancy insists. “This isn't Murder, She Wrote or Scooby-Doo or Columbo-”

“You saw who did it in Columbo at the beginning,” Eddie reminds.

“I know it's an awful show.”

Robin and Steve remain in sync enough to each get a hand on his shoulder to keep him from getting on the coffee table to defend the only good cop show in existence.

“I'm only pointing out,” she rewinds the VHS taking it back the two or three minutes they'd talked over before stopping it completely, “that this is a movie, not a drama with a repeated format that Steve can pattern recognition into predicting.”

“You haven't seen it already, right?” Robin asks. “The one rule of Monthly Middle-Aged Movie Night is you have to pick a movie none of us have seen.”

“No, I haven't seen it already. If you'll all remember when I asked you each to go see it with me I got,” he points to each of them in turn. “‘Wouldn't you rather see Tomb Raider?’ from double VHS, prestige cinephile and ‘That's too much pink for me, baby, you know I have that intolerance, maybe Rob or Nance will go?’ from my emo-isn’t-a-phase husband. And ‘I'm a little busy with this new story, Steve,’ from Nancy, the only one of you with a real excuse.”

“Some feminist you are, Birdie.”

“I don't want to hear it from you. I watched two of the blandest men alive pursue Renee Zellweger while the screen writers tried to convince us she was homely because you ‘forgot’ you had band practice.”

“You said you liked it!”

“It grew on me, but sometimes you just want to see a woman in a tank top. And I won't be shamed by the same man who cried during Beauty and the Beast.”

“I went with my sweet baby Lucy Joan, you miserable hag,” Eddie says, “and they turned that hot werewolf into a boring looking man.”

“You weren't into that? Look at who-”

“Why am I getting made fun of? Can we finish the movie?”

“No, I'm not going to let this be another Sixth Sense situation,” Nancy says, holding the remote hostage, she knows no one will try to take it from her.

“Ugh don't even bring that up,” Eddie groans, “Dustin still mentions it in at least one letter a year.”

Nancy nods, prim and proper, “Exactly, so tell us right now why you think she did it, then we'll play it again.”

“Chutney, the daughter,” Steve corrects, “have you even been paying attention? Her hair's permed.”

“And press play,” Eddie shouts.

“No,” Robin smacks his hands as he makes his ballsy play to reach around her for the remote. “Show your work, Dingus, even I didn't follow that one.”

“I don't always like the movies everyone else picks but I at least watch them. Her hair is permed, she said she was in the shower. She would have had to have been washing her hair if she didn't hear the gunshot and she has a perm.”

“You can wash your hair with a perm,” Nancy points out.

“You would know.” Eddie snarks, fingering the ends of his own hair.

“You can't wash a fresh perm, you'll fuck up the ammonium thioglycolate. Then you're out forty bucks and you've got limp hair. She killed her dad and lied about being in the shower.”

“Press play,” Eddie decrees again, leaning in close to Steve's side to purr, “it's pretty sexy when you go all hair care detective.”

His hand starts to slip below the blanket. “This is how we ended up with Lucy in the first place,” Steve reminds him, just under the sounds of the courtroom drama picking back up. It doesn’t stop Eddie’s hand from wandering until the movie’s climax starts getting closer, and Eddie’s attention is captured just like Robin’s and Nancy’s.

“Unbelievable,” Robin says, when Elle cites the perm salt.

“Never again,” Nancy swears, when Chutney screams her confession.

“Lucy’s been asking for a brother or sister,” Eddie flirts, as Elle reveals that any good Cosmo girl could have solved it.

No more movies with mysteries or twist endings for a while, they all agree, Robin can’t afford to keep betting against Steve.

[empress-of-snark]

more cohesive OMITB finale thoughts now that I've had time to sleep on it

(spoilers below!)

First thing's first: I think there's a bigger villain at play here that hasn't yet been revealed. Marshall killed Sazz and Glenn and was (apparently) working alone, but there are things that happened this season that haven't been explained, namely:

Who put the cameras in the trio's apartments?

And who was texting them pictures and saying "I'm watching you"?

That wasn't Marshall. Or if it was, they didn't bother to explain how or why he did it. Not to mention the season one plot holes were mentioned multiple times but only ended up being a red herring? No, I think we've still got a Moriarty-type villain that'll come into play again next season.

Speaking of which, I was so excited for the mystery next season to be a missing person's case and not quite so murder heavy until I remembered the name of the show 😭

It's gonna be rough, that's for sure! I'm devastated that Lester is the victim, but I'm so excited for all the flashbacks to come in season five, exploring his whole backstory! It sounds like the mystery will be centered around the mob, which might make it the most dangerous yet.

I'll be very interested to see where they go with the Loretta/Oliver storyline. If she stays in New Zealand, then we'll either never see her again, save for the odd cameo over FaceTime, or the writers will have to break them up. I don't love either option--honestly, I'd rather Loretta move back to New York and become a semi-permanent guest star, but it might be too expensive to have Meryl Streep on retainer like that lol.

The wedding was gorgeous, though! Absolutely loved Loretta's dress, and I was so happy that Will and Dickie walked her down the aisle!! (Yes, I'm salty that Theo didn't make an appearance, but it's fine, it's cool, it's whatever...)

I do hope that this next season will be a little less celebrity-studded. I'm hoping that it's because season four was the Hollywood season, but after a certain point, the cameos were a little distracting. I get that the show is really popular now, but I'd love it to return to it's roots and give us more season one vibes. Less rubbing elbows with stars and more actual mystery solving, y'know?

But how did y'all like this season/finale? Send me your thoughts!

[miilkyrolls]

okay fine, Murder at homecoming, YOU WIN

so i finally finished MaH after putting off continuing past chapter 1 since like...february and, i almost used this book as a diamond mine cause i preemptively was like "this looks lame 😒"

... i came, i laughed, i gasped, i yelled, i cried and i left... then i CAME BACK BECAUSE HOLY MOTHER OF REPLAY-ABILITY BATMAN🥲

but no this book hits right where it needed too. I know one of the biggest upsets people have with MaH is A) the villain being guessable and B) not solving Perdita's disappearance and sorta C/ B.2) it being a standalone. and imo for A, that's up to you to feel that way. imo cause choices is a visual form of content, it's kinda hard to have genuinely surprising "twist" villains cause the visuals already clue you into who done-did it unless they pull the twist straight out they ass(i feel this way about movies and shows too. the only way surprises genuinely get me is in books or podcasts, so non visual entertainment)

and B/C, i actually think NOT solving perdita's story AND making it a standalone was actually very mature of PB (first and possibly last time i'll ever say that in this day and age 💀). it's possible they might've made it their next teen drama series if they had the budget. But unfortunately it's honestly realistic. unfortunately a lot of women go missing and rarely do they get found alive and in a short amount of time (esp if you have as a bipoc mc/ perdita). it's an extremely tragic cookie crumble that unfortunately a lot of mysteries in our lives often take us our entire lives to solve and a lot of them we'll never solve in our lifetime. it's a great paradox / parallel to gabbie's death. it took us all of say 4/5 months (cause in the US, most schools go on winter break in late December) to solve with justice being fairly swift, fair, and harsh but unfortunately a lot of victims don't get their day for a long while, if ever. it's a healthy ying and yang of enjoying fictional justice but it being unrealistic with acknowledging the devastation of losing real victims while acknowledging those lost and their unsung stories that we should never completely give up on their days to come. (ofc however, i hc that perdita is still alive and uncovered corruption in the city and knew that making her family deal with legal repercussions would make their lives more difficult and be ostracized by the elites of Beachwood, so she just left and changed her identity. i like to think she did it also cause MC deserved to have a normal teenhood and not be ousted for her actions)

also i love the open and candid conversations around the treatment of queer children, bipoc mistreatment , misogyny, sa and grief. idk why but the ability to choose if you'd experienced homophobia/ transphobia based on your pronouns and who you've romanced, and tyler talking about thinking he was straight before meeting us (i had a masc body) idk why but i like that touch. i feel like PB kinda grazes over the aspect of being queer / trans and the concept of love, coming out, and society acceptance when your same sex romancing/ nonbinary so it's real shocking when they actually..idk address that thing😭. it's nice to have characters acknowledging their sexuality rather then just be automatically playersexual and everyone around them is just immediately accepting/ suddenly bigotry just seems to evaporate for mc's life/ society

also also, WE CAN BE POLY AND LIKE ITS CALLED POLY AND EVERYONE IS HAPPY AND THE LI WE DON'T CHOOSE AREN'T FORCED ONTO US/ GIVEN AS A OPTION

smaller things: i like the heavy usage of sound effects, idk why but i do. i like the flashbacks into mc's and perdita's relationship, the mix of free and paid clues that are non linear, STEVIE (yes she needs her own category)

overall: 9.2/10. i really like this book, it's going on my personal shelf next to the likes of crimes of passion (minus proposal...), Queen B, big sky country, blood bound, immortal desires 1, and with every heartbeat for my good book shelf

[sleepyrxsetea]

blog intro

i'm making a new intro to include my WIP's as well!

howdy! my name is Rose and i've been around for over a year now! i would love to meet more writers and overall cool people! this blog has a writing/book reading focus while also having a few other things here and there (so descriptive, ik)

i have two alt blogs as well. @eye-motive is my fiction podcast blog (The Magnus Archives. at this point it's only tma and tmagp and some Malevolent here and there) and then @sleepyrxserambles is random stuff that is not podcast or writing specific (it's the wild west on there)

DNI: bigots, TERF’s, ableist’s, homophobes, transphobes, interphobes, bots, you get the idea i hope: don't be a jerk

some quick facts though:

-xe/they nonbinary aroace spectrum being

-favorite games are open world rpg games, Animal Crossing and Omori

-i read a lot. most of it is high fantasy (but my true favorite books are actually shitty paranormal romance. 'mostly high fantasy' is a cover up i tell so i don't get judged even harsher by the people in my life for liking the books even though they make me ridiculously happy)

-um...moving on from that rant. i also like gardening (new lore unlocked)

-i like watching anime! some of my favorites are BSD, Horimiya, Banana Fish and Sailor Moon. i also read manga, some of my favorites have been Fruit’s Basket, The Promised Neverland and Sailor Moon

-i like Sailor Moon. i’m not sure if you can tell or not

-besides watching anime my favorite shows are Doctor Who, Good Omens, Dead Boy Detectives, What We Do In The Shadows and Our Flag Means Death

-i also like watching vtuber’s in my spare time. I don’t have any particular favorites but I do watch Gavis Bettel often

now, the WIP's! i'm only putting one for now because it's the only one i'm dedicated on working on, lol (it's below)

Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case Of The Theater Troupe (otherwise known as Harrison Weber And The Serial Murder Case On Oxford Street. i'll also make a better name eventually, promise)

in this WIP it is kinda like Sherlock Holmes with a twist. Oliver Briggs is the newest assistant to the big shot detective, Harrison Weber, known for his expertise in solving serial murder cases. Fresh out of college and still trying not to hurl at the sight of blood, Oliver has been assigned to take the lead on a new case so his boss can see what he is made of. There has been a murder in a local park and the victim turns out to be someone Oliver knows, his childhood friend. While trying to grapple with this loss, unexpectedly his old babysitter passes. Then his cousin. As he looks into their deaths he realizes that they are all connected by only three things; himself, the theater troupe his mother had been a part of and a deadly fire that happened 13 years ago. Will Oliver be able to find the killer before they kill again? Or will he have to suffer the loss of yet someone else he holds dear?

that is my first time writing a summery, lol. also the last two sentences are kinda bad but i needed a hook

also i don't want to say the twist but if you look at my other posts you can tell

but, some updates. i am currently working on fleshing out the characters so that they feel actually human and making a chapter outline. i haven't started to write the first draft yet but plan on doing it soon! i will update more here and on actual posts. i don't really write mystery so we'll see how it goes :D

thank you for reading! i really appreciate it :D stay safe, take care of yourself and remember to take it easy sometimes

[danggirlronpa]

Which Future Arc fakeout death would you make stick: Aoi or Kyoko?

With (and because of) strong love for her character: Kyoko, in a heartbeat.

DR3 feels incongruous to the games for a lot of people because it centers around very different themes. Where the DR games use trauma and violence as allegory for the common traumas and process of radicalization in teens (in addition to more straightforward uses of violence to examine propaganda and torture porn), DR3 moves its setting to primarily an adult sphere. Teen life, including its abject cruelty, is presented through a lens of brightly colored, rotten-orange nostalgia - or, for the adults with bad high school experiences, presented as dull, gray, and faceless. Instead, it is the side of the adults that is given complexity, depth, and that TV-beloved Gritty Realism TM.

In service of this shift, DR3 doesn't use death in the same way as the games. In the games, death is used as a way of highlighting the tragedy itself; character arcs are cut off midway through and normal teen issues become murder scenes. In DR3, instead, the focus is not on the violence but on the character who is committing it.

DR3 revolves around reflection of - and closure for - the traumas endured as a teenager. To that end, all of the characters are either completely flat to fill the ranks (Daiki, Gozu, Miaya) or have character arcs which their death/survival is a direct part of resolving (Koichi fulfilling his promise to Jin, the tragic conclusion to Seiko, Ruruka, and Izayoi's messy relationship).

With this in mind, not only should Hina not die, she shouldn't have even had a fakeout. Hina's arc in THH is that of a girl whose love pushes her to the absolute extreme of despair - and whose love, similarly, revives her and motivates the enter group to finish the Killing Game with no more deaths. Hina is an emotional lynchpin to the culmination of THH. You'll notice she doesn't get much of an arc in DR3, and that's because Hina's arc has been completely finished; instead, we see her caring for and protecting the people around her, as she has learned to do for the survival of the group. Killing her spits in the face of her arc and removes a key component of what makes the THH survivors function. Which WOULD have a place in a different version of DR3. But in the version of DR3 we got, it's antithetical to the story's goal.

Kyoko's death, on the other hand, is, point-blank, the perfect culmination of her arc. This is doubly true if the series is paired with DRK, but since most English fans haven't read it, we'll just talk about THH on. Kyoko's arc is about learning to rely on others instead of doing everything on her own, and of the divide between logic and emotion. Kyoko is emotionally immature in THH. She overreacts with jealousy when her first friend has a secret, even though she knows it's hypocritical. She sees her father's bones with a detached disinterest, and is overwhelmed at the realization that he was not a one-note villain. For how incredibly capable she is, Kyoko doesn't understand how people work or how to rely on them, and she suffers for it. It isn't until she goes to save Makoto after his execution that we see her truly rely on others - continued into helping him save the Remnants in SDR2.

Kyoko's death in DR3 is the perfect culmination of this arc. An exact parallel to the version of Kyoko in THH who asked Makoto to accept his own death so that she could solve the mystery of the school. With the same cool-headedness that determined she would have to kill someone she cares for to survive, Kyoko makes the same judgment, but with the opposite intention - that she has to die for someone she cares for to survive. From a character who is repeatedly stated to not have an interest or grasp on morality, her life ends with the most selfless thing she can possibly do. It's tragic. It's hard to even consider. It is a perfect culmination of her arc.

And, importantly: it also serves into the greater theme of DR3, which is self sacrifice. Self sacrifice shows up Constantly in DR3 - Koichi for Kyoko, Kyoko for Makoto, Juzo for Munakata; right down to ideological sacrifice, like Chisa to encourage despair and Kazuo to encourage "hope." As the final self sacrifice, Kyoko's death is lent a narrative weight which closes out a story which she, ultimately, was one of the primary drivers of from the beginning.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Murder Mystery: 6/22/23

Evidence: #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 |

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Fellow Detectives!

We have so crazy important information coming in.

We ran the unknown number, and it came from a burner phone, so we are unable to figure out who exactly was sending those messages to our victim.

We also asked Miss Gracie Ann Kelly, the victim's roommate, about the messages, and she claimed that she did not know that Miss Dean was getting them.

We also spoke to Miss Braxston about the messages, the cheating incident, and to ask more about the reason why she took the victim's phone. One the first topic, she said that she knew about the messages, after going into the phone. But, she doesn't know who would send them. Next, she told us that in March of this year, Miss Dean found that her ex, Henry Campbell had been cheating on her with his current girlfriend, Eliza Hopkins.

She continued that Miss Dean was very hurt by the incident, having gone to Henry's apartment and walking into the event. A fight did comence, but it was mostly verbal, claimed Miss Braxston from her memory of Miss Dean's accounts. She continued that Miss Dean tried to stay as calm as possible, but it was difficult when Henry's girlfriend, Eliza was acting as if it wasn't a big deal; and Miss Braxston recalled that Miss Hopkins taunted Miss Dean into a physical fight, but Mr. Campbell stopped that from happening.

In the end, as told by Miss Braxston, Miss Dean broke up with Mr. Campbell and left the apartment. They didn't speak for a month, until Henry apologised and they somehow rekindled their friendship. Miss Braxston then continued that she was worried about Miss Dean and was highly against them staying friends.

Lastly, Miss Braxston said that the real reason as to why she took the phone, was because she knew/was worried that the police wouldn't be able to solve the murder. She took it upon herself to take the phone and begin her own investigation, in which she actually did find some pretty important information that may help us in some way.

Here is what she found;

Miss Dean's best friend, Heidi Palmer, has an older brother. His name is Zavier Palmer. He was said to be pretty close to our victim, and from Miss Braxston's accounts, she said that it was known information that Zavier wanted to pursue Miss Dean in a relationship, but she turned him down.

Secondly, Miss Palmer has a boyfriend, Theo Watts, who lives with her in their apartment. Not much is known about Mr. Watts and his relationship with our victim, but we'll have to bring in Miss Palmer to ask her some follow-up questions.

Lastly, Miss Braxston found out that Miss Dean was friends with the college's main janitor, Joe (Joseph) Holland. Miss Braxston previously went around the campus and asked other students about Miss Dean and Mr. Holland, and all that knew her or was some sort of an acquaintance, said that they've seen Mr. Holland with Miss Dean on my occasions.

We did some further research, here are the three new Suspect description Forms;

And, yesterday afternoon, an anonymous caller called the station and reported that they were worried about their personal safety. They told us that they had been stalked by someone in the past, and when they saw the messages we sent to the press, they were worried that they would be killed for surviving their stalker's advancements. When asking if they would come in to make an actual report, they continued to say that they were too scared to come forward before hanging up.

We tried to trace the call, only to find that it was at an old phone booth a couple miles out from the college. Who knew phone booths were still a thing.

Overall, we are still working on getting that warrant for Miss Braxston's and Miss Wells's dorm room.

What do you think of this, fellow Detectives? What should we do next? 🤔

-----------

@micheleamidalajedi @eatmyshortsz666 @justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms @doctoriletyougotogalaxy @marinette-the-clarinet @howlermonkey69

Scratched out means Tumblr won't let me tag you.

[zahroreadsthings]

2022 Read #1 - The Ghost of Raven Hill by Emily Rodda

Teen Power Inc renaissance starts NOW. I have the vaguest memories of reading these books in primary school over 15 years ago and they're so different from Rodda's other works. I'm glad I got invited to the tpi discord so this could be kicked off properly.

As a good rule of thumb Roddas protagonists are generally 6-7 years older than their intended audience and the ages of the protagonists arent specified so this book is likely intended for 7-12 year olds. That being said it feels much more juvenile than a lot of Rodda's later stuff - not necessarily a bad thing but the book did very much end with Liz listing how everyone's skills helped them solve the mystery. Still, it's a solid mystery with Rodda's signature plot twists and fun characters.

General thoughts:

Very strange imo that the book is titled after the B plot (Pearl's whole deal, a situation Liz was more or less alone in) but it's more eye catching than whatever you might pull from the A plot (delivering letters for the Pen and saving it from closure).

Cannot believe Rodda fed us insurance fraud, arson and kids escaping a fire, and attempted murder, along with about fifteen other things.

Love that Elmo is described as the shy and kind of lonely kid who really blooms when he's around the Pen's office.

I wish typing was still a marketable skill :(

It's so funny when everyone's surprised at how unintentionally observant Richelle is considering she drops her little nuggets all the time. And the little detail that says whenever Richelle's on board with something everyone else will fall in line is so funny and not exploited nearly enough.

Are ghosts canon in the tpi universe or nah

Snippets I bookmarked under the cut:

'And say we'll do anything,' I said.

Tom raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth.

'Within reason,' I added quickly. I could see he was going to say something stupid like what about lion taming or drug smuggling.

This is just like. Very funny considering what they get roped into later. Anyway.

I racked my brain for interesting jobs. 'You and Sunny and I can type, so there's that.'

I know I say this all the time but like GENUINELY almost moved to tears.

'Anyway, Teen Power's got at least one job. I'll ring Tom and tell him. You do Nick and Richelle.'

'Oh, no,' Sunny objected. 'Think I'm crazy?'

So in the end we decided to wait till the next day and tell them together. About the job. And the five a.m. start. That way Sunny'd be able to hold Nick down so he couldn't strangle me, and with her free hand she could catch Richelle when she fainted.

Just obsessed with this in general lol

'Psst!' the hiss made us jump out of our skins. With a creak, a door in the wood-panelled wall opened and Elmo's curly head peeped out. He beckoned. 'In here,'' he breathed. 'Quietly.'

Elmo is so cute he's sooooo cute. Little guy with curly red hair who's so quiet all the time pokes his head out of a cupboard to say hello people I barely know would you like to eavesdrop.

Richelle being casually observant compilation:

'[...] I mean, we aren't going to get any other jobs for a while, are we?'

'Why not?' I demanded.

'Well, because - you know - the phone number,' said Richelle, eyeing me in surprise.

We all stared at her. She started back.

'What do you mean, Richelle?' asked Sunny patiently.

'The number in our ad. There's only one, and it's been printed wrongly,' said Richelle. 'Didn't you know? I saw it when I was at the bus stop. Sam and I rang the number from McDonald's. It's a laundromat. Well, they're not going to take messages for us, are they?'

//

'You've got the collar of her shirt wrong,' she said critically. 'The knot was much looser than that.'

[wondereads]

Personal Review (01/30/22)

Westside by W. M. Akers

Why am I reviewing this book?

I'll be honest, I was expecting this book to be sort of mediocre. I bought it on a whim around a year ago because it wasn't available in the library, and I've been avoiding it. I was pleasantly surprised.

Plot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Manhattan has been split into the normal Eastside and technology-rejecting, people-disappearing, and oddly magical Westside for over seven years. Gilda Carr, daughter of a disgraced NYPD detective, solves tiny mysteries on the Westside. When she takes on a case to find a missing glove, it leads to a conspiracy that could end the Westside as she knows it.

Despite this being a fantasy book, the worldbuilding was done fairly quickly and the plot picked up by the end of the second chapter. This might have had something to do with the fact that no one in this book knows how the Westside works, but we'll put that aside for a moment. Within fifty pages, a pier is blown up, a man is murdered, and Gilda is already in far over her head.

The plot is overall well planned out with many loose ends coming together at the end. I only had a couple complaints. There were a few moments in the middle that felt a little out of place, like the characters lost momentum for a moment, and I wish the logistics of Westside had been explained.

Characters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I was worried about Gilda at first. She came off very much like a cookie-cutter "strong" female character in the beginning, and I always have my hesitations when it comes to women written by men. However, she was gradually given more depth as the story progressed, and by the time the climax rolled around I was wholeheartedly invested in her.

The side characters were also amazingly well done, such as Cherub, Hellida, and even Gilda's dead father, Virgil Carr. Even the characters I hated (Thorne) were still well-written. The host of characters on the Westside gave life to the story and pulled it away from what could have very easily been a typical, grim-dark setting. Every character also ended up playing a part, whether that be for the plot or Gilda's motivations.

Writing Style 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Despite being a fairly short book, it did drag in some places. I know some people prefer shorter chapters, but these ones are hefty, coming out to fifteen to twenty pages each. The pacing is a little off, too fast in some places before grinding to a halt, but it's not too bad, especially considering that this is Akers' first novel.

The descriptions were good, and there was a general air of unseen history to the whole story if that makes any sense. The tone was almost as though Gilda were telling the story because nobody else would, which makes sense in context.

Meaning 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This one gave me some worries, especially when it was revealed that Gilda's father was a cop known for beating people up. I was really worried that there'd be a glorification of police life, but that wasn't it at all. Instead, there was a surprisingly poignant message about the inherent immorality of the structure of law enforcement and how it encourages the pursuit of power over the wellbeing of the general populace. It was not where I was expecting it to go, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Overall 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I'm glad I finally gave this book a shot. For a fantasy book, it pulls you in rather quickly, and I adored the characters. Gilda is the focus, but even the members of the barely-there ensemble were very individualistic. The pacing is a little wonky, but it doesn't have as much impact when the book is less than 300 pages. This is an amazing historical fantasy with lots of heart that I would definitely recommend.

The Author

The Reviewer

My name is Wonderose; I try to post a review every two weeks, sometimes once a week, usually over vacations. I take recommendations! Check out my about me post for more!

[maxortecho]

Thing #3 - Last one, I swear...

This is one based on pure speculation, and maybe we'll get answers as soon as next week, but what are your thoughts on who's ultimately going to be in the coffin?

The visions we've seen so far cancel out Isobel, Max, Alex, and (I believe) Rosa. The assumption is because we're seeing the visions from what appears to be Maria's perspective, she's fine too. That leaves Kyle, Liz, and Michael. My money is mostly on Kyle:

Story wise, Kyle is involved in most everyone's storyline this season, so his presence touches all their lives. He's a constant for everyone, someone they all rely on, and someone I could see them all coming together to save. There's been some established friendship-like interactions with him and Isobel both this season and last, he's been tentatively reestablishing his friendship with Alex, and he and Max have a contentious, but mutually respective relationship.

Based on the reactions of the people we've seen in the visions, Isobel looks the most visibly upset, Max is a little choked up but looks to potentially be about to give a eulogy without breaking down, and Alex is upset, but maybe moreso about them covering up a murder than who's in the coffin - All reactions that to me fit within the established relationships Kyle has with all three of those people. Plus, I imagine if it were Liz in the coffin, Max wouldn't be holding it together quite so well, and same for Alex if it was Michael.

My answer is still the same it’s been all hiatus and so far this season: Liz.

Not that there’s a lot of evidence supporting my theory; it’s just the story I want to see and what I would find most exciting to watch (that is, Liz preventing/solving her own murder mystery). So I’m sticking with that as my way of willing it into reality 😂

Max’s reaction (upset/teary, but not sobbing) isn’t enough for me to rule Liz out either. There’s any number of ways a person can act in that situation, and the podium isn’t usually the peak grieving moment. I’ve given a very calm 10 minute eulogy then cracked in the last 20 seconds. So I feel like the Max we saw could suit a reaction to a range of characters (Liz, Michael, Jones—that last one being more for the existential crisis of it all).

Anyway as to the rest of your ask:

Ok part of me actually likes the idea of it being Kyle (obviously he doesn’t actually die, they manage to save him here 😂), just because he’s been there so much for everyone, that it would be nice to see them all coming together for him.

I’ve seen people rule out Michael because of Alex’s reaction in the vision, that he’s too angry instead of upset—but tbh I think that could be a completely in character reaction from Alex. I could see Alex detaching himself and focusing on anger and logistics, and hiding his feelings from those around him.

Then there’s also the argument that Maria’s visions are abstract, which I see some validity to, and would also make everyone fair game in that case 😂

But yeah. Still sticking with Liz, for now.

[salvatoreschool]

Legacies Boss Breaks Down That Major Vardemus Twist

We've known something hinky was going on with Professor Vardemus (Alexis Denisof) since Legacies first introduced him earlier this season, but we never considered he was as duplicitous as he turned out to be! The final moments of Thursday's episode revealed that without his special little ring on, we can see Vardemus for who he really is: Ryan Clarke (Nick Fink)!

As usual, getting one answer to a Legacies mystery has left us with about a thousand more questions. Is this act all an elaborate plan to kill Hope (Danielle Rose Russell)? Does his loyalty truly lie with his father? Why is he so adamant about pushing Josie to use dark magic? And for the love of God, was chowing down on that Shunka really necessary?

TV Guide spoke to Legacies' executive producer Brett Matthews to get answers to some of those questions as well as some insight into Josie's discovery of Landon's song for Hope.

How excited were you to do a Legacies decade dance, since it was such a staple of The Vampire Diaries?

Brett Matthews: Very excited obviously. Having written on The Vampire Diaries for so many years, that was very well-trod ground, but I always wanted to do the '80s. We tried. The only time we did the '80s on The Vampire Dairies we never saw the party, we saw the aftermath, so it was really fun to revisit it and do it right. Any time we bring in things from the old show, as someone who's worked on both, it really tickles me. It just makes me nostalgic in the same way that I'm nostalgic for the '80s having grown up in them... It's the songs, it's the movies. As [executive producer] Julie [Plec] may have rightfully pointed out, we may have leaned too heavily into the movie costumes in the episode, but for Thomas Brandon, who is my brilliant co-writer on this episode, that's just where we're from. And those movies meant so much to what we do for a living, so that's why the episode skews that way. It's also the video games, it's the music... It's a little bit of it all.

To be clear, has Professor Vardemus been Clarke this whole time?

Matthews: He has. You have never met the actual Vardemus.

What can you say about his motives for taking on this identity and especially for pushing Josie (Kaylee Bryant) toward dark magic?

Matthews: God, he probably has a plan! I think he has a plan he's working on. When last we saw Clarke, at the end of the season premiere, he was in the Void and he was angry and he was reaching out to kind of make a deal with his dad to destroy Hope Mikaelson. So he has found a very inventive way to get close to her, and we will learn a lot more about Clarke and his motivations and exactly what his powers [are] and his deal is in the coming episodes for sure. We really liked that move for him. You will definitely get more of Vardemus, who's become this very favorite character because we love the way Alexis portrays him and we love the way Nick Fink plays Clarke. So it was really fun. It was a fun way to hide somebody in plain sight.

We did get to see some humanity in Clarke in the premiere, so will we continue to toe that line of whether he's good or bad or somewhere in the middle?

Matthews: I think so. Clarke, on some level, is a pretty murderous villain obviously, but I think the difference in Season 1 and Season 2 — and I think Julie and I had to figure this out about him along with Nick and the team — is he's harder to understand in Season 1. He services a lot of plot in Season 1 and he's got some great reveals, but I think the minute we latch onto the fact that he's not just some guy who works at Triad ... the minute he's a kid who has a bad relationship with his dad, everything about the character clicks. It's a kid who doesn't feel like his dad loves him, and that's who that character is. The minute we figure that out, I think we are very excited about who Clarke is. Never good enough for his dad, I think what that does to a person, that's why you're feeling more humanity in him this year. That will remain a part of his character, as will his treachery, and the question will be what wins out in the end?

Was Josie finding that song Landon (Aria Shahghasemi) wrote about Hope in Penelope's journal the first clue that Hope was someone they've all forgotten?

Matthews: She can't remember Hope, so she cannot intellectually access those memories, but it does leave her with massive suspicions and a big question to solve. Obviously as we head into Episode 6 the following week she will be on that trail. Excitingly enough, that trail may even take her to New Orleans.

How do those doubts about her relationship with Landon and Landon's with Hope affect her emotionally moving forward?

Matthews: She's just got to figure out what it all means. I think on some deep, emotional level she feels it's obviously not good. I think her relationship with Landon this season has been real, and she needs to and will do everything she can to get to the bottom of it, starting at the top of next episode, and we'll see how that plays out for her.

Is Sebastian (Thomas Doherty) really as awful as he came off in this episode, or is there more to that story?

Matthews: Oh, there's something more to his story. He's just a vampire from a different time. Julie and I always say he's a vampire from the other show, and that's the reality. Sebastian and Damon Salvatore probably would have had a beer and a good time together, but the world has changed so much in the small space of time between the two shows. A Gothic Romance vampire is not such a happy fit into the current landscape and the current show. Our kids are so different, so he is an outlier for that reason. But to him, he is just a vampire who is doing his job and being true to his nature. But he's going to go on quite a journey, and you'll certainly learn a lot more about Sebastian, where he comes from, and why he feels the way he does in the coming episodes.

Thomas Doherty told us Sebastian's attachment to Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) has something to do with a woman in his past, so what details can you share about that?

Matthews: It's true. The name of the following episode is ["That's Nothing I Had to Remember"] and so you will learn more about Sebastian... and you will learn more about the person Lizzie so specifically reminds him of.

Given that the dark magic blast let Lizzie remember Hope, how feasible is that option when it comes to helping others remember her?

Matthews: I think that's a good question. Obviously, if it happens to Lizzie, it can happen to other people because that's just how magic works on our show. The question is will they put those pieces together? How will it play out? I think the question also is, should they? Is the world better, is it not? The awful situation you're in as a viewer is Hope coming back will make some people's lives instantly better and it will make some people's lives instantly worse. So even if such a thing was an option, what do you do? That's definitely a question I hope we explore in the coming episodes.

We haven't forgotten about these cloaked figures lurking around Mystic Falls, so what, if anything, can you say about them and their agenda?

Matthews: They're pretty mysterious, right? They're obviously working on something and that something is obviously not good. We will certainly know more. The question we hope the audience is asking is who is under that robe, and why are they under that robe? ... The answer tickles Julie and I and all of the other writers. We hope when we get to that point the audience will feel the same. Certainly much more to come on that front.

Legacies airs Thursdays at 9/8c on The CW.

[vampire-himbos-of-santa-perdita]

Here's a fun question: I know you've got a vampire character, and time traveling immortals. Any chance we'll ever see werewolves in one of your stories? Mermaids, aliens, or any other fantasy creatures?

The way each of my novels have been going thus far, I like to think I’ll add a new fantasy creature in with each one. Regardless is the witch novel, Haunt Your Murderers is the zombie novel, Heaven’s Tiny Daggers is the demon novel, and god knows what Moonage is, but there’s some scary shit in those woods (Moonage really is the wildcard at this point, between Sargent the siren and Indie the cupid, it’s a mixed bag of anything goes)… Angels and vampires are kinda the common thread between all of them, being immortal and easy to insert into any plot. The dream when I actually get my novels off the ground is to do a paranormal murder mystery series featuring Millie and Ezra, just solving (or instigating, you never know with those two) crimes throughout the ages. So there’s ample opportunities for things to get weird in the creature department there.

I’ve been dying to add werewolves to the mix, but knew I couldn’t while the bad taste of Twilight was still in everyone’s mouths. But I think we’re finally out of the woods, as it were, and I can finally put vampires and werewolves in the same room together again… I do have plans for a pre-existing werewolf character, and it might be blatantly obvious which novel they might be in…………. 🤔

My angels are celestials, so I like to think of them as aliens. Thom certainly considers himself one, in any case. But he’s a bit of an oddball as it is. 😂

I’m not allowed to talk about it right now because jesus christ, Sophie, no… but I have plans for a Mina Harker & Irene Adler And Then There Were None-inspired murder mystery involving sea monsters. Also, a Titus Andronicus-inspired origin novel for my immortals (namely Ezra the vamp and Hellene the demon, who have both been around for yonks), which I’m sure will add some more primordial beings, whatever that looks like. I think I had designs for werewolves in that one for sure… But we’re not even close to there yet, so I don’t wanna dig too deeply into it.

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

Carlos & Alexa PenaVega on 'Picture Perfect Mysteries': Sam & Allie 'Butt Heads a Lot'

By Meredith Jacobs June 14, 2019

Alexa and Carlos PenaVega have gone from reuniting at a hotel at Christmas to working together on a cruise ship to solving a murder together on Hallmark.

Alexa plays the wedding photographer who begins her own investigation after a murder in her town to her real-life husband Carlos' detective who's assigned to the case, and as viewers have come to expect from these movies, they're not going to get along in the beginning.

TV Insider spoke with the PenaVegas about Picture Perfect Mysteries: Newlywed and Dead, crime-solving, and how their Hallmark characters would do if they switched movies.

Can you start with a preview of your characters and the murder mystery they're both trying to solve?

Alexa PenaVega: I play Allie Adams. She is a wedding photographer, and at her friend's wedding that she's shooting, there actually ends up being a murder. From there, she ends up meeting Mr. Detective Sam Acosta.

Carlos PenaVega: I wouldn't say he's uptight, he's just by the book. He's a New York City cop now living in a really small town, so he's got to get adjusted to the small town life.

Alexa: From there, she kind of gets in his way to try to solve who did this and who's guilty, but through all of her pictures from the wedding and the different information she receives, she's very much on board to figure out who did this.

What are Allie and Sam's first impressions of each other, and how do those impressions change throughout the movie?

Alexa: For Allie, a lot is happening at once. This is not something she is used to, especially [since] it was her friend's wedding, so I think she's just really overwhelmed. She's trying to make sense of it all, whereas Detective Sam is there to do his job. So I don't think they really thought of each other very much.

However, the more and more Allie gets involved with the logistics of the case, she starts to get in Sam's way. She starts to make some very valid points. She starts finding clues that he missed, and I don't think he likes that very much. He really feels like his toes are being stepped on, and she gets annoyed with him because he is so by-the-book that they butt heads a lot but it's fun to watch.

Carlos: Our relationship from the beginning is really cool because normally every Hallmark movie that we do, we're always falling in love right away, and this one is the complete opposite. They butt heads from the beginning, but then as the story continues, they slowly start to realize that they have a lot in common, but in this first movie, it's just not enough to get them to be like, "Oh, there's something there."

What makes each a good investigator and what do they admire and respect about the other's way of crime-solving?

Carlos: Sam's a great investigator because he is by-the-book, and the book may not be right, but there's a reason why people do things a certain way in life. It's because 90% of the time, it works, but I think he admires Allie's sense of freedom, being free and opening up her mind to different scenarios. I think he really needs that in his life, which is why he's open to, "Okay, cool, I'll let you help me."

Alexa: What makes her a good investigator is as a photographer, you really have to find special moments in the shot. It's not just what's in front of you. It's about everything that's in the surrounding area, finding unique things, and I think because she has that artistic eye, she's able to look at a murder scene in a very different way than somebody else would approach it. She looks at it from the eye of an artist, so I think it gives her almost like a super-vision in a weird way.

But between her and Acosta, it's not that he's a bad detective because I think she admires his work, it's that she wants him to think outside of the box a little bit more. For Allie, her brother is unfortunately one of the people who is a suspect at the wedding as the shooter, so she's doing everything she can to protect her brother and prove his innocence.

Can you talk about the other characters we'll meet in Allie and Sam's lives?

Carlos: Nick's my partner. Sam's never had a partner before, so it's, again, another new thing in this small town to have someone who he has to work with, and I think in the beginning, yes, he is very hesitant.

But there is something comforting knowing that you have this — Nick's quite a bit older than Sam, so it's like you've got this vet who's been around, and even though the young guy, Sam, thinks that he knows more, those old timers always know the ropes, so I think it's really fun to see. That dynamic is great, and then as they learn to work together, the banter and the connection between them, it's really fun to watch, which I'm super-excited for everyone to see.

Alexa: Allie's assistant, Noah, is awesome because he is [her] right-hand man. He's there to support her, help her out, and he's got so much humor and adds a lot of fun banter between the two of them. There's a lot of fun comedy, there are some serious moments, and I think people are really going to like it.

If there is another movie, what would you want to explore for your character or each other's character?

Alexa: Because Sam is new to this small town, I really feel like being able to watch Sam maybe open up a little bit more. We don't know a whole lot about him. We don't know what happened in New York, what made him leave New York, so I think there are a lot of unanswered questions that we all want to know the answer to about his life.

And the same thing with Allie. She had a bad relationship before; we don't know a lot about what happened there. I think with her, she is just growing in her business and becoming more confident.

And there is a moment in the movie where Sam tells her, "You should step out of your shell and do what it is that you want to do." Wedding photography was not something that she wanted to get into. She loves more of the artistic side of photography, and I'm curious to see if that develops more in future projects.

How do you think your Love at Sea or Enchanted Christmas characters would handle being in Picture Perfect Mysteries and vice versa?

Alexa: I feel like Love at Sea, we are such problem solvers in that movie that we would handle a mystery very, very well. Those characters worked so well together. They problem-solved. They made things happen. They were very creative. I think they'd be really good at it.

And Enchanted Christmas, I think that both would have probably a hard time solving a mystery, probably because there was already a lot of residual pain from different relationships, from the relationship that they had with one another.

And as far as putting Allie and Sam in those other two scenarios, it would be hilarious. Sam is just so uptight that I don't know how he would fare on a cruise ship or at a big dance recital, whereas Allie could probably go with the flow a little better than Sam could.

SOURCE:

https://www.tvinsider.com/786409/picture-perfect-mysteries-carlos-alexa-penavega/