#[ :) get ready to suffer kristopher :)

[bluestmoons]

a shame

   Long before the sun even made it to the tip of the horizon -- long before the rest of her family were even considering stirring -- Leonie awakened. The world was still dark, and cold, and her footfalls creaked against the wood of the floor as she tried to make her way out the door. Any attempts to muffle them were not enough to protect her from her eldest son hearing, and shifting awake. He’d always been a light sleeper, even as an infant, and he sat up groggily as she pulled on her boots. To her great fortune, it only took a tuck-in and a kiss on his forehead to send him back to sleep. 

   She’d be back in a few hours, with their breakfasts from the market. 

   Her mare was tied outside, and was anxious with the anticipation of a good, early ride, and the soft grass right outside the marketplace. She tapped her hooves in place as Leonie dragged the saddle on -- hardly waited for the bit to start chomping at it. By the time Leonie was on her back, she was long ready for the promise of movement offered to her. 

   The wind was nice over the top of her head, against her braid -- the crisp air stung, but it smarted less with the knowledge of where she was going, and why. 

   To get their breakfasts, of course. But that wasn’t quite the only reason. 

   A few minutes shy of an hour later, she was wandering through a marketplace only half-staffed in a town only groggily pulling their bones from bed. The sky was still gray and tumultuous -- just like the stones beneath it. Everything was overlaid with fog, and it felt dreamy -- sticky -- in a way the rest of the world never had, to her. She was hesitating over some vegetables that’d been clearly left out over the night, wondering if anything was still fresh enough to take home, when a figure hesitated next to her.  

   “Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” 

   She grinned, only enough to bite her lip. She had to try to swallow the snort that bubbled forward. 

   Oh, Alexei.

   If they were still teenagers -- still back home -- still where there was sun, and warmth, and pressing futures and endless days -- she would’ve taken him by the shirt and kissed him right there. 

   But they weren’t. They were in cold Bern, standing near each other like two strangers. She was married, with a family to tend to. And he was... 

   He was standing next to the stall in a puffy white shirt, shimmery and soft like satin. The kind of clothing she’d worn all the time as a child, and her children had probably never even felt. They hadn’t the money for that sort of thing. He had small gold frames on his face -- again, the luxury of a noble -- and well-fitted boots, and a cape. Leonie’s own was gray from years of use, and worn with holes in it. 

   They were no longer childhood best friends. They were no longer lovers. 

   He was a nobleman. 

   And she was just a poor mercenary.  

   “Is that the best you can do for an opener?” 

   He gasped, agape in horror. “I thought it was rather funny!” 

   She smiled even as she picked up a fruit. “The weather in Bern is never humorous. Only bitterly serious.” 

   “Yet only one of us have chosen to move here.” 

   Her grin and hand fell at the same time. The fruit was released back to its place. “I have chosen for the same reason as you.” 

   It was silent. She ambled a few feet away, started gathering some of Lloyd’s favorite vegetables, which were luckily in season -- if anything could be truly in season here -- but Alexei stumbled towards her, following with hands uncomfortably clasped behind his cape. 

   Always following.

   “So, ah, did -- did Linus finish his chapter?” 

   Leonie sighed, squeezing a few of the vegetables on the table. “No. But he has certainly made progress, which is what I will tell Brendan when he corners me about Linus’ schooling. Should he ever spend enough time within our walls again to remember such details, that is.” Some of these were on the turn, but if they ate them today… She added it to her basket.  

   Alexei grimaced out a smile, somewhat good-naturedly. “He’s… still taking jobs? Even after Isadora?” 

   Everything on Leonie was flat. “Even after.” 

   “How are you dealing with it?” 

   “As I always do.” She’d reached the front of the stall, and had enough fruit for at least this morning. “I’ll have these, thank you.” Leonie offered coin to the grateful salesman, moved on to another stall for her fruit. 

   Alexei was wise enough to wait until they’d wandered from earshot to pester her further. “How can you be so calm about it?” 

   “I have no choice.” Wow, the color on that berry… She examined it coolly. “It is his work.” 

   Alexei’s back came against the stall, and his focus was solely on her, even as she attempted to ignore him. “Being a father is his work, too.” 

   So early in the morning to sigh so often. “The boys love him, Alexei.” 

   “They’re children. They love everything.” 

   “Ha!” Now that was funny. “You are sorely mistaken if you believe my boys could love everything. I can hardly get them to mildly enjoy the same somethings.” 

   “What I’m saying is -- boys always love their fathers. Don’t they?” 

   “You tell me.” 

   It did seem to be true, though. No matter what Brendan did, he could do no wrong in the eyes of her boys. And it seemed like everything she did was wrong to the youngest. Even on days she allowed him to shirk his duties and play -- something her parents never would’ve tolerated of her -- he found something she’d done that was distasteful. It was near impossible to stay in Linus’ graces for long. As if her absence right after his birth had sealed them from being separate, forever. 

   She thought of Lloyd’s serious face -- his refusal to relax or cry -- and she unintentionally dug a nail into fruit she was holding. Lips quirked downwards at her own burst of anger, and she added it to her basket, and a few more to hide the real reason for her being.

   Behind her, Alexei released a puff of air that went steamy in the foggy morning, stared up at the buildings around them. “I don’t know. I liked mine well enough, I suppose.” 

   “Well, mine love him. More than they love me.” 

   When he spoke, it was too serious -- tone far darker than normal. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, you know. I would know.” 

   “Too early for a guilt trip.” 

   Luckily, his attention seemed not long enough to dwell on that -- he was already reaching for something, eyes alight with energy. “Leonie, look.” And there in his hands was a green, misshapen fruit, with green bumps at the top and bottom, that slightly resembled… “Doesn’t it look like...?” 

   “Oh, Saints.” Leonie smiled in the dusty memories. A warm cool, night. All the stars above them. A frog in his hand, his knee on the ground. “It does.” 

   He looked down at it rather wistfully. “I miss that amphibian.” 

   “I miss the weather back home.” 

   “Again with the weather.” 

   “Mm.” 

   She was moving down the stall, already. She’d added a few more fruit -- decided this was enough for her family, and offered coin to the tender, who held out wrinkled hands tiredly. 

   “You know…” His voice was but a whisper. She almost didn’t hear it. “If you married me, you could go back home.” 

   It struck her -- the suddenness of his question. The seriousness of it. She let her smile take the weight away from it. “Perhaps you are right. Weather can be humorous.” 

   “In fact...” 

   And with no further discussion, he was down. On one knee, holding up the melon. 

   Everything was hot. Her neck. Her cheeks. Wasn’t the morning just cold, moments ago? “Alexei!” The old tender was looking at her. Sleepy-eyed townspeople were looking at her. Even the horses seemed to be transfixed. “What are you doing? Get up, you’ll stain your pants.” 

   He pulled a face. “Who are you?” 

   “Someone who does washing for four.” 

   “If only your mother knew all she had to do was get you to do laundry to humble you.” 

   “She’d faint, I’m sure.” 

   “Marry me.” He pushed the melon closer to her. 

   Now it wasn’t just the town. Now it was everyone in the entire world. All eyes, transfixed on her, and the love of her life. 

   “Alexei...” she breathed. 

   “I’m serious. Marry me.” 

   Nothing was moving. Even the fog seemed still. 

   Still, like Lloyd was. So much more withdrawn, and faraway, and what would his eyes look like, if he saw his mother with someone that wasn’t his father? Would they even change at all, anymore?

   A flash of heat. A finger tapped on his offering. “Did you put a ring in here?” 

   “No.” 

   She took the melon from his hands, placed it back on the stall he’s gotten it from. “Excuse us.” And with that, she was grabbing him by the silk of his dumb shirt, dragging him away from the prying eyes of the market place, pinning him against a wall down a side alley. “... Alexei, you cannot do things like that. People know me here.” 

   He panted -- either from the surprise or their proximity, she didn’t know and wasn’t keen to find out -- and stared at her with wide eyes beneath a red face. “And they should know we are together! Leo, it’s been years since Linus was born.” 

   Her grip slackened, if only a little. “I know.” 

   “So?” 

   “So I -- I...” 

   So she’d promised. She’d promised when he found her shortly after Linus’ birth that she’d run away with him. She’d been speaking through the lips of trauma -- of pain. And held her and smoothed her hair, and told her not to make any rash decisions. She had wanted to never go back home, but he encouraged her. He told her later he knew she’d regret it had she left then.

   But what about now? Would she not still regret it? Why was it different now that both boys could walk and feed themselves? 

   “Be like you again, Leo.” His eyes were on fire. “Run away with me.”  

   Anger grit into the sides of her mouth. “It is not that simple! I have children now!” 

   “Then take them with you!” 

   “I cannot do that to Brendan.”

   “Leo!” His voice had excitement she couldn’t feel. Excitement she was doubting she’d ever felt. “One of you will have to have them. It can’t be both ways!” 

   “I know, but I…” 

   “You and Brendan agree on nothing. He is not around anymore. You’re not happy.” 

   Leonie could feel herself get emotional -- but couldn’t quite find the will to tamper down on it, even as her voice rose. “Stop! Stop trying to break my family apart. You do not know how difficult this is for me.” 

   To her utter shock, his rose in turn. The happiness in his voice rose to frustration, his eyes swam behind his spectacles, both suddenly and somehow not suddenly at all. “And you do not know how difficult it is for me! I have been waiting my whole life for you! I have nothing except for you!”

   His voice seemed to ring, echo around them. If this cold world felt like a dream, him yelling felt like waking up.  

   They’d had nothing but each other their whole lives. The only thing they could trust and rely on had been the other. 

   And then Leonie had left him.

   And then Leonie had left everyone.

   She realized, with a sudden shiver, that this was the first time in their lives Alexei had ever asked anything of her. 

   “Alexei... Alexei...” 

   She realized, with a hoarse voice, that this was the first time in her life that she could not give him what he wanted. 

   He knew it, too. He was staring down at his shoes, points pressed together like he was still a schoolboy, sagged into his shoulders with a sorrow she knew all too intimately. His voice was a wisp, as if he’d spent it all yelling. “I’m sorry.” 

   “As am I.” 

   He still spoke, though. “Feeling like you have no choice in your life... in your marriage... that was your mother. Do you want that for you?” 

   “No.” 

   “Do you want that example for your boys?” 

   Leonie stared at her feet, too. Why was the ground so much safer than their faces? “No.” 

   “I trust any decision you make. I just love you. We promised ourselves to each other.” 

   “I know, Alexei.” How did one breathe? Did they always have this weight in their throats? Was everything always so hard? “But then you died.” 

   “That wasn’t my fault!” Just enough energy to sound indignant, it seemed.  

   “I know. But then I promised myself to another.” It hadn’t been a glorious ceremony, and it wasn’t a beautiful marriage, but it was real to her, all the same.

   What sort of honorable woman would tuck tail and leave when it was hard -- impossible -- beyond it -- anyway? 

   “I have to make it work with Brendan. They are my family.” Whether or not they wanted it.  

   “But you’re my family.” 

   So strange. To think that anyone still wanted her to be family. 

   So disgusting -- how desperately she wanted to accept his offer. 

   “I know,” she breathed. Then, “I do not think we should see each other anymore.” 

   “Please…” Desperation broke his voice, and when she looked up, she saw tear streaks running over his face. “Please, Leo, don’t do this.” 

   She held his face in her hands, like she did when one of her boys were crying from a nightmare that she knew she could never fully soothe, and whispered, “This is what is best for us.” 

   “No, it isn’t.” He wrapped her hands around hers, closed his eyes. It was only a moment or two before he’d relented. “I’ll leave. But I’m coming back. Perhaps in a few months… we can be friends, truly. Without needing to be lovers.”

   They’d been trying it for years with no success, but she still said, “Perhaps.” 

   “And if not… I can always leave and come back again.” 

   Leonie opened her mouth to suggest he leave forever -- but could not wrap her tongue around the first word. How could she? She’d sobbed for years that he’d come back to her. How could she ever wish to be rid of him?

   “We’ll make a friendship work,” she said, instead. 

   “Yes.” He rested his forehead against hers, and she closed her eyes -- allowed him. “We will.”  

   It was just less than half a year later that Lloyd and Linus were traversing that same marketplace, alone. It was midday, so there was enough sun to see, but fog was still a formidable enemy, as it always was in Bern. Lloyd was holding Linus’ hand and the bag of money -- Linus had the joy of carrying around the basket. 

   “Stay near to me,” Lloyd said, firmly, in a voice he could remember his mama using. In a voice his father still used. Linus pouted, but padded along after him. 

   They reached a stall full of assorted fruit. Lloyd was just tall enough to see the display, and Linus was trying to balance his chin on the bottom. 

   “It’s a shame about their mother, isn’t it?” 

   It was a voice from some of the townswomen, milling by. Lloyd’s fingers froze against the fruit. 

   “I heard she agreed to a marriage proposal with a fruit! You think a noble would go further out of his way to win her graces.” 

   “Well, she was never pleasing to the eye, you know,” mumbled another one back. “Besides, if that’s all it took...” 

   “Disgraceful whore. What kind of woman does that to her children?” 

   Lloyd was meant to be moving. He had food to get. But he couldn’t. His hand was on the fruit. He couldn’t breathe, let alone move. e couldn’t will his body into action. 

   “She was never a good woman, anyway. She was a killer, you know. Would rather be out bloodying her hands than rocking her children.” 

   “No kidding? I heard she did unspeakable things to the noble in that very alleyway, while she was still married!” 

   “Poor Brendan. Who would leave a man like that?” 

   “Lloyd, look!” 

   Lloyd jolted, turned to see Linus holding a melon above his head. It was strangely shaped -- weird bumps all over it. Like a small green animal. 

   “This one looks stupid! I want it!” 

   Lloyd could move again, so he took the fruit away, put it back, and pressed their palms together again. “Let’s go, Linus.” 

   “But I wanted that one!” 

   “No, we’re going.” 

   “You’re not the boss of me! Let me buy it! Hey! Stop! Lloyd! Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd--” 

   Linus was screaming at the top of his lungs, tugging on their hands, but for some strange reason, Lloyd couldn’t hear him.

[lupinusalbus]

Jon Snow sequel has the potential to be awesome - or not

In some ways its not surprising at all that someone at HBO would have the idea of creating a spinoff series about Jon Snow. He and Daenerys Targaryen were the most popular characters on the original show, for the general audience. Many people were disappointed with Jon Snow's ending because he didn't become king of Westeros. His ending was open ended as well, with the audience left wondering whether his final scenes were supposed to mean that he was joining the Wildlings for good, or if he was still part of the Watch and just helping the Wildlings to relocate.

I think there is potential for the show to be good, but that depends on many variables, like who are the writers and the producers and whether other cast members from GOT would sign on again, like Sophie Turner and Kristopher Hivju, John Bradley, and Isaac Hempstead Wright. There could be many storylines revolving around Jon's relationship with Sansa and The North as the new political realities take hold in Westeros. Or perhaps the show will mostly be about the Wildlings recreating themselves after the destruction of the wall. Jon's Targaryen blood could surely be a factor as any children he might have would mean that the Targaryen bloodline would not become extinct.

On the other hand, the show has the potential to be horrible and reminiscent of the antics in Beyond the Wall, the episode from season 7, or some of the excesses of season 8. It seems surprising in a way that Kit Harington is signing on after the stresses he suffered in the past while portraying Jon. On the other hand, he strongly identified with the character and maybe is not ready to put him to rest after all (plus the $ is probably excellent).

I wonder if the planned plot lines have anything to do with GRRM at all, or are going to be wholly invented. Odd for him that Jon is still dead in the books but now is getting a post-books sequel on TV.

[4ragon]

I'm not the original anonymous but I would extremely want to see that essay about Apollo's trust issues.

Also since I just finished Spirit of Justice, do you think Lamiroir ever told Trucy/Apollo about her and if so what would be their reactions?

Let’s see if I can write this up without crying again like I did on twitter.

So a while ago a friend of mine asked me why I liked Apollo, and I really couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew he was my favorite, but unlike Simon Blackquill, I hadn’t done that deep dive into figuring out why. I’d always just sort of loved him, and was never able to pinpoint the part that made me care about him so much. It drove me crazy, too, I love rambling about characters that I love, and I love writing from Apollo’s perspective more than anything. So why did I love him? Why did I care about him?

Well. I figured it out. I figured out my answer.

I think there are two things that characterize Apollo more than anything. One: He has trust issues. He genuinely believes that the people around him don’t give a shit about him. Especially after being betrayed multiple times in that first trial, he truly and deeply believes that the people around him are only trying to hurt him and is too scared to really believe that they care about him.

And two: He cares so much about the people around him that he constantly helps them anyway.

So like. And I won’t tag her because I don’t think she’d appreciate it, but I was watching the laquilasse AA4 stream last night, and the entire opening of Turnabout Corner is so striking to me, especially right after the end of Turnabout Trump. At the end of Turnabout Trump, Apollo’s trust and belief in Phoenix is finally and thoroughly shattered, and Apollo lashes out, punching Phoenix in the face. And for good reason! That was a huge breach of trust! Apollo literally did the exact thing that got Phoenix disbarred, namely present evidence that wasn’t real. Sure, they never exactly claimed it was the real deal, but Apollo didn’t even know it was faked, he just trusted Phoenix and this new piece of evidence and it almost fucked him over. It did sort of fuck him over, he did lose his job and his Mentor.

And then, Phoenix calls him and says that they’re in trouble, and Apollo doesn’t even question it, of course he shows up to help.

Like. You can feel how much he mistrusts Trucy on their first meeting, in everything he does and says. Especially when Trucy and Phoenix are in the same room, he’s actively thinking about how he doesn’t ‘buy their act’ when Phoenix is calling Trucy daughter-ly nicknames. And then, in a way, he’s kind of right? They guilt him into essentially being their errand boy, and I feel like they’re constantly and loudly using him throughout so much of the game.

And Apollo was there anyway. Apollo doesn’t even trust them and he’s still there the first instant Phoenix says he needs his help.

Like you can loudly do and say whatever you want and crush his dreams and betray his trust, and despite everything, there’s always that part of Apollo that desperately needs to help anyone who asks him. He can’t even bring himself to trust them, and he’s still crawling back the moment someone needs him, ready to let them disappoint him over again.

Like this struck me about Apollo from the moment I played AA4, but he’s so lonely? And desperate for connection? He cares so much about a world that has always and consistently never cared about him, and he just keeps caring and keeps caring even as that starry-eyed naivete is ripped away. And I feel like he just wants someone to care about him back, but never really able to believe that they do, because they never really seem to, because every time he allows himself to trust it’s just thrown back in his face so horribly.

Here’s an interesting thing I noticed: in Turnabout Trump, there’s a really interesting line. Phoenix has accused Kristoph of being the murderer, the extra person in the room. Kristoph takes the stand and claims to have witnessed the moment Phoenix committed the murder. And this exchange happens:

Apollo: There must have been someone else there at the moment of the crime!

Kristoph: Justice... I just said I saw no one. Not a soul.

Apollo: B-But, that goes against what Mr. Wright said!

Kristoph: Ah yes, this mysterious "fourth person"... ...who would conveniently be the "real killer", I suppose.

And this is well past the point where Phoenix has accused Kristoph of being that person. There’s no possibility at this point that they’re both innocent, it’s either one or the other. And Apollo is still so desperately trying to find a way for them both to be innocent, basically saying, “Just give me a fourth person and I’ll believe you.” And then Kristoph turned out to be a monster, and then Phoenix turned out to have betrayed Apollo from the start, and as far as Apollo is ever aware, none of the care from either of these men was ever real. He trusted, and he suffered the consequences.

But again. He’s still there. Someone pointed out a while ago, but Apollo stays. Apollo shows up to the Wright Talent Agency under false pretenses, and he complains and hems and haws, and he still stays. Why?

Phoenix and Trucy loudly manipulate him into working their case. They’re perfectly happy to flaunt that they’re basically tricking him. And he stays. Why?

Because Apollo can’t trust them, but he wants to so fucking bad. He doesn’t even seem to like Phoenix that much, but he wants that connection so fucking bad. He cares about them so much and he doesn’t believe for a second that they extend that feeling back at him, and he’s compelled to stay anyway.

He knows Trucy is practically using him, and he’s a sobbing mess when he thinks she was kidnapped for a few minutes. He’s cynical and mean and it’s all just to cover up the fact that he loves all these people around him with all his heart and they never once pay it back. And he comes back anyway. He’s like a fucking loyal dog that is never given enough affection and so he’s constantly trying harder and harder to earn that love while never believing he’ll ever really get it.

(Shit nope crying again)

It’s just so sad. And this is all without adding anything from the 3D games. The 3D games do build on this theme in one way or another, but from the get go, this is who Apollo is. A caring young man who is constantly punished for caring and yet can’t stop caring anyway.

We see it again in the 3D games. And I think part of why I don’t enjoy DD as much as SoJ is that DD doesn’t capture this mistrust the same way. It’s so surface level, that sense of betrayal and mistrust and anger he gets consumed by in that final case. And the worst part is it doesn’t have to be! There’s already that foundation! Apollo has been hurt already a million times. The only person he’s ever been able to trust, the only lifeline that’s kept him above water since he was a child, was Clay Terran, and now that was taken from him because he DARED to trust someone new. That’s so fucking compelling! But we never get that! We never get to see how Apollo is feeling. We get that he’s convinced Athena did the murder, but never really get into the Why, into the What This Means for Apollo.

It’s a bit better in SoJ. We see how far he’s come in terms of trusting people when he trusts in Trucy wholly and immediately in case two. And then, conversely, we see his mistrust and hurt when they introduce Dhurke into the mix. Apollo refuses point blank to believe that Dhurke had come to visit him, that Dhurke cared about him. Apollo demands to know why Dhurke was there, what Dhurke wanted, how Dhurke was going to use him. He’s been able to slowly start building that trust with people like Trucy, but he still cannot let himself trust again when Dhurke had already betrayed that trust.

I said it before, but as much as I hate the slapdash ways in which Capcom keeps throwing backstory at this boy, I love what the backstories are, because they build on this angry, cynical, lonely young man I care about so much. He’s been hurt and abandoned and used and betrayed since he was young, and being good never truly paid off for so long, but he kept doing it, he kept being good, he kept caring about people because he couldn’t help it, and kept hoping that maybe they could care back. And eventually I think it does start paying off for him. People do start caring about him. And I feel like it takes until around SoJ for him to start really believing that the people around him might care about him too.

Also congrats on finishing SoJ! Since there’s a very good chance that they might be announcing AA7 soon, I...hope? fear? expect? that they’ll touch on this then. However, I also worry that they’re going to botch it up so hard.

I know what I want to happen. I want Trucy to be angry. I want her to be angry at Lamiroir and Phoenix. She is constantly putting on a mask to try to make the people she loves happy, and I feel like this is a reasonable breaking point. After all, this is kind of the one thing that Phoenix hasn’t been honest with her about. She had a brother right there, and knew the whole time?! She had a mother there the whole time?! And no one bothered to tell her?! I think she’d be heartbroken, and I think she deserves to be angry. She’s been through so much, and they never give her time to really grieve or be upset.

I think Apollo would be ecstatic and angry at the same time. All he’s ever wanted was family, and now he does! He already loved Trucy, and thought Lamiroir was amazing, so I think he would be so happy to have that family back in his life. On the flip side, I do think he’d be angry at Phoenix, particularly for keeping it to himself before Lamiroir came into the picture, but I think if they talked it out, Apollo would come around to it and be able to forgive Phoenix.

[youngbounty]

After being on Tumblr for a while and seeing all the Manfred Von Karma hate, I've come to realize that I might've developed a soft spot for our most dispicable villain. Honestly, the guy gets FAR too much hate than he deserves. Hear me out!

One of the things we learn about Manfred Von Karma is that he has a family. He has a wife, children and grandchildren. We also know that he loves them very much, considering how much he brags about them, takes pride in everything they do and his daughter Franziksa takes pride in being the daughter of Manfred Von Karma. If you play Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2, there's a part where Manfred Von Karma brags about how good his wife's cooking is despite being an amateur. It's clear that he's a loving father and husband to his family. He even took great pride in Miles Edgeworth and his accomplishments, despite being the son of the man he killed, and made him his heir.

On the outside, it does seem strange he would love any amount of pride and care for his pupil he's going to stab in the back in Turnabout Goodbyes, but there's also plenty to consider. Manfred Von Karma's only intention was to frame Miles Edgeworth for the murder of Robert Hammond, not his father. Had he succeeded, there's a good chance Manfred Von Karma would've been permoted as Chief Prosecutor and pulled a Blackquill on Miles Edgeworth as an inmate prosecutor. So long as Miles Edgeworth still followed him like that was his Lord and Savior, he'd take it as his mentor just doing his job. Miles Edgeworth confessing to murdering his father was one thing Manfred Von Karma didn't plan and it was after he realized the note from his mentor about the murder plan that we see Manfred Von Karma inside the Record Room. We see Manfred Von Karma trying to get rid of evidence from DL-6, but we also learn from The Grand Turnabout that if there is no evidence against the Defendant, they can be declared Not Guilty. Sure, Phoenix had files of DL-6, but Manfred Von Karma doesn't know that. Sure, Manfred Von Karma hates his perfect record being destroyed, but wasn't it already destroyed anyways thanks to the Not Guilty on Robert Hammond's murder? Manfred Von Karma's not Godot, he's not going to allow a Not Guilty verdict just to indict the defendant of another crime. He's a perfectionist, if he goes down, then how can he call himself a Prosecutor? Not to say Manfred Von Karma purposely lost to Phoenix when it came to DL-6, I'd definitely disagree on that, but it's clear he was ready to burst with his guilt tumbling down on him like an avalanche. He lost his perfect record and his star pupil. You can't expect this insane guy to walk away with his head held high. The moment Miles Edgeworth realized his nightmare was real was the moment Manfred Von Karma lost everything and had no one to blame, but himself.

Manfred Von Karma's relationship with Miles Edgeworth is the one that really sticks out. This is because, strangely enough, it's a very healthy student/mentor relationship that gives us a reason for why Miles Edgeworth looked at Manfred Von Karma as some sort of god. Think of how Miles Edgeworth looks to Phoenix Wright, setting the gay jokes aside. Doesn't Miles Edgeworth also look to Phoenix Wright the same or similar way as he did with his mentor? We all know the reason why: Phoenix Wright saved Miles Edgeworth. Miles Edgeworth looked to his father to the highest degree, because he saved innocent people. So, what's the reason for him looking to Manfred Von Karma as a character who looks up to those that save innocent people and would go heaven and earth to save himself? I think that speaks for itself.

Manfred Von Karma saving people seems laughable on the surface, after seeing what he did to Gregory Edgeworth and his star pupil, but let us think of this possibility. Wasn't it also Manfred Von Karma that defended Delicia Scones from being falsely accused and framed for murder? It isn't like he had a reason to do so. I'm not saying Manfred Von Karma is Superman, but I do think that his heroic side needs to be addressed to understand why Miles Edgeworth would look up to a man like him. We need to understand why Miles Edgeworth seeing Manfred Von Karma as a murderer is what led to him writing a suicide note and being left with uncertainty of his Prosecutor’s Path. The reason is simply because Manfred Von Karma was a man that has saved innocent lives and perhaps has saved Miles Edgeworth at some point in time. 

If I had to sum up what brought such a soft spot for Manfred Von Karma for me, it’s the fact he’s an evil person with a moral compass. He believes in perfection, but also loves and cares about his family and those under his authority. He’s the kind of person that would kill someone for ruining his perfect record, but is also the kind to save the innocence without being asked. He will call anyone foolish for going against him, but will defend the honor of his lowly wife, because he loves her. Manfred Von Karma is a human being that feels emotion and holds some sort of moral compass. He’s also the only mastermind villain that only murdered out of the heat of the moment. Manfred Von Karma didn’t create the earthquake or plan on Gregory Edgeworth to be stuck in an airtight elevator, then pass out to give him a moment to murder. In fact, what Manfred Von Karma did to Gregory Edgeworth is called Voluntary Manslaughter. 

It’s only once you consider that Manfred Von Karma’s murder was Manslaughter and compare that to all the other villains that did murder through methods that were calculating and deliberate with the sole intention of taking someone’s life that you also have to consider that Manfred Von Karma isn’t a cold-blooded killer. Manfred Von Karma is no Dahlia Hawthorne, Kristoph Gavin, Damon Gant, Blaise Debeste, Patricia Roland, Shelly De Killer, Matt Engard, Dogen, Ambassador Alba, Redd White, Tigre, Acro and many others who had planed and calculated murders with the sole purpose of murder without regrets. Manfred Von Karma fits in with the other murderers that did murder, but only had out of passion at the moment it happened such as Frank Sawett, Dee Vascez, Godot, Jaques Portsman, Melee, Gustavia, Alita Tiala, and probably more, some of whom have been proven to only be given a lifelong sentence. 

I have often had Manfred Von Karma to be given the Death Penalty, but I also consider he may’ve been given a long or life sentence. Phoenix has hinted the possibility of Manfred Von Karma having been executed, but it’s also not certain either. I don’t think we’ll ever know. What I do know is that Manfred Von Karma is in the middle on the scale of the most to least evil villain in Ace Attorney. Even his murder cannot compare to many of the most colorful villains. Manfred Von Karma murdered out of circumstances. He never planned it or even knew the outcome of it. Also, unlike the number of the most evil villains in Ace Attorney, Manfred Von Karma showed love and pride toward his family and students. He never once used them to commit any crimes or schemes. Yes, he stabbed Miles Edgeworth in the back, but again out of circumstances. Had Miles Edgeworth not shown up at Gourd Lake, Manfred Von Karma would’ve thrown Yanni Yogi under the bus quicker than a speeding train. Had he found not found Gregory Edgeworth inside the elevator or if little Miles had been awake, Manfred Von Karma would’ve not picked up the gun and just went off his merry way. Any other most evil villain would’ve found a Plan B. Manfred Von Karma would’ve been angry, but would’ve cooled down after a long walk and a cup of tea. There wouldn’t be so many No DL-6 stories, if this wasn’t the case. You’d have to admit that there was a greater chance Manfred Von Karma could’ve not murdered Gregory Edgeworth had he not been found in that elevator. 

I’m certain there will always be people that hate Manfred Von Karma, even after reading this. This is more of me speaking for myself. I used to hate Manfred Von Karma with a passion after the Trilogy. After playing Miles Edgeworth Investigations 2, I began defending Manfred Von Karma. I think it was mostly because it turned out that he didn’t plan or know that the Autopsy Report of IS-7 was forged. It made me wonder if, like Miles Edgeworth and Franziska Von Karma, if Manfred Von Karma never forged evidence and was just given falsified evidence for him to use from a much bigger villain. Not saying that Manfred Von Karma isn’t a horrible person, because he is, but I don’t think he ever was trying to be a horrible person. I do think he truly believed he was doing right and saving people. Think of it this way, if Manfred Von Karma truly wanted to make Gregory Edgeworth pay and suffer in the most cruel way possible, considering how he blackmailed Jeffery Master using his daughter, which one of these would Manfred Von Karma choose: kill Gregory Edgeworth or kill his son Miles Edgeworth. Which do you believe Manfred Von Karma would use against Gregory to make him pay, if he had everything planed and calculated? 

I will leave you guys with that question to think about.

[astrologista]

AA4 Medieval AU

getcher apollo justice fantasy/medieval au right here. (spoilers for aa4 kinda tho)

this idea will not leave my mind so... take it... i think i messed up some details lol but this is just for fun so please, don’t rake me over the coals for it.

(time is screwed up here so before the timeskip apollo is 7 and trucy is a baby. after the timeskip apollo is 14 and trucy is 7. for the sake of it i’m gonna have klavier also be about 14 post-timeskip. other ages may be scaled down for consistency... idk i had to make it work somehow.)

Once upon a time, King Magnifi of the House Gramarye ruled the land in peace. In his old age, his daughter Princess Thalassa readied herself to become queen. It came time for Thalassa to choose a royal consort, the person who would also be the next king of Attornia.

There were two choices, Zak and Valant. In the end, Princess Thalassa chose Zak. Disgraced, Valant left for parts unknown. Thalassa and Zak married and received Magnifi’s blessing before his death. Thus began the reign of Queen Thalassa of House Gramarye, and King Zak Enigmar.

It wasn’t to last, however. Seeing his chance to seize power, Count Kristoph of the House Gavin, King Zak’s closest advisor, betrayed King Zak and murdered him in cold blood. All the evidence vanished without a trace, and the case was never solved. In the process, he was able to cause Queen Thalassa significant injury, as well. The people assumed she, too, had been murdered in this incident...

Though hotly debated throughout Attornia, no one could deny that the line of succession had been broken, since Queen Thalassa and King Zak had not had any children, and therefore no heirs or heiresses to the throne. According to the law, Count Kristoph, at the age of 25, was now able to seize power and become King Kristoph of Attornia.

His rule, while considered by many to be stable, measured, and fair, was completely tyrannical. He arranged for the citizens to worship him like a god, encouraged a cult of personality, tripled work hours on the poor and taxed basically all the citizens into poverty, then used all the tax money to build extravagant monuments to himself, and expand the palace into his personal utopia complete with gold, jewels and hundreds of servants. One of his servants is a young foundling named Apollo Justice, who’s about 7 years old when he was left at the palace gates. King Kristoph decided to make Apollo his successor... someday. But for now he’s being trained as a servant, because he’s just useful like that, and he’s eager to please.

But, there is still hope for Attornia, as Queen Thalassa has one trump card hidden up her sleeve. She was spirited away from the palace by her attendants, and forced into a life of hiding as the mysterious wise woman, Lady Lamiroir. Her memory had been taken from her by the injuries sustained during Gavin’s assault. What no one knows, though, is that she was pregnant at the time. Luckily, the baby was unharmed. She is Trucy Gramarye, the one true princess. To keep her safe, Lamiroir entrusts the girl to a trusted man, Phoenix Wright.

Some seven years have now passed since then, and Attornia is still suffering under the reign of the House Gavin. Trucy Gramarye is 7. Apollo Justice is about 14. The day comes at last when Apollo meets a strange man in town, a mysterious stranger in peasant clothing named Phoenix Wright, who tells him a tale of the true and rightful heir to the throne. By rights, Trucy should be crown princess, as she has royal blood. (Phoenix will serve as regent king in her place until she’s old enough to rule.) At first Apollo doesn’t and can’t believe it, because King Kristoph would never lie to him, right? And Apollo then learns that he, too, has royal blood... except for the little issue that he’s a product of an illegitimate relationship between Princess Thalassa and a bard named Jove Justice and therefore has no claim to the throne. This crushes Apollo as all his hopes of becoming what Kristoph has been training him to be all his life are dashed. (I kind of waffle on whether Jove should be alive as a bard or dead in this AU. Alive would be good. Let’s go with alive. Or else this AU is going to be too traumatic for Apollo. How he got separated from Apollo is... something I’ll think about later but it’ll probably be sad)

But, once Phoenix shows Apollo once and for all how the poor are suffering under the reign of Gavin, Apollo eventually changes his mind and decides to join the effort to investigate and restore peace to the realm, with the help of Phoenix, Trucy, Lamiroir, and... others!

One thing Kristoph doesn’t want to draw attention to is his brother, Klavier, who is a knight in training (and a bard with a lute on the weekends). Instead of granting him a lofty government position, he hides him somewhere in the ranks of the knighthood and otherwise avoids interacting with him. Daryan is one of the other knights in training (and is also a bard). The captain of knights in training is Romein LeTouse. The foremost of all knights is Sir Edgeworth. (Simon Blackquill is one of the other knights because yes. And who doesn’t want Knight!Blackquill with Taka?)

Supporting cast includes weird jester Spark Brushel, a medieval pub run by Eldoon and Olga Orly, a scholarly monk named Wesley Stickler, a small village/hamlet run by the Kitakis where Wocky is considered royalty, royal healers Pal Meraktis and Alita Tiala, and a certain Marie-Curie-like young woman named Ema Skye who is a relatively well-off lady to most, but secretly has a whole science lab running experiments with beakers and a lot of steampunk stuff. Phoenix keeps an eye on Lady Lamiroir who has to stay in hiding. She takes in a young boy named Machi Tobaye, who reminds her of the son she lost many years ago (she doesn’t know that Apollo is that son, or doesn’t find out until later). There’s also the royal portrait painter Drew Misham and his daughter Vera.

The gang ends up diffusing some diplomatic troubles between Wocky’s family and Alita Tiala when it comes out that Alita is just looking to marry into royalty. In the next plot, Daryan is revealed to be a traitor to the knighthood and is doing some shady stuff on the order of King Kristoph, such as tailing the gang to find out how much they know. (If Kristoph finds out about Trucy and gets to her first, it’s all over...) Klavier eventually becomes part of the gang, turns out his knowledge is extremely helpful, but Apollo does question whether he can even be trusted considering his relationship to Kristoph. Most of the rest of the plot is attempts to destabilize Kristoph’s regime and reveal his evil and selfish acts. For some reason I’m seeing a situation with a play, where somebody gets to say (probably Apollo) “So the play’s the thing wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the king?” because, yes. In the final plot, royal portrait painter Drew Misham and his daughter, Vera, are in trouble and are at risk of being executed by King Kristoph (botched portrait of the king maybe??). The gang has to stop that at any cost. And, they have to reveal to the entire kingdom the true nature of King Kristoph... and the fact that he’d be willing to execute an innocent painter and a young girl is definitely going to make clear that true nature to everyone.

And finally, of course our heroes triumph in the end, and Phoenix becomes King of Attornia, as regent for Trucy who will one day be Queen! Lady Lamiroir also gets to return, and she is still considered a beloved ruler despite her injuries preventing her from fully embracing the role, she still supports Trucy and Phoenix from the background. And some of her memories return! Apollo of course will always have a place as part of the family, too, and decides royal life isn’t for him. He instead becomes something of a local mediator of disputes! And they all lived happily ever after!

As for King Kristoph, he is pissed and promises he’ll return with a vengeful scheme. For now they just exile him to some remote island like Napoleon where he’ll hopefully just rot and die. But we still have to set up the sequel somehow right??

Now someday I need to find the time to... actually write this and make it like a 50k or something longer... oh boy

[zabulr]

Jack and the Beanstalk

Rain. I hate the rain. It always seems like the worst people come out to do their varies indiscretions when it rains. They figure it’ll wash away the evidence or something. It never does. The only thing it does is create traffic jams and make you track mud into the house. But they never cease to believe what they want.

It was about noon when the call came into the agency. I was grabbing my hat and coat to go down to the diner and grab a sandwich.

“We got a missing person, Harry.” Ginger tells me, leaning out into the doorway.

“Take a message, I’ll be back in an hour.”

“She says it’s urgent. Can she meet you at the diner?”

Just let me have my lunch, for Christ’s sake. “Yeah, alright.”

The half a block down to Joe’s seems like an eternity in this weather. I’m dripping on Joe’s carpet as I take my hat and coat off.

“You owe me a new rug, Harry!” Joe says, smiling from behind the counter. He’s always so chipper when it rains. Doesn’t he know there are lunatics everywhere?

“Yeah? Why don’t I just pay for the renovations and call it even?”

“Hey,” Joe’s suddenly indignant, “what’s wrong with the place?”

“Nothin’. Let me get the usual.”

“You got it. Hey, there’s a woman waiting for you.” He motions to the blonde sitting in the corner booth. She’s wrapped up in a scarf with large, movie-star sunglasses on. Sunglasses in this weather? Must be some kind of junky. Her boyfriend probably went missing after a bad deal. That or she’s so high she forgot where she left him.

“Alright lady,” I sit down across from her. “Tell me what happened. Try to keep it on the important stuff, yeah?”

She takes a deep, broken breath. “It…it happened a-about a week ago.” Her voice is soft and frail.

“This boy knocked on our door and asked if we had anything to eat. He told me that his mother had sent him to bed without supper.” Joe walks over with two coffees. She takes the opportunity to compose herself before continuing.

“I couldn’t let him go without eating something, you know? I don’t know what kind of mother would let her kid suffer like that.” She takes a sip of coffee and makes a face. She grabs three sugars, dumps them into the cup and stirs before taking another sip. Satisfied, she continues.

“I knew it was risky to let him in, my husband doesn’t like to have company, you see, but I just couldn’t let him starve, could I?”

“Of course not.”

“So I let him in and tell him to eat quickly before my husband comes back.”

“Your husband has a temper?”

“Well not usually, but he’s sort of…” she looks down at her cup, “protective.”

In other words, he’s a brute. A wife beater. “Ma’am, would you mind taking off those glasses? They’re kinda distracting.”

After a few seconds her trembling hand reaches for the glasses and takes them off. Her eyes are swollen. Puffy and red, like she’s been crying all night.

“He takes care of me, and I love him so much!” Her voice breaks at the last word and starts crying. At this point my sandwich is ready, but I can tell Joe doesn’t want to disturb us. I signal to him that I want two doubles. He nods and ducks into the kitchen. A minute later he comes out with two scotches.

“What’s your name?” I ask as I push the drink in front of her.

“Althea,” she says as she takes the drink. “It was my grandmother’s name.” She takes a sip and is surprised to have enjoyed it.

“Joe keeps a bottle of the good stuff for me.” I lift my drink and motion a cheers to Joe. He smiles and nods, going back to his duties.

“So, what happened after you fed the kid?”

“Well, he was just pecking at the food. You’d think a hungry boy would be shoveling the food into his mouth. Well, at this point I hear my husband coming back from hunting, so I tell the boy to hide in the oven.”

I damn near choke on my drink. “The what?”

“Oh no, it’s not what you think. We only use it to make stews on cold days. It was perfectly safe. Anyway, my husband comes in with a few calves on his back and stops in the doorway. He has a great sense of smell, and since we don’t get visitors, he immediately knew something was different.

“I told him to go wash up while I cooked his breakfast. When he left, I told the kid to wait until after breakfast before leaving. My husband always takes a nap after breakfast on account of waking up so early to go hunting.”

“So your husband goes to sleep and the kid runs off?”

“Yeah, and after he left, we realized that one of our bags of gold went missing.”

“The kid sees an opportunity to bite the hand that feeds him, huh? You’re right about the upbringing.” What a disgusting world we live in. This woman lets this kid in out of the goodness of her heart and the kid rips her off.

“Well, I didn’t think anything of it at the time, and we’re pretty well off, so I figured if he needed it so badly, better that he has it. I mean, stealing is wrong, but there are worse things a desperate kid could do, you know?”

What a damn fine lady. I didn’t realize it until now that she’s actually very attractive. Her husband is quite the lucky guy. Well, was a lucky guy.

“So when did your husband go missing?”

“Well, there’s more. A few months later this kid shows up at our door again.”

“Let me guess, he’s hungry and you let him in.”

“You must think I’m a fool.” She looks down at her glass. It’s empty at this point, so I motion to Joe and he brings over a couple fresh ones.

“No ma’am. I think you’re a good soul. You try to find the good in people and want to help when you can.”

She looks at me and smiles. “Yes! I thought that if he saw how good people could be, that maybe he could be good himself. Be the change you want to see, and all that.”

I could tell she really meant that. She’s too good for this world. “So, what happened next?”

“Well, just like before, he sat down and barely ate a bite before my husband came back.”

We’ve been here for an hour and I still don’t know what happened to her husband. I try to speed things along. “Can I assume you went through the same schtick? The boy hides in the…oven. Your husband notices something’s off, you talk him down, he eats and goes to sleep?”

“Yeah, except this time he wanted to see his golden hen.”

Golden hen? No, I must have heard wrong. “I’m sorry ma’am, could you repeat that last part?”

“The golden hen?” She said it again, as normal as can be.

“I’m not really familiar with farm animals, is that just the color of the chicken?”

“No…she lays golden eggs.” She says slowly and looks at me like I’m the crazy one.

“Right…so the kid makes off with this…golden hen?”

“Well I didn’t see him run off with it, but I can only assume, right?”

“Yeah, that seems like a fair assumption.” Two drinks in and we’ve got two robberies, one involving some kind of gold-laying chicken, and still no missing husband.

“You got robbed twice. Why didn’t you call the police?”

She looks down and turns red. “Well, I didn’t want my husband to know that I let anyone in, and besides, the poor kid…” She trails off. She looks through me, wistfully. For a moment she looks like she’s somewhere else. It suddenly hits me. She lost a kid. That explains her eagerness to help this other kid out. This is way beyond my area of expertise. I motion to Joe again, hoping that some more scotch can help her get through the rest of the story, and help me get through this meeting.

I notice she’s starting to tear up again. I hand her my handkerchief.

“Thanks,” her voice is quiet again, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She makes a half-hearted attempt to smile.

“That’s alright, maybe if you can just get through to the end you might feel better.” I know I will.

“Well, a few months after that, about a week ago now, my husband comes home, like always, except he smells the kid again.”

“Why’d that strike you as any different than the times before?”

“The kid wasn’t there this time. At least I didn’t let him in.”

“Hmph.” Not content with just robbery, the kid’s upgraded to breaking and entering. “What’d he steal this time? The Holy Grail?” Why’d I say that? This woman’s obviously distraught, but I just can’t help thinking about that damned chicken.

“Our golden harp. Except this time we saw him running off with it because the harp yelled out for us.”

I don’t even bother questioning this. “Ahh…so your husband runs after the kid this time.”

“Yes, and that was the last time I saw him.” She’s doing her best to hold back her tears.

“Where’s your house? Do you mind if I come over and take a look around?”

“That would be kind of difficult. See, we live in the clouds.”

Of course you do. “Okay, so how’d the kid get up there?”

“The only way for anyone other than my husband and I to get to our house would be to climb a beanstalk.”

She can’t be serious. “Climb a beanstalk.”

“That’s right.” She is serious.

“Please Harry,” she leans toward me and puts her hands on mine, “please find my husband.”

That’s the last thing she says before she puts on her glasses and leaves. Joe walks over with my sandwich. “That looked rough, is she gonna be okay?”

“Well, that’s on me, isn’t it?” I take a bite of the sandwich and don’t even taste it as it goes down. I’m hungrier than I thought.

After I finish my sandwich I go up to the counter and pay the bill. “Hey Joe, you ever hear of some kind of magic beanstalk that grows up to the clouds?” I’m half joking, but I figured I better start unraveling this mess.

“You know,” he takes a second to count the money I give him, “there’s this guy that sells all types of stuff. They say it’s magical, but you know I ain’t got time for that.”

No one does, but apparently I have to find the time now. I take down his name and address and head over. Mercifully, the rain had stopped, though the clouds are still there, threatening me with their presence.

It’s a small shop at the edge of town. Tucked between a dry cleaner and a tattoo shop. The name on the window reads “Krazy Kristopher’s Kurious Kontraptions.” I hate this type of novelty spelling almost as much as I hate the rain.

A small bell attached to the door jingles and I’m hit with the smell of incense like a freight train. I’m dazed for what seems like a minute before I regain myself and take in the shop. There’s clocks everywhere ticking out of sync. Items with price tags and nonsense names like “Glasses of the Heavens” or “Gloves of Fortune”. There are piles of “healing stones” and other garbage one might find in their backyard being sold at exorbitant prices. This guy’s a hustler. A flim-flam man. Mr. flim-flam himself comes out from behind a curtain at the back of the store.

“Welcome to Krazy Kristopher’s Kurious Kontraptions!” He says exuberantly. He’s wearing a purple fedora with a feather in it. He’s also wearing a purple robe with stars on it, like out of a children’s book.

“Are you Kristopher?” I ask.

“One in the same! How can I help you today? You look like you could do with a healing stone or two. Or maybe you’re looking for a love potion?” He picks up the various items as he mentions them.

“Not today. I’m actually looking for some beans. Magic beans.” I feel as silly as I sound.

“Oh-ho! You’re interested in visiting the…” he points to the ceiling.

He’s actually serious. “Yeah. I wanna see what’s what up there.”

“So sorry, my good man! I haven’t had those in stock for months now,” his tone dips for just a second before grabbing a wristwatch from behind the counter. “Perhaps you’d like to visit another timeline?”

“No thanks. Do you remember who it was that you sold them to?”

“Tut-tut. I cannot ever reveal the identity of my customers. Some of the things I sell here are…well, not entirely as they seem.” He winks.

Of course he wants a bribe. These types of people only see dollar signs. “What if I make a donation to the uh…the spirits?” I make for my wallet.

“No sir, you misunderstand. This is not a financial issue.”

“Well one of your items was used in a burglary, and possibly a homicide. Does that change things?”

His demeanor sure did. He’s more intense now. “Again, I cannot reveal the identity of my customers. Now, I’d appreciate it if you left.” His smile’s gone.

I nod my head. As I turn to make for the door an idea hits me. “You know, maybe I could use a healing stone.” I pick up a purple colored rock and take it up to the counter.

He eyes me slightly then picks up the rock and looks at the price. I take the opportunity to grab him by the collar and slam him against the counter. He bounces off and hits the wall. I slide across the counter and straddle him, my knees on his arms and my fist cocked back.

“You listen here, you slimy worm. You’re going to tell me exactly who bought those damned beans or never talk again. So what’ll it be?”

He swallows and looks at me, unable to completely focus. Dazed he says, “Jack. His name is Jack Pavelski.” Now we’re getting somewhere.

“Do you know where he lives?”

“N-No I don’t. But his mother hangs out at the bar downtown.” I don’t even want to know how he knows this. I’ve been in this shop for too long, my clothes must stink.

I get up and straighten my coat. “Thanks for the info.” I grab my hat off the floor and leave the shop.

Outside the clouds seem to have thinned out slightly. The sun is barely visible from behind them. I look at my watch, it’s a quarter past three. I decide to head back to the office before going to the bar.

***

“Any messages, Ginger?” I ask as I put my hat and coat on the rack.

“Yeah, Delany called to tell you he’s got a lead on the arson from last month.”

Good to know things can run without me micromanaging. “Anything else?”

“Stacy called. She wanted to know if you’re going stand her up again tomorrow night.”

I don’t know why I thought I could have a relationship and be a dick at the same time. “What’d you tell her?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She smiles slyly. I’m stone-faced. She sighs, “I told her that you’d try to be available this weekend, but you just got a big case. No promises.”

“Thanks Ginger.” I walk back to my desk.

“You really ought to take her out for real, soon. She’s not going to stick around if you keep ignoring her like that.” She yells after me.

“Yeah, maybe I’ll take a vacation after this one.”

“You always say that.” Ginger says, exasperated. She’s been my secretary and friend for years. She knows me better than anyone.

Before I know it, it’s five o’clock. I change into a suit and walk over to my coat.

“Wow, you look good! Decided to take the night off and see Stacy?” Ginger says, expectantly.

“Nah, I have a lead on the missing person.” I can’t help but feel guilty as I say that.

Outside, the clouds are still there and the sun is setting. I hail a cab and tell him to take me downtown.

I get to the bar at half past five. The place is a dive, with stereotypical green awnings and a half-lit neon sign. Inside the place is dim and the smell of beer and sweat is pervasive. I make my way to the bar.

“I’ll have a double scotch, neat.” I look around and see guys drinking away their paychecks, and two waitresses leaning over tables, flirting with the customers to squeeze out that extra dollar.

“That’ll be five fifty.”

I hand him a ten. “Keep the change.” The drink is terrible, smells like gasoline. “Hey, you know anyone by the name Pavelski?”

“That’s her, over there.” He points to an older woman standing by the jukebox talking to some men. She’s thin, with silver, stringy hair. Looks to be in her sixties, or one hell of a junky.

I walk over to her as the men leave. “Are you Mrs. Pavelski?”

She looks me up and down. “Yeah, who wants to know?”

“I’m looking for your son Jack, you know where I can find him?”

“That good for nothing sack of crap? I haven’t seen him since last week.”

That’s when Althea’s husband went missing too. “Can you tell me where he was going before you lost contact with him?”

“No idea, probably up a tree.” She looks around, not interested in talking about Jack anymore.

I press a little more. “It’s important that I find him.”

“Yeah? What’s he done now?” Sounds like she’s used to him being in trouble.

“Well, he might be implicated in robbery and possibly a homicide.” This clearly hits a nerve.

“I don’t know where he is! Now leave me alone before I call the police on you for harassment.”

“No need for that, ma’am. I’ll leave you alone.” I turn around and go back to the bar.

A few minutes later I notice her go to the payphone and make a call. It’s a short one and she looks around the entire time. Dollars to donuts that’s Jack on the other side. She hurries out the door. I leave my half-glass of gasoline and casually walk out the door.

The clouds have begun to dissipate. I hear the unmistakable sound of high-heels echoing down the alley to the side of the bar. I slowly peer around the corner and see Mrs. Pavelski walking quickly down the alley. I continue to follow her at a distance until she stops at a small dilapidated house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Either they spent all the money or this kid’s actually innocent. Some lights turn on and I see some shadows moving around inside. I make my way to the front door and knock.

“Mrs. Pavelski. I had one last question to ask you.” I call out at the door. I hear some whispers inside and and a window open. Out of my periphery I see something running away. Gotcha.

I make chase. Not a minute later, my legs are already sore. Damn, Ginger told me I shouldn’t skip out on the gym. I try to refocus on the task at hand and push through. If I lose this kid now, I’ll never be able to find him again. Eventually he makes a wrong turn and finds a dead end.

“What do you want from me?” Jack yells with his back against a brick wall. The clouds have completely gone now and he’s bathed in moonlight.

“You know what I want,” I try to make the words come out in between my panting. “Why else would you run away like that?”

He looks up the wall and scans the buildings on either side, trying to find a way out.

“This is the end of the road, Jack.” A cornered animal tends to lash out, and right now Jack is about as cornered as he can be.

“You don’t understand what it’s like!” He yells desperately. “I didn’t want to go back, but I had to.”

“You mean your mother made you?”

He doesn’t answer. He just hangs his head. Finally, he says “She told me that I was too dumb to work. I had to find some way to make some money.”

He looks at me, tears are streaming down his face. “I didn’t mean to kill him, I just panicked when I saw him running after me.” He hangs his head again.

I approach him carefully. He doesn’t move. Looks like he’s smart enough not to fight back.

“You know I have to take you to the police.” I tell him, as I pull out a pair of flex-cuffs and bind his hands together.

“I know.”

***

Jack was booked at the station. Two counts of burglary, one count of breaking and entering, and one count of voluntary manslaughter. Later that night, two uniformed policeman put Mrs. Pavelski in custody. She’s being charged with aiding and abetting. Too bad they can’t retroactively charge her with poor parenting.

Althea was notified about her husband’s death. The funeral is set for later this month.

[4ragon]

Dahlia for the character ask?

Oh Dahlia. I know I sing Kristoph’s praises as a top tier villain all the time, but Dahlia Hawthorne gives him a run for his money. I mean, come on! She’s menacing and conniving and cruel. She’s a real, genuine threat even after she dies, like. That’s some hardcore shit right there.

Dahlia is a really fun villain for so many reasons, from her design, to her horrifying personality. She is that exact kind of person you love to hate, that horrible person that everyone else thinks is the sweetest girl on the planet. She knows just what to say to make everyone think she’s the helpless victim in just about any situation, even when she’s happily pulling the strings in the background. She’s the perfect damsel in distress, and she knows how to play the part well.

I think I saw an interesting post a long time ago about how she wasn’t nearly as cunning as people made her out to be, since she really never succeeds in any single plan she puts forth. And it’s true, but I don’t think her being some ‘4D Chess’ mastermind like Kristoph or [AAI2 Spoiler] is necessarily what makes her such a good villain. She’s not that kind of person because she’s really never had to be. Making people do what she wants has always been so easy for her. A few words and Iris is shipped off to some mountains. A giggle and Phoenix is wearing her necklace and declaring it to be true love. I mean, even Godot I think to a degree underestimated her, given that she was able to poison him. I think she’s disarming even when you know what she’s about.

And then there’s her ruthlessness. Like this is a girl willing to use her own family and murder them in cold blood the moment they get in her way. This is a girl who came back from the dead to murder her own cousin because she needed revenge on a dead woman that badly. And she does it all with a sweet, gentle smile until the moment it’s too late. There is no remorse in any of her actions. There’s no justification to it, other than it being convenient for her. Kill Dougie, kill Feenie, his her sister, kill her cousin. What does it matter? Everyone in the world is an object, a toy to be played with and discarded. 

And she never faces consequences for it because she’s so charismatic. Again, she’s not some evil genius, but she’s spent her entire life being able to get everything she wants by being just that kind of smooth talker, being the victim, being that weak, timid girl that people thought she was. And sure we the player can see through her deception very easily, but be honest, how many of you were aware when Dahlia and Iris made the switch? And if this wasn’t the context of a murder mystery game, and we weren’t already primed to look at this girl with suspicion, I don’t know if we would’ve seen it right away either.

Actually, I think the juxtaposition between the girl she likes to pretend to be and the girl she actually is really helps set her apart as a top tier villain. This scared, sweet, cutesy, delicate girl gives way to this raw fury, this hate for everyone and everything around her at the drop of a hat. It’s all a mask, and the inside is a hollow void perfectly willing to swallow you whole if it seemed like it would be convenient to her.

I think that her backstory is fascinating too. Like, of course it’s a very tragic story, but it’s more about how it formed her than how it hurt her, if that makes sense. Like, her mother and father saw her and her sister(s) as nothing more than props in all of their little games of social and political power. And she grew up in a world where she could sweetly ask her dad to send Iris to a mountain and they just did! Just like that! Whoops one less daughter to worry about. Oh well. There was never any love anywhere in her life, and she never loved anyone else. There was never any reason to.

And she’s not particularly sympathetic even with that added context. She’s not some sort of [AAI2 Spoiler], where you can feel the hurt and anger and suffering bubbling under the surface, making her lash out. There was no self righteous fury. Dahlia wasn’t angry about her situation, it just turned her into the person she became. I don’t think she was capable of caring about anyone outside of herself, enough to feel like she’d missed out on anything. It’s kind of terrifying.

I think that’s part of what makes her such a good villain. She is genuinely frightening. She’s not like Kristoph where the masks she wears cover up these complex webs of fear and a desperate need for control. She’s not wearing the masks [AAI2 Spoiler] wears for protection. She does it because there’s nothing under the mask but contempt and hate. That’s not to say there’s no depth to her, there absolutely is! As I just pointed out, you can absolutely delve into her motivations and her worldview and understand how she came to be the way she is. But I don’t think even she cares to. She is a lone figure in her own little world. She uses and throws away the people around her on a whim. And she’s perfectly secure in that. She’s not afraid of anything other than losing. And even then, it’s less a fear than this pure unfiltered rage.

Wow, talking about Dahlia is a lot harder than I thought it would be. It’s kind of hard to put why I love her into words...

I think she also might’ve committed the most violent crimes in the series, so long as we don’t count the assassins. She’s dangerous and ready to slit your throat with a sweet smile and a cutesy nickname, and that’s just really fun for a villain.