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Post by Butterscotch on May 17, 2013 21:18:48 GMT -5
I have an idea in my head for an ANB murder mystery story. I've never written a murder mystery and rarely read them. I sometimes watch shows like CSI and Criminal Minds, but they rely on high-tech to solve crime, which wouldn't really work in Harvest Moon.
The basic concept is this:
Rachel (or Henry, I haven't decided) is found dead and foul play is suspected. Since Echo Town doesn't have a police force, Dunhill asks Soseki and Tina to use their reporter skills to solve the crime. Klaus helps as well. Most of the marriage candidates are suspects, as well as a few regular villagers. Allen and Witch Princess are the chief suspects early on, but when Amir's past in Zehpyr Town is revealed, he becomes a major person of interest. I haven't yet decided whodunnit.
So...thoughts?
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Post by Mage the Observer on May 17, 2013 21:36:15 GMT -5
The classic advice is to start with the end, and work from there.
My thought would be to figure out what happened, and then figure out exactly how your detective works it out. Which is basically the same thing, just worded differently.
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Post by Butterscotch on May 17, 2013 21:42:26 GMT -5
Ah, okay! That actually makes a lot of sense.
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Post by Butterscotch on May 17, 2013 23:48:31 GMT -5
Does anyone know of any sites where I can learn about stab wounds that don't have graphics photos? Illustrations would probably be okay. I'm much more squeamish with real-life stuff.
Specifically (on the off chance that someone here knows this off the top of their heads), I'm curious as to whether HM characters would be able to determine if a stab wound had been done by a knife or a pair of scissors. I think modern technology can tell the difference, but I have no idea if this is something that can be determined using more old-fashioned methods. Like, could Klaus just look at the wounds with a regular microscope and tell it was a knife or a pair of scissors?
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Post by Mage the Observer on May 18, 2013 5:13:51 GMT -5
You wouldn't need a microscope, just a good eye. Stabbing implements have specific profiles. Scissors will look knife-like, but the wound will be broader and the edges would look like they were torn open instead of being cut.
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Post by Butterscotch on Jul 14, 2014 21:53:01 GMT -5
I've been thinking about this lately, and have new questions:
- Rachel has been dead for a few days when her body is found. How accurately could Klaus determine how long she's been dead? I know modern technology can get pretty precise, but Klaus wouldn't have that sort of stuff. I just want to provide alibis for a few characters. It's probably Spring (maybe Summer). It's not Fall because Amir is around.
- game specific: does Tina deliver mail or just newspapers? I've never been quite clear on that. And how often do you get newspapers? Once a week, right?
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Post by Mage the Observer on Jul 14, 2014 22:20:10 GMT -5
Once a week, yes. I don't know about mail, but it's been a while since I've played the game.
As for decay... it's rarely a pretty sight. Bloat will set in after a few hours, especially in hot weather. Depending on the heat, the midsection explodes from the pressure after a very short time. Then you get flies, scavengers, the bacteria that caused the bloating in the first place... hope there's some way to preserve the face, or you'd need dental records to identify the corpse after a few days.
I'd recommend reading some J.D. Robb novels for details on forensics. The author (Nora Roberts, if you drop the pen name) does her research pretty well.
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Post by Butterscotch on Jul 14, 2014 22:35:58 GMT -5
Right.
What I'm thinking is that Tina (or Dunhill, whoever delivers the mail) comes to the farm to deliver the mail. It's been a few days since Rachel last got a letter and they notice that the last mail delivery is still in the mailbox. Then they notice the farm is neglected and decide to check on Rachel. She's inside the house, dead. if it's been a few days, can Klaus still determine that the stab wound was caused by scissors?
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Post by Mage the Observer on Jul 16, 2014 1:05:45 GMT -5
Probably. Since it's indoors, you'd have less of a problem with rapid decay. If the stab wound still existed, you'd still be able to tell the difference between a knife wound and a scissor wound. Look at the difference between the two objects for yourself, it'll help.
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Post by TBustah! on Oct 7, 2015 23:11:49 GMT -5
Just rip off a chapter of Case Closed.
With only a couple seasons of the anime dubbed and Viz only releasing a new volume of the manga every three months, most of the Engish-speaking word will be none the wiser.
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Post by Mage the Observer on Oct 8, 2015 9:16:31 GMT -5
That comes off as the writing equivalent of tracing an image instead of learning to draw freehand.
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Post by Butterscotch on Oct 8, 2015 18:08:39 GMT -5
Yeah I kind of of, um, don't want to resort to plagiarism
Sent from my GT-P3113 using proboards
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Post by TBustah! on Oct 8, 2015 22:42:39 GMT -5
Obvious jokes are obvious.
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Post by Mage the Observer on Oct 9, 2015 9:16:37 GMT -5
Not always.
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Post by TBustah! on Oct 11, 2015 12:35:49 GMT -5
You thought I was serious? I know I haven't been around, but you should know me better than that.
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