Hey there, name's Monty he/him I draw silly men and do silly voices Mod of @thelabsofficial, @universal-genious, and @private-exsanguinator Commissions are OPEN
How about urban fantasy? How about weird timeless urban fantasy where someone can be a bard AND own a telephone?
Do you enjoy mystery stories with charismatic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Benoit Blanc?
DO YOU LIKE VAMPIRES?
For your consideration: Erasmus Monroe, Private Exsanguinator.
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be interested in the book (possibly books?) that I'm currently writing! More information can be found under the cut.
The Premise
EMPS is an anthology of short-to-mid-length mystery stories chronicling the investigations of an elusive and shadowy private investigator, who may or may not be undead. And murder isn't all that's on the table - we've got everything from missing jewels to arson to mysterious disappearances!
The Setting
As mentioned before, this is an urban fantasy! EMPS takes place in the fictional kingdom of Duncaster, primarily in the city of New Wessterspel, a bustling urban sprawl full of cramped apartments, shadowy alleyways, and dingy taverns. The general vibe of the setting is high fantasy, but with a strange combination of imagery and technology, pulling anywhere from the Renaissance to the Victorian era to the early 1950s.
The Characters
In addition to the same setting, this anthology is strung together by a cast of recurring characters! They include:
Of course, Mr. Monroe himself - a mysterious detective with an odd sort of charm and teeth that are just a bit too sharp.
"Erasmus's eyes flicked down to Arthur's hands, then travelled up his throat to settle once more on his face. He was having an exceedingly difficult time maintaining his focus. This was often the case with handsome and skittish men."
Inspector Beaumont, Erasmus's connection within the New Wessterspel police force, which is otherwise almost entirely incompetent.
"Despite his profession, which put him in all sorts of grim scenarios, Beaumont was a rather jovial man. If his grandfatherly eyes did not indicate this, his choice of accessory often would. Inspector Beaumont had a seemingly inexhaustible collection of outrageous neckties."
Erasmus's upstairs neighbor, Sybil, who assists him with intel.
"Good evening, Ras:
First things first, you'll find your money enclosed. I'm not taking it, and you can't make me. Ha-ha."
And quite a few more, including an enthusiastic curse specialist, a combination coroner and pathologist who is just super jazzed about Death, and a basement shoggoth!
Other Interesting Tidbits
A few more fun facts that are worth nothing:
Erasmus has the ability to taste memories through someone's blood. This usually comes in the form of cryptic flashes of imagery.
Erasmus and Sybil, due to their respective magical afflictions (one cannot be out during the day, the other cannot go out during the night), have never met face to face. As such, they almost exclusively communicate through handwritten notes passed under each other's doors. However, this has not stopped them from kindling a very close friendship. (Possibly more??)
Despite this being an urban fantasy, every crime Erasmus investigates is committed through almost exclusively mundane methods. (The fantasy elements of the setting are involved in other ways. After all, where would the fun of the mystery be if everyone just used magic for everything?) The police always jump to a magical explanation, which never ceases to annoy Erasmus.
If any of this is intriguing to you, I encourage you to stay tuned for updates, snippets, art, and more! Thanks for reading!
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The Great Mouse Detective is one of my favorite movies of all time, and Professor Ratigan was a huge part of my inspiration for shaping Niles' character and personality, so this just felt right.
I'm so excited to do more with these characters. Eventually, of course, I want my thesis film to be Labs related. We shall see what form that takes.
My university doesn't have any sort of weird copyright clauses where they can steal my shit, so I can use Labs characters for animation assignments >:)
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