SYNOPSIS

Chrysanthemums were your brother's favorite flowers, red ones especially.

The irony, then, of bringing a bouquet of white chrysanthemums to his funeral is not lost on you. 

It was supposed to be a day like any other in the big city: investigate a crime scene, interview witnesses, collect evidence, arrest suspects, return home to the apartment you shared with your best friend and fellow Archersvale native, and have a video chat with your older brother. So when your best friend tells you that they received a call informing them of your brother’s death, you know that nothing will ever be the same again. 

They say he died in his sleep, most likely from overexertion. He always did work himself to the bone when he was putting together a big news article; it was what made him the best investigative journalist of your small town. 

For the first time in almost a decade, you and your best friend return to Archersvale for your brother’s funeral . . . only to discover that his death may not have been as natural as it seemed. 

Being the only homicide detective around for miles, it’s up to you now to find out what exactly happened to your brother, why it happened, and who did it. Being related to the victim also obviously brings about a conflict of interest, but luckily for you, the reliable deputy sheriff of Archersvale is willing to let you join the investigation as a consultant; interestingly enough, the deputy is also your childhood rival. 

 Good luck, Detective.

FEATURES

• Play as male, female, or nonbinary and customize your character's appearance.
• Investigate your brother’s death and collect the evidence needed to bring his killer to justice.
  • Be attentive! If you are unable to gather enough evidence needed to prove it, you could arrest the wrong person or they could walk free.
• Determine how you develop your relationships with the two people who will closely aid you in your investigation.
  • Will you maintain your friendship with your best friend or will you finally act on some long-repressed feelings you may have had for them?
  • Will you allow your antagonism with your childhood rival to continue or will you finally bury the hatchet with them? Or maybe even work on the unresolved tension you may have felt between you since your high school days?

THE TEAM

Matthew/Mathena Archer

As fiery and passionate as their red hair, M has been your best friend since the two of you met in middle school. People always said it was like the two of you were joined at the hip, and they weren’t wrong; it’s been a case of “where one goes, the other follows” for as long as you could remember. But being practically joined at the hip wasn't the only reason why they joined you in moving to the big city; they were also an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, launched to fame with the help of the internet. Unfortunately, their family staunchly believed they just had their head in the clouds and wouldn't get anywhere in life, which meant that they had spent many nights over at your house. Well, after nine years, two self-released albums, and nearly a million fans, you can say without a doubt that M is talented and hard-working enough to make their dreams come true.

Matthew (or Matty, as you also call him) has short red hair with such unruly curls that he uses a cute bandana when he writes songs at home, a fact he has shared with a photo on his social media; a minute after posting the pic, he became a trending topic online which lasted for weeks. His eyes are a vibrant shade of green that light up when he’s having the time of his life and dull when he feels his world crumbling around him. His skin is fair and dotted with freckles, especially across his nose, from hours of performing under the sun in Archersvale Park. He also has a lean physique that he maintains by jogging in the wee hours of the morning but often hides away with his signature oversized hoodies.

Mathena (or Mattie, as you also call her) often keeps her long red hair out of her face in a variety of ways, which are each tied to what she'll be doing in the near future; her default hairstyle is the simple yet effective ponytail for any regular activity like grocery shopping, but she braids her hair when she goes out to perform at a gig, and when she puts it up in a bun, you know that she's going to spend the next few hours writing lyrics and humming a string of tunes to herself. Her eyes are a vibrant shade of green that light up when she’s having the time of her life and dull when she feels her world crumbling around her. Her skin is fair and dotted with freckles, especially across her nose, from hours of performing under the sun in Archersvale Park. She also has a fit physique that she maintains by jogging in the wee hours of the morning but often hides away with her signature oversized hoodies.

Delfín/Delfína Castañeda

The very definition of tall, dark, and alluring, D was your rival from the moment they laid eyes on you when they entered your fifth grade classroom at Archersvale High. The two of you were always tied at the top, seemingly much to D’s irritation based on how they would instantly scowl whenever your gaze met theirs. As far as rivals go, D wasn’t that bad, all things considered; they never tried to harm you during Physical Ed, sabotage you when you had to represent the school at official competitions, or accuse you of cheating on exams and assignments, though they did throw many snide remarks at you and M throughout those years. The last time you saw D was on the day of your high school graduation when they gave the valedictorian speech. It was a very moving speech, but it wasn’t their words that stuck with you; it was the way they kept glancing at you with a frown that almost seemed … conflicted.

Delfín surprises you when you first see him again after almost ten years, sporting his wavy dark brown hair in a casual quiff, which is quite the contrast to your childhood days when he kept his hair slicked back all the time. His dark brown eyes seem to have lost the competitive glint they used to have every time they met yours, but the passion you always saw in them whenever he was determined or enthusiastic about something hasn’t diminished at all. His skin is brown and somehow unblemished in spite of the work he does, but his hands are more calloused around his knuckles than you remember. His body is also much more muscular than his lean frame in your school days, his broad shoulders pronounced through the leather jacket and T-shirt he swapped his old sweater vest and white button down for.

Delfína has significantly cut down the length of her hair since the last time you saw her, her long, wavy tresses now only reaching her chin, but the way that she ties it back in a half ponytail is a familiar sight. Her dark brown eyes seem to have lost the competitive glint they used to have every time they met yours, but the passion you always saw in them whenever she was determined or enthusiastic about something hasn’t diminished at all. Her skin is brown and somehow unblemished in spite of the work she does, but her hands are more calloused around her knuckles than you remember. Her body is also much more athletic than her lean frame in your school days, her broad shoulders pronounced through the leather jacket and T-shirt she swapped her old sweater vest and white button down for.

CONTENT WARNINGS*

Blood, violence, death, unhealthy coping mechanisms (drinking, smoking, overworking)

*This list will be continuously updated

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This IF will not be updated as often as my main project, After The End. Expect maybe 1-2 updates in a year.

STATUS

Chapter 1: released October 2024

Chapter 2: in progress

LINKS

Tumblr | Discord