Problem Sleuth


 * This page is about the adventure known as Problem Sleuth, for the character of the same name, see Problem Sleuth (character).

Problem Sleuth is a maximalist adventure game/webcomic presented on MS Paint Adventures. It is the tale of a particularly hard-boiled detective named Problem Sleuth (PS) and a steadily increasing cast of characters, most of which are variations of Problem Sleuth himself, his rival Ace Dick, or their socially awkward acquaintance, the Pickle Inspector. Putting aside their differences, they struggle against the Mobster Kingpin to escape from their office building and go out to the Real City Streets. The first Problem Sleuth scene is dated 3/10/2008. It begins by introducing the Problem Sleuth character in his office. This adventure was finished on 3/10/2009, making it the second longest adventure Andrew Hussie has created and the first to be completed. Search results also show it is the second most popular MS Paint Adventures comic, just behind Homestuck. The comic finished with a total of 1,673 pages.

Numerical data about Problem Sleuth are maintained here.

The Making of PS
The author, Andrew Hussie (AH), presents a scene which typically consists of a drawing and some text. Updates are made almost daily. Suggestions are encouraged from readers on the direction that the storyline will take. Players of this game use the "suggestion box" to type in their commands to the game's characters. Unlike predecessors of the text-based game genre, the storyline is only limited by the imagination of the author and participants. The author, AH, has the final decision as to what will become part of the Problem Sleuth canon.

AH has mentioned in the FAQ that although the website is called MS Paint Adventures, only the first scene of Jailbreak was made using the program MS Paint. All subsequent scenes were made using Photoshop.

Chapters
VOLUME 1
 * CHAPTER 1 - COMPENSATION, ADEQUATE (Started 03/10/08, ended 03/17/08)
 * CHAPTER 2 - TOO HOT TO HANDLE (Started 03/17/08, ended 04/06/08)
 * CHAPTER 3 - PERSECUTED BY UNSCRUPULOUS WHORES (Started 04/06/08, ended 04/14/08)
 * CHAPTER 4 - HAIRPIN TRIGGER (Started 04/14/08, ended 05/16/08)
 * CHAPTER 5 - THE DEGENERATE GAMBLERS (Started 05/16/08, ended 06/04/08)

VOLUME 2
 * CHAPTER 6 - MORE WEIRD PUZZLE SHIT (Started 06/04/08, ended 06/18/08)
 * CHAPTER 7 - FIT OF HYSTERICS (Started 06/18/08, ended 07/12/08)
 * CHAPTER 8 - THE SLEAZY BROTHEL IN THE SKY (Started 07/12/08, ended 07/30/08)
 * CHAPTER 9 - THIS IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT (Started 08/13/08, ended 08/19/08)

VOLUME 3
 * CHAPTER 10 - THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO BADASS (Started 08/19/08, ended 09/01/08)
 * CHAPTER 11 - TWO LUMPS (Started 09/01/08, ended 09/15/08)
 * CHAPTER 12 - SUITOR TO THE SODAJERK'S CONFIDANTE (Started 09/17/08, ended 09/26/08)
 * CHAPTER 13 - DMK (Started 09/26/08, ended 10/09/08)

VOLUME 4
 * CHAPTER 14 - ACTUALLY, THIS IS A LOT OF FUN (Started 10/09/08, ended 10/27/08)
 * CHAPTER 15 - TRIPLE COMB RAVE (Started 10/28/08, ended 11/02/08)
 * CHAPTER 16 - SUPERNATURAL GOURD (Started 11/02/08, ended 11/26/08)
 * CHAPTER 17 - BLACK LIQUID SORROW (Started 11/26/08, ended 12/11/08)

VOLUME 5
 * CHAPTER 18 - SUPERSTRING STRATA (Started 12/11/08, ended 12/21/08)
 * CHAPTER 19 - ASCENSION/ALIGNMENT/CONJUGATION (Started 12/21/08, ended 01/08/09)
 * CHAPTER 20 - TEMPORAL REPLICOLLISION (Started 01/16/09, ended 01/29/09)
 * CHAPTER 21 - BHMK (Started 01/29/09, ended 02/15/09)
 * CHAPTER 22 - SEPULCHRITUDE (Started 02/15/09, ended 03/10/09)

EPILOGUE (Started 03/16/09, ended 04/07/09)

Recap #1
Problem Sleuth's author wrote some great play-by play summaries built into the game. The first was featured on 11/08/08 in a scene titled "RECAP!!! Please?" which reads:


 * from Problem Sleuth (PS 1330) dated 11/08/08.

Recap #2
The second part of the author-written summarization was featured on February 12, 2009 in a scene titled "Recap Part 2!" reprinted here:




 * From Problem Sleuth (PS 1696).

Subsequent Events
As the eighth comb is quickly being completed, Pickle Inspector pulls the TECTRIX OF THE ARBITOR from his hat and uses his low level TickleTech to attempt to free himself from DMK's BRIER. However, he AUTO-FUMBLES, and loses grip of it. Problem Sleuth is able to catch the Tectrix, and it becomes the mighty Tectrixcalibur. Cutting the brier with ease, Pickle Inspector falls to the wheel, and Problem Sleuth initiates the epic Sepulchritude, as the eighth comb has finally been completed. Now glowing a glistening green, Problem Sleuth diplomatically slashes DMK through a series of treaties and other writings using a summoned Smith Corona Blotspitter, summoned by the DEMIMONDE SEMI-GODESS, who also supplied a INK RIBBON to use as ammunition.

He then used Level 99 Sleuth Diplomacy: Pax Probliscum to deal major damage by firing an Unpleasant note at DMK, wiping out his second health meter. Naturally, DMK responded by using Ladder To Hell, which gained him about 50 billion health meters. PS 1742

Meanwhile, the Weasel King was despondent over the worsening condition of Mount Saint Lardass. He decided to grant his strength to PS, enabling the most powerful BATTLE TECHNIQUE ever: Final Flip Out. This, combined with the final explosion of Sepulchritude as the Ink of Squid Pro Quo was drained, obliterated all of DMK's health meters anyway so that move was kind of a moot point.

Unfortunately, a sun was placed under BHMK's gifted ass, and Mt. Lardass was sent into a state of near-unavoidable eruption.

As everything was getting sucked into the Black Hole, the entire Universe was suffering from relative time-dilation effects (that are entirely feasible). As a result of the somewhat augmented physics, the time "sped up" for those nearest to the Black Hole, making the more-than-36 billion light-year voyage made by the current through the fan cord seem to take a much shorter time for those closer to the Black Hole's event horizon. Just don't think about it too much. Pickle Inspector, auto-fumbling as he was loading back up the Sextant, lost his opportunity to shoot the Fetal Seedpod that DMK had spawned, which if detached, would grow into a NEW DMK. However, DMK was so weak from the attack of Sepulchritude that he was sucked into the black hole too, and Pickle Inspector lost his opportunity to finish off DMK. He then decided to free Captain Snoop, who was riding the legs of the Candy Mecha from orbiting the moon, and shot the moon to release the bust. The mecha, carrying the bust, traveled over to Whore Island, next to the fan, which had just turned on.

Pickle Inspector watched in horror as the precious bust was pushed off the mecha by the fan and fell toward the Sudocube, which was floating around for some reason. Pickle Inspector was prepared for something this disastrous. Using his minutes to hours worth of experience as a Skipper, and combined with his knowledge of the creation of the Sudocube, spun the universe to pilot the bust through the other end.

The Sudocube disappeared and landed into Death's hands, claiming that he was a winner.

The bust and Problem Sleuth, who was then severely weakened by the aftermath of Sepulchritude, followed after the moon into the Black Hole, where the other Demimonde Semi-Goddess inside sent her army of angels to aggress DMK. He fought them off with his Defensive Glower, zapping dozens at once. Preoccupied, he did not notice the stray bust coming in toward the seed-pod, which promptly crashed into it and cracked open, spilling out volatile and destructive candy. The candy itself almost eliminated all of the Pep Gold for DMK.

Problem Sleuth was floating toward the center of the black hole himself, and used the last of his strength to give his precious Candy Corn he had been carrying the entire time throughout the adventure a goodbye kiss, and dropped them onto the Seedpod. The candy corn depleted the last of DMK's Pep Gold, dealing the final blow.

DMK was slain, and BHMK was now sucking in the two celestial bodies, the sun and the moon, toward him. They pushed him through the Gravity Brassier and Mobster Kingpin came out of Mt. Lardass, erupting it. The Black Hole, no longer having any mass to sustain it, exploded, sending characters to random places all over the world.

Pickle Inspector, having neglected to pilot his own ship, crashed the Chicago Overcoat into the Clock Tower of Cartesian Alignment, and the bust of the ship smashed into his face and plummeted him to the ground. DMK's hat landed on the Ham Needle, piercing it, and Team Sleuth landed on the hat too, posing as shit just got...

Well, no. Problem Sleuth was barely able to land, much less make a pose. And Mobster Kingpin, having been jettisoned from Mount Saint Lardass, flew all the way from the other side of the universe to be impaled on the spike of the Ham Needle, too. He dropped the precious Megaton Key.

A dance occurred immediately afterward, but Problem Sleuth seemed unable to participate in the activities. He appeared to have his consciousness shifted toward an alternate area, a void where there is nothing anywhere but darkness. A light appeared, and it was the dancer from the music box, but it disappeared too.

A kiss then appeared on his cheek. Unsure of the reality of the interaction, he felt around to ensure he was all there.

Of course he was! Hysterical Dame was not too happy about his indiscriminate groping, but Ace Dick quickly and easily grabbed the Megaton Key and they hopped off in the whoremobile to leave to the Real City Streets, where they belong, leaving the player a winner.

Epilogue
The city, having been calmed, darkened into the evening. The Higgs Bonehead and the Whale traveled to the bottom of the sea to find a few busts that have been inadvertently sunk by the two ladies through their inexplicable whore adventure. Further down, the Hatless Man had found his way to the Devil, who gave him a rapacious poking with his Fork. Wifehearst is remarried (to Completely Sane Man) while Bathearst fights crime using the legs of the Candy Mecha. The Gentlemen have a close encounter in their club. The Four Heroes participate in a ritual to declare peace while the Four Kingdoms watch on. Madame Murel is shown to have wedded the Weasel King. The ladies and whores watch a film starring Captain Snoop. The Demimonde Goddess sits on her throne which was Problem Sleuth's Office, with a half reddish, half purple baby (Perhaps implying that Fiesta Ace Dick is the father, because both halves of the baby are the Demimonde Goddess's color with tints of red, also he is seen looking on and smiling later) as her Courtesan Angels offer her Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, in a parody of the birth of Jesus (Also possibly implying that the baby would go on to cause the same type of chaos as DMK, who had the same three powerful gifts) while Fiesta Ace Dick and Honeycomb Professor enjoy paradise. Zombie Ace Dick is then shown to have joined the Bust moving Industry. Godhead Pickle Inspector fondly regards his creation while donning Ben Stiller's sunglasses. Problem Sleuth, Ace Dick and Pickle Inspector, free from their office building, rush to their next case, now as a team. Death pushes his games cabinet to Mobster Kingpin, stuck in the afterlife due to the door being jammed shut.

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