Welp! If you guys know anything about me, you know I’m a Sam girl (as pictured above, and yes, that hug was as glorious as it looks) and so I was recently on ConTinual gushing about our giant lovable Moose’s best episodes of Supernatural. If you’re a Sam girl too, tune in below!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConTinual/posts/1928907867721776
God bless the geeks and the freaks.
After all, they are who we have to thank for what I am considering one of the best adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein EVER. Now, I don’t want to Get Out this movie (aka overhype it so much that the very sight of its poster and the very utterance of its name pisses me the fuck off to no end), but I do want to give this movie every flower it deserves on its well-made grave. I know nobody cares, but I just have to take an aside to gush about this film particularly because it was a long time coming and it did not disappoint. Anyone that knows me knows I was heartbroken when initially, Universal approached Guillermo del Toro about directing a new line of monster movies, but the time commitment and the potential lack of creative control meant he turned it down. I am so very glad I live in the timeline where they managed to hand him a Universal movie monster, and not just any single one, but probably the one he understands the most as a lover of monsters. I promise I’ll try to say something worth reading while I try to discuss why I enjoyed the film so much as someone that writes books and movies (Note: I started writing screenplays in 2024; done with one, working on a second, and will begin two or more in 2026, so cross your fingers for me, darlings!)
As such, I will be spoiling the entirety of the novel and the new del Toro adaptation, so if you wanna go in unspoiled, watch it, then pop back in here. Spoiler warning for everything below!
I think what I want to talk about enough to bother you all with a blog post is that I am so delighted to be right that del Toro’s changes to the story all were changes that I not only like, but appreciate. I usually am a bit wary of anytime there are large differences between a book and an adaptation, but del Toro is arguably my favorite director of all-time (no offense, Mr. Nolan, but you lost me so fucking hard with Tenet that it’s crazy) because he understands story and character on such a wonderful level. I know that making movies is a business and so a lot of these decisions are made for money reasons, but my favorite thing about del Toro is that everything he makes has his vision in it. And del Toro’s vision is so clear and so concise because he gives a shit about story and character. I love the simple care he puts into making you follow someone’s journey, no matter how dark or violent or scary, and it ends up weaving in such elements of beauty that I’m always left with a sigh of wistful relief when I see his films, and this one is no different.
To avoid this becoming a twenty page gush-fest, I’ll focus on two areas that I think are why this film is not only important, but why I enjoyed it so much.
First, let’s talk about the changes to the story that I truly think added so much to an already great book.
For anyone that’s been out of a classroom for a long time or isn’t an avid reader, I’m sure you probably either only know some of the basic plot of the novel or you’ve seen the famous Boris Karloff version. What I really love is that del Toro was able to capture, in my opinion, the best of those three worlds.
The Karloff version is the one most people know that introduced the idea of electrical instruments or a combination of chemical and electrical reactions to reanimate the Creature. The monster is also never referred to as Frankenstein in the Karloff version, but the people mistook the movie to mean it was his name, so that also was something del Toro and other adaptations have had to correct over the years. Karloff’s version is also the one with the disabled assistant named Fritz; Fritz was created for the stage play version of the story, and he is not in the novel, and so he’s not in del Toro’s version nor is he actually Igor, who was made popular by one of the sequels to the movie. The Karloff version also had the Creature have little to no speech development and remained basically childlike except in fits of rage or fear, and that is probably the largest departure between the Karloff version and the novel.
The places where all three intersect are interesting. Del Toro has the Creature intelligent and learning, same as the book, but he takes the chemical and electrical aesthetic from the Karloff movies to use for how Victor Frankenstein creates the Creature, which is not specified by method in the novel. I really enjoyed how he found a way to nod to Karloff version that made this story a household name and helped movie monsters leap forward in how they were written and acted.
The first change I want to talk about is the decision to switch Victor’s best friend Henry to his younger brother. This change I truly liked, but I think it was just a bit underdeveloped compared to what else I’d have liked to have seen. It gives us this really nice amount of underlying tension, as you see his brother Henry is very soft spoken and normal, whereas Victor is loud and abrasive. Being alone after the passing of their father made him a very submissive younger brother, but he does more here than I think Henry did in the original 1931 Frankenstein, as his part was also cut for time. Here, Henry is a foil to Victor, showing how enabling someone with self-destructive tendencies almost always leads to you, the enabler, being hurt by that same abuser. There are several points where Henry could have chosen to do something that would hurt Victor’s feelings, but might have spared him tragedy, but he doesn’t intervene. For instance, Victor hides that he’s responsible for Harlander’s death. Henry could have asked more questions or forced Victor to hand the Creature to the authorities for murder and implicate himself, but he didn’t do it. He never involved the authorities since he knew it would take his brother away and he seemed to think he could always mitigate the damage that Victor did, but he was fatally wrong. I really wanted more of this brotherhood, but again, you can’t fit everything into a movie, so it remains a good but underdeveloped piece of the puzzle. I really liked Henry calling Victor a monster before he dies; it is something that’s been missing from many adaptations of the book in my eyes. It speaks volumes that Victor is somehow angry at the Creature when it’s his own actions that result in the deaths of Henry and Elizabeth both, shirking all the blame and all the responsibility. He truly is a monster.
The next change I want to talk about is the decision to have Elizabeth enamored with the Creature rather than in the novel where she is betrothed to Victor. What a choice! What a change! In the novel, Elizabeth never meets the Creature; it only appears on her wedding night to murder her out of revenge for Victor refusing to create him a companion. Not that other stories haven’t done it, but to me, this version might be the strongest part of the film other than the Creature himself. What impresses me the most about the choice to have her enamored with the Creature is it does this neat transition from an almost motherly, protective thing to the Creature growing into his manhood, personality, and maturity, so he becomes a man that could have been good to her in many ways since she was a lost soul. She is immediately taken with him as a woman in a society where for the most part, she will never get what she wants. She was born in a time period where all she can do is live under a man’s boot, and she doesn’t even get to really pick which man and which boot. She sees the Creature’s pain and she calls Victor out on his shit immediately, which is why I loved her the instant I met her breaking him down about the War. Elizabeth is a character that historically has little to no agency; in the Karloff version, the most she summons up is the courage to visit Victor when he’s acting erratic. She never gets to do anything else in the story, though she does survive in the movie where she dies in the novel, but here, Elizabeth actually has agency in a surprising way. Elizabeth’s choice to condemn Victor for mistreating the Creature is the first really excellent change that I love the del Toro and his writers made. It’s such a great conversation to have about what makes love what it is in the first place. She felt a connection with his pure innocence and his pain at being somewhere he never wanted to be against his will. They manage to make it feel so authentic and heartbreaking rather than as weird as I’m sure normal people would consider it, and that’s why I love del Toro. I love his ability to take something weird, scary, and off-putting and recontextualize it into something beautiful. Her decision to jump in front of the Creature (and God bless, she had no idea the damn thing can’t die, poor baby died for nothing) actually hands her back her agency, when normally it would be considered Stuffed into the Fridge. That’s what I found the most surprising—I usually HATE this trope. I hate it when a girl dies just so the man in the story will be sad. Fuck that. Let women have agency apart from the men that love them, and ironically, Elizabeth’s choice to take the bullet for the Creature gave her back her agency in a story where she couldn’t truly act to do what she wanted. There is a chance she could have run away with him, but Victor’s selfish hatred and cowardice took that from her, but she still gets to be herself and die as herself by asking the Creature to take her away with him. Seriously, I mean it. It might be the best thing about the entire adaptation, personally, for me.
The only downside is that I thought this film was building up to have the Creature ask Victor to change Elizabeth into his companion, but they don’t do it. They just let her die and the matter is dropped; in the novel, Victor does make the companion, but destroys it at the last minute out of fear of what the two of them might do to the world. It’s not a soul-crushing thing for me, but it was disappointing as I felt it might give her a little extra agency to come back as the undead, but get to live an eternal life with someone that cares for her deeply. It could be the studio vetoed it, but either way, I would have liked her to become The Bride for a Sequel Hook at the end, personally.
Finally (at least in terms of our discussion of the changes), I really liked del Toro deciding to change the Creature from vengeful to sympathetic and from a mortal man into an immortal one. In the novel, the Creature is sympathetic until it confronts Victor and asks for a companion since Victor rejected him and so did the rest of society. The two of them are locked in a hateful chase and cat and mouse game until the confrontation on the boat where he finally is injured enough that he will die and the Creature confronts him one last time. I knew that del Toro would write our Creature sympathetic and I love everything about how this version of him came to be. It’s such a great change to make him immortal, as he is completely right: some of us are born against our will and we live in constant pain, and death is the only comfort some of us will ever know, and Victor’s blind ambition has stolen that from the Creature. It is amazing to me the Creature came to pity and forgive him, as I know I’d be irreversibly ruined by the thought of never dying. What I love most is that it really does change the message and tone of the novel for me in a good way. The novel is much more pessimistic with the Creature realizing he is no happier having gotten his revenge on Victor and he will commit suicide so he will never harm anyone else. By having the Creature forgive Victor—even though Victor has done NOTHING to earn it—he can find the only peace he will ever have if he truly can’t die. The way Victor patted his head just made me burst into tears the second time I saw it, much like his scene with the old man. Del Toro and Jacob both do so much fucking work that really makes the Creature’s journey land. It’s why you’ll see me refer to the book version and the early part of the script of this movie as “it” and then after the Creature becomes a man with experiences, I refer to the Creature as “him.” He truly moves from an it to a him over the course of the film in a truly wonderful way, and I really hope the superb writing and acting earns them some Oscar nods, even though I know the fucking Academy hates speculative fiction and asking them to nominate Sinners and Frankenstein (you know, two films directed and starring people of color) in the same year over that godawful upcoming Avatar 3 is going to be a fight to the fucking death. But I digress. They add so many dimensions to the Creature in this adaptation and I think it’s going to really be considered one of the best ones in history.
Next, what I really wanted to gush about is the way that the narrative takes Victor to task for his blind ambition and irresponsible denial. Now, I have already heard a bunch of stuffy old dudes on various social media bleating about del Toro “making Victor the villain” and I’m sorry, time to be a dick: you ain’t read the book if you ever thought Victor was NOT the fucking villain.
(Side note: Can we stop that, by the way? Every single time a movie that women identify with personally, especially a romance or gothic horror story, that is universally praised and makes money, a bunch of men come out of the woodworks to complain about the “author’s intent” and complain about superficial aspects or they just plain “can’t explain why they don’t like it but they don’t” and they need everyone to hear them. Please, let’s make this the movie where we stop fucking doing that shit. If women are enjoying something that’s generally agreed is quality work and you hate it, that’s valid and fine, but also, stop fucking raining on women’s parades when the thing they enjoyed that was made specifically for them did not work for you. You’re allowed to dislike it, and you’re allowed to say you disliked it, but if you got on your fucking post just to dislike a thing women identified with, close your laptop or the app and ask yourself why you felt that fucking impulse in the first place. Do it for me. Thanks, chums.)
Victor Frankenstein here is only slightly more villainous than his novel self, if you ask me. The reason why is that of all the people identifying with this version of the Creature, I identify directly with the idea that I hate being alive and I never asked to be alive; it was the will of my parents and…biology…frankly, as I don’t believe for one second God’s sorry ass wanted me here. Therefore, I LOVED this portrayal of Victor as an arrogant, in-denial, irresponsible, selfish coward. Oh, I loved it. I had longed for a less sympathetic version of him that took him to task over playing God. Forget the religious implications; what truly came through for me in this film is his fucking irresponsible nature. How dare a fucking surgeon expect something that was dead to have retained knowledge and understand in a matter of fucking weeks. It takes a human child a year to fucking talk, and yes, that information was already available to him as a doctor and just in general. Victor is utterly horrid the entire time and I am so glad they did not choose to spare him. They make him a detestable sack of shit, to the degree I was glad to see him die. The scene that truly tore it was “make me save you.” I swear to God, it was the instant I wished I could kill Victor myself. Not only did you choose to kill the Creature inhumanely—fire HURTS, and so does smoke inhalation—but he pretends the Creature could ever save itself when he already decided to destroy him. He demands the Creature say another word and the Creature says Elizabeth. Victor then pretends he didn’t hear it and leaves him to burn to death. Like I said, it was the moment I knew I hated him to the depths of my soul. I also know because he’s portrayed by Oscar Isaac, a snack and a half, if I do say so myself, there will be a bunch of girlies that insist he’s innocent and did nothing wrong. Yeah, uh, avoid those girlies. They’re not well women, and they’re probably John Walker apologists too but I digress. I know there will be an uprising of people who hate this version of Victor for being a cold, callous fucking coward, and I’m the opposite. I fully commend del Toro for not bending to the urge to make Victor not a dickhead. He’s a dickhead in the book and he’s a dickhead here, and that’s great.
Another smaller, more cosmetic thing I wanted to talk about is I didn’t notice that Mia Goth played Victor’s mother Claire, as she was hidden behind a veil for most of it and her hair was dark (I’m face-blind sometimes, please excuse that) and after it was pointed out to me, I loved that so much of Victor’s obsession is clearly a byproduct of her death. He is angry at life or God that the only thing he ever loved was taken away and he was too young to stop it or do anything about it, so he has to create or else he will admit life took something he’ll never get back and he can’t deal with the idea. Victor is motivated by selfishness alone and it’s why he is so impatient and ugly with the Creature, refusing to give it any basic human decency as he considers it an experiment gone wrong, not a man, and certainly not a person. It’s incredible how far into his denial he flies, and I wish Act One had been a little shorter so that Act Three could have spent the time forcing him to reconcile with the fact that all of this was about his mother and lack of acceptance of death’s cruelty, and that the deaths of Henry and Elizabeth are on him and him alone. I wanted him to struggle and learn, but again, I believe it was cut for time, but I still enjoyed the motif and theme a lot. It was something I hadn’t seen in other interpretations of the story.
Okay, I swear, I’m almost done—the very last thing that I had to give its flowers is the set and costume/makeup. It’s honestly one of the most gorgeous films I’ve ever seen. I haven’t been this wowed since Prey (2022) came out. Del Toro is so great with the use of color and it really shines in the film. The standout for me is Elizabeth’s green, turquoise, and purple bonnet. WOW. It’s just a breathtaking period piece and his entire team deserves an Oscar for how hard they worked. The movie’s aesthetic is so good I was laughing after I finished watching it the first time because I knew there are entire generations of people that will make this film’s aesthetic their entire personality. And who can blame them! If this movie came out when I was in my emo phase, oh, I’d be in Hot Topic in short order buying crap from the merchandising section from this movie.
Alright, I promised, so I’m done gushing now. I hope there are nothing but good things in store for everyone involved in making this movie and I can’t stress enough that I’m not trying to overhype it, but I am genuinely excited it lived up to my expectations. It adds so much to the story and I didn’t feel as if we missed too much of the book’s spirits, but your mileage may vary.
Either way, what I can say is that del Toro loves his geeks and freaks, and I hope he continues making great movies like this one for us to enjoy for years to come. Here’s to you, Frankenstein (2025). Your accomplishments are well-earned.
Love,
Kyo
I am excited to announce that I have an upcoming urban fantasy/science fiction short story about Agent Yusuke Okamura chasing after the escaped siren wyvern dragon called “The Wildest Hunt” in Dragon Soul Press’ anthology, Fire and Ash! It is an anthology that will be out January 30th 2026.
Caution: Dragons ahead.
Prepare to delve into fiery worlds full of dragons. From hatchlings to ancients. From tame to wild. Many have their own goals, and most want to see the world reduced to ash. To reshape the world in their own reptilian image. Others struggle to survive, but heroes rise among them.
Which side will you choose?
Featuring 21 stories by the following authors: Valerie Sirenko, Stephanie Bedwell-Grime, Evan A. Davis, Donna J. Collins, Preston Dennett, Shane Porteous, Amelia Weissman, Cyrus Janiak, Barend Nieuwstraten III, Dafydd Hopcyn-Kitchene, J. VanZile, Diana Parrilla, Kyoko M., Sean E. Britten, Caroline Crews, Jacob Seinemeier, Racquel Sims, Malina Douglas, Emily Byrne, Michael Stuart Trimmer, and J.E. Feldman.
Sigh.
We’re back here again, ladies and gents. This is why we can’t have nice things, dammit.
Alright, so, the story with The Diplomat is a funny one for me. I had no intention of ever watching this show until one day in 2023, I was on the phone with my dad and he suggested the show. I asked him why, as I generally don’t go for political dramas or thrillers, but he assured me I’d get it once I watched the pilot. So I tried the pilot. I then gave my father another phone call afterward.
Me: …did you tell me to watch this show because I AM Kate Wyler?
Dad: That is EXACTLY why.
Me: How dare you.
Now then, we’re going to talk about The Diplomat in excruciating detail because I cannot shut up to save my life (“AND YOU KNOW THIS, MANNNNNNNN!”) and so if you’re not caught up through the end of season three of The Diplomat, please bookmark this post and pop back in when you’re up to date. Spoiler Warning: I will be spoiling nearly the entire show to talk about what I felt went horribly wrong in season three.
So the story of me watching The Diplomat is mostly that I found my tribe with Kate Wyler, who before season three was a sleep deprived trainwreck tomboy and that’s still 100% me (even though now I like to wear dresses, funnily enough), so I gobbled up season one in a binge-watch and did the very same for season two, enjoying both seasons immensely. Of the two, I’d lean slightly towards season one, but only for the epic confrontation scene (and yes, I know, if the genders were reversed, it wouldn’t be funny, but as it stands, it’s HILARIOUS and I regret nothing). I truly had fun with the show, so I was very excited about season three once announced. The show itself is not one of the super trending shows, so I actually had to go look up the premiere date for season three myself and then discovered the trailer was online with a mid-October premiere date, so I gave it a watch.
And I immediately got worried.
The trailer was skewed towards the toxic romance between Kate and Hal, hinted at Kate’s relationship with Austin, and then introduced some random dark-haired guy as a potential love interest. It immediately put me on edge as this show’s never used the toxic romance bit to carry it; the romance has always been a catalyst. I quelled my fears and decided to wait in spite of my unease and see where the actual season went, as trailers often are misleading.
The season came out. I was in Atlanta hanging out for Multiverse Con, so I split the eight episodes into three days of viewing after the con when I got back home.
I am very, very worried about this series now.
Let’s get into why.
Alright, recap time: The Diplomat stars Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell as Kate and Hal Wyler, a married couple of diplomats and ambassadors to Britain. Long story short is that their marriage is a sham and only being kept up for appearances as both of them are toxic and argue constantly, then make up constantly over how to handle her job. Kate then finds out the Vice President of the US is going to be replaced and they have been eyeing her for the role. She doesn’t want it, but shenanigans happen and eventually, she realizes there may be some merit in accepting the role and so the show is about them not only keeping Britain from going to war thanks to their irresponsible, childish prime minister Trowbridge, but also her slowly realizing the path to the White House might be right for her after all. The conflict comes from keeping Trowbridge under control and the fact that Hal loves to go behind her back to manipulate things in his favor to give him more power.
In season three, Hal told President Rayburn that the VP Grace Penn was the one who suggested the mistakenly fatal attack on the HMS Courageous. Originally, it was a tactic that should have resulted in no deaths, but errors caused it to kill 41 sailors and sink the ship. The shock of the news plus Rayburn’s age and poor health result in him actually having a heart attack and dying upon being told his own VP was partially responsible for the deaths of 41 British sailors. The country is thrown into crisis mode as they speedily ready Grace Penn to be sworn in as President, and to the Wyler’s shock, she actually chooses Hal to be her VP, not Kate. Hal and Kate have an intense argument, but she tells him to accept the role, and he does, but she is now second lady and the ambassador to Britain, and so the strain of doing both roles then completely deep-sixes their marriage all over again. Kate becomes resentful of Hal leaving her out of conversations she feels she should be involved in; Hal resents Kate for moving on with a new boyfriend even though they are supposed to pretend to be happily married in public. Then, a discovery is made that there is a derelict Russian sub in British waters carrying a very bad nuke called the Poseidon. If they don’t remove it quickly, a bad foreign power will get their hands on it, so everyone has to now convince the very angry Trowbridge to address the nuke sub issue without causing an international incident between the US, the UK, China, and Russia.
On paper, that doesn’t sound like a bad season, right?
Well, here’s where things went wrong for me.
I truly don’t think this show is at a point where it can’t be saved, but this season struck such a hard blow against it that I’m reeling a bit. It’s just such a vast difference in quality in the writing that I have to wonder if three things happened, and I’ll hopefully find out someday now that the season is out: (1) Netflix told them they got the season four greenlight, but they have to start trending, not just getting great reviews, and so they told them to insert way, way more romance and sex to attract female viewers ala Scandal or a Shonda Rhimes/Ava Duvernay series (2) Netflix told them that they want the show more like Billions, where the cast of characters are terrible, flawed, but interesting people, instead of sticking with the flawed but likable cast we currently have written (3) The show ran out of ideas of what to do next due to the excellent writing for their first two seasons, so they tried focusing on the romance instead of the clever plot and added more sex to try and distract from the fact that they ran out of ideas for season three. Since it’s so early, I’m sure there isn’t much out about the third season’s production, but I will be listening out to hear if one of those three theories is why season three is so damn wonky.
I’m also not alone in my griping for once. I popped open the IMDB page after the season three premiere and several of the user reviews have said the exact same things that I did (albeit it with brevity). What’s scary is how many of the recent reviews not only say that the first two seasons are great and this one sucks, so many of them use the exact phrase “soap opera” that I can tell I’m not the only one that thinks season three is a massive step down and setback from seasons one and two. Truly, if you don’t believe me, go have a look.
I really want this show to get out of its death spiral. I do. I hope that the critical reviews are read and reviewed by the creator and the writing team and they realize this is a simple misstep and they course correct. After all, we just saw the first Castlevania Netflix series do the same (great first two seasons, terrible third season, but much improved fourth season closing it out, though it didn’t do everything we wanted like make TrephaGretacard a canon poly ship, but I digress.) I don’t feel like this season made everyone irredeemable, but if I were the writers, I’d set up the first half of season four to fix everything I just said. Fix Hal and Kate so that they are no longer unlikable sociopaths. Fix Austin so he’s not just being used and discarded to interrupt your main ship. Toss Callum out the window or actually bother to write him into the narrative so he matters and we care about him, whether that’s love or hate. Get everyone’s actions back to being consistent. Stop making lazy decisions for easy manufactured tension. Make sure Kate has an actual arc, not just bouncing around on dicks making really poor decisions (and again, not slut shaming; saying please write the sex and romance parts better).
You can do this, Diplomat. I believe in you. So please believe in me, in your audience, and clean this shit the fuck up next season, or I won’t be back, and I might not be the only one walking out on you.
I guess we’ll see where we go from here. Let’s hope it’s up, not down.
I look forward to joining everyone in the Peachtree City, GA area in our yearly celebration of all things geeky, and here is my schedule. See you all there!
Welcome, one and all, back to the wonderful world of Atlanta, Georgia! I am very excited to announce that the third installment in Milton J. Davis’ fantastic short story anthology series is here: Terminus III! Today, I’m sharing an excerpt as we pick up on the third story with Cassandra Moody, the daughter of the original Wolfman, and her on-and-off-again paramour, the Father of All Vampires himself, Count Dracula aka Vlad Tepes. Please kick back and enjoy this Halloween-themed excerpt from my story, “Things That Go Bump in the Night.”
Purchase link below at the end of the excerpt.
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What kind of lunatic brings Count Dracula, aka Vlad Tepes, aka He Who Conquers aka Father of All Vampires…to a murder mystery dinner on Halloween?
Me. I’m the lunatic. My name is Cassandra Moody. Nice to meet you.
You see, the Count and I have a uniquely weird sort of friendship. It has to be, considering he’s the world’s oldest vampire and I’m the daughter of the original Wolfman. He met my parents a few centuries ago and they’ve been dear friends ever since, meaning I got an introduction. I didn’t really get to know him until a few years ago when he came to visit us in Atlanta, Georgia and I took him out for a night on the town that ended in a brawl with rival werewolves…and us making out. Just a little. I’m a classy girl, after all—I don’t just make out with any old vampire, no, I had to go and choose the Father of All Vampires. Go big or go home.
Ever since, he and I have had little…visits. That’s the nicest way to put it, really. He comes to the states every few months to hang out with our wolf pack, see my parents, and…well…the man’s title is He Who Conquers. I’m sure you can put together what we get up to each time he visits. A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.
This year, however, the Count had enough time to stop in for Halloween, which is actually a big deal in the supernatural community. Most of us get to cut loose on Halloween since the march of technology is now so advanced that many supernatural creatures can walk around as themselves and most normies write it off as elaborate costumes or special effects. Since this would be the first Halloween we’d be spending in each other’s company, I decided to make it an occasion. I’d gotten invited to a murder mystery dinner thrown by a friend of a friend, so Vlad decided to tag along for a night of thrills.
And trust me, vampires and werewolves hanging out is always a night of thrills.
The limousine rolled to a stop once we’d reached the mansion. Yes, mansion, since living for hundreds of years at a time usually means vampires are filthy rich from learning the tricks of the trade to making money. The driver walked around and opened the door for me, offering his hand as I stepped out into the brisk fall air.
I picked up the hem of my dress and carefully stepped out onto the little circle around the massive fountain. We were in the land of the rich, which for Atlanta meant the West Paces Ferry area aka the same side of town where Bill Murray’s mansion resided. I’d never be able to afford a house out this way for a hundred years, not unless I used my werewolf powers to rob a bank or knock over an armored car. I could also admit being the only black woman at a fancy murder party wasn’t the smartest idea, but I was a werewolf and could take care of myself in any situation, not to mention Vlad would go to bat for me in a heartbeat, pun fully intended. My dress flowed around me, heavy and silken, as it was a replica of the iconic, fur-lined brown dress that Bette Davis wore in All About Eve. That was the party’s theme for the night—the fifties, which happened to be an era that our hosts liked a lot, so every guest would be dressed as a character from a movie within that decade.
As such, my long dark-brown hair had been set in nice pin curls like Bette Davis’ look in the film. It was no mean feat; my hair was naturally quite curly, so I’d gotten a silk press, then set it with bobby pins overnight. It had been a pain, but it actually looked quite nice.
My date then stepped out behind me, dressed in a replica of the suit that Gary Merrill’s character, Bill Simpson, wore in the very same film. And boy, was Vlad something else to look at in a vintage suit. He was a whopping six-foot-four with sooty black hair enough to fall into his crystal blue eyes, contrasting his trademark pale skin. He was extremely well built, but that was because he was a predator and prey came to him easier when he was a handsome devil. He had a very slight Transylvanian accent and one of the driest wits I’d ever encountered. There was nothing more fun than trading banter with Dracula, in my book.
Well. Maybe one thing, but I digress.
“Ostentatious, but it’s what I expected,” he mused as he unfolded that giant frame from inside the limo, brushing lint from his right knee. “And it’s a house on a hill, no less. Quite fitting.”
“Quite indeed.”
He tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow, his sky blue eyes filled with good humor and affection. “Might I say again how radiant you look, Miss Channing?”
I did a little curtsey that made him laugh, affecting Bette Davis’ unique accent. “Why thank you, Bill, darling. I try.”
We walked up the steps of the gigantic house. The heavy door opened and a butler appeared. He was grey-haired and wore traditional fifties butler tails along with white gloves, bowing politely. “Good evening Miss Moody and Lord Tepes. Thank you so much for joining us this evening. Please follow me.”
He stepped aside and we walked into the massive foyer. I could hear orchestral music flowing in from the main living room. The archway to our right led to a dining room with a long oak table. There was a staircase straight ahead that led to the bedrooms. The hallway beneath it likely led to the kitchen. The one to our left sounded like it was where the guests were starting to mingle, and it was where the butler directed us to follow him. My heels clicked on the marble floors as we walked into the main area where our murder mystery would be taking place.
When we reached the door, the butler bowed and left. There was a young, pretty girl waiting for us wearing a French maid costume and a big grin, her scarlet lipstick gleaming in the overhead light. She offered us the top hat in her hands that had little folded slips of paper. Each slip was a different color, no two the same one. “Welcome to our party! Please pick a piece of paper from the hat to find out your character assignment and what actions you will perform in the role. Make sure not to show it to anyone, not even your partner. Over there are your sheets for logging evidence during your investigation.”
We thanked her, then both selected a scrap of paper, a murder suspect sheet, and a fountain pen. I peeked at my assignment. I’d chosen the role of suspect. Tonight, there would be a fake murder and a fake victim, so the rest of the party would be trying to figure out who killed them and why. The winner would be granted a lovely prize: a check for five grand as well as a little fancy trophy and some bragging rights. I saw Vlad glance at his role as well before pocketing it, his expression unreadable as usual. We thanked the maid and headed into the room to mingle with the rest of the guests.
There was a total of eight guests including me and Vlad: four men and four women. The first woman in the bunch was the most noticeable—Elizabeth. She wore the black flapper girl dress from Some Like It Hot that Marilyn Monroe had worn, meaning she’d chosen to dress up as Sugar Cane. And considering how rich she was, it was entirely possible it was the real damn thing if that dress hadn’t ever been lost or destroyed. Like the character she’d dressed up as, she was rather buxom and had blonde curly hair, an artificial beauty mark on her cheek, her lips red. It contrasted with her pale skin, as she was a vampire just like Vlad. And I noticed that her eyes locked onto my date immediately, which raised my hackles. There were a lot of women after Vlad, considering he was one of the wealthiest men alive and was handsome to boot.
The man beside her wore a grey suit that clued me in to his character: Roger Thornhill from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest. Lex was a tall, strapping man with dark hair smoothed away from his face, his cheekbones elegant, his brown eyes already slightly glazed over from alcohol consumption. Supernatural beings did like to party, after all, and werewolves like him were no exception. He nodded to me politely and then sipped more wine.
The woman beside him, Jamie, wore the striped dress of Joan Crawford’s character, Milly Wetherby, in Autumn Leaves. Her dark hair was pulled away from her face and pinned up with a few neat curls near her forehead. It made her piercing blue eyes stand out even more. Her eyes looked even brighter in her werewolf form; she had white and grey fur. I’d always found it to be lovely.
The man on her right, Robert, was dressed as Frederick Loren from The House on Haunted Hill, or as most people who know the actor, Vincent Price’s character. He had his dark hair oiled and had a fake pencil thin mustache to complete the look in his vintage suit. He was chatting with Jamie and sipping from a glass of white wine. Like I said, werewolves love their booze.
His partner in crime—in life and in the party—was Maxine. She was short and curvy, wearing the iconic purple and gold outfit of Annabelle Loren from House on Haunted Hill, with her blonde hair in soft waves, but away from her face. She had a Steuben with what smelled like whiskey in it as she talked to Lex.
The last guest was Paul, a male vampire dressed as Brick Pollitt from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, particularly Paul Newnan’s powder blue set of pajamas as well as his leg cast. He had a crutch under one arm to sell the look, his brown hair neatly brushed. He took a deep sip from a chalice and his lips were unnaturally red as he did so; lots of vampires preferred their blood this way, but there was no denying they still liked it fresh right from the source. ‘
The room we’d entered looked to be the family room. It had a long burgundy couch and a matching loveseat across from it with a few more individual, but equally nice chairs around in the center of the room. The fireplace was directly across from the door and the walls were adorned with framed paintings of autumn landscapes and snowy mountains. It was all on gorgeous hardwood floors with rugs dotted around under the furniture and there was a black grand piano in the corner.
Robert and Maxine were our hosts and we were the last to arrive, so they quieted the group and then addressed everyone.
“Thank you so much for coming!” Maxine chirped. “We can’t wait to get started. Raise your hand if this is your first murder mystery dinner.”
I raised mine, as did Vlad and Jamie. “Well, don’t worry. We’ll walk you through everything. Everyone has been assigned a part to play and you are not to reveal to anyone else what yours happens to be. In just a few minutes, there will be a murder. Our victim will play dead for the rest of the party and the rest of us are going to look for clues and interrogate each other until everyone has decided on who they think is the culprit. Once everyone has chosen, we’ll go around and let them explain their accusations. Once everyone has had a turn, then we’ll reveal whodunit. The person who wins is the one who guesses the culprit and the murder weapon. In the event that two or more people are right, we’re willing to give out equal prizes and you can share the trophy. If no one guesses right, then it’s void and we can technically shift the roles and try again if everyone is patient enough to do so.”
Robert spread his hands. “Any questions?”
“Are there any particular restrictions or rules?” I asked. “Like ‘don’t leave this room’ or something to that effect?”
“Oh, no, you’re welcome to our home,” Robert said warmly. “Please explore as you like. The entire place is part of the mystery, so you’re welcome to go anywhere you want since everything counts as a clue or a possible scenario to figure out whodunit. You won’t need to go outside, though, as all the clues are indoors or can be viewed from indoors.”
“Will we split up, pair up, or stay in a single group?” Jamie asked.
“It’s completely optional. Whatever you think will help you solve the mystery.”
“Lovely,” Vlad said. “Are the wait staff assisting us or are they off limits?”
“You’re welcome to ask them anything,” Maxine replied. “They’ve all been handsomely paid for participating. We try to keep them happy since they keep us so happy.”
“Are any of them part of the suspect pool?”
“No, we decided to keep it to just the guests. They won’t be any of the assigned roles, but they can assist if you think of things to ask them.”
Robert walked over to the doors and pulled them shut, locking them with a key he tucked into his pocket. “And just for the murder itself, we’ll keep the doors shut and locked and the lights will go off briefly right at nine o’clock on the dot. In the meantime, please enjoy some libations and get ready for the main event.”
I took a moment to offer everyone a Cheshire cat grin. “Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
Most of the group laughed, having understood the reference. If there was one thing I was good for, it was references. I was a millennial, after all.
“How’ve you been, Vlad?” Elizabeth asked. “I haven’t seen you since this turn of the century.”
“Oh, you know me,” he said casually. “I suffer from wanderlust. But I’ve been making trips to the states more often on account of a certain someone.”
He paused enough to wink at me. “And I like this time of year in Atlanta. It’s a rather festive city, after all. There is so much to do and the culture is very rich.”
“It’s really coming along nicely,” Lex said. “I live over in Little Five Points and it’s such a good area for the creative crowd. My sister’s a professional dancer with a troop over there so it’s nice to see so many people in the entertainment industry working in that area.”
“I’ve been interested in the movie industry’s interest here as well,” Jamie said. “Like that studio out in Fayetteville. It’s exciting that Atlanta’s becoming so prominent in the filming world.”
“Well, it is cheaper cost of living here due to so much poverty,” Elizabeth said. “I’m not sure I could live here.”
Lex shrugged a shoulder. “Just depends on where you go.”
“Atlanta’s not a pretty town, but it’s got a little bit of everything,” I said. “If you know where to look. I’m trying to convince the Count to get a summer home here; I really do think he’d like it.”
“Oh, yes, yes,” Jamie said excitedly. “It would be amazing to have you in town more often, you know. That last soiree that you threw at the beta’s house was incredible.”
Vlad grinned. Had his fangs been out, we’d have seen them. “Why, thank you. The only hesitation is that if I buy a home here, I’ll never bloody leave.”
“The state would vastly benefit from your presence,” Elizabeth said, and the comment finally made me really take notice of her. I’d only met her twice. She lived in SoHo, but I also knew she had properties all over the states. We’d never held a full conversation since my instincts told me she had no regard for me, either from being a werewolf, being black, or being Southern. There was something…selfish in her eyes. She gave me the impression she spent a lot of time looking down her nose at other supernatural creatures and humans alike.
“Perhaps,” Vlad said smoothly, sipping from the champagne flute that a waiter offered. “The Moody wolf pack has been very good to me. I wouldn’t mind settling down in a city this vibrant with so many beautiful women around.”
I rolled my eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. He wasn’t fooling anyone. “Yes, these are the priorities of He Who Conquers.”
Most of the group chuckled. “Excuse us for just a second.”
I tugged my date aside. It wouldn’t be great since both vampires and werewolves had supernatural hearing, but I still wanted a moment alone with him. “Problem?” he asked as quietly as possible as we stood by the fireplace. The crackling hearth would throw the sound off a little, hopefully.
“How much do you know about Elizabeth?” I asked.
Vlad frowned. “Not much. She comes from the Norwegian clan of vampires. I don’t see her very often, truth be told. She keeps to herself mostly. Why?”
“My Spidey sense is tingling.”
Vlad arched an eyebrow. “My darling, the copyright infringement.”
I poked him in the side, glaring. “I mean it. Something’s up. I can feel it in my gut.”
He nodded. “You have good instincts. Trust them. I’ll keep my wits about me much as possible, then.”
“As much as possible?” I echoed.
He grinned again. “Well, you are quite bewitching in that dress. It’s very distracting.”
I scoffed, but wanted to smile again. “Oh, stop it, you dirty old man.”
His eyes gleamed as he leaned down to my height and dropped a soft kiss to my lips. “Never.”
And, of course, that was the exact moment someone turned out the lights.
TO BE CONTINUED
Grab yourself a copy in all formats directly from Milton’s website or wherever books are sold! Milton will also have copies at the upcoming Georgia Indie Book Faire on September 13th, 2025, and at Multiverse Con October 17-19th 2025, so be there or be square!
I am happy to announce that I have sold a science fiction short story to an upcoming anthology by Flame Tree Publishing! I’m in there with a few familiar favorites like Linda D. Addison and Maurice Broaddus, so please check below for more details and watch this space for the release date announcement!
We’re pleased to announce the authors included in our upcoming anthology: Afrofuturism Short Stories! Earlier this year, we opened for submissions that explore the many angles and interpretations of Afrofuturism, a genre and an aesthetic that envisages all kinds of Black futures, alternative pasts and possibilities. Award-winning author of Everfair, Nisi Shawl, provides the foreword, alongside an insightful introduction by Associate Editor Dr. Sandra M. Grayson and invaluable editorial support from Sistah Sci-Fi founder Isis Asare. We’re delighted to have chosen the stories below for inclusion:
Forward Agenda by Abíọ́dún Abdul
Twice, At Once, Separated by Linda D. Addison
Revolution in the Soil by Aishatu Ado
The Grief Pilgrim by Aishatu Ado
Flight Pattern by Azure Arther
The Adoration of Random Strangers by Azure Arther
The Water Runner by Eugen Bacon
Danakil by Steven Barnes
Easel Isle by Kayla Baskins
The Migration Suite: A Study in C Sharp Minor by Maurice Broaddus
Kemi and the Sacred Amulet: Collected Pataki Vol. 1 by Alan Ceaser
Nikki’s Rockin’ Rocket Curls and Cuts by Tiffany M. Davis
Eyes of a Living Planet by Yazeed Dele-Azeez
Like Daughter by Tananarive Due
The Heartware Protocol by Christian Emecheta
The Seventy-year-old Corpse Harvester by Naomi Eselojor
The Worth of a Nation by Minister Faust
Familiar Planet by Gabrielle Emem Harry
Invocations and Car Songs by Akua Lezli Hope
Timbuctoo by Akua Lezli Hope
Hum by Melissa Jackson-Wagner
Foundling by Tenea D. Johnson
Gilded Throne on a Mound of Ash by B.T. Karuma
The Devil’s Metamorphosis by B.T. Karuma
The Underground Railroad of Entanglement by Astra Lee
Comfort by Kyoko M.
Progenitor by Kay Mabasa
A Manual on Different Options of How to Bring a Loved One to Life by Oyedotun Damilola Muees
Our Soil by Masimba Musodza
The Long Way Home by Kortney Nash
The Night Market by Chinelo Onwualu
To Have Your Beans and Eat Them Too by J.V. Sadler
Are We Yet Worthy by T.M. Sayed
New Action by Nisi Shawl
Ten Pieces by Ran Walker
These selected stories will appear alongside classic Afrofuturist examples by John Akomfrah (Director), Samuel R. Delany, Pauline E. Hopkins and George S. Schuyler.
If you know anything about me, you know I am the biggest fan of Ms. Selina Kyle (even named my fur baby after her, as you can see) and so I was delighted to be with my two cohorts to discuss the tales and tails of Catwoman throughout the years on ConTinual’s Comics Lair. Please enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/nancy.northcott.1/videos/677740851745478?idorvanity=563373290941914
It is Sam Wilson’s year in 2025 and I couldn’t be happier for him. I’m overjoyed at the success of Captain America: Brave New World, and just as excited to say that we have hosted a free virtual panel through ConTinual featuring several of the authors of the Captain America: The Shield of Sam Wilson anthology. Each author talks about their unique short story with yours truly hosting, so if you’d like to learn more about our anthology, click the link below and enjoy!