#The millionaire detective edit

[amethystsoda]

a few of my recent favorite anime (part 2) 🫶

[tartagliove]

kambe daisuke ✧ season one, episode nine

where is shigemaru kambe? answer me! 

[aliensamba]

The Millionaire Detective: Balance - Unlimited

[inezrable]

Introduction Post

Hi! I'm Ezra, though I may have more names in future. Welcome! Here are some things i'm into:

OurGoodShadows

Doctor Who

Blackpool

Sherlock

BBC Ghosts

David Tennant and Michael Sheen

Takin' Over The Asylum

Queen/Freddie Mercury

Millionaires (the band)

Heathers

Bright Young Things

Yellowjackets

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

My fav Youtubers: Matt Rose, Izzzyzzz, Lily Simpson

My pronouns are he/they/star/xe/it

Edit: here is my pronouns page

And here is my ao3 go leave a nice comment for me over there (PLEASE. US AO3 AUTHORS ARE STARVIN' 'ERE)

Crowley ask blog @serpent-of-eden-666

Looking for good omens fanart ideas? @good-omens-art-prompts

Dni: radfems (terfs and trans inclusive) homophobes, racists, "MAPs" (pedos), zoophiles, transphobes, Trump voters, or just general dickheads. Rudeness is not tolerated on this blog.

But as long as you're not harming anyone, you are welcome to interact. If you are mean, I will block you.

My awesome sibling: @ferretinatoiletroll

[violetganache42]

Highlights from tonight's watch party filled with framing, whodunnits, and mystery galore (Sorry about your laptop problems and all our lag complaints, WriteBackAtYa):

"No":

Scrooge and the triplets making an appearance

Mortimer's voice

Mickey being a people pleaser

WriteBackAtYa commenting how we love saying our favorite characters' names whenever they appear onscreen

Me: "PLUS INTEREST?!"

"Duckman of Aquatraz":

Story Blossom: "Would've been awesome if Webby kissed a shark in the new series" spamtoon: "its okay because huey kissed a worm"

ACAB!!!

Even in the original series, Louie is always trying to talk his way out of shit

The idea of Glomgold walking into court blasting Queen's "We Are The Champions" in a similar vein as the "All I Do Is Win" scene

"WHY, BEAKLEY?!"

Duckburg's court and its judge fucking suck

"NOT THE PAINTING!"

Scrooge effortlessly defeating the prisoners in arm wrestling

MORE SCROOGE AND WEBBY MOMENTS 😭💖

Mad Dog being a mama's boy

This whole episode showcasing how prisoners are people too

melcat33: "Mad Dog was like 'this is my comfort millionaire'"

The Scrooge x Mad Dog ship setting sail

This episode also reminding us on why the legal system sucks

Glomgold taking the time to hang up a painting of Scrooge

"McMystery at McDuck McManor!":

Donald fleeing to his car like:

"Literally the oldest person he knows?"

The entire table read of this episode from Disney Channel Fan Fest 2018

Scrooge being a sulking Grumpy Gills. XD

DJ Daft Duck

Godfrey and I being on the same wavelength yet again (To quote Godfrey, "Insert 'Perception Check' by Tom Cardy")

Scrooge being SO against celebrating his birthday that he straight up lagged and froze the Discord stream (Dude, WTF?)

THE BUTLER DID IT

Mist Opportunity

"I hate this already."/"OH, YEAH. :)"/"You can't get that helmet off, can you?"/"OH, NO. :'("

Black Arts Beagle is best Beagle Boy

DT-87

The stream lagging on the part where Scrooge walks into a sliding glass door 😭 (I know it's because of WriteBackAtYa's laptop, but for the sake of levity, let's say it was Scrooge's doing again and he did it because that part fucking embarrasses him.)

Mark saying Glomgold sucks at the whole "trying to kill Scrooge" thing (Rare Mark Beaks W)

THE DUKE IS BACK

"Since when did I have to become the adult in the room? I'M NOT CUT OUT TO BE THE ADULT!"

Huey doing a Scrooge impression

"Don't kill me! I barely lived! #YOLO #FOMO #AHHH"

Duckworth's reaction to seeing the axe fall down to the floor

Duckworth and Beakley's beef with each other

"Clock Cleaners":

Snoozer male stork

Learning A New Hope was paired with "Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century" for its screenings

Realizing we were watching the edited version of the short where Donald says "Aw, nuts."

The return of Max's real mother

The Great Mouse Detective:

Me sharing which DT/DWD character would be who in a GMD-themed AU way before the movie started

Us getting excited at hearing Alan Young's voice

Cheerful music playing right after a sad moment (Hiram getting kidnapped) = Last Crash ending vibes

A new server emoji of Mark Beaks getting shot point blank for dabbing

Tokuvivor: "The world's smallest violin" Caroline: "Let me play you a song on the world's smallest violin" Me: "Basil, this is serious."

Learning Vincent Price is in this movie

Sharing a GMD Lorcana card during "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind"

"Flaversham."/"Whatever."

teleportzz: "literally every man in this is so gay so far" puffywuffy8904: "or are they just european" Story Blossom: "Or are they gay AND european?"

Basil's face when Toby sat on Olivia's command

OLIVIA SAYING UNCLE BASIL 😭💖

Hiram and Olivia reminding Puffy and I of Scrooge and Webby (I AM GETTING FUCKING EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT AS WE SPEAK.)

Ratigan upon learning Fidget's list is missing:

Basil x Dawson being the movie's equivalent of DWD91!Drakepad

Story Blossom pointing out how Miss Kitty is basically Goldie

The bar fight scene in a nutshell:

"There is no Queen of England."

Ratigan's royalty drip

WriteBackAtYa: "He's supreme like a taco from Taco Bell"

Basil trying to imprison Ratigan: "Officer, arrest that man!"

The entire Big Ben scene and how well the 2D and CGI animations blended together

Learning that the ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney and Pixar collaboration

According to melcat33, Basil not skipping leg day saved his life

puffywuffy8904: "and they were roomates" Me: "Oh, my God. They were roommates."

Ratigan's "Goodbye So Soon" diddy playing during the end credits

[unopenablebox]

terrible news for you all i've been kind of stressed out lately and as a result im back to reading about horse crime. so here's a quick review of every dick francis book ive read in the last 2 weeks. [edit actually this is only part 1 because i got tired after typing up four reviews.]

the edge - an extraordinarily wealthy man who doesn't use his wealth instead works as a Racecourse Detective solving horse crime. he goes double undercover first as himself, but Wealthily, and then immediately afterward as an actor pretending to be a waiter, in order to sneak onto a canadian horseracing millionaire murder mystery train and catch a blackmailer who takes people's horses. an excellent read that really delivers on its utterly deranged promises. plot not actually that suspenseful but i was having so much fun i didn't care. 5/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: classic dick francis woman type 1, "older woman with strong character", present as a couple of different people but not nearly as centrally or strongly drawn as usual. meanwhile type 2, "romantic interest", is much more believably career-oriented and on-page competent than usual, having possibly absorbed the older women archetypes' life force. flirtation not actually that interesting though. 3.5/5

straight - jockey's brother he barely knew dies and turns out to have been a genius jeweler with an unfathomable collection of whimsical gadgets. jockey inherits all of brother's worldly goods, which apparently include $1.5 million of secret diamonds no one's ever heard about previously and no one knows how to find. plot resolution vaguely disappointing if you think about it too much but very fun in the moment and i love the cast of the Jewelry World 4/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: strong-minded older woman is the love interest here; she's interesting and fun and has a weapon and i really enjoy how much the book completely endorses all the adultery she's doing. also we get an unusual young non-love-interest here in the person of the puzzle-loving jewelry business secretary who the protagonist helps to self-actualize and learn a new career. loved her. 5/5

hot money - jockey son reconciles with estranged father after possible assassination attempt, forcing him to also come into contact with his estranged stepsiblings and his father's several ex-wives. in the course of investigating all of them for murder he becomes much more engaged with and empathetic about their lives, and also almost gets exploded. good fun. i mostly really enjoy a) protagonist's mean bridge champion mother b) the father's instant adoption of his son's love of horses the second the concept of a horse is presented to him 3.5/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: lots of women, lots of them very interesting and with various sympathetic or unsympathetic things going on. i don't think this one had romance in it but if it did it was too boring to be remembered. various things about the ending make me waver on the rating but i'll settle on 4/5

the danger - professional kidnapping consultant realizes recent kidnappings are connected-- by a single thread. a horse thread. this one was kind of weirdly paced but i actually think it's some of the best suspense/action scenes from francis, partly because this guy has better reason than most dick francis protagonists to think it's a good idea for him to do any of the things he does. final plot contrivance leaving to climatic peril only slightly irritating. loses points for unconvincing Cop Shit which is not francis's strength. also for the romance, see below. 2/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: oh my fucking god uhhh sexual harrassment cw??? kind of???? he rescues a woman from two weeks of captivity with kidnappers, has to dress her because the kidnappers tranquilized her and took her clothes, notes that she looks fragile and physically adolescent even though she's an adult and later thinks about how hot she looked while unconscious and naked. then he follows her around a bunch because she's clearly emotionally dependent on him due to his status as a trained professional in kidnapping recovery, explicitly in a role that is a substitute for a psychiatrist, and it is in this capacity that he starts just suddenly kissing her and shit. the rest of his advice to her and the people around her as she recovers is quite empathetic and thoughtful but it's all kind of undermined by the fact that he thinks pursuing her romantically in this context is fine somehow???? aaaaaaaahhhhhh 0/5 fuck this book

ive actually read many more than this but we can call this post part 1 because it's too long

[ozuzo]

Here's a compilation of my Homestuck fics so far (for no reason):

Hive Arrest: Sollux is struggling silently. Aradia and Karkat come to his rescue. (arasolkat, pesterlogs, comic)

Roadtrip To Your Heart!: Dave and Karkat go on a roadtrip. (davekat, illustrations)

Peter Pan Runs: Typical dirkjake breakup... except not really. Tired of having his own shortcomings thrown back at him in the shape of endless orange text walls, Dirk goes radio silence. Maybe for once Jake will know what a prison of green feels like. (dirkjake, pesterlogs, illustrations)

Alas! For My Poor Heart: Jake works at a flower shop and Dirk is a tattoo artist at the tattoo parlor across the street... Need I say more? (ongoing, dirkjake, letters, illustration)

Coffee Jitters: Karkat, a shut in game tester, develops a routine of grabbing coffee at Starboons every morning. Which is funny because he doesn’t particularly enjoy coffee and he despises the pretentiousness of the barista that works there… or does he really? Meanwhile Eridan struggles to find love. (davekat, erisol, pesterlogs)

Two Striders And The Ghosts Of A Divergent Past: Dave and Dirk talk Bro Strider... Again. (Dave and Dirk, pesterlogs)

Symposium Of Love: Jake (grandpa) owns a messy little bookshop and Dirk (bro) is looking for a rare edition of The Symposium, by Plato. Through a bastardized (and possibly not very accurate) focal point on the ancient Greeks' philosophy of love, both men find themselves spending more and more time together. The line between seller and buyer gets blurred, which Dirk doesn't mind… Unlike Jake, who's still dealing with the baggage of a failed marriage and the realization that loving men isn't that much of a foreign concept to him. (ongoing, brograndpa, illustration)

Ghosts In The Machine: Detective Dirk Strider is assigned to a suicide case at Betty Crocker Robotics that turns out to be something much bigger involving sentient robots and a pool ball eyed supercomputer. Oh, and chief robot psychologist Dr. Jake English is also there…to stay. (I, Robot (2004), but make it Dirkjake!)(ongoing, dirkjake, illustration)

Ghost Touch: Jake misses Dirk so badly that he accidentally summons Brain Ghost Dirk. Will he muster up the courage to talk to the real deal and make things right? (dirkjake + BGD, illustration, pesterlogs)

Special Delivery!: Dirk is a fast food delivery guy in a small town. One day he meets eccentric millionaire extraordinaire Jake English and their lives slowly begin to change. (dirkjake, illustration, pesterlogs)

Soda Garden: Dirk and Jake start a garden and learn how to coexist in the process. (dirkjake, illustration)

Snippets Of Chitter-Chatter: Collection of (mostly) silly pesterlog requests (miscellaneous, Dave and Rose, pesterlogs)

Legendary Infinite Showers: All showers Dirk takes are—by definition—legendary and infinite. Sometimes a vanishing act from sheer loneliness, a quiet time or a single outburst of vulnerability and genuineness in his otherwise fabricated selfhood. A lot of times, moments to share with Jake, or—in his absence—to think about him. Here’s a glimpse of Dirk and Jake’s relationship through the ups and downs over the years. (dirkjake, illustrations)

Drop The Facade: Jake spends a sleepless night musing about everything that went wrong, but he unexpectedly finds comfort in the company of the sleeping boy beside him. (dirkjake, illustrations)

[chodzacaparodia]

Sorry in advance if it's too many xD

1, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 19, 25, 29 and 30 for the anime ask game ^^

Hii <3 That's okay, don't worry xD Thank you for the asks!

1. first anime you ever watched

The real first is Pokémon, but the first one that really got me into anime was Violet Evergarden and I really can't imagine a better start

8. anime character you are most like

Koushi Sugawara from Haikyuu!! He's practically me, he's my soulmate. We have similar characters (although he is more optimistic than me xd) and sense of humor. But also Anzu from Romantic Killer is also so me coded

9. favorite anime child

Anya from Spy x Family! I usually find child characters annoying, but Anya is the first one I've actually liked. She's really funny and tries hard

11. anime you didn’t expect to like but did

I answered that in this ask (ID: INVADED), but I will also give other anime: Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again. When I was browsing through seasonal anime, it didn't even catch my eye. But when they showed the first episode at one of the manga meetings, to my surprise I liked it and decided to watch the rest myself. Interesting anime; funny but also bittersweet.

12. anime that should get more attention from others

Romantic Killer!! I feel like there are almost no posts (fanarts are practically non-existent) about this anime, like it's been forgotten or just unknown. And this is really good!

15. anime you never get sick of watching

Yuri!!! On ice. Sometimes a woman just needs to get back to her gays the ice.

19. favorite anime ships

Ohhh this is a hard one

Shiguang from Link Click

Haikyuu!!: Sakuatsu, Kuroken, Daisuga, Oisuga, Bokuaka, Kagehina, Asanoya, Tsukkiyama…

Tokyo Revengers: Ryufuyu, Kazufuyu, Bajifuyu, Kazufuyu, Hanmafuyu (is there such a ship name??)

Blue Lock: Reonagi/Nagireo, Hiorin, Kunigiri, Bachisagi, Barounagi, Bachirin

My Hero Academia: Tododeku, Shindeku. Kamijirou, EraserMic, Dabihawks

Fruits Basket: Kyoru, Rinharu

Jujutsu Kaisen: Itafushi, Sukufushi, Inuokko, Nobamaki, Chosoyuki, Satosugu

Bungou Stray Dogs: Ranpoe, Shin Soukoku, Soukoku, Suegiku

Wind Breaker: Suosaku, Suonire, Kiryusuo

Free!!: Makoharu, Reigisa, Sourin

One Piece: Zosan, Acesan

Chainsaw Man: Akiangel

Hunter x Hunter: Leopika, Killugon

Moriarty the Patriot: Sherliam

Heaven Official's Blessing: Hualian, Fengqing

Attack on Titan: Eruri

SK8: Renga, Matchablossom

Yuri!!! On ice: Victuuri, Otayuri

The Millionaire Detective: Balance Unlimited: Daiharu

Wotakoi: Narumi/Hirotaka, Kabakura/Koyanagi

25. anime you would recommend to someone who hates anime

Something from Makoto Shinkai. Your name, Weathering with you or Suzume. Even someone who hates anime would appreciate the beauty of these movies and the amazing music

Or, as was my case, Violet Evergarden.

29. anime that deserves another season

I also answered that in this ask (Romantic Killer; this anime is SO good and really deserves another season!!) but I can also give another title.

Sometimes I randomly remember about Blue Period and I'm like "Hey, where is the second season?" As far as I know, the manga is still being created, so there is still a lot of material for the anime and I have to admit that Blue Period is something.

30. one anime conclusion you would change

I'm torn between Tokyo Revengers and My Hero Academia. The first one was a bit disappointing because it was way too happy enging. As much as it sounds, someone could have stayed dead or on bad terms with other characters. And with My Hero Academia, I didn't feel satisfied at all with the career Midoryia chose. I've read too many Vigilante Deku fanfics to believe he didn't try to work as a hero.

Edit: Shit, these were mangas, not anime xD My mistake So Banana Fish. Because OH COME ONNNN. It could have ended differently, happier.

Thanks again and have a nice day! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

Anime asks

[nvrcmplt]

「 … get to know me meme ! … 」 ─

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER !

「 … favorite colors … 」 ─

Reds, Black, Purple, Gold atm.

「 … favorite flavors … 」 ─

Spicy, Sweet and chocolate milk.

「 … favorite genres … 」 ─

Isekai, system, regression/reincarnation plots these days. Action / Adventure over Harems or anything like that, I do love a good world building plot that just gets me going man.

「 … favorite music … 」 ─

Aaaaaaaah this is hard cause like, I love all types of music these days. Anything that really gets me involved emotionally or into a my imagination train of thought. Can be from classical music, to opera, to RnB, to salsa or tango beats, sometimes I love just slapping on a tiktok edits playlist for whatever mood, the quick changes of song really speaks with how my multi ocs trigger at whatever moment - always a different genre for a different muse. sometimes I have no lyrics, just ambience if i'm setting a scene in a threat or just a ASMV - anime story music video? GOD TIER, in getting me writing wants flowing. so damn good.

「 … favorite movies … 」 ─

I don't really have maaaaaaany? studio ghibili's are always a go-to though cause it's just such a chill fckin' time. pokemon 2000 / mewtwo stricks back for the nostalgia, matrix, inception, AKIRA, GHOST IN THE SHELL, etc.

「 … favorite series … 」 ─

Natsume Yuujinchou - will ALWAYS come and rewatch this. YURU CAMP, Slime, Takashi is Listless - slice of life animes honestly, love them so damn much.

「 … last song … 」 ─

DPR IAN - Scaredy Cat RN lmao

「 … last series … 」 ─

Think is was The Millionaire Detective and Silver Spoon I recently rewatched all the way through.

「 … last movie … 」 ─

Uhmmmmmm - Stranger by the Shore, I think.

「 … currently reading … 」 ─

Heavens Official Blessing and Solo Leveling Novel.

「 … currently watching … 」 ─

Solo Leveling, 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy!, Mr. Villain's Day Off, The Apothecary Diaries, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES Season 2, My Instant Death Ability is Overpowered, Shangri-La Frontier

「 … currently working on … 」 ─

Inbox and Drafted Threads - though slowly, kek.

「 … tagged by… 」 ─ @astarab1aze ♥♥♥ my secrets exposed, kyaaa ~

「 … tagging … 」 ─ @bclasaeg @caemthe @ardenssolis @vulpesse @waveringiridescence @satyrisms @thoubelovedblood @asinusxdomi @deadfire @muu-kun

[multimerc]

Mobile Friendly Mun Page

edited 08/24/24

  – mutated by Rowan Formerly known as Itty Bitty or Lavi !! Once again I am not using my real name, but you can refer to me as Rowan, Rowanberryor Rowaniism now! I’m 25+ and I don’t feel comfortable rping with minors sometimes.

(mun icons credit) It’s been a good long while since I was on tumblr for the rp blog scene. After a big really immature (on my part) blowout with a friend group I just couldn’t bring myself to touch it. But I’m back and hopefully a lot more mature. Interests:

jun mochizuki, k project, fullmetal alchemist, marvel, the world ends with you, final fantasy, one piece ( …still reading it ), jujutsu kaisen ( watched, but also still reading… ), vtubers, hoyoverse games ( but currently boycotting playing ), trigun, the magnus archives, night vale, singing, voice-acting, gaming, writing, pokemon, legend of zelda, god of war, dragon age, elder scrolls, millionaire detective balance unlimited, etc

etc…

[astralis01]

Star’s matchup event

Hello, thought as the season of festivals draws near, I’ll open up matchups. So...

Matchups are officially open!

However, since it's my first time doing so, let's make it a little fun, shall we?

First, send an ask stating the fandom you want and preferred gender to be matched up with. Add in some details about you, your hobbies, your studies, your appeareance and anything you think might help me to better match you up. Edit: It should be a short ask, be concise!

Second, you get a matchup or you can either get: (you can specify which one

A little drabble (slice of life)

A short playlist

A little story on how you met

Fandoms I’ll write for: 1. Anime Ouran Highschool Host Club, JJK, BNHA, Haikyuu!, SK8, Moriarty the Patriot, Prince of Stride, Yowamushi Pedal, Free!!, Horimiya, Blue Lock, Oshi no Ko, BSD, Spy X Family, Classroom of the Elite, Wotakoi, Romantic Killer, Idolish 7, Millionaire Detective

2. Games Obey Me, Nightbringer, Tears of Themis, Genshin Impact

3. Real life One piece live action, Supernatural

4. Manwha Isekai ones, please ask before you request

[amethystsoda]

 TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER!

(thanks for the tag @milkpowderbun!!!)

* favourite colour(s): pink, blue, and purple! (but I love all colors in different measures)

* favourite flavour(s): sweet!!!! taro and ube flavor, sweet green tea/matcha, brown sugar, vanilla, honey, all the warm sweet notes.

* favourite genre(s): science fiction, fantasy, adventure. Anything with a strong story, deep exploration of relationships/characters, and a satisfying ending (doesn't have to be happy necessarily, but it has to make sense)

* favourite music: indie/alternative and electronic!! (If I list individual we will be here a while)

* favourite movie(s): The Fifth Element, Belle (Studio Chizu), Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Ex Machina, Kiki's Delivery Service, What We Do in the Shadows, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Blade Runner, Little Shop of Horrors, Knives Out, Austenland, Dan in Real Life, Last Holiday, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Pacific Rim, Promare, Howl's Moving Castle, Jennifer's Body

* favourite series: Bee and Puppycat + Lazy in Space, Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, The Owl House, Star vs the Forces of Evil, The Sandman, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun 98, Mob Psycho 100, Space Patrol Luluco, Jujutsu Kaisen, Bob's Burgers, Tuca and Bertie, The Millionaire Detective: Balance Unlimited, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Zombie Land Saga, Spy x Family, Space Dandy, Blue Period, The Case Study of Vanitas, Kekkai Sensen, FMA: Brotherhood (and probably more I'm forgetting)

* last song: (I think the intro poem would be really cool to use for a Vash edit!)

* last movie: Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust with my bestie Jenna last night!!

* currently reading: Delicious in Dungeon (Dunmeshi) volume 9, TriMax, and Dorohedoro

* currently watching: Aggretsuko season 5

* currently working on: figuring out a chibi/cute art style so I can make pins/stickers/badges!

Tagging: @dongiovannaswife @lostinthe-jojos @wurm-food @lela-ri @giogio-gucci-gangstar @mapesandoval @shaylistic @leefi @tonitart @eruhatesu @bonesandsunflowers @meownotgood @ctrlwave @sluggybunny @strawberrystepmom @shirohyorin @rozentias @pensivespecter and anyone else who wants to join!

[nightwalker6200]

Thought this was a second more intense season of Yuri on Ice. Like Yuri of Ice: Fury Edition or Hot Ice. Then realized this was Millionaire Detective: Unlimited and Yuri on Ice

☆ SAME ENERGY ☆

[peskyfirefly]

[ TAGS ]

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the guy she was interested in wasn’t a guy at all

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the millionaire detective balance: unlimited

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[note: not a comprehensive list. all posts on my blog are tagged. if you’re looking for something in particular, feel free to send an ask!]

[manonamora-if-reviews]

Artful Deceit, by James O'Reilly and Dian Mills O'Reilly

============= Links

Play the game (IFComp) See other reviews of the game

============= Synopsis

Three weeks ago, you received an envelope. It had been pushed under your office door and was marked in ornate script with the words, “Of Greatest Urgency.” Intrigued, you grabbed your trusty sword-shaped letter opener from a cluttered desk drawer and tore into it. Inside, you found the kind of letter that is basically an urban legend in your line of work. Richard Hawthorne, millionaire art magnate, was retaining your services to investigate a murder. One that had not yet happened. His own. Included was a huge check and a set of security codes to access both the gates of his private community and the back door of his residence, 34 Hush Lane, in the event of his death. Your assignment: if anything were to happen to him, investigate immediately and determine for certain whether it was due to natural or nefarious causes.

============= Other Info

Artful Deceit was made in a custom engine, to be run on a C64 platform, submitted to the 2023 Edition of the IFComp. You will need a C64 machine or C64 emulator (like VICE) to run. The game includes additional documents, a manual, and game items (pdfs). The external walkthrough bundle includes hints, maps, and a walkthrough with additional notes.

Status: Completed Genre: Murder Mystery

CW: -/ murder, duh

============= Playthrough

Played: 10-Oct-2023 Playtime: about 2h (game crashed) Rating: - [IFComp vote] Thoughts: If I can't have you, no one can...

============= Review

Artful Deceit is an old school parser, made for the Commodore 64 machine (or a C64 emulator), where you are a detective hired to solve a murder, one the victim had been expecting. As the game has specific commands, reading the manual is highly recommended before starting the game.

I managed to find some clues on my own, before using the walkthrough. The game crashed* about 2/3rd through the game. *not sure if it was because of the emulator or the game itself.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to parsers, and my frame of reference on what is or should be in an old-school parser rest essentially on what other people say about certain games. There are old-school and old-school parsers... like the ones who will only run on 8-bit machines that haven't been around since the 90s. This was the first time I dared to try out a game like this.

Even with an emulator, this was honestly an experience just loading the game and faffing about. There's something quite charming about those retro-style games (even the cluckiness of it or the loading of the command added to it), a style you can emulate visually with the likes of Adventuron nowadays. But it feels different with games like this one - sort of keeping some traditional alive in a way.

Aside from the novelty of it all, which was quite a lot for me, the game itself is a corny who-dunnit murder mystery, with a bit of a cliché revelation (but in a good way, it fits the vibe). There are some neat puzzles with hinting items close by, the ANALYZE mechanic was fun (I did send the other detective on wild goose-chases...), and I was glad to find I didn't need to read some of the clues on the tiny screen. But it wasn't too long or too large, it was just enough to solve the mystery, and seemed large enough to not feel unsatisfied.

But old-parsers also means frustrating commands, especially when trying to interact with some elements (you need to type out the adjectives, all of them) or conversing with the suspects (I barely managed to get a response from them). It's not always quite clear when an item can be open or not (like that painting) or why you have to take some objects to read them (but that might be an old-parser thing). But the thing that frustrated me the most was the maze-like environment, especially in the manor. There are so many empty rooms where there is nothing to do... It was a bit disorienting at times. Even if the map helped a bit, I still think there were too many rooms...

I'm not against trying other games like this one in the future (hopefully they don't crash on me...). This was fun and new!

[aycons]

─ 𖥻 𝖪𝖺𝗍𝗈 𝖧𝖺𝗋𝗎.

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