#our intrepid detective

[jay-avian]

Last Line Tag (pt. 3?)

Thanks to @arctic-oceans for another tag! I've been posting quite a bit on Kraken's Bane, so let's take a break from that and share something from Our Intrepid Detective.

Rules: Post the last line you wrote (or last few if you wanna be extra like me lol) for any of your WIPS

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for Mass, young man?” I asked him. “Mass don’t start until 8, sir. I’ve got a bit o’ time for my duty. I already said the Angelus this mornin’, anyway.” “If you say so, kid.” I turn to the rest of the officers. “What’s the scoop, Evans?”

Softly tagging @lena-rambles @gummybugg @sabinabardot @faelanvance @writerain @writingwithfolklore (some of these are random writblrs I found cause I don't want to tag the same people over and over, unless y'all are okay with that, in which case, oops)

[wednesdayshadow]

I'm almost halfway through this and am absolutely loving it! George Rexstrew as Edwin and Jayden Revri as Charles are awesome. I'm totally invested in these stories and characters characters. Charles, Edwin, Crystal, Niko, and Jenny are our intrepid detectives and the stories and relationships are 100% @neil-gaiman . The Cat King( Lukas Gage)is my new personality obsession. WATCH IT!

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s1 episode 17 thoughts

i enjoyed this episode and was deeply excited for my nightly scully and mulder time. these two factors led to me taking a lot of notes tonight, even by my standards!

the first thing i wrote was "okay i read the synopsis... are they going to get CANCELLED" (thankfully this did not happen!)

the title screen reading "present day" did not predict me watching this in 2024 but i love to prove ppl wrong!!

the trucker pulled his shotgun out and fired at a spaceship which was a bold move. we need to praise him for his courage if nothing else.

then our intrepid heroes jump to tennessee!! and mulder unpacks all his little gadgets to check for aliens... aww it's endearing to me

in the interrogation room they were talking to the trucker and this man really WAS lounging about in a whorish manner like that famous post said!!!!! i was shocked!!! no decorum, not even at an interrogation!!

okay they're talking about "gulf war syndrome". i need to look something up real quick -> good lord i thought they made that up for the show but it's real and that is horrific. wow. that will be the next research rabbit hole i dive down.

(she opens her mouth to say something) (he holds his finger up) "not-not here" argument SUCCESSFULLY POSTPONED!

some background character asked scully for a pen and she gave it to her and i KNEW it was a sneaky trick... my guess was that she was going to use her fingerprints for something but in actuality it had a tracking device in there!!!!

THEY TOOK A BUS!!! new mode of transportation unlocked for our duo!!!!!!! you can tell this is fiction because it involves the US having functional public transport!!!!

mulder takes scully to his latest collection of freaks and conspirators. he says that barney is the world's most evil agent which once again raises the question: what did barney do to deserve all this?

one of the ufo nerds says "she's hot" right in front of scully which she graciously ignores. but then she says the us government is incompetent and the guy says "she IS hot" louder this time and mulder tells him to SETTLE DOWN!!!! he said that is my FRIEND and you will be RESPECTFUL!!!

(scully gives her $20 bill to a strange man) (he rips it up) she says, in the most indignant scully voice you have ever heard, heyyyy >:(

she says those guys were the weirdest people with the most outlandish theories she had ever met and mulder responds with "you think it's remotely plausible that someone might think you're hot?"

(A STUNNED SILENCE FILLS THE ROOM. MANY WANT TO KNOW WHY HE SAID THIS AND NO ANSWERS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED. HELLO???? WHAT WAS THE LOGIC HERE???? is he flirting. is this is twisted humor. scully, once again, GRACIOUSLY says nothing)

she's all mad at how self important those guys were being- "they probably think they're being tracked wherever they go!" (cut to tracking device in pen reveal) oh these silly geese!!!!!!!

mulder at home reveal!!! we haven't gotten much of this before. he promptly fell asleep on his couch lmao what a guy.

a deep throat return!!! he hands mulder a package from under his coat like they do in all the good spy media!!! shoutout to that weird old man!!

scully thinks it's weird that mulder is trusting some guy and says a line that will certainly haunt me forever: "mulder, you're the only one i trust" "then you're gonna have to trust me" (immediately proceeds to get betrayed by trusting that guy. lol. lmao, even)

he says they'll meet up at her place and reassures her with a shoulder grab and lean in that was entirely unnecessary but it brought me great pleasure

scully uses her sleuthing skills (eyeballs) to realize the alien photo deep throat gave them is very fake. she is a detective!!! but he is very angry that she won't go with him to chase this new lead!

(wait i wrote all of this next part down i loved it so much)

"i have never met anyone so passionate and dedicated to a belief as you. it's so intense, sometimes it's blinding. but there are others who are watching you, who know what i know, and whereas i can respect and admire your passion, they will use it against you. mulder, the truth is out there, but so are lies." <- banger monologue that really pissed off the man it was directed towards (even though she said she admires him!!!!!!)

when he realizes the photo is indeed a fake, he menacingly leans in towards scully and says "we're alone on this one. there's no one we can trust" and yeah it was scary but i was looking at scully's freckles. sorry (it WILL happen again)

mulder meets deep throat in an aquarium!!!! need to see him in an aquarium for recreational purposes. get him a little shark keychain in the gift shop.

but now he's MAD at deep throat for lying to him and denying the world the truth: that aliens exist! shh keep your voice down you might scare the sharks!!

deep throat says "a lie is most convincingly hidden between two truths" to which i wrote, "ooo good line"

deep throat knows mulder is being listened to electronically which made me think that if i knew i was being wiretapped, i would blast the most insufferable hyperpop i know over and over again. hello welcome to the 10 hour 100 gecs livestream in my living room, feds. i give you 20 minutes tops before you give up.

(cutscene to mulder ripping apart all of his furniture in his apartment) <- me when i get that Cleaning Urge at 3 am

ohhh the little finger hand signal means someone is listening to us !!! the intimacy of being able to communicate with someone with just a motion!

scully hails a cab which is so nostalgic for me, because i have never hailed a cab in my life and only see it happen in tv shows or movies. now we just call an uber which is like kinda the same thing but taxis popped off with the bright yellow design. sad i've never experienced that.

sometimes while i'm watching the show it will randomly go to like vhs level quality and it did that here while scully was buying a plane ticket lol

next thing i wrote was "there are only 15 minutes left they are NOT gonna solve this one boys"

mulder fell asleep in the car with his mouth wide open... that is my cringefail loser princess

the alien got away! (jk it was a trap... but i was momentarily happy for the alien)

scully was scared by this turn of events! "god mulder, i can't stop shaking"... oh, an episode 1 parallel?? (she still gets scared by these things!!! just not often!!! which makes it more impactful when it happens!!)

then they crashed a random party in the woods which i can only imagine is very good for your health, especially if its a ufo welcoming party

they very briefly got aliases to break into the government facility and i LOVE a good alias but it didn't really go anywhere. sad!

a guard is stalking them breaking into a place they Should Not Be and scully gives up and turns herself in, but mulder makes a break for it!!! "oh this isn't gonna end well," i wrote, "why does he keep doing this?"

but we meet DEEP THROAT at the scene!!! who reveals that post ww2 there was an ULTRA SECRET WORLD POWER conference during which they agreed to kill any aliens that landed on earth and that HE was one of the 3 people on earth to kill an alien!! which he did when one crashed in vietnam...

and that the innocence on the alien's face still haunts him, which is why he helps mulder out, to give him a chance to atone for his sins... a LOT to unpack there

mulder says he is trying to figure out which of these things he said is a lie and my money is on the super-secret conference. you think people had nukes but drew the lines at aliens being a safety threat to bring them all together? bffr.

but there is no resolution as to if mulder is mad at scully for throwing them under the bus as the episode ends! they just watch deep throat fade into the distance together which hopefully means it's water under the bridge.

overall i really liked this episode! it was fast-paced, involved a roadtrip, had the leads both fighting and comforting each other, confessions of admiration, secret hand signals, an aquarium, a peek into mulder's living space, him calling up some weird guys he knows... what more could you really want?

[halevren]

FHJY Spoilers || my live thoughts as I watch episode 6

I had to pause Taskmaster NZ for this. Did you guys know that the episodes are on YouTube for FREE?!?!?!?!!?!!

Love the intro as usual, Sarah Barrios goes so hard

HELLO ONE AND ALL!!!!!!!

Hiii intrepid heroes!

AYDA AGUEFORT PLEASE COME BACK I MISS YOU

I wonder if adaine will get a new job this episode

rest in peace Conor Counterspell

I forgot how much happened last episode

"Buttered to perfection"

IT'S ALWAYS HAPPY HOUR AT APPLEBEE'S

RAGHHHHHHHHH

SHE OWES OODLE OF STOODLE?!!??!? SHE LOST HER JOB AND SHE HAS TO PAY THEM?

MILK WITH VODKA...??

"I don't do this to you" I can tell this will be a giggly episode

OH NO. OH NO. THE HELIO RAT GRINDER CLERIC. OH NO

"It's filled with water!"

SPIKED MILK

"Who's a bad baby?" FABIAN I LOVE YOU

CAN YOU FILL THIS RED SOLO CUP WITH BAD BABY MILK

"I'm self sabotaging" I feel you Kristen. I feel you.

"I know in my heart that in his final moments he must have repented and gone—" "No.... No..."

"You should go to hell sometime"

ANOTHER SHRIMP JUMP

HELL HOUND FORM ART OH MY GOD LOOK AT HANGMAN!!!!!

"Smells good"

"Whatever you didn't like about your old self, you feel like, oh, it's present in this kid who is also drinking water out of a beer can." Brennan why must you be so good at pulling heartstrings

Double Kristen 🔥🔥

MOLMAN HOLDEN

SOIL CLUB

AVIATION CLUB

We got like 18 votes 🔥🔥

With disadvantage? oh no.

omg ivy has the same accent as garthy

"Your family is from Fallinel" her mom is gone and she killed her they can't help pay for the diamond

"Hot dragonborn is about to know your shit"

oh adaine... I understand you so well

Adaine and Fabian duo is so under appreciated I need more of them

"Everyone can suck a nut, fuck off"

There is so much sexual tension between Gorgug and Ragh rn

"If you push me too hard, I'm going to shit"

CARBO LOAD ON MILK?

"I think I ate some glass— there was vodka in it???" Oh Ragh my beloved....

Riz rambling is so real

Oh Ragh I love you, you're trying so hard to help I love you you are perfect

LYDIA'S MESSAGE BACK I LOVE HER

CRUSTACEAN NATION

ohhhh Fabian.....

The High 5 Heroes...

OISIN AND IVY... ARE THEY PART OF THE RAT GRINDERS????

"It's not the library, you can't rip the pages out!"

This is a very duo episode. Fig / Kristen, Fabian / Adaine, Gorgug / Riz

I'm starting to think Kristen is trying to be the president of the steelworker union at this rate

FETTY WAP AT HOMECOMING

"I'm gonna be kick flipping the system"

Fantasy High Senior Year main objective is going to be getting Fetty Wap to homecoming

"It's gonna be weird to not be you. I feel home here."

ohhh Emily what are you strategizing rn

oh no.. I think Ivy noticed her change

Fabian is struggling rn

ADAINE, PARTY WIZARD!!!!!!

"I can impersonate the dead when I want"

So much destruction of Fabian's property this episode

ivy isn't very nice. don't go for our girl mazey

THE ICE MUFFETS

oh is Brennan about to make Fabian choose between Ivy and Mazey? I swear to GOD

oh no..... Fabian.....

Mazey being straight laced (?) But still being the absolute life of the party is so good

"(Murph Sobs)"

Fuck the record labels

"Just trying to decide if I want to be bard any more..." OH?

Rough day for Fabian. So rough.

Murph rollin' better.

At least none of them actually did drugs. Just. The bad baby milk. What is the drinking age of Spyre? I don't know

Bad Kids Apicology Arc

OHHHH I LOVE GERTIE THAT'S SO CUTE THE BEE

oh no Fabian vs Gertie

actually it's more like Fabian vs everyone

NEW NEMESIS DETECTED???? OH MY GOD

Riz panic is so real, them getting kicked out of school would be awful

Tracker and Kristen call...........

oh no....

"I'm gonna be President, bitch."

I relate to Kristen too much, this is painful for me to listen to because it's too real

"Maybe she had a shrimp allergy, you don't fuckin' know"

"I hope your new partner is really fucking hot." Oh Kristen

"Riz you're the only one who is honest with me"

OH THE POTENTIAL OVERLAP........

"Tough but fair. Have a great life" KRISTEN.....

Drunk texting Aelwyn.

I MISS AYDA.

Murph is going full investigator rn

The egg slurry

"Fuck!"

I was NOT expecting Fig to be the one to do a full class switch but honestly it's understandable

"We're having to destroy ourselves to pass these classes." As someone who was severely depressed in high school, I resonate with that statement a little too much.

I want to go to a Lydia lunch

"So what's up" Kristen's god is dead.

"took an orb to the chest"

Oh Lydia.... I want to hug her so tightly.

"God baby hospital"

Now I'm hungry for chicken parm

downtime

STRESS TOKENS?????

looks like next episode is dice rolling

[takaraphoenix]

I made a post about how Emily “my character is guarding this like a German Shepherd” Axford should get to play an actual German Shepherd in some kind of anthropomorphic setting before.

And now that I’m watching Neverafter, I absolutely need more of Zac “I’m a little kitty cat” Oyama playing some type of animal (doesn’t have to be a feline again).

So I’m here to propose to you:

A Lars-centric Mice and Murder spin-off with the Intrepid Heroes.

For one, because Lars is probably my most beloved Ally Beardsley character and I want to see them again, so that would be great.

For another, because Mice and Murder is one of my favorite Dimension 20 seasons - and not just for the chaotic energy of having the College Humor all-star cast play together, but also because I was the most sucked into the story. Brennan’s writing on the mystery was so great, out of all seasons, this was the one I had the hardest time to pause and just... go to bed, because I needed to know how it continued. So I’d love for Brennan to write another mystery and while that could totally happen in any kind of setting, it would be nice to see it under this familiar banner, but with a different set of characters.

Now, obviously, we’d be missing our sly fox. But he got married, so this could be happening during his and Daisy’s honeymoon, or I don’t know. Just, Lars stumbling into a mystery on their own and running into a different line-up of suspects and detectives.

And, thirdly, Lars, as a character, is very much what Emily always describes - a big, strong guard-dog, quite literally. I think there could be fun to be had in Lars getting a kind of rival in such a hypothetical Emily character.

[starshipblueberry]

Picture this, if you will:

The scene opens on a smug villain who has just murdered his wife’s sister. He has planned it all out to the last detail, and his considerable wealth has allowed him to pull it all off. No one will ever suspect him. He smiles. The scene fades.

The next morning the body is discovered. Police in uniform mill around, taking pictures and notes, one of them stepping around a disheveled figure in a tan raincoat.

Myka Columbo. She asks if there is coffee anywhere and does anyone have a match. She shrewdly questions the brother in law of the murder victim. There’s her man. Now. How to get him.

Lt. Columbo, there’s a call from your wife. She ambles off to find the phone, thrilled to hear that her wife is back from her trip back east to see old friends.

***

The days pass. Myka’s hair is uncombed. She’s done nothing but drink coffee and eat Twizlers for the last 24 hours. But finally she claps her hand to her forehead. She’s got it. Or part of it.

The villain owns a chain of bookstores. One of the stores is hosting an author reading. The signs on the front glass door announce that HG Fletcher is reading from her latest murder mystery.

HG Fletcher is introduced to Lt Columbo by the villain. Myka will not be distracted, but takes this moment to hold Helena’s hand for a beat longer than appropriate, all while gushing about how much her wife loves Helena’s stories. Helena, to her credit, only smiles graciously and pats Myka’s hand, a twinkle in her brown eyes.

You had some questions, for me, detective, the villain says. Oh yes of course, how silly of me. There’s just one thing I don’t understand…

HB Fletcher cannot resist a murder. She can see that Myka knows more than she is letting on, and sees a way to be useful. A simple offhand comment, a turn to go… Mrs. Fletcher, just a moment, Myka says, can you say that again?

Our story unfolds in the usual way. Our intrepid author and her new detective friend unravel the villain’s iron clad alibi, catch him in the act of disposing of this or that incriminating evidence.

It’s been a pleasure, Mrs. Fletcher.

Indeed it has, Myka.

They linger for a just a moment, before hugging goodbye. A sly smile plays on Myka’s lips. She shakes her head, lights her cigar, and heads for her car.

She pulls into her driveway, the lights already on at home. She parks in the garage and comes in through the back door. Her wife is seated at the dining table. There is no dinner to be seen, and very little table. It is instead covered in papers, the typewriter tap tap taping away.

Helena pushed her glasses off her nose and onto her forehead. She winks at Myka, who grins back and says, hey honey I’m home.

[angelleplaytoonbeary]

My little bears 💜🧸

I'm super happy that you love the comic I made :D. So, you may be wondering, who is that mysterious bear that Pete gave the mission to take down the detectives? Well, I present Teri appearing in this movie ^^

Some sketches I drew ^^

She is a simple but daring lassie who will form an alliance with the detective quartet. You see, she has had that dream since she was a child, so she would do anything to achieve it. So here comes the problem :c

Despite everything, this little bear came from the bad side :0 She is actually a spy who was hired by Pete to spy on the detectives and analyze every move they will make, so with Pete they plan to lead them into a trap without them suspecting a bit a little. And apparently Teri isn't happy with her job.

In all their crazy adventures, our intrepid boys along with Teri will join forces to stop the evil Pete and his minions. Even though Teri is an ally/enemy, she will be friends with the team, well, maybe just maybe until Pete reveals his plan with her in front of the guys D:

🎵 Very good ^^ I know that Teri is a Disney character created by me, and that she is not canonical like many other characters. But I still have a lot of love for this little bear, and I thought she would look good as a character in this great Disney movie. So I want to give her a good development, to maybe be well known one day hehehe 🎵

💜 Okey dokey, That's all folks!!! I hope you like it ^^ 💜

Creator of the movie idea: @skullse-mi

I hope you don't mind this idea of ​​mine hehe

[chaosandcrimson]

LOCATION: Jones and Jones Investigations FOR: Starla Cohen ( @sparepcrts )

Karma didn't often come into the offices. For one, she was often asleep during their office hours due to her other job taking place during the nighttime, and most of the work that she did for this job took place behind a computer. However, today she had opted to come bother her brother with lunch, and figured she might as well swing by Starla's desk with the research she'd asked for. "Got a special delivery for one of our most intrepid detectives," she greeted with a wide smile. "Got your tablet?" It had taken some convincing, but she had finally managed to drag her dad kicking and screaming into the 22nd century, with their entire office now running on a custom-made OS.

[audiofictionuk]

New Fiction Podcasts - 11th April 2/2

Natural Six Audio RPG Welcome to the Dungeons & Dragons actual play adventures in Reliquiae! https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240402-01 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/natural-six

Out of reach Audio Drama After 3 months in space, Mark and his team lose comms with ground control. The audio diary entry gives us an insight to what happened up there. All 9 astronauts on the ISS V2 for 20 years. Their lives unfold watching the whole world be buried under violence. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240330-03 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f43a6e30/podcast/rss

Crisis Level: Green Audio RPG A group of federal agents learn that the world isn't quite as black and white as they thought it was. There are definitely some shades of green as well. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240403-01 RSS: https://feeds.captivate.fm/crisislevelgreen/

Pulp Panic - A Fiasco Anthology Audio RPG Pulp Panic is a Fiasco actual play podcast, an Anthology of deception, debauchery, and desperation. Pulp Panic is not for the faint of heart and any content warnings can be found in our description. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240403-02 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/pulp-panic

The Escapades of Action Jones Audio Drama Welcome to "The Escapades of Action Jones", an uproarious scripted comedy podcast that takes you on a hilarious journey back to a time when Dick always meant Richard and nickels only cost 5 </em>cents! Join our intrepid duo, world-renowned private dick, Action Jones (voiced by Scott Norman) and his trusty sidekick,  Junior Detective Tommy (voiced by Mason Heidger), as they embark on daring escapades across the globe. In this thrilling first series of "The Escapades of Action Jones", the titular private dick Action Jones is hired by ex-lover (and constant thorn in his side) The Dame in the Purple Skirt, to track down her sister who went missing on a trip to Italy. This leads Action and his Junior Detective Tommy down a wet path of murder, mystery, and high-octane gondola chases in search of the mysterious gondola guru himself...  the villainous Donald Golario aka Dash Backslash. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240405-01 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f3cc7c18/podcast/rss

Rise and Fall of Gods Audio RPG A Quest actual play following Philomena and Foster as they get called on an unexpected adventure that will show them more truths than they expected, fighting for the future of their home alongside some friends they pick up on their long journey. The world was once nearly destroyed by a war between the gods. Thousands of years later, the world has been reclaimed by the people who survived with the help of the few gods who remain. Now darkness threatens the land, and history is on the verge of repeating itself. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240405-02 RSS: https://feeds.redcircle.com/8a7a7e06-5630-4142-8b46-dc4c60eadeea

Bring to Heel Audio Drama Bring to Heel is an audio drama that explores the shifting nature of morality and how justification is often dictated by perspective. BtH on morally grey characters in a world where there is no definite right and wrong. Our scene is set in Scrinn, the fantasy setting of a world where gods and magic have long since abandoned the once mystical lands. Scrinn is both a god and the world itself, an entity that extends to embody everything it has spawned. The empress oversees her ever-shifting plot through the empire of Seviscia, and she claims the throne once held by those magicks. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240113-02 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f0a80c8c/podcast/rss

Anonymous Lover Audio Drama In the trenches of the culture war, two aspiring podcasters from Southern California explore the intersection of Q-Anon and yacht rock, where they become immersed in a dangerous quest to find an elusive pop singer. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240401-02 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2335684.rss

Roses Audio Book Steve Buchanan was a private investigator. His life changed one night three years ago, throwing him into an unknown, dangerous world. Now he is telling his story.

https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240317-01 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f38a1094/podcast/rss

The Pact and Boon: A D&D 5e Actual Play Show Audio RPG A D&D 5e Actual Play Podcast set in the high fantasy world of Calignos. A world where the Gods play with the lives of mortals and magic abounds. The story begins with our heroes being prisoners in Hell. Join Dungeon Master Jake Packham from The Dungeon Mastermind Podcast and players Justin Lewis, Tanner Weyland and Cayden Ottley from the podcast How to Be a Better DM as they explore the various pacts and boons in the world of Calignos. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240404-01 RSS: https://feeds.captivate.fm/pact-and-boon/

Eva Luna Audio Drama Eva (Blanca Soto) es una bella mujer de fuerte carácter que trabaja en las plantaciones de manzanas del Sur de California, sin embargo su padre Ismael (Eduardo Ibarrola); quien trabaja junto a ella se entera que tiene una enfermedad terminal por lo que decide viajar a los Ángeles a visitar a la madre de Eva y de su hija menor Alicia (Sofía Lama) para que cuando el falte se haga cargo de sus hijas. Días antes de su viaje, su tía Matilde (Sonia Noemí) ve en las cartas que a su sobrina la espera un futuro oscuro, un hombre que la hará conocer “el cielo y el infierno”. Ese hombre se llama Daniel Villanueva (Guy Ecker), y es el viudo más cotizado de Los Ángeles. Exitoso en los negocios y en el amor, las mujeres enloquecen por él. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240402-03 RSS: https://feeds.simplecast.com/SMiHJLgz

Safe Society Audio Drama An 11-part tale of mass psychosis in an all-too-familiar world. In this satire/psycho-thriller/horror, an influential woke entrepreneur develops an irrational OCD, making him easily manipulated to absurd and terrifying policy extremes by a fearmongering lobbying organization. Will he wake up before it's too late? https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240404-02 RSS: https://feeds.redcircle.com/042f954c-4c6f-481a-875b-35ae36c1e580

The Heartless Knaves Audio Book The Heartless Knaves is a new dark fantasy audiobook podcast featuring clever heists, gory scraps, sad bits, saucy bits, murderous nuns, talking donkeys, and an 8-year-old boy king who won’t take no for an answer. Set in a twisted version of the English Renaissance, the story hinges on the macabre adventures of assassins Silkin and Rooks, who may be dead, their hearts stolen by the church, their severed heads mounted on the royal battlements, but there’s no rest for the wicked... Blending black humour and squishy violence with a whip-smart plot and a cast of loveable rogues, the first book, The Pale Princess, is a bit like a haunted roller coaster: fundamentally unsafe, shuddering in the wind, and threatening to come off the rails as it gathers pace. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240407-01 RSS: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/the-heartless-knaves

Booker & Olivia Audio Drama Two idealistic young college graduates journey to the Deep South and work together to  found one of the legendary HBCUs. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240406-01 RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2346545.rss

Outbroken Anthology | Zombie Stories Audio Book From the outbreak's genesis to fifty years in, Outbroken covers it all. Each episode sets you in the middle of someone's life in the reality of the zombie apocalypse. From heart wrenching to heart warming, see what it's like to live it for real. https://audiofiction.co.uk/show.php?id=20240330-04 RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/f4365624/podcast/rss

[jay-avian]

When you want to write a detective mystery novel but remember you should actually plan the crime first

[raiquen]

Book Review: The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Gaston Leroux

My favorite quote of the book:

"... He declared that he admired the cautious doubt with which certain people (me) approached the most simple problems from afar, not daring to say: this is like this, or this isn't like that, so that their intellects arrived to the same results as if nature had forgotten to put some gray matter in their skulls."

My Full Review:

One of the most famous closed-room mysteries out there, "The Mystery of the Yellow Room" is a captivating novel from french author Gaston Leroux that feels fresh despite being more than a century old.

The driving force of the novel and the most powerful magnet of the reader's attentions is our "detective" in the story, Joseph Boutabille, local reporter: a competitive boy, his charm has no rival and his self-confidence results admirable rather than annoying, buying himself the trust of any potential witness of the impossible crime of Mathilde Stangerson.

The crime itself is fascinating, and the author gives all the clues and tools to the reader to solve it by themselves, since the conclussions Boutabille draws are not really out of thin air, even when there are some hidden "mechanisms" in his mind that he later reveals during the trial of the main suspect.

But since the mystery it's actually two-fold, the author takes the same route as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in "The Valley of Fear": there's an impossible-to-know-or-suspect backstory of some of the characters that complete the puzzle and explains their odd behavior, which cheats the reader from dechypering the rest of the mystery completely by themselves.

Regarding the style, given it's the narration from the point of view of Sainclair, lawyer and friend of the young reporter, it has a careful prose and rich vocabulary, which doesn't prevent the author from highlighting even more the intrepid spirit and resourceful mindset of the young Boitabille, who compensates his more proactive and sometimes premature attitude with a fierce adherence to logic and reason.

A lovely novel and a captivating mystery.

My Other 2024 Readings.

[luckylunatix]

So I had this idea a while back for a sort of Scooby Doo parody/homage thing where our group of intrepid freelance mystery-solvers were a bunch of gothy witches who often took down the spooky bad guys by scaring them back, and while I still liked that idea, I felt like it could've used more work. An idea recently came for me to change up the usual dynamic of the gang; instead of being some humans and their non-human pet/mascot, they would instead all be anthro animals. So I cut their pet mascot and furry-fied the humans.

The first of the gang is Karl Frankenkong (she/they/he), a monkey who's been rendered a patchwork zombie after multiple disastrous experiments. They're an occult expert and amateur mad scientist.

Then there's Bella Vampirez-Komori (she/her), a literal vampire bat with a love of fashion and music. She's the best at trickery, espionage, and pragmatism.

Finally there's Lazlo Katz (he/him), a ghostly cat who loves old horror and noir movies and is eccentric even by this clique's standards. Despite arguably being the creepiest, he is also the most easily frightened.

Together they are the Mystery Monster Menagerie.

Their adventures would be like Scooby Doo, but with more horror infused (especially taking cues from old gothic horror, cheesy b-movies and classic slashers) and even a bit of noir-style detective flavor.

[judasrpc]

PALIA SENTENCE STARTERS

based on the mmorpg 'palia' developed by singularity 6. add context & change gendered language to your needs !! if multi, please specify which muse(s) !!

Welcome to the general store, pal.

[…] so I guess I should say: welcome to the livin'!

Come back when you get some cash, we'll take care of your needs.

The more you spend, the more you get back. Trust me. That's just how the world works.

What can I do for you?

Make the most out of each day, my friend.

Here I was thinking you'd be too busy setting up to say 'hello'. How goes it?

Are you new in town, or just passing through?

There's something about you that just brightens up my day.

I have a good feeling about today.

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get sleepy.

So, I think it's safe to say my job is about to get A LOT more interesting.

Are you off on an adventure?

Today is a great day for adventure! Well… any day is a great day for adventure. But today is especially good.

What ails you, my four-legged friend?

You've got a surprise for me?

I wish I knew what you were saying…

Well, if it isn't another friend I haven't met yet!

Hey there! The day treating you alright?

I don't know it [name] was laughing with me or at me, but either way, I appreciate the chuckle.

Tonight, I'm feeling exuberant, with a bit of nostalgic ennui mixed in.

I don't need your company… but it would certainly be appreciated.

Relaxed… I envy you. I don't think I've ever felt relaxation.

It pleases me to see your thirst for knowledge is so difficult to quench.

Back again, are we?

Your mischief and wit know no bounds, neither does your desire for knowledge.

Even the most cunning hunter needs a helping hand once in a while. You hear me? If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask.

You showed up just in time.

I like you and all, kid, but there ain't nobody who can stop me from bein' me.

So, how are you feeling? I am sure this is quite a lot to take in.

Keep that positivity, and you'll overcome any troubles the world offers you.

I was just settling in for my evening meditation. Care to join me?

Name's [name], but you can call me trouble.

I see that look on your face. Up to no good, aren't ya?

Let me guess: You were just dying to see me.

Just so y'know, our doors are always open for ya.

So nice to talk to someone who wants to listen… between you and me, with the kids, it's always in one ear and out the other.

There's nothin' like the feelin' of a job well done.

Some people think it’s boring all the way out here… But I like it.

It is way too early… or did I stay up too late?

You might want to stand back. I’m working on my latest invention, and I’m not entirely sure this thing is stable.

You look as though you have something you’d like to ask.

I chose to keep them around for mostly sentimental reasons.

These daily chats of ours bring me much peace. Please continue to come by, I would miss it if they stopped.

I’m also good at lifting heavy stuff, if you need anything heavy lifted!

You lost? That's okay, I get lost sometimes too.

Oh… sorry I didn’t see you there. I was just a bit distracted. Seems to happen to me a lot…

I am just an intrepid explorer of the supernatural, a detective of the unseen divine, a pioneer of pervasive thought…

I am glad you are still able to experience joy after everything you’ve gone through.

Hello, hello! You have caught me at just the right time.

All it’s taught me so far is how to die of boredom. So stop by again later and keep me entertained, ok?

Are you just going to stand there staring at me, or did you have something to say?

Sometimes I forget how interesting the world is. Like, I’m pretty sure I saw a gnarly looking beetle over there!

Aren’t we feeling bold today?

Oh, good. Someone to talk to who DOESN’T give me a splitting headache.

This had better be important…

I was so caught off guard, I realized I forgot to introduce myself or explain why I'm here.

Why don't you come back when my head's spinning just a little less?

It's good to see you again! I always look forward to seeing your face. But you know, like a normal amount.

It is… good to see you. Why was that so hard to say?

Perhaps you should learn to become more comfortable with solitude yourself.

Oh no, I know that look.

I'm presently ruminating on the darkness of the soul.

I do fear where my thoughts might go if I linger here alone too long…

Unfortunately, I returned with many new ideas and no new direction.

Beyond that, you shall have to answer the question of "what you are" for yourself. As do we all.

You were bound to return one day… why not today?

For now, I enjoy basking in the presence of others.

Hmm… What should I make for dinner tonight…?

You’re talkin’ to me?

Been makin’ a name for yourself lately. Every time I go into town, someone’s singin’ your praises.

[theresawritesstuff]

42, "I came alone."

Lenny opened the door to his dressing room expecting Jo-Jo or Alan, or the club manager, or some intrepid fan hoping for an autograph.

Instead, he found Midge's mother standing on the other side.

"Good evening, Leonard," she greeted primly, as if it were perfectly normal for her to be there. Like they'd run into each other at the deli counter or something.

"Hi." He blinked, suddenly very aware of the residual stage sweat along his brow. "Rose, wasn't it?"

"That's right."

Lenny glanced down the hall, but found it empty.

"Did…Midge bring you? Or are you and Abe out on–"

"No. I came alone," she informed him. "I wanted to talk to you."

"To me?" He couldn't help the surprise on his face.

"Yes." Rose nodded and he suddenly saw exactly where Midge got hers from. 

She waited a moment for him to process before asking "May I come in? This floor is quite sticky."

Lenny stepped aside dumbly, letting her into his dressing room and closing the door behind them despite the apprehensive feeling growing in his gut.

"Um...Did you catch my set?" he asked, attempting a casual conversation.

"Some of it," she replied, giving him nothing more.

"Right." Lenny exhaled, leaning casually against the counter. "So to what do I owe the pleasure, Mrs. Weissman?"

"I've been… doing a little personal detective work. Mainly for my own edification. And there's one question I keep coming back to that I believe only you can answer," she replied, perching herself cautiously on the edge of the dressing room couch.

He smirked, intrigued. "Is that right?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Lay it on me," he prompted, wiping his brow with a towelette.

"How long have you been in love with my daughter?"

Lenny stared, speechless, and a little spooked.

He'd spent no more than five minutes with this woman in total. How could she possibly know he…

"I'm sorry, wh–"

"I've been piecing it together for some time now. Miriam no longer confides in me about her love life, but I have been able to discern that she hasn't been serious about a man since her sudden break up with Benjamin. That is… except for you."

"I–"

Rose held up a hand. "I'm not here to threaten you. We both know you're more than capable of making a quick exit of your own volition."

Lenny looked down at his shoes.

"I'm not proud of how I handled myself that morning. Or leading up to it."

"It must have been a jarring experience," Rose replied mercifully, "waking up to such an intimate look into her life. And to being offered blintzes no less."

Lenny smirked sheepishly at her attempt to tease him and lighten the mood.

"You weren't expecting it," she continued. "You're used to meeting her on your own terms, in your own element. Like at a club, or a bar across town. Or on tour in Miami."

Lenny looked up at her again, dumbfounded.

"Like I said, I've been piecing some things together. Susie's assistant Dinah has been very helpful," Rose admitted. "Miriam doesn't talk about her career with us much. And we haven't exactly encouraged her to. Which is probably a mistake on our part but…"

She let out a sigh. "The one person from that world she does talk about in any capacity, other than Susie, is you. She won't say when you've been together or share anything truly personal about your relationship, whatever that may be. But I still know my daughter enough to know when someone means a great deal to her. And when she's been heartbroken."

Rose stood, steadying a soft, weary gaze on him. "You've been there for my daughter from the start of this…odd adventure of hers. More so than her own family. You've lent her your aid unselfishly. Bolstered her courage and I suspect…been one of the few people willing to be at odds with her in order to get her set back on track. Something happened between you two when you played Carnegie last month. I don't need to know what. All I know is it would benefit you both to resolve it. She's got a…gig. That's what you call them, right? Gigs?"

Lenny nodded.

"Yes, well, she's got one tomorrow, at this address." She slipped a piece of paper from her purse onto the counter as she made her way to leave. "I know she'd want you to be there."

Lenny watched her as she stepped towards the door until her hand was on the knob.

"You never let me answer your question," he informed her.

Rose turned back, waiting for his reply.

Lenny pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pocket, considering it carefully between his fingers. 

"Do you remember the flowers I sent?"

She nodded quietly. "It was a lovely arrangement."

He shrugged. "Midge is a lovely woman. In a number of ways. Far more than a guy like me ever deserves."

Rose studied him carefully as he lit his cigarette, taking a long drag. 

"That's the thing you young people always get so hung up on, isn't it."

Lenny smirked. "I'm not that young."

"Then you should know relationships are never built on being deserving of another. Love is a gift, Leonard. Not a prize. And even if it were…you've already won hers."

He looked up at her then as Rose gave him a tired smile only a mother could give. 

"She…"

"Yes." Rose nodded. "So stop being such a drama queen and decide what you're going to fucking do about it."

And with that, she walked out, leaving him with only the sound of her heels on the sticky floor and his own thoughts to consider.

[sibylsleaves]

We have been putting our detective hats on in the discord and we're pretty sure there's either a promotion(s) happening or a commendation ceremony. Possibly the Intrepid Helicopter Crew getting commended (would account for Lou being in this scene) OR Bobby/Hen being promoted.

that definitely makes the most sense!!! I think it's likely something Bobby-related given what we know about him getting a bigger storyline in the back half of the season. Hen would also make sense since her entire family is attending. I figure Tommy could just be there as Buck's date lol but yeah maybe something to do with all of them! I would love to see them get more story out of the fall-out of the helicopter rescue like that one post about them becoming poster children for the LAFD and the current chief's ambitions.

[trashquisitor-shirozora]

Full-on disclaimer for anyone who's never seen the disclaimers on my Star Wars fics - I never saw ROTS (I've tried, I've fucking tried, but retaining knowledge of TPM and AOTC to understand ROTS is impossible when my mind just wanders the fuck away during every attempt at a marathon PT watch), I only saw a handful of TCW episodes to study Satine and Mandalore, I never saw Rebels, I haven't seen TOTJ, and my non-OT/ST/Mandoverse/Andorverse/Kenobi/TBOBF/Solo knowledge comes from getting lost in the Wookeepedia, fandom osmosis, and several years playing SW Galaxy of Heroes.

The point is, I have half-baked knowledge and I am trying really hard and I can see the little kernels of interest and intrigue and "A ha! that's a Star Wars!" and my concluding thought for the 3rd episode of Ahsoka is, "FUCK YEAH, SPACE WHALES!!!"

Can someone just.... please explain the fuck to me what Dave is doing here with Ahsoka and Sabine? I don't know if it's the "Sabine thinks the best way to honor and also find Ezra is to become like him" or the whole "everyone has the Force Actually but you need talent, training, and some other fucking thing that sounds exactly like all the times I've been scolded for not trying hard enough thanks to my ADHD brain so that's fucking cool" bit. I don't know if it's that interview press tour thingy where Daisy told Domhnall that even Hux has the Force! Everyone has the Force! The Force is in all of us! We can all become the Jedi! I don't know if it's George's original idea that everyone can use the Force but not everyone does that eventually got changed to "a certain number of midichlorians in your blood gets you into the Jedi Temple". Or is it the whole "the Force is female" campaign? Is it Disney saying, "You can be a Jedi, too!" Are we Spider-man-ing the Jedi? Is that's what's going on? What the fuck is going on? Someone please tell me how we got from "the Force is in all living things and some people are able to sense and use the Force" to "the Force is in all living things and also everyone is capable of sensing and using the Force with the right amount of discipline and training and desire/'can do' attitude" because it feels like I'm being lied to. I'm being fucking bamboozled about what I know about Star Wars.

I don't even know what to say about the spacesuit. Just a lot of hysterical laughter maybe. Cool idea and I bet the concept designs were real fun but still. Hysterical laughter.

Slap some green hair on a kiddo and call him half-Twi'lek. OKAY THEN. Brilliant character design y'all got going. I guess you'd rather invest in the Volume than practical FX and makeup and shit?????

You know that feeling where you have all these thoughts and feelings and WORDS at the tip of your tongue but you lack the vocabulary or the fucking memory to hold that vocabulary and use it well? That's what I'm experiencing after watching Hera argue poorly with Mon and the Senators (they just formed the band and it's not going well, or so they say). This characterizing of bureaucracy, politicians, government is useless, clunky, stubborn, foolish, naive, soft, obstinate for no reason other than to hinder the rogueish hero, is such a tired, cheap trope. Haven't we learned enough from American copaganda shows? Haven't we learned from watching our hero cops and detectives bending and breaking rules to catch the bad guys while the Internal Affairs people are antagonists, rule-abiding busybodies who don't see that they're only getting in the way of our intrepid heroes catching the real bad guys?! Politics is messy and it is complicated and it is hard and it does have people who did sit on the sidelines during the war but to villainize them just because they didn't fight in the war, they didn't lose friends and family and Kanan, they won't give our general what she wants? Or do these senators already have history in the GFFA that I would've already known if I already watched some other TV shows or read the 'pedia religiously?

I thought the first 2 seasons of the Mando Show explored the post-OT galaxy pretty well. I liked how Din and Greef called the New Republic "a joke" and insinuated that they were unreliable and can't be counted upon to protect little Outer Rim worlds like Nevarro from Imperial remnants. It gave the impression of a baby Republic that is trying hard but struggling and their patrols are stretched so thin because of Mon's decision to demilitarize the Republic, and that's why they're such a non-presence out here in the Outer Rim. That's why Carson went out of his way to recruit Cara. She's been out here, she's done shit, she knows shit, she knows the lay of the land, she can be the eyes and ears that Carson and the New Republic can't be. You can build so fucking much out of these little interactions and conversations... but Dave & Jon chose to make things easy for themselves by characterizing the New Republic as incompetent, feckless, nonsensible, cruel, decadent, apathetic, uncaring, utterly useless to our very active rogueish heroes. They fast-tracked the New Republic's downfall to make it so much easier to prop up our heroes, and for what? To remind us that in the end it all doesn't fucking matter because Starkiller Base blows it all up anyway?

At least, at least, make it look like our heroes fucking tried to rebuild the galaxy after the Empire fell. At least make the New Republic fumbling and earnest but ultimately weighed down by so many voices demanding that they be prioritized in the rebuilding. Mon's government inherited a really fucking bad situation but at least have them reach halfway to something that she and Leia can be proud of before the infighting started and political factions started ripping down all that hard-fought and hard-won progress. Talk about the fucking whiplash from the despair and hope of Andor to whatever the fuck Mandalorian Season 3 showed us and whatever the fuck Ahsoka is continuing to show us.

Anyway.

I get that having a droid sidekick is the Cool Star Wars Thing To Do, but should Huyang really be treated as a sidekick and an expodumper? He really fucking should have gone to Ossus with Luke but nah, leave that fucking loser to his own business ignoring Ahsoka and Hera trying to stop a new war that nobody believes is actually going to happen. I mean, if you really think about it, did Hera really sell anything to these senators? It seems to me that all they see is a general who has only known war and will only ever see war around every corner, in every nook and cranny, under every bed. Of course they're going to be fucking skeptical and of course they're going to question her request for even more resources to find Ezra and maybe stop Thrawn, and the fucking answer, Hera Syndulla, is to not question if these people ever fought in the Rebellion and shame them for the sacrifices they did not make. This is such fucking cheapsass writing and it really sucks all the fun out of the episode.

Speaking of fun, how about them space whales! Bring them back, Felony. I want space whales and I want space cats. Give me purrgils and lothcats all day, every day.

I can't stop thinking about Disney's decision to give Ahsoka a primetime slot. I can't stop thinking about why that show got a primetime slot and not any of the other ones. Is it the numbers? Are they trying to catch a particular kind of crowd? What are the numbers, Disney? Why won't you show us the numbers? Where the fuck are the numbers, Disney? What are you afraid of? What are you hiding? What won't you tell your writers and your actors, Disney? What aren't you saying?

Anyway, space whales rule and I got other goddamn shit to do like keep writing my own ideas on a post-OT galaxy through fic.

P.S. The way Ray just fucking oozes charisma even if he was only there for like 2 minutes. And Diana remains fantastic. I love her brand of villainy even if I'm still baffled by her being a human Witch. What the fuck.