#theme: whodunit

[misireads]

Män som hatar kvinnor (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) by Stieg Larsson

[ audiobook, listened in finnish ]

an investigative journalist and the head of a magazine named millennium is convicted of publishing a fradulent article defaming some billionaire guy and decides to step down from his position. he's then hired by an elderly former CEO of a powerful family enterprise to travel to some tiny ass town in the middle of nowhere to investigate what happened to this old man's great niece who disappeared 40 years ago. mikael the journalist accepts the assignment, not expecting to find anything new at this point, but is drawn in deep into the vanger family's troubling history and broken relationships with each other. his research is eventually joined by a very weird young woman named lisbeth who turns out to be one hell of a hacker, and together they not only solve the lost niece's case but also reveal how that billionaire that mikael originally wrote about is even shadier than expected.

➕ this is really three stories in one: the story of mikael and millennium and the wennerström guy he wrote the article about; the story of the vanger family and the mystery of harriet's disappearance; and the story of lisbeth, her past and present, a total deep dive into what made her the kind of person she now is and how she operates. and i looove that, i really enjoy layered storytelling. when you go in, you don't know what to expect and there's the intrigue about mikael's sentencing, then you're thrown a curveball about this really complicated family, all while lisbeth's story kinda plays in the background seemingly unrelated. this captured my attention wholly and completely.

➕ i adore lisbeth's character. she's implied to be neurodivergent, a total bad bitch who doesn't take shit from anyone, defies all expectations, is independent and resourceful despite nobody having any faith in her. she gets back at her tormentors in the most satisfying way.

➕ the vanger family deserves its own plus point because i just love stories about weird families with internal conflict and tons of skeletons in the closet and the protag has to kind of dig it all out because nobody is willing to speak but it's obvious there's something very wrong about these people. though the truth about them turned out to be so gross instead of just weird, it's really off-putting but

➕ i liked that this was a mystery solved by a journalist and a… well whatever lisbeth is, because i'm not really a fan of police or detective novels. i mean i've read some good ones but i dunno, i always prefer stories about laypeople solving mysteries and crime.

➕ this is soooo swedish.

➖ could have been a bit shorter, some parts kinda dragged on. although i liked the ending, there were like 3 hours left of the audiobook by the time the harriet mystery had been solved which made me kinda… okay time to speed the audio up to 1.25x because this is gonna drag the fuck oooon.

➖ content-wise this gets really really gruesome. it was almost a bit much even for me.

➖ not a minus about the book itself but i find it in such poor taste that the english translation is titled "the girl with the dragon tattoo" which is a reference to a very minor detail about lisbeth and it just does nothing for this novel or anything in general. i can understand maybe they didn't want to call this "men who hate women" (which is the literal translation they kept for the finnish title) for international marketing purposes because it would deter so much of the male target audience lmao (i don't think it does in sweden and finland??? just saying). but the original title packs way more of a punch because that's exactly what this book is about, it's about misogynism. and that title is so self aware. but no, instead you make it "the girl with the dragon tattoo" and lisbeth isn't even the main character. she's a secondary one, a sidekick to mikael. this book isn't about her per se and most definitely not about her tattoos. what a stupid choice. i don't want to watch the film versions because i worry they made this way more about her than it should be.

⭐ score: 4- -- one of the better mysteries i've read in a long time for sure. i don't think i'll go for the sequels though, i had my share of mikael and lisbeth already. the audiobook was like 18 hours long.

[killercooksblog]

Hello Massacre Soldier Killer, I am a huge fan of yours and would like to ask you if you would ever consider making latkes which are potato pancakes made during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah?

We were loaded with latkes in December to celebrate with our jewish punks. we still have some in the freezer I think - unless someone ate the rest, the rest being the ones wrapped and labeled with MY NAME ON THEM.

*goes to check*

*in the distance*

YOU SELFISH MOTHERFUC---

[animatedshortoftheday]

On the Haunt (2023) [2 min] by Joy Zhou | Canada

[unboundprompts]

hallo!! Im making a new wip and I was wondering if you had any ideas for holiday or christmas themed mystery titles

Holiday Mystery Titles

-> feel free to edit as you see fit.

Silent Night, Sinister Night

Mistletoe and Murder

The Holly Jolly Heist

Death by Candlelight

The Christmas Killer

Snowed In with Secrets

The Twelve Clues of Christmas

A Yuletide Whodunit

Frost and Fatality

Murder Under the Mistletoe

Blood on the Snow

Holidays in Hiding

A Chill in the Air

Deck the Halls with Deception

The Bell Tolls at Midnight

[pinazee]

The Greatest Adventure in the History of Basic Cable

This is one of my favorite episodes of season 3! I love the spencer family dynamics, i love thats its not a whodunit but more a wherebeit haha and its so funny too and much more.

We know Shawns not really psychic so how exactly did he do this?? He must have seen them somehow?? Or properly deduced exactly when lassie was going to be doing this and in which direction??? Idk

This was clearly bernson getting back at james ;)

Shawns ADHD is at an all time high this ep and specifically this scene

Totally tracks that uncle jack would take his whiz kid nephew to the tracks to place bets, but also i can kind if get why henry would be kind of pissy with Shawn that he would go with jack but not him now.

Ernesto “agapito garces con y a de abelar” is just nonsense btw unless it was supposed to be like “agua pinto garces con y a de avelar” which is roughly “water i paint heron and to reveal” which is still nonsense haha

I love how much of a kid Shawn (and gus) becomes around jack. And i love that little scene when jack tells shawn “didn’t i always tell you you’d be great?” And you see Shawn soften and how much that meant to him growing up, especially since we know how henry was with him. So, i think that makes it hit even harder that one of the few people who believed in him and made him feel good about himself, turned out to be a selfish prick.

That being said, I think i might be the only one that likes uncle jack, and of all the characters they could have brought back, im the saddest they didn’t bring him back. Jack could have brought so much more depth to henrys character and backstory. They could have mentioned, for instance, that because their dad wasn’t really around, Henry was the one who practically raised jack on his own. He had to be the man of the house at a very early age. This would explain his tumultuous relationship with his own father and why henry is so strict (though, personally i headcanon that henrys dad was in trouble with the law a lot and one of the cops that knew about their situation took him in and became a father figure, which is why henry holds them to such high regard. They brought order to his chaotic life.) but jack never had to deal with that. He got to be a kid for the most part. So even though henry looks out for him still, a part of him also resents the fact that he didn’t get the same carefree childhood.

I also, wonder though, if something happened when they were adults. Like, did jack use henrys influence as a cop to wiggle out a of tight spot and risked his job? Something must have happened that would make henry not trust his brother and i cant believe it was never explored. Theres so much spencer family angst potential there haha. I mean, i could have settled for even a short scene between jack and henry where they’ve both dropped the act and henry pretty much tells him not to get shawn in trouble and jack argues that hes an adult who can make his own decisions and to stop micromanaging everything. It could even sound exactly like an argument between shawn and henry and pull in their theme of henry not wanting shawn to turn out like him. Im just going to say it, they didn’t let this character live up to his full potential.

He just looks so disappointed here 😔. clearly he knew way before this point that jack was always using him, but all the same, jack straight up took the gold and ran. And lets say shawn actually did give him the coins-theres no way he would have paid that ransom. henry would have had to have forced him. (Also, would they have taken gus too, or would shawn have dragged him along because he didn’t want to be a hostage by himself haha)

*sighs* this is peak james roday rodriguez for me

P.S is this kid okay?

[scathstudios]

Whodunit | Procreate

Decided to make another retro-themed piece. Had a lot of fun! Have a silly crime show. Feat! Chthonic Cats.

[plutowon]

CHACONNE

“what’s your favorite scary movie ?”

pairing: enhypen x reader

genre: half scomed au half narration thriller / horror au whodunit some comedy angst

warnings: murder (duh) gore blood graphic depictions of violence and stabbing some slight nsfw themes mentions of abuse bullying dysfunctional families ptsd unhealthy trauma responses and coping mechanisms manipulation anything that you would find in a scream movie

synopsis: the gruesome murder of old friends makes y/n realize that her “ordinary” life and her “ordinary” friends aren’t all they seem to be

feat: enhypen, ive, itzy, aespa, nct dream, le sserafim

taglist: open just send an ask

characters and relationships

chapter 1: a night to remember

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chapter 2: first kill

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chapter 3: suspicions

chapter 4

tbd…

[santapau]

You must be wondering why I gathered you all here tonight. This is the theme for a new round of portraits, as voted by Patreon subscribers: Classic whodunit suspects.

But wait, what if…  the main suspect is you? (Dramatic zoom) Yes! Because you are right on time to jump in, subscribing to my Patreon, and asking for your own whodunit portrait. If you pledge in a tier from 3/month or up, you can ask for your portrait as any of these character classes (or even a completely new kind of suspect), a personalized drawing made with love and care for you (and based on you), as a welcome present. Plus, you’ll be supporting me in the making of the exciting and emotionally confusing webcomic called The Secret Knots.

Some portraits of previous themes.

Quick FAQ Q: I’d like a portrait for someone else instead of me. A: No problem! Q: What if I have something really specific in mind? With details in the background, or a certain prop, or… A: Subscribers in the Tier +10/month get to ask for highly customized and complex characters! Q: Can I edit my pledge later? Absolutely. Q: How is this so cheap?? A: I don’t know! :D I guess it’s because we do this only a couple of times a year. But, the rest of the time, or for as long as you wish to remain as my patron, you’ll be part of an awesome group of subscribers who get all the details, process, reference pictures and early versions of my comics. (This is, after all, the main purpose of the Patreon. But portraits are fun!)

If this sounds mysteriously enticing to you, pull up your lace gloves, adjust your monocle and join the round of suspects here. 

Thanks!

J.

[queer-ragnelle]

✏️ + 😭(and how do you overcome them? + ❓ if you could summarize each of your duologies with an overarching theme, what would it be?

✏️ What are your current WIPs about?

Dusk Eternal is a Romantic Suspense and Psychological and Body Horror duology from the perspectives of Ragnelle and Gawain. It evokes the narratives of The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, The Marriage of Sir Gawain, The Turke and Sir Gawain, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Lady of the Fountain, The Crown, the Vulgate, the Avesta, and The Shahnameh. Plot-bearing side characters include Gromer, Gaheris, Owain and Laudine, Morgan le Fay, Agravaine and Laurel, Beaumains, Lancelot and Galehaut, Amurfina, Pelleas and Ettarde, Kay and Bedwyr, and characters from Persian mythology including Arash the Archer, Simorgh, and Zal. Legacy Lost is a “Whodunit” Mystery, Monster and Psychological Horror duology from the perspectives of Lamorak and Agravaine. It evokes the narratives of the Prose Tristan, Geraint and Enid, La Tavola Ritonda, Le Morte d'Arthur, and the Vulgate. Plot-bearing side characters include Pellinore and Ursula, Lot and Morgause, Laurel, Tor, Gawain and Ragnelle, Aglovale, Gaheris and Lynette, Gareth and Lyonors, Mordred, Geraint and Enid, Palomides, Dinadan, Morgan le Fay, Tristan and Isolde, Kay and Bedwyr. Chivalry's Bond is a Conspiracy Thriller/Suspense and Monster Horror from the perspectives of Perceval and Elaine. It evokes the narratives of Parzival, Peredur, Culhwch and Olwen, Morien, and the Vulgate. Plot-bearing side characters include Ursula, Dindrane, Lancelot, Pelles, Brisane, Aglovale, Lamorak, Tor, Morien, Culhwch and Olwen, Ysbaddaden, Guinevere, Gawain and Ragnelle, Kay and Bedwyr. Misbegotten is a Coming of Age and Psychic Horror duology from the perspectives of Mordred and Galahad. It evokes the narratives of Alliterative Morte, Wigalois, Sir Libeaus Desconus, and the Vulgate/Post-Vulgate. Plot-bearing side characters include Morgause, Agravaine and Laurel, Lancelot and Elaine, Arthur and Guinevere, Gawain and Ragnelle, Gingalain, Lovel, Bors, and Lionel. The ending duology is... a Tragedy of everything mashed together.

😭 What are the biggest challenges writing your WIPs?

Maintaining momentum and consistency. It's very easy to feel like I put all my creative power into book 1 and then had none left for the rest because of burn out. I realize though it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done. I'm determined to follow through and finish before I die. Back on the grind in 2025.

❓ If you could summarize each of your duologies with an overarching theme, what would it be?

Dusk Eternal: The horrors (our outer selves don't match our inner selves). Legacy Lost: The horrors (monsters are real and they know my secret). Chivalry's Bond: The horrors (religious trauma can manifest tragedy). Misbegotten: The horrors (submitting to the mortifying ordeal of being known). End: The horrors (we tried our best but it wasn't good enough).

[kenjiyabuki]

gmmtv 25 ql musings :0)

ok so gmmtv went into oprah mode and said you get a series you get a series you get a series you get a series you get a series you get

Dare You to Death

JoongDunk said "no, we are not turning in our fake guns after the THK shoot". i like their sexy and cheeky flirting, it fits them. and speaking of things that fit... that slim cut suit, it really fits Dunk 😜

i like the plot, with the slasher, mystery, whodunit vibes... and i liked seeing the new faces as side characters (the victims, more like) especially Ohm and Pahn.

Head 2 Head

i dont know anything about these actors. apparently they are beloved enough to get a second series but i never saw anyone i follow talking about them, ever. most of the time i watch series through my following's incessant posts lol but w them, i am in a blind spot. and it seems that will stay the same w this series as well.

Burnout Syndrome

hey, did anyone see my wig around? it seems i lost it the moment this trailer come on?

when it first started i was like WAITTTTTTTTT am i getting that SATC Gun series by Jojo but the mood was too mellow for him. but the universe had even better plans for me. i am not embarrassed to admit i DID a little jig when Nuchy's name came on the screen. maybe God is real because all the collective praying about OffGun working again w Nuchy paid off. i am attracted to Off always and forever but he is even hotter through Nuchy's lens like she knows how to serve him up... Cold, sexy, confident, smoking Off... Call boy Gun, a love triangle, just mess all around. The way it already looks like not a pilot but a final trailer. Thank you for your service Nuchy, you are unmatched. I will be tuning in every week with drinks and snacks.

Whale Store xoxo

My girls MilkLove out of the uniforms, now that's a sight i like to see. i like that this time the main plot is more relatable to me: nightmare that is being in your 20's. very cute without being saccharine and i like when Love gets flirty. and no comments about Milk licking cat food, i understand how lesbian flirting can get very strange.

Only Friends : Dream On

can i just say upfront, the trailer was just gorgeous?? i loved the perfectly choreographed beginning. i was watching it with my mouth wide open, just trying to register all the information. and it DID look like a fast paced ensemble theater play. very meta haha

siren Mix in a frilly shirt, Earth in those glasses, Leng twinking it out, Ohm playing the saxophone???, JOSSGAWIN again, that Challengers ass music, everyone in those slutty tank tops and see through shirts, BOSTON my favorite troublemaker showing up just to bless this mess... i wish i can delete this from my memory and be gagged again and again and again

i love Only Friends' chaos and i think its stupid to take these messy shows THAT seriously. even though there is a hefty amount of loud shipper fans demanding for their fav actors to ONLY play morally good characters, ONLY in their brand pair, i ADOREEEEEEE that they didnt back down and doubled down on this entagled, morally gray mess with even more beloved actors to piss off more delulus... yes, I will be tuning to the mayhem on the screen and on the social media every week.

also, cant wait for the rock theme song sung by Gawin, bc they would be stupid to not do that!!!!

EDIT: lmaoooo i thought, as the trailer had lots of Jojo-isms (he loves his Shakespeare and energetic trailers), he would direct this but he will be only the producer (i was actually surprised he would come back to this project as some people act like he killed their dog because the series ended in an disappointing way). so, okay, WHOOOO is the director then bc i didnt catch it?

That Summer

hmmm, okay. these unrelated plots piled over each other sounds exhausting to me, like here is an unruly kid sent away to get disciplined, then someone gets washed up ashore, identity mystery, then he turns out to be a PRINCE, there is mystery behind that too?? i am not smart enough for this… but i am sure WinnySatang will improve as a duo and actors even more w this project.

that shot of Satang holding up a pair of undies with abject horror on his face did make me genuinely cackle like, i love Satang's comedic timing (his performance was one of the best things about We Are).

alsooo, Neo must be the luckiest BL actor ever bc while some actors get flack for breathing next to a woman, he gets to not just openly be w his gf but also star in series w her now. i mean, i am glad for him, that's how it should be. and i cant believe i have to defend heterosexuality because of insane delusional fans.

My Romance Scammer

i love that after the wake of Thai Marriage Equality, instead of going full on romance drama about the sanctity of marriage with sentimental vibes... GMMTV decided to make a slapstick romcom about scammers using marriage law to deceive and steal. Love that. Big brained shit haha. I dont really care for these actor pairs but who knows... Plot made me laugh and I like being surprised.

Melody Of Secrets

i know this might sound VERY stupid but the reason ForceBook sometimes feel repetitive isnt just they keep playing the same dynamic (stoic Force, innocent Book) but also because they LOOK repetitive. they seem to always have the SAME styling, same makeup and even the same hair. Let's change it uppp, someone slap some fake tattoos on Book or put them in leather or something. Or at least, give me Force's long prince hair from Enchante back...

but I do like they went darker w the plot this time! and Jan looks hot and all serious in this role, i will be skimming to get to her scenes.

Love You Teacher does this count as born sexy yesterday lol? only BLs can get away w these weird plots, its their charm. i dont know if can watch this though as i still suffer nightmares from my teaching English to kindergarten & primary era. i felt it deeply when he was screaming about hating kids lmao (i DONT. but that teaching in a exploitative school really tests your mental health).

but as always, happy to see Sammy!!!! hope her screen time will be even more than the trailer and i love that it features an established couple, we dont get them often.

Mu-Te-Luv

every time i thought the trailer ended, new actors showed up. i am positively confused but kind of intrigued. and also positively gagged by Neo in that wig. happy to see Fluke, Lego, my queen Jan. also GMMTV dont play about OhmLeng, didnt foresee that, wow...

Cat For Cash

not for me but i feel like this specifically was made as a compensation for the ones who shipped FKT in Moonlight Chicken and were disappointed w the crumbs. I am sure FKT will have the time of their lives with surrounded by all those cats but filming with animals is a such a pain in the ass so i wish patience and luck to the crew...

Girl Rules

more like, girls rule, am i right :dddd the messy ensemble GL we were begging for finally arriving by Jojo himself........... NAMTAN AND LOVE KISSING??????? confident, kinda asshole-ish playgirl Milk?? Love bouncing on Milk to make out against a wall???? like did you read my diary or something??? also i cant w Film's name being Bambi... yeah, look at her, she is Bambi.

we know MilkLove and NamtanFilm will BRING it but curious to see ViewMim as well!!!

Boys In Love

GMMTV said "we have BEEN doing Heartstopper way before Heartstopper but just in case you forgot, here is us doing Heartstopper again." very cute, very lively. happy to see they decided to forgo the uniforms and opted for a pastel, colorful styling. that way, it does differ from other high school bls aesthetics-wise and it fits the youthful tone. PoddPapang as the sides... maybe it was too ambitious of us to imagine them getting mains immediately, they had just let been out of the basement, might take a while to get used to the sun and all...

what the fuck is up with that lazy title tho?

My Magic Prophecy

maybe bc it came on when i was at the point of "when is this showcase endingggg" but i am not feeling this. but glad to see jimmysea not separating this year and acting in a series w a layered and intricate plot again. plots wise, they really do have one of the most varied filmographies a BL couple could have.

A Dog and A Plane

so Jojo wasn't joking when he said he would have a sweet love story for 2025. Tay with those tattoos, New as a flight attendant, MarcPoon being lil weirdos again, the guy from LYKN, OAB??????

this kind of comedy is perfect w Jojo's fast pace. i can see like, remnants of maybe The Warp Effect but mostly i think this is a new territory for Jojo. its fun to see his evolution as a director and i trust his vision for this show as well.

Me and Thee

people asked and cried and begged for Phuwin to be the one pursuing Pond for once and GMMTV deliberated on it and said, "No. But you can have Est in a suit." Okay, that last part was for me. I decided to imagine this is the new gig of Est's character from Naughty Babe.

i think this is a great role for Pond bc he is perfect for goofy comedies (see Dirty Laundry), maybe because he is goofy and funny in real life too haha.

Wu

i think it would be hilarious if this turned out be another bromance...

Memoir Of Rati

period drama is a good choice for both couples but like. literally fuck everything else, did you see how Aye looks GORGEOUS in those period costumes??? are you kidding me?????? looking that good and she is playing the black cat lmaooo i wish she had her own couple so would have more screen time :(

yes, i am focusing on my attraction to Aye to suppress my rage about AouBoom being put into side couple prison again.

Ticket To Heaven

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh this eatsssssssssssssss. do i need to put that bald ariana gif again?

sometimes BLs do tackle heavy subjects but kind of shy away from fully opening up discussions (it happens a lot w SA and homophobia). glad to see this series going full on w the themes of religious guilt, homophobia, figuring out and developing your sexuality in an hostile environment, complex relationship between queerness and faith. and ofc Aof and GeminiFourth are skilled enough to pull it off. excited for this one. what a perfect one to finish this exhaustingly long showcase.

[theresattrpgforthat]

What's a game/some games you wish you could talk about more?

THEME: Mint’s Favourite Games. (Part 1/2)

Dear friend, I do not know if you know how much pain this causes me because…there are so many games! Games I’ve run, games I haven’t run, games I’ve purchased, games I want to buy… narrowing it down is so so hard. It’s like asking to choose which child is your favourite. So first things first I’m going to drop a link to the Games that Intrigue Me collection that I’ve been fostering on Itch, because that’s where you’re going to see games that I really really want to talk about and play in the future. (There are currently 148 games in there, and that’s just what’s available on Itch!!!) With that out of the way, let’s talk about some of my highlights.

There are 12 games in total that I managed to narrow it down to, so let's take a look at the first 6!

Changeling: the Lost 1e, by White Wolf / Onyx Path (Played)

The most trad game on this list, Changeling: The Lost was the reason I stepped into roleplaying games. It was advertised as a fantastical allegory for healing from trauma, which is exactly the kind of hard-hitting, emotional depth that got me interested when it came to roleplaying games. One of my favourite ways to sell it is to tell you this:

Imagine your favourite piece of media and pick a particular character from that media. Now imagine that the entire story that this character experienced was a lie: a story they were put in, in order to fulfill the whims and wiles of an inhuman, eldritch Fae. Now imagine them clawing their way back into the real world only to find out that nobody missed them, that their parents and girlfriend never realized that they left because the thing that took them left behind a shell of a copy. What’s more, they still feel the pull of the magical world - they can’t forget it, even if they want to. How do you heal from a magic that you can never leave behind?

Changeling: The Lost has a lot of drawbacks. It’s clunky. It requires an unhealthy amount of d10s. It’s got two editions, and most folks prefer the one edition over the other. It requires a lot of prep. The “beautiful madness” can definitely lead into some negative stereotypes about mental health (which is why I recommend re-working the Clarity mechanic into a mechanic about how trauma affects your emotions). White Wolf cannot write a fucking index. But the combination of personal horror with the glitter around the edges has got me in a choke-hold and I don’t know how to let it go.

Bones Deep, by Technical Grimoire. (Played)

I cannot emphasize how well-formatted Bones Deep is. The bookmarking on the PDF for this game is the best I’ve ever seen, and I’m an avid player of Numenera. This is a Troika game about freshly-hatched skeletons travelling the ocean floor, tussling with a cephalopod invasion, cursed wizards, a crab cabal, and the Skeleton War. Each location in this book can naturally lead to others, and there’s roll tables that allow for you to generate a number of story prompts before you run a session. It’s heavily improv friendly, and allows combat but so much more than that.

You need the Troika handbook to run this game, but honestly, Troika is such a great, gonzo system that I don’t even consider that a drawback, especially because the Skeleton characters from Bones Deep are 100% compatible with the larger game as a whole. I’m not going to say that this is a combat-free game, because it certainly isn’t, but I was surprised at how many problems the players could solve without having to resort to combat

External Containment Bureau, by Mythic Gazetteer. (Played)

This game introduced me to the concept of an open-ended mystery that the players kind of put together as they play. The idea of leaving a few possibilities for a whodunit is not exactly new, and ECB is definitely not the first game to embrace a generative style of play, but it implements it very very well. This is an adaptation of Forged-in-the-Dark that speeds up character creation and makes one-shot play more viable than some of the traditional hacks of Blades. The setting also fucking slaps. Its X-Files meets SCP meets the Office. It has the ability to alter how serious or goofy you want the tone to be. It has mechanics for supernatural powers and drawn-out conspiracies.

It also has a cult-flavoured hack called Congregation, which is just as good and you should also check out.

Subway Runners, by Gem Room Games. (Played)

A hella-fast game with a character generator that lets you pick up and play in minutes, Subway Runners is extremely online friendly, extremely reasonably priced, and extremely funny. You’re subway maintenance crews dealing with magical problems in the underground of a fantastical metropolis. It’s a gig economy. It’s got stations built out of buried giants. It’s got traumas like “nervous”, “romantic” and “brave to a fault”. It’s one-shot Forged-In-The-Dark.

Your online-generated character sheet reads like a Contractor File, complete with side hustles, custom inventories, your Lunch Order and your Demerits. Fix train lines, find missing passengers, and send eldritch monstrosities back into the inter dimensional portals from whence they came. All so you can pay rent. This game is off-the-wall and it’s only three fucking dollars. Please, I’m begging you to check out this game.

Slugblaster, by Mikey Hamm. (Bought, not yet played).

I was so excited for this game that I managed to get on the proofreading team! And gosh I am stoked about that. This is another Forged-in-the-Dark game (I think I’m sensing a theme here), this time about teenagers hoverboarding through the multiverse. This game is so kooky and has such a unique take on FitD, with mechanics that really emulate the idea of cobbling together gear and tech to make your kit personalized. It’s a game wholly about teenage self-expression and self-discovery, in a world that's doing its best to limit your independence.

The layout for this game is also wonderfully fun and evocative. It’s brightly-coloured, with contributions from around the world, and suggestions for playing in towns other than Hillview, Canada (although as a Canadian I am also deeply fond of the built-in setting). I wrote an add-on for this game, called Charlock, and you can get it, as well as a whole bundle of goodies in the Slugblasting for Teen Mental Health Bundle here, until the end of July!!!!

i’m sorry did you say street magic, by Caro Ascersion. (Played)

This is a city-building game that I adore playing as a set-up to a one-shot or a campaign. I’ve used it to create a superhero city, as well as a Ghibli-inspired city, and there are resources for making gothic cities, cyberpunk cities, and so so much more. There’s a supplement that I adore called there are names here more powerful than our own, which is pay-what-you-want but makes play more accessible for folks who have trouble coming up with ideas on the spot.

The art for these games is by Shannon Kao, and it’s whimsically mundane. It perfectly communicates the vibe of play. The city generation helps you create neighbourhoods, as well as landmarks and characters located in those neighbourhoods, but it doesn’t stop there. It also helps you generate story hooks that you could pick up for an upcoming game. Finally, the mutual element of creation gives players ownership and investment in the city they create, so when it comes to character creation, you should find that the players will easily be able to anchor themselves in the world.

If you want to hear an example of this game, I recommend @partyofonepod ’s episode, which was recorded with the creator of the game.

You can find Part 2 of this post here!

[nostalgebraist]

comments on almost nowhere for new readers

A few points that may be useful to people who didn't read Almost Nowhere before it was complete, but who are planning to read it now. (AKA "archival readers," as opposed to "serial readers.")

(1)

You'll want to read it fast enough that you don't lose track of the plot.

But, you probably shouldn't read it as quickly as you can. If you "binge-read" it over a very short span of time, some of the effect will be dulled or lost.

When planning out the story, I thought a lot about the reader's evolving state of knowledge. "What the reader knows" was almost like a character unto itself, and an important one.

For example:

I tried to create a enjoyable, continual "rotation" of mysteries, with new questions arising at the same time that old questions get answered, repeatedly across the course of the book.

In between the point when a question is raised and the point when it finally gets a definitive answer, I often tried to create a succession of interesting intermediate states. For example, the reader might first encounter something important in the form of an enigmatic, unexplained name or phrase, mentioned incidentally. Later, the same term starts appearing more often, and gets more coloration, and this coloration is different each time, so that the sum total of "what the reader knows" traces out a series of different "shapes" over time.

So you'll have the most fun if you stop regularly to savor your current state of knowledge. The questions that haven't been answered yet, the partial glimpses you've seen of things you don't fully get. Maybe even go back and re-read earlier bits, if you like.

(1b)

All that said, I also want to caution against viewing the book as a puzzle you're meant to be able to solve on your own, like a "fair-play whodunit."

I intended it to be fun for the reader to wonder about how the questions will be answered, but there's no pretense of playing fair. And that "fun" is often more aesthetic and thematic than it is intellectual.

(2)

Almost Nowhere is divided into 3 parts.

You can see them if you look at the table of contents. In Part 1, the chapter titles are Roman numerals. In Part 2, chapters have verbal titles, together with Arabic numerals that start over from zero. In Part 3, the Roman numerals resume again.

The three parts tell a single continuous story, and share most of the same major characters. But each one is somewhat distinct in its style, tone, themes, and areas of focus, and each one extends the scope of the plot considerably.

Maybe the closest comparison-point is a trilogy of SF/F novels, where each of the sequels is clearly "its own book" that feels distinct from the other two books, while still continuing the story in a coherent way.

I mention this here in the hope that these transitions will be less jarring if you're prepared in advance for them.

(2b)

In another, more "spiritual" sense, Almost Nowhere really has just two parts.

The transition happens at Chapter 13, which could fairly be grouped either into the first or the second part, or both, or neither.

Why? Up through Chapter 12, my planning for future events had been fairly slapdash and vague. I was still in the "throw stuff at the wall so I can create the real story by looking for patterns in it later" stage of my unusual creative process.

After Chapter 12, I thought "okay, that's enough of that. Vague inklings of the future aren't sufficient anymore. It's time to get start being more serious about my planning. It's time to 'create the real story.'"

So I did a bunch of that, and it profoundly shaped everything from Chapter 13 onward. (I don't know how obvious this transition would be if you didn't know about it beforehand; to me it feels very obvious, but maybe deceptively so.)

It goes deeper than that. Chapter 13 is tonally different than any of the preceding ones -- darker, more personal, with a new focus on obsession, bittersweet reflection on the past, regret, resignation. And, semi-accidentally, that ended up setting the tone for the whole rest of the book.

It's not all like that afterwards, to the same extent. But that stuff is always there, at least in the background.

I don't know if this is actually useful to know or not, but I felt like mentioning it, so there it is.

(3)

Like Floornight and TNC before it, Almost Nowhere is a hybrid.

It combines elements from a number of different genres and story types that would not normally be seen alongside one another. At the same time, it doesn't really belong to any of the genres or story types that it draws from.

This aspect of my fiction tends to elicit bimodal responses. When I mix one type of story with another, it tends to come off either as the best-of-both-worlds or the worst-of-both-worlds, depending on the reader.

Some people see five individually good "normal" books, merged into one and singing in harmony. And people see five half-assed attempts to do five different things, without following through on the promises of any one of them.

For example, I noted above that I put a lot of care into setting up mysteries, and I expected the reader to be very aware of them. And I also noted that the story isn't very rewarding if treated like a puzzle that can be "solved" in advance.

But some people are going to see the mysteries, and the care put into them, and think, "ah, I know (and enjoy) this genre, this is a puzzle you're supposed to work out in advance." And these people aren't wrong; it does kind of look like that, especially at the beginning.

Likewise, Almost Nowhere has several chapters that explain math and physics concepts to the characters and to the reader -- either real ones, or fictitious ones that have some pretense of continuity with real math and physics. Sometimes these get very involved, in the manner of Stephenson or Egan.

A reader who sees this stuff, and thinks "ah, I know (and enjoy) this genre," is likely to be disappointed when they discover that the story is not really about math or physics in any deep way. Certainly not about real math or physics. The invented "physics" is closer to the core of it, but less so than some other things -- and anyway, there is more of pure fantasy to it than serious scientific extrapolation.

Like Floornight, AN is arguably "best" described as a fantasy story, and not the GoT kind of fantasy -- the highly aestheticized, thematic, emotional kind of fantasy, where "feels" and "vibes" are almost literally magic and drive everything from the inside out.

But if you read it for that genre, specifically, it may feel odd that it keeps lapsing into long descriptions of nuts-and-bolts plot mechanics, and into laborious explanations of made-up technobabble. Or into setting up "puzzles" that almost feel solvable-in-advance.

Or just, like, being written in this really weird, particular, often opaque style.

I can't just say "leave all your genre preconceptions at the door," as if it were that simple -- as though one could just do that by force of will. But be aware that the elements you recognize, from other fiction, may not be there for the usual reasons.

But they are there for a reason.

When I think about why I write, I often come back to an answer that Andrew Hussie gave on Formspring long ago:

Q: Do you enjoy your own work? I mean if Homestuck was made by someone else and not you, is it the kind of thing you would like reading [...]? A: I am making the kind of thing I would want to read. I am making the kind of thing I wish existed, but doesn't. Yet.

I am doing that, too. I'm taking elements from all over, and building something else out of them. It looks deceptively like the sources it draws from, but it's very different from any of them, underneath.

If it had already existed, it would not have been necessary for me to invent it.

(4)

As I mentioned in the last bullet point, Almost Nowhere is written in a very particular style.

This style gets better-defined over time, and more ossified, and possibly more extreme. (Chapter 13 played the same role in this process as it did in various others, for instance.)

At various times, I've said that Almost Nowhere is my favorite of my stories, or the most ambitious or accomplished one, or the one I like most on re-reading. And that is all true -- in certain senses, anyway.

But I don't want to convey the impression that I think the "Almost Nowhere house style" is like, the epitome of Good Writing or something. Or even that it's my best writing, necessarily. It simply is what it is, as much for consistency's sake as anything else.

(I confess there were times when I looked back on something I'd just wrote, and thought to myself: "I'm not actually sure this is, like, good. Maybe it isn't. But is is definitely Almost-Nowherey, that's for sure." And then I let it stand, for that reason.)

In the best-case scenario, you'll find that you greatly enjoy the "Almost Nowhere house style." If it's not to your taste, hopefully you will find it at least tolerable enough that you can access and enjoy other aspects of the book.

But if you find that really dislike the style, this book is probably not for you, sorry.

It's over 300,000 words, and they're all like that. I wouldn't want someone to force themselves through 300k words while hating every one of them, in the name of finding out what happens, or being a nostalgebraist completionist, or whatever.

[xf-cases-solved]

S1E19: Shapes

Case: In what will unfortunately become a recurring theme of the X-Files writers creating plotlines that make sweeping generalizations about Native American cultures and traditions, Shapes takes us to -quickly looks it up- Montana, where a Native American man—I am reasonably sure they don't actually ever say what tribe he's from, bc again, sweeping generalizations—has been killed, ostensibly by his white neighbor over a land dispute. But! Said neighbor swears he was shooting a monstrous beast and not a man. Mulder, as is his wont, is inclined to believe the more paranormal edge to the story, this time citing the Very First X-File that tells of a similar monstrous beast attack that has a very werewolfy vibe to it. The Natives fucking hate the FBI and want them off their land (that part, at least, was believable and understandable); Mulder believes in lycanthropy; Scully does not believe in lycanthropy; and I only partially watch the episode bc I'm too busy cringing and reluctantly picking my battles to pay attention. [Edited to add after having already written this, but I did actually go back and fact check myself, and they DID specify a tribe. The problem is... the tribe does not exist. Nor does the legend they reference lmfao.]

(The only saving grace here is that this is the episode that has one of my favorite interactions (that I'm sure most of y'all have seen in gif form a million times) which is, "Charlie, do you believe in shapeshifting?" "This is a funeral."

So that's something at least.)

Does someone die in the cold open: Yes

Does Mulder present a slideshow: No, which is surprising given that Mulder has that first X-File to reference, but I guess he didn't have any good visuals. 

Does the evidence survive the investigation: Not really

Whodunit: A werewolf thing with a fun, vaguely racist flair 

Convictions: None

Did they solve it: Maybe. Mulder is pretty certain it was the werewolf thing, while Scully has gaslit herself into thinking it was a mountain lion or something, and it's ambiguous about whether or not they actually stopped the crime. 

[how do i determine if a case is solved? check the scale here: x]

THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY: Cringing and reluctantly picking your battles. From the makers of "anxiously clenching your butthole while crossing your fingers and praying that your faves don't say anything TOO problematic" comes this new and exciting way to deal with your 90s show doing an episode that involves literally anything having to do with minorities. While clenching your butthole and praying is great, sometimes we know in our hearts that things are probably gonna get... lightly to moderately racist, and when those incidents happen, it's good to have cringing and reluctantly picking your battles on hand. * *Cringing and reluctantly picking your battles is a multi-use product, and can be employed in many situations, including, but not limited to -- Seeing your great-aunt's conspiracy theory Facebook post, hearing a white person with dreads describe themselves as a "g*psy" at your local co-op grocery store, or during almost any online discourse argument.

***

General Total Stats:

(green means stat has changed since last ep; red means new stat added to list)

Total Cases *Definitively* Solved So Far: 9 (streak ended whomp)

Total Number of "Mulder/Scully, It's Me" Phone Calls: 1

Total Number of Times Scully Has Conveniently Not Seen Something Crucial: 5

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Been in Mortal Danger: 5

Total Number of Times Scully Has Been in Mortal Danger: 7

Total Number of Sexually Charged, Uncomfortably Intimate, and/or Flirty Moments Between Friendly Coworkers: 10

Total Number of Autopsies Scully Has Performed On Screen: 2

Total Number of Times Scully Plays Doctor: 2

Total Number of Times Mulder Talks to an Informant: 10 

Total Number of Times People Making Out in a Car Are Hurt or Killed: 2

Total Number of Nosebleeds: 4

Total Number of Times Mulder Has Tasted/Sniffed/Touched Something Questionable Without Following Proper Safety Procedures: 2 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "Trust No One": 1 

Total Number of Times Someone Says "I Want to Believe": 3

Total Number of Times Someone Says "The Truth is Out There": 1

Total Number of Cigarettes Cigarette Smoking Man Has Smoked: 2

Total Number of Maggie Scully Sightings: 1

Total Number of Lone Gunmen Sightings: 1

Total Number of Alex Krycek Sightings: 0 :(

Total Number of Times I Had to Look Up What State the Episode Takes Place in Even Though I Literally Just Watched It: 7½ (in my defense, i wasn't paying attention)

Total Number of Times I Had to Look at an Episode's Wikipedia Page to Fill This Out Because It Was Fucking Confusing and/or Too Boring for Me to Pay Attention: 5 (had to look up some clarifying details bc i was. not paying attention, lol)

[yoonminierp]

Roleplay Hub: (( BTS Roleplay ))

MEMBER x MEMBER ONLY

ORIGINAL PINNED MESSAGE the TLDR; Version of this message: Male x Male RP only

BTS roleplay, Yoonmin Roleplay, Jimin x Yoongi, Taehyung x Jungkook. I'm an adult, 25+ I prefer my partners to be at least 21

I'm very active as I am a youtuber so I make my own hours.

I would love to find some people to roleplay with, not really interested in "friends" perse had bad luck in that department - but maybe after a few months of getting to know someone.

I can roleplay various roles, top and bottom both. I really enjoy Kitty Gang x AgustD themes.

I also really like Mafia, Supernatural, and other such genres.

The only genre I don't do typically is slice of life, I find it boring.

I'll do anything really that contains Yoonmin though :3

@GamerKittyEuphoric is my Discord ~ add me

About me:

I'm over 25 and I've been roleplaying for a very large part of my life, I'm chronically online due to 1: Being disabled, 2: Being a youtuber, and 3: Just enjoying being online. Due to this, I am almost always around unless I'm sleeping, so you can always look forward to 'some' form of reply from me. I don't ghost my partners - I always communicate. Communication is very important to me.

About my roleplay:

I play top and bottom roles, and I'm happy to double up. I prefer heavily story driven plots but will RP sexual elements if the story calls for it properly.

I do not do porn-based sex-driven plots. I don't like them. I will do a plot that has high sexual content, it's not the same as a sex driven plot. I will outline several of these later on.

I have no limits. I will RP just about anything.

My favorite ships listed in order of desire: Yoonmin, Taekook, VMin as Best Friends only.

Because I ship Yoongi with Jimin and Tae with JK, I don't really do any other ships. Sorry, not sorry lol I like what I like <3 I don't "HATE" ships, I'm just not open to them :3

Where can you find me? Discord: GamerKittyEuphoric

Genres of RP I enjoy

my top faves are towards the top but the rest are in no particular order: Crime/Thriller (e.g., detectives, criminals, conspiracies)

Supernatural (e.g., vampires, werewolves, witches in modern settings)

Romance (e.g., slow burns, forbidden love)

High Fantasy (e.g., elves, dragons, magic)

Dark Fantasy (e.g., grim settings, morally complex characters)

Urban Fantasy (e.g., magical elements in modern settings)

Dark Dove ( Triggering Topics, generally some pretty dark stuff )

Mythology-Based (e.g., Greek, Norse, or other mythos)

Time Travel (e.g., paradoxes, historical rewrites)

Medieval (e.g., knights, castles, feudal systems)

Steampunk Fantasy (e.g., gears, steam technology mixed with magic)

Post-Apocalyptic (e.g., survival after societal collapse)

Cyberpunk (e.g., high-tech, low-life settings, dystopia)

Gothic Horror (e.g., haunted mansions, dark secrets)

Psychological Horror (e.g., mental manipulation, paranoia)

Survival Horror (e.g., zombie outbreaks, deadly creatures)

Exploration (e.g., uncharted territories, treasure hunting)

Survival (e.g., stranded on islands, extreme environments)

Espionage (e.g., spies, covert operations)

War Stories (e.g., battlefronts, rebellion)

Heroic Quests (e.g., saving kingdoms, epic journeys)

Whodunit (e.g., murder mysteries, detective work)

Conspiracy (e.g., uncovering secret organizations)

Historical Mysteries (e.g., solving ancient puzzles)

Fanfiction Style (e.g., expanded storylines, character-focused plots)

Political Intrigue (e.g., power struggles, diplomacy)

Historical Fantasy (e.g., magic interwoven with real history)

Sci-Fi Horror (e.g., alien infestations, AI gone rogue)

Noir Fantasy (e.g., detectives in magical cities)

Alien Encounters (e.g., first contact, extraterrestrial politics)

Alternate Universe (e.g., characters from fandoms in new settings)

Genre's I don't enjoy but am willing to try:

Regency/Victorian (e.g., societal intrigue, romance)

Wild West (e.g., cowboys, outlaws, frontier life)

Space Opera (e.g., intergalactic adventures, epic battles)

College/School Life (e.g., students, teachers, drama)

Ancient Civilizations (e.g., Rome, Egypt, Mesopotamia)

1920s-1940s (e.g., noir, war stories)

Slice of Life (e.g., everyday scenarios, relationships)

Paranormal (e.g., ghosts, poltergeists, occult mysteries)

Cosmic Horror (e.g., Lovecraftian themes, incomprehensible entities)

Noir (e.g., hardboiled detectives, femme fatales)

Paranormal Mysteries (e.g., investigating supernatural phenomena)

Canon-Compliant (e.g., based on existing stories, sticking to established lore)

Crossover (e.g., blending characters or settings from multiple fandoms)

Comedy/Parody (e.g., humorous takes on traditional genres)

Not Interested in:

OC-Driven (e.g., original characters in established universes)

Workplace / College AU with Simple Roleplay Plots -- if they are boring, overdone, cliche, and bland, no thank you

Roleplay pairings based on chosen genres:

Crime/Thriller

Detective x Criminal

Mafia Boss x Undercover Cop

Hacker x Federal Agent

Thief x Wealthy Target

Private Investigator x Witness

Cop x Vigilante

Informant x Gang Leader

Lawyer x Client

Drug Lord x Journalist

FBI Agent x Suspect

Assassin x Bodyguard

Police Chief x Rookie Officer

Spy x Double Agent

Ex-Criminal x Current Detective

Bounty Hunter x Fugitive

Crime Lord x Civilian

Kidnapper x Victim (( Only under certain circumstances. DM me for info. ))

Supernatural

Vampire x Werewolf

Fallen Angel x Human

Hunter x Supernatural Creature

Shape-Shifter x Human

Demon x Exorcist

Fae x Human

Angel x Demon

Vampire x Vampire Hunter

Werewolf x Human

Reaper x Mortal

Psychic x Non-Believer

Guardian Spirit x Lonely Human

Ancient Deity x Modern Human

Succubus/Incubus x Human

Romance

Royalty x Bodyguard

Runaway x Commoner

Musician x Fan (( under only certain circumstances.))

Teacher x Student (in a university or training setting) (( Only in certain circumstances))

Childhood Friends x Reunited Adults

Strangers x Roommates

Soldier x Civilian

Bartender x Regular Customer

High Fantasy

Dragon x Human

Knight x Royal Heir

Elf x Human Adventurer

Pirate x Mermaid

Immortal x Mortal

Archmage x Apprentice

Dark Fantasy

Warlord x Captive

Rogue x Noble

Betrayed King/Queen x Loyal Bodyguard

Blood Mage x Innocent Wanderer

Urban Fantasy

Detective x Psychic

Witch x Shapeshifter

Demon x College Student

Magical Bartender x Regular Human

Superhero x Villain

Angel x Homeless Artist

Cursed Human x Monster

Vampire x Novelist

Mythology-Based

Mythological Creature x Hunter

Fandoms I enjoy outside of BTS that we can take inspiration from (( and you can ask if I RP Them too ))

Supernatural Dean x Castiel

League of Legends - The only fandom I will RP F x F ( Vi x Caitlyn )

Fallout

Shadowhunters - Malec

Arcane (League of Legends) - The only fandom I will RP F x F ( Vi x Caitlyn )

[rookie-critic]

Rookie-Critic's Halloween Horror-thon: Part 2 - #6-10

#6: Doctor Sleep: The Director's Cut (2019, dir. Mike Flanagan)

I have, of course, seen Doctor Sleep before, but I am not labeling this as a re-watch because the Director's Cut of this film, while not really that different from a plotting/through line perspective, is a wholly unique experience to the theatrical version of the film from a character perspective. This version of the movie gives you much more context around the its antagonists, The True Knot, and it's secondary protagonist, Abra Stone, that those major story beats existing in both versions hit with much more impact in the director's cut. It bumped this particular work of Flanagan's up in my ranking of his stuff all the way to third behind Hill House and, now, Usher.

Score: 9/10

Not currently available on streaming.

———————————————–

#7: Gemini (1999, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto)

This one surprised me by not being the kind of film I was anticipating it to be (this happened a handful of times this month). Gemini is the story of three characters plagued by their circumstances/upbringings, and a look at classism and people's desire to give and receive love, shot and told in a frenetic, gonzo style that only Japanese cult-director Shinya Tsukamoto can make work. Tear down the walls of your expectations for this one, it's a great watch.

Score: 8/10

Not currently available on streaming.

———————————————–

#8: Nightmare Detective 2 (2008, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto)

The sequel to Tsukamoto's lukewarmly received 2006 film Nightmare Detective (which you will see further down on this list), this one makes the original look like a litmus test for the concept. A much more restrained and patient film compared to just about all of Tsukamoto's prior efforts, Nightmare Detective 2 sits in the corner, quietly analyzing its core cast in a story about misfits and generational trauma. Really, a lot of the themes and ideas presented here would be honed in on and presented again, albeit from a different viewpoint, in Kotoko. This one really feels like a turning point for Tsukamoto in terms of tone and approach. Not to say that his earlier, more frantic films aren't sometimes just as good, it's just the mark of a talent that's willing to evolve.

Score: 8/10

Not currently available on streaming (this film has actually never seen any kind of official release in the States at all, so unless you're willing to do a little swashbuckling, this one's out of your reach).

———————————————–

#9: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970, dir. Dario Argento)

Horror icon Dario Argento's (Suspiria, Deep Red) debut feature is an unrivaled "whodunit" mystery thriller with that hallmark giallo flair that Argento would become known for. There isn't a whole lot to say about this one other than this was one of the most singularly entertaining of my October viewings, and that I highly recommend it for just about anyone.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

———————————————–

#10: Noroi: The Curse (2005, dir. Koji Shiraishi)

This is the best Japanese found footage horror has to offer. Noroi is told in a documentary style, acting as the discovered footage of the final film made by a supernatural investigator that has disappeared without a trace. This was my final watch of the Horror-thon and I couldn't think of a better way to send off the spooky month, because this was one of, if not the scariest watch of the entire month. It had me wanting to turn the lights on and sleep with one eye open, and certain images from the film's final moments will be burned into my retinas until I die. If I had any complaints, it's that I honestly could have used even more, although I guess an argument could be made that that's actually one of the film's good qualities.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on AMC+/Shudder.

[sherlock-blog-entries]

Not really a question but sort of an opinion needed here. I think your blunt enough, so you'll do.

I'm writing a whodunit murder that takes place in a jazz bar. (The lead preformer was brutually murdered and left on the stage). The detective and his partner obviously go to investigate and turns out that there's a whole secret society behind the killing, as well as a symbol. Theta nigrum, the symbol of death in Ancient Greece.

Anyway, I figure that the killings could be based around sin and whatnot, though I'm unsure if it's too predictable. Sounds too much like se7en if I think too hard, just without the list of sins.

hope you get a case soon Mr. Holmes! I heard boredom kills.

Theta nigrum, an interesting choice. Most famously found in the Gladiator Mosaic but also mentioned and used in many military records. Do you plan on using other Greek emblems or thematic elements? Or perhaps you may use other cultures' death insignia as well as the 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘢. As for the sin-based murder, the similarities to 𝘚𝘦7𝘦𝘯 are there, yes, but it depends on the way you are using the concept. If going by the Ancient Greece theme, you might use the idea of Hubris- the most emphasized Greek flaw- or something like Xenia and the wrath faced when not followed. If not doing this, you could steer the story away from the Christian Sins in other ways such as significantly different metaphorical symbolism. Good luck. -SH