#CONVICT ATHENA!!!

[acecookiesap]

Day 12 of reblogging u3pxx posts until they notice me: HELLO??!?!!?! I have so many thoughts abt this I don’t think I can properly express them in text form itd just come out as ldgejegjdwjsgskwhhsjsh but omg Clay,,,, and LOOK AT TRUCY!!!! And young Maya!?!! AND THE WILL POWERS THING LIKE YEAH HE QOULR YHATS SO. AND JUNIPER BEING RELEVAMT AS IT SHOULD BE AND AND LOOK AT DETECTIVE DARYAN AND KLAV LOOKS SO CITE,,,, LIKE KLAV WAS ALWAYS NERDY BUT AWWW AND APOLLO AND CLAY LOOK FUCKING RAD BRO AND!!! AND SODHKSHSKSHDKBSBB

🌻🎭 i present to you! a compilation of all of my old ace attorney roleswap au stuff!!

these are like from 2020-2021 so hopefully, i get the drive to update these sooner or later TT feel free to ask me questions about it over on @aaroleswapau!

this is a long one so more stuff under the cut!

ok for easier understanding, here's who's swapped with who!

phoenix ⇄ edgeworth

maya ⇄ franziska

mia ⇄ gregory

mvk ⇄ morgan

godot ⇄ raymond

apollo ⇄ klavier

trucy ⇄ kay

kristoph ⇄ constance (do not worry she is not evil)

daryan ⇄ clay (he also isn't evil)

athena ⇄ blackquill

juniper ⇄ fulbright

and some characters, while not swapped with anyone, had their stories and roles changed (like pearl, iris, and ema), and certain characters whose roles have been swapped with another person, still keep their stories (like constance and clay)

i'm also gonna apologize in advance for the lack of franziska here, i'm currently reworking her in the au so oop! no new drawings atm ;;

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Ace Attorney girls will adopt older siblings and declare them "little" just because they entered the family last, it's just a fact of life.

I love that there's a consistent logic to it despite their actual ages. Both Edgeworth and Phoenix are 7 years older than both of them. Neither of these women are even in their 20's at this point while the lads are both 26. They are little brothers to them. Incredible.

[finelythreadedsky]

to have this line delivered BY klytemnestra's body and actor!!! we do NOT have klytemnestra's corpse after all because she is walking and talking and addressing the court and arguing for the prosecution!!! her corpse is nOT a cold hard fact!!! it proves nothing.

[soaptaculart]

your aa7 ideas are so fun!! not sure if anyone has asked, but have you considered klaus and trucys possible dynamic? bc from what you’ve posted i think their potential interactions would be so fun lol. as if athena and trucy weren’t bad enough by themselves, here’s a third equally energetic kid to add to the dynamic. pure chaos, i love it. :)

Omg I know I talked about it once fuckin. Buried in my tag somewhere but YES Trucy and Klaus are the bestest of friends. She's delighted to have him at the anything agency because gosh, it's basically turning into a law office at this point, they were really starting to fall behind in the "anything" department :/ He also 100% takes her seriously as the CEO and calls her "boss" and everything. She's a very bad influence who encourages him to break the law even more than Athena does and he's like yes boss right away boss :D

[itsbuck]

tag drop 2

.

[30somethingautisticteacher]

Rewriting Their Stories

The 118 crew and their partners lounged around the fire pit in Bobby and Athena's backyard, the flames casting a warm glow on their faces. Buck nestled closer to Tommy on the small outdoor loveseat, a soft blanket draped over them. As he gazed around at his chosen family, a wave of gratitude washed over him.

Chimney's voice broke through the comfortable silence. "Alright, next question: first kisses. Who was yours and when?" He grinned mischievously. "Maddie, you're up."

Maddie groaned good-naturedly, rolling her eyes at her husband. "Fine. Jeremy Billings, sixth grade." She paused, scrunching her nose at the memory. "His lips were like sandpaper, and our braces nearly got stuck together. Not exactly the stuff of romance novels."

The group erupted in laughter, the sound mingling with the crackling fire.

Maddie, still chuckling at her own embarrassing memory, turned to Bobby. "Alright, Bobby, you're up next."

Bobby's eyes crinkled with amusement as he leaned back, one arm draped around Athena's shoulders. "Eileen Rogers, eighth grade," he said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "It was at my first co-ed party, during a rather intense game of spin the bottle."

Athena raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on her lips. "Spin the bottle, huh? Should I be jealous of this Eileen?"

Bobby chuckled, pulling his wife closer. "Trust me, it was about as awkward as Maddie's orthodontic adventure. We bumped noses before we even got to the kiss part."

The group dissolved into laughter once more, the camaraderie evident in their shared amusement.

As the laughter died down, Buck felt Tommy tense beside him. Glancing up, he noticed a shadow pass over his partner's face. Concern flickered in Buck's eyes as he leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "Hey, you okay?"

Tommy nodded, but the gesture lacked conviction. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and his gaze seemed fixed on some distant point beyond the fire.

Buck's brow furrowed, his arm tightening protectively around Tommy's waist. He knew his boyfriend well enough to sense that something was off, but he also understood that now wasn't the time to press the issue. Instead, he simply intertwined their fingers under the blanket, offering a silent gesture of support.

"Tommy, you're up," Bobby said.

Tommy swallowed hard, his gaze distant. "Uh, Chad Miller," he began, his voice barely audible over the crackling fire. "I was... I was 14."

He paused, his grip tightening on Buck's hand beneath the blanket. "My dad walked in on us," Tommy added, his tone flat, devoid of the playful nostalgia that had colored the others' stories.

A heavy silence fell over the group, the jovial atmosphere dissipating like smoke in the night air. Buck instinctively pulled Tommy closer, his thumb tracing soothing circles on the back of his partner's hand.

Athena, ever perceptive, smoothly intervened. "How about we take a quick break? I think we could use some more snacks." Her suggestion was met with murmurs of agreement as the group began to stir, offering Tommy a moment to collect himself.

Later that night, in the quiet of their home, Buck finally broached the subject. They were curled up on the couch, the TV playing softly in the background, more for ambiance than entertainment.

"Hey," Buck said softly, his fingers gently combing through Tommy's hair. "You wanna talk about what happened earlier? About your first kiss?"

Tommy was silent for a long moment, his eyes fixed on some invisible point. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, tinged with old pain. "There's not much to say, really. My dad caught his son kissing another boy, and he... well, he reacted how you'd expect."

The words hung heavy in the air, laden with unspoken hurt. Buck's arm tightened around Tommy, offering silent support and protection against memories that couldn't be changed.

"I'm sorry you went through that," Buck murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Tommy's temple. "You didn't deserve it."

Tommy let out a shaky breath, leaning into Buck's embrace. "I know that now. It's just... sometimes the memories catch me off guard, you know?"

Tommy's voice was barely above a whisper, each word heavy with long-buried pain. "I stayed in that house for another three years after that day. My dad... I don't think he ever looked me in the eye again. He was so ashamed."

He paused, his body tense against Buck's. Buck remained silent, offering a reassuring squeeze, encouraging Tommy to continue at his own pace.

"And Chad," Tommy's voice cracked slightly. "He was terrified. Threatened to kick my ass and out me to everyone if I breathed a word about what happened. So I didn't. I just... existed. Invisible and silent."

Buck felt a surge of protective anger, but he kept his voice soft. "That must have been incredibly lonely and scary for you. I'm so sorry you had to go through that, babe."

Tommy's voice trembled, raw emotion seeping through his carefully constructed walls. "For the longest time, I thought I was broken. Like God had made some terrible mistake when He made me."

Buck's heart clenched at the pain in Tommy's words. He cupped Tommy's face gently, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had started to fall.

"Listen to me," Buck said, his voice low and intense. "You are not broken. You are not a mistake. You're beautifully, perfectly you."

Tommy leaned into Buck's touch, his eyes closing as he fought to believe the words. "I know that now, mostly. But back then... it felt like the whole world was telling me I was wrong just for existing."

Buck pulled Tommy closer, wrapping him in a protective embrace. "I wish I could go back and protect that scared kid you were. Tell him that he's worthy of love and acceptance."

Tommy's arms tightened around Buck. "You're doing that now," he whispered. "Every day, you show me what real love and acceptance look like."

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of Tommy's revelation settling around them. Buck pressed a soft kiss to Tommy's forehead, a wordless promise of continued support and unconditional love.

Buck's voice was soft, his eyes meeting Tommy's with warmth. "Can I tell you about my first kiss with a guy?"

Tommy nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. He knew this story, but hearing Buck tell it always filled him with a mix of love and pride.

"It was the softest, most perfect kiss," Buck began, his voice tinged with reverence. "He lifted my chin with his fingers, so gently. When our lips met, everything changed. He rewrote my story."

Buck's hand found Tommy's, squeezing gently. "You rewrote my story, Tommy."

Tommy's eyes glistened with emotion. "I remember," he whispered. "I was so nervous, but you felt so right."

"You were perfect," Buck assured him. "Still are. That moment... it changed everything for me, in the best possible way."

Tommy leaned in, resting his forehead against Buck's. "For me too," he murmured. "You helped me rewrite my story too, you know. Showed me what love should really feel like."

Buck cupped Tommy's face, his thumb gently caressing his cheek. "We rewrote our stories together," he said softly. "And we're still writing, every day."

[aphroditelovesu]

I hope I’m not asking too much but can you do a Yan!girlfriend Athena headcanons please? I LOVE your work just as much as I love Athena and I’d really appreciate if you could do it ! 🫶🏻

❝ 🦉 — lady l: aaah, here! I hope you like it because I love writing for her!! Forgive me for any mistakes and good reading! Also, thank you.❤️

❝tw: obsessive and possessive behavior, mild stalking, mention of deprivation (punishments), toxic relationships.

❝🦉pairing: yandere!athena x gender neutral!reader.

Athena never thought she would actually get involved with someone, much less fall in love. She always remained faithful to herself and her alone, there was no room for others, much less romantic companions. Not just because of her vow of chastity, but because Athena had never loved anyone romantically.

That said, Athena remained this way for centuries and millennia to come, until she laid eyes on you. She didn't understand why she couldn't take her eyes off you, but she decided not to question it. It had been centuries since any human caught her attention. She didn't think much about it, figuring it was just another innocent interest that would quickly fade away. How wrong she was.

As time passed, Athena couldn't take her attention away from you. She didn't understand why she couldn't get you out of her thoughts. There was something about you, something that attracted the attention of the goddess of wisdom. And when a human catches the attention of a deity, their life will be doomed.

You lived your life as you always did, your days peaceful and ordinary. Except for the fact that you didn't know a goddess had her eye on you. You went out with your friends, lived with your family and worked/studied. And it was during one of your outings with your friends that you met a particular woman.

She introduced herself as Athena and was very beautiful. When you said her name was after the Greek goddess of wisdom, she laughed. A low, delicious laugh to hear. You spent the rest of the night talking, the woman being very impressive and polite. You found yourself wanting to see her more often.

You and Athena met other times and with each meeting, the goddess' desire and obsession grew more and more. She knew there was no turning back, she was too involved. You were very involved in her life and she was very involved in yours. She would have to face reality, she was in love. Athena decided to act quickly, she confessed to you and hoped you would accept her. You would do it anyway, it was the safest option. Rejecting a god is never a wise thing to do.

Athena is very pleasant to have around, she has the natural ability to make everything more comfortable and fun. Although she is serious, she still has a fun side that is only shown to you. She loves reading and painting with you.

As she is also the goddess of handicraft, Athena would love to teach you everything about the subject. She will teach you how to weave and will praise your work with great conviction. She is very proud of you, of the things you do. She will praise you and encourage you and be your number one fan of everything you do.

Athena is a proud goddess and does not accept being offended and her punishments for offenders are always very harsh. And that includes you, if you offend her in any way, no matter how small that offense is, she will punish you. Her punishments towards you are milder, however. Athena prefers to punish you by depriving you of things, of everything that is good for you. If you take medications, you will no longer take them. All you need is her. She will definitely try to make you as dependent as possible.

She is extremely possessive and manipulative, always manipulating you in a subtle way. Athena will never share you, you are hers and what belongs to her is hers alone. Any foolish attempt to flirt with you will result in harsh punishment, from blinding them to death. It all depends on the mood of the goddess.

Athena defends you fiercely and everyone knows not to mess with the King of Olympus' favorite daughter. Speaking of which, Athena will be adamant about keeping you away from the other gods, especially Ares, Poseidon and Zeus. She doesn't want her rivals around you and she doesn't want her father's roving eyes on you. You are hers and must remain that way.

She will spoil you only if she thinks you deserve it. If you are good to her, you will be spoiled without hesitation, whether with material things or with gifts that she can give you. Athena wants you to be perfect for her, even if that means she has to mold you. The romantic partner of the goddess of wisdom must be similar to her and share the same ideals.

Athena tries to be a good girlfriend and she is, she supports you and will always be by your side, but she is possessive and manipulative, and can incite distrust. She can easily be dominated by jealousy and insecurity and this will hurt her pride, which makes her dangerous. But it's okay, you just need to stay with her and you will be rewarded for your loyalty and love.

And even if you deny her in any way, Athena will never take no for an answer. You discovered this when you disobeyed her once and woke up in an ancient temple alone. It was a threat and a promise. Athena was warning you to never cross her again or she won't be so kind. After all, you are hers and she is a goddess and she can do whatever she wishes with you.

[dadvans]

how the 118 (+partners) would fare in an escape room

Bobby: is the guy they have the warning about not forcing things open and breaking the puzzles for, and he listens and knows this, but his and athena’s mutual conviction that the mechanism to unlock the secret door behind the bookshelf is stuck, means, well

(there is no secret door behind the bookshelf

Athena: has rational, straightforward approach to the puzzles but unfortunately focuses on the least rational, most abstract puzzles

Buck: freakishly good at the puzzles in a way that freaks everyone out but is out of commission trying to help Bobby fix the bookshelf

Hen: somehow figures out how to crack the toughest puzzles but does it out of order and gets everyone out of the room in record time. nothing she does should work or be right, but it does work and she is right

Chimney: is just there to have a good time, figures out a puzzle based on an outdated phone or an analog clock or a VCR and makes digs at everyone born in the 90s that they would be helpless without him

Eddie: solves several puzzles without really meaning to. He’s just trying to organize magnets on a white board and a trap door pops open. He is smug about this for the rest of the day

Karen: is in an escape room on her own intended for 8 people and is crushing it. Actually, she brings Maddie with her because she needs a second pair of hands and she doesn’t trust anyone else to just be chill enough

Maddie: is patiently doing whatever Karen tells her to do and then gets to have a cute In Your Face moment in the lobby when she and Karen are already there and waiting for everyone else to escape their much less difficult room when they finally do break out

Tommy: watching buck’s back muscles flex through his tight t-shirt as he holds up the broken bookshelf while Bobby is trying to screw several pieces of it back into the wall with his hands and a prayer. Tommy knows an easier way to fix it but he’s not about to turn down a good show.

[kyoteugly]

Disclaimer: This may be a bit chaotic (also sorry for my English), I never done this type of post before and I assume you know the show so I don’t go into details of every event - you saw them, you know what they’re about. And it all comes down to Buddie going canon. Here we go, enjoy! (warning 3,6k words)

If we take a look at 911 from a distance some things fall in an interesting pattern. I believe at least part of it is intentional. And if this theory is correct - standing ovations for the creators are in order, because they kept the continuity of the previous seasons while simultaneously re-launching the series. We have introductions of the main characters, we revisit big moments from their lives (sometimes in a more flashy way, sometimes more subtle), and we get a new perspective from them (those big moments) to show the character’s growth.

Ok, what’s the theory?

You should watch seasons 7 and 8 as seasons 1 and 2 on abc.

But Tim isn’t simply retelling the story. He takes the core emotion from a big event and puts it into new scenery with inclusion of how the character had changed over the seasons 1-6. 

Before I jump into Buck and Eddie, let's look at a few examples. 

ATHENA:

Introduction of Athena in season 1 goes with her marriage problems. The same in season 7 (it’s one-sided, because it’s her story, not Bobby’s).

May suicide attempt -> in season 7 there is this unnerving vibe around Bobby’s retiring actions, especially when Athena is talking with him (at least I felt this suicidal vibe and we all thought for a moment Bobby is responsible for their house burning down).

The reason why Athena became a cop, the tragic story of her fiance -> bringing back Jenkins in season 8. This plot could work without him, there could be just some no-name prisoner and Athena could simply get the order to escort him without any deep explanation - but the main core of this plot was to revisit Athena’s past.

She was attacked/in mortal danger on the job -> the whole plane disaster in season 8 (and I’ll get back to that because this is the key moment in Bathena story, this is their core).

BOBBY:

His alcoholism is haunting him and it leads to his house burning down while he’s trying to save his wife (and all of this is the result of his actions). His arc in season 7 covers his past.

And also his relationship with the 118 get’s the familiar spotlight - him being a father figure for the team. Everyone comes to him for advice while he’s forced to be away from his firehouse - and during those conversations he’s in the middle of planning his future with Athena (previously their wedding, now it’s about their new home).

As for them as a couple it’s the plot lines of Athena being attacked and her landing the plane. She is in danger, doing her job, he is the one watching/listening. But while in the past he was powerless, merely an audience to her fight, now he is her partner, he’s in danger with her and it’s his choice (with the cruise ship they both were thrown into the danger, this wasn’t the parallel to the past). And yes, this is their characteristic, but when you’re new to the show, you started watching it with season 7, you may not know this about them… so here, Tim is showing you what Bathena is about, ride or die partners with unwavering faith in each other.

Again, the core element of the big moment and the emotional growth/journey of the characters (introduction while keeping the continuity - revisiting the events, not retelling them).

HEN:

She has a very big plot line that includes a few big events from her life.

The plot with Ortiz’s son reminds me of the girl Hen hit with an ambulance. Back then Hen was a mess, doubtful about herself, and people around her reminded her that she did everything right. Now she doesn’t doubt, she’s sure, even when there is not enough conviction from her team. 

Following this plot we have the whole thing with Ortiz and Mara - which basically is covering the same core aspect we saw with Eva and Denny.

For Hen, family is the most important, actually for her and Karen - and this part also shows their journey as the power couple - because now they’re fighting together for their child (against Ortiz) and not with each other (like it was when Eva was threatening their family). They’re much stronger now, after all those years, family love guiding them through life.

CHIM & MADDIE:

They both have their respective episodes in season 7.

Chimney: Why put Doug there? Why Kevin and karaoke bar (the backstory of how Chim became a firefighter) if not for the introduction of the character, for revisiting his big moments…? 

Maddie and the call with the abducted woman -> we learn later it was her stalker not her husband, but Maddie assumes it’s the husband because of her own trauma. And in the same episode her postpartum depression is also addressed -> the abducted woman is separated from her baby - it’s symbolic but it’s there (like I said, not everything is flashy).

As for Madney - it’s all in the way they’re looking for each other when their mental state is in question (past - Maddie in Boston, present - Chim being sick). Their emotional journey lies in the way of how sure of their love they are. Again, in the past they were taking things slow, finding each other but giving each other space and time, careful “i love you” etc - Now they speed things up by getting married right away, right there in the hospital - because they’re sure.

There are more core things (and revisits) to all characters but I won’t go deeper into this because I want to talk about Buddie (with more details)... so…

All 3 power couples got introduced and redefined anew for the new audience, but the core of what makes them Bathena, Henren, and Madney remained the same - just bigger, bolder, stronger… What remains, in the spectrum of main relationships, waiting to receive the same treatment, is Buddie.

EDDIE:

Through season 7 and 8 so far we got to see main aspects of Eddie - soldier, father, widower, best friend (yes, there are elements of them being more, of some deeper feelings, especially from Eddie’s side - this is the part of the continuity from previous seasons… but because seasons 7 and 8 are new seasons 1 and 2, Buddie is leaning a little more to the “best friends” side - for now… it just started to change with episode 8x05).

We learn about Eddie’s character - he’s caring but also sassy, he works great under pressure, he’s not superstitious, he panics when relationships get too serious (not full blown panic attacks this time, but catholic guilt plays the same role here).

The big moment from Eddie’s past is Shannon’s death. The show can’t tell this story again, can’t kill Shannon again, but they can show the new audience the impact Shannon had (and still has) on Eddie’s life -> and here we have the whole “Kim plot”. 

One more thing worth mentioning about Eddie and parallels is that he left Chris and his wife in the past -> now Chris is the one who left him, and the only relationship his son has to offer to Eddie is a glitching facetime video in a moment of the day when he’s busy (Chris) - sounds familiar.

Yes, there are more big moments in previous seasons, but each of them is intertwined with Buck, ergo can’t be discussed without him. So let’s jump into Buck now.

BUCK:

Just like with Eddie we get the reminder of main characteristic of Buck in form of: infodumping, ingenuity, thinking outside the box, being good/capable on a job, abandonment issues (Eddie spending time with Tommy), craving for approval/affirmation (he hates Gerrard and still seeks that pat on the back and “good boy” comment), his spiraling and believe in supernatural, and he’s like a kid in 118 family.

I feel like we got all of his aspects (and the same with Eddie’s) that we know from previous seasons in an easy to swallow pill, coated with a bit of comedy.

Big moments in Buck’s life include Eddie, but there are few relationships that are very important to this character that are highlighted in seasons 7 and 8). 

Christopher. For now we don’t really see the depth of Buck’s and Chris' relationship. New audience can safely say he is somewhat of a “fun uncle” for Chris (right now Chris is his best friend’s son) - this is because we still haven’t seen the equivalent of what created the bond between them - the tsunami (I believe we will get that when Chris comes back from Texas or his return will include scenes related to their bond and this big event from their lives).

Maddie. This one is simple for now, they’re great siblings, they support each other, the upcoming scene with Maddie should add more.

Best friend Eddie - partners on a job and in crime, knowing each other so well they can read every small signals (it’s mostly visible in 7x01 and 8x01), showing up for each other etc - you all know what I mean - Eddie jumping into idea of bachelor party, Buck confronting Eddie about Kim, Buck’s coming out, Eddie asking for help with Chris (twice) - all of that have (mostly) subtle Buddie themed moments (smiles, looks, wording) but what screams loudly is that they’re best friends (like you’ve never seen better friends than them). Like I said before it started to change in 8x05, and even earlier we see a little bit more of Eddie, like he’s kind of in the background - just remember this, I’ll explain in more details later.

Bobby. This relationship is highlighted the most, and after the first 3 episodes of season 8 nobody has any doubt that Bobby is like a father to Buck (in case somebody missed it in 7x10). In previous seasons we saw how this father-son thing evolved between them (whole season 1, lawsuit, Buck spiraling because of radiation Bobby “absorbed”, coma dream, etc), and now we get the speed run through it to establish how it works.

There is one more very important relationship in Buck’s life that also counts as Buck’s big moment. And it’s Abby, who is represented by Tommy. Older, more experienced love interest, who shows Buck he still has something to learn about relationships, who changes his perspective. It goes further. Remember the guy who was catfishing girls with Buck’s photos? Remember when he was in a meeting with Abby and a girl came up to them? Abby didn’t like what she heard and left Buck cold in that cafe/restaurant. Sounds familiar? Yeah, it should. His first date with Tommy, interrupted by someone, where Tommy didn’t like Buck’s behavior and left him on a curb. What’s important, none of them (not Tommy nor Abby) told him it was over, they were disappointed, of course, but left with the vibe “contact me when you grow up”/”I don’t do dramas”. Again, this is parallel, the revisit to the past event (core of the scenes remains) but the point here is not to tell the same story again but show something new, so Buck’s relationship with Tommy goes in its own way.

I would like to address the lightning strike here, because I believe this event won’t get “the revisit” treatment. It was mentioned in background in season 7 - the locker room scene with Eddie and how Buck tells Tommy the night they met was the best one he had since he died (or something like that). So the lightning strike exists already in season 7 and 8 narrative for the new audience.

Ok. In previous seasons we saw all main couples dating and getting married - basically becoming what they are now. And we saw how Buck’s and Eddie’s relationship grew and evolved throughout the seasons - but they never reached the status of a couple.

So we are now at 8x05, we have all main characters introduced, all power couples redefined by some huge events that made them stronger. We have Buck and Eddie - best friends for life - now is the time to show Buddie of it all.

BUDDIE:

Believe it or not, episode 5 is about Buddie in so many ways, but not in a way you think it is… It’s about retelling their emotional journey, their bonding path and what makes their relationship so special. Yes, I’m using “retelling” here, because the story of their feelings never reached the conclusion, it was always between the lines, and now it can be told anew. Tim already had the perfect recipe for them, so now he is using the core ingredients, to once more reach the point where making them a couple will feel natural. It’s not only about making them canon, it’s about telling beautiful love story - patience is important, their emotional state is the key and has to be set up just right. 

Ok. Masks. This title is a red herring in itself. If we talk about who is wearing a mask the answer is simple - everybody, it’s a Halloween episode. Going deeper we can say - it’s Eddie with his ‘fine’ mask. Let’s go even deeper, it’s not a noun “masks” (in plural), it’s a verb. The whole episode is masking itself, and it’s masking who the story is about. We have two major plot lines here, Buck’s (a comedy) and Henren (drama), both very loud and over the top, making the audience look in one way when in the background another story is unfolding. Red herrings everywhere.

What are the big moments from Buck’s and Eddie’s life that are hidden in this episode? When did Buddie truly start? Firetruck, tsunami, lawsuit, fight club, divorce era… yes, it’s all there… well, tsunami is only mentioned there because it’s Buck and Chis arc, but the important moment for Buddie after the tsunami is still represented in this episode by Karen’s words “You saved him”. Let’s break it down.

BUCK:

Firetruck: the event itself is represented in Denny’s accident. He’s pinned by the vehicle, Karen is holding his hand while others are trying to save him, there is and audience to his tragedy, a lot of people (in this case firefighters) are working together (building the construction) to get him out, the accident was caused by a man who was driven by vengeance/seeking justice, in the end Denny has his leg in cast - the same leg Buck had.

Lawsuit: The whole Buck’s curse plot - injury on a job (to his limb), aftermath of which he ends up with a medical condition (boils = blood thinners), which causes him to focus solely on himself. Buck is so self absorbed in this episode he doesn’t notice his own boyfriend, let alone his best friend (if you want me to write a longer post about Buddie in corelation to Buck and Tommy and why imo Buck is a lame boyfriend in this episode let me know - I won’t do that in this post).

The things above are like playing with the form of what I mentioned before - revisiting previous events. What’s important here is the emotional state of Buck. He learns very quickly he can come back to his job (Eddie is asking about it, because he knows how important it is for Buck) but the boils ultimately send him on a spiral and right back to the self absorbed state of mind - and the reason for it is to make him blind on what’s going on with Eddie.

EDDIE:

Fight club and divorce era are played out here only in Eddie’s emotional state because the show is putting Eddie in the background on purpose so we can’t have big moments played out in a form of parallel scenes. 

But just like with the fight club, Eddie is distancing himself from the firefam. I said already that Eddie is kinda in the background - this is the part where we can see Eddie isolated and alone, in this episode it screams the loudest (compared to the previous ones). 

The haunted house - Hen is terrifying, Chim is scary, even Buck, whose job was to give out candy, managed to freak everybody out (including himself) - only Eddie is this lame and cringe werewolf wannabe. This is a metaphorical, subtle way to show he stands out from the rest of the team. He’s with them but he is alone in the crowd. They have to ask him about Chris, he’s not talking about him himself and he’s keeping his ‘i’m fine’ mask on (pun intended). In fight club era Eddie is grieving after Shannon, now he’s grieving his relationship with Chris. He’s hiding his pain just like he was hiding his bruises.

Divorce era can be seen in a way Eddie interacts with Buck. He’s losing his patience sooner than usual, is meaner in his comments because he’s running on fumes, getting closer to his breaking point (it could escalate, we know he can snap when he can’t deal with his emotions). He doesn’t look at Buck - and I know, it’s because of the things on Buck’s face, hiding behind the magazine, sucking on lollipop… but honestly, do we actually believe that? Or the comedy of those scenes masked that they’re disconnected right now (actually they’re disconnected since Gerrard made them work separately. How they miss each other's eyes in the courtroom - it started there). The episode ends so blatantly showing us Buck talking bullshit with his head so far up his behind he doesn’t think for a second that Eddie needs him. And Eddie, well, he’s fighting alone, just like he was when he stepped into the ring.

WHAT’S NEXT:

If I’m right about all this, and not just insane, we will see 4 more big events - or rather the emotional state those events invoked. 

Kitchen scene - Buck being sorry for not being there for Eddie, when he needed him (the tension aspect of the scene would be nice, but the actual core of this scene is Buck admitting he failed Eddie and Eddie actually listening and accepting Buck’s words).

Well - Eddie has to save himself, deal with something on his own (with only briefly mentioning Buck, mostly Chris).

Will - this has to be addressed at some point. We know about the will but people who started watching from season 7 don’t. This will be clear, no red herrings, no telling story in the background.

Shooting arc - Buck being scared he may lose Eddie. It doesn’t have to be a near death experience, it can be Eddie deciding he’ll move to Texas - the core is fear of losing his… right, what? Best friend? When we reach this point they’ll be more, and “best friends” term won’t be enough, not even to the general audience. 

After that we can start talking about Buddie canon.

Of course there will be more scenes, new scenes, the characters are still growing but in my opinion Tim is trying to set up and show similar emotional journey for them, right up to the point when we should have had Buddie… and he will pick up where he left them, messed up and vulnerable and so in love with each other it’s overwhelming (shooting arc)… then we will go in a straight line to the Buddie canon.

I don’t want to make predictions, I’m bad at it. I prefer to analyze. But in my opinion and what I know about the next episode, I think the well call will serve as a reminder about Eddie Begins, the actual connection between past and present will be in the mustache scene (or right before the mustache scene). 

Final thoughts.

We all see the parallels between different characters and between previous seasons and new ones. We get frustrated about some plot lines and episodes (Bobby episode, Kim plot line)... But if you take a few steps back and look at season 7 as season 1 it makes sense to show these threads again. If you look at all the elements we talk about as a fandom you will see it’s one huge project, not just hints placed here and there. And it’s not just for the benefit of long term fans, it’s for the new audience to get to know these characters, to fall in love with them, to make them curious enough to watch previous seasons.

We all feel it, this carefree vibe from season 1, we’re all falling in love again, saying season 8 has what’s the best in 911, has it all. And I believe it’s because of what I wrote above, these new introductions of characters and relationships. 

One relationship remains to be shown in all its beautiful and unhinged glory - Buddie.

And I believe once we get the equivalent of a shooting arc we will get Buddie canon - this time Tim will tell their story how he wanted - with Buck and Eddie together, as a couple, as soulmates.

Wow, this was long. Sorry for the chaos, I never done this type of post before, but I hope you got the gist of it and enjoyed it. Remember, it’s only my opinion, I could be wrong (honestly, I probably am xP) but I wanted to share my thoughts because I got very hyped up about it. Feel free to contact me if you want.

Tagging some people who may be interested (if you want me to remove you from this post let me know): @buddiebeginz @stagefoureddiediaz @lemotmo @inell @jackwhiteprophetic @lover-of-mine @loveyourownsmiilee

Part 2, episode Confessions - HERE

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 🔮 HECATE: Goddess of Magic, the Mist, Crossroads, Necromancy, the night and moon🌙

Author's note: Hello everyone! In lieu of posting the major gods demigod headcanons, here is the minor gods version!As usual these headcanons will contain what it's like being claimed and what it's like for the respective god and cabin, followed by a small story between you, the reader, and the respective demigod of that god. Thank you for reading and please like and reblog! [PJO MINOR GODS DEMIGOD HEADCANONS MASTERLIST] Disclaimer: To new fans or strictly TV watchers of the PJO series, future spoilers for the entire PJO series books will be referenced. Read at your own risk.

Out of the ‘minor’ gods, a child of Hecate is powerful and just as dangerous as a child of the major gods. As powerful as a child of Ares, Athena, and Apollo, but closer to a child of the Big Three. 

When you get claimed, a rolling mist rolls in and you feel power sparkling at your fingertips. You always have felt the magical power within you but with this claim, it courses through your veins. The spell you cast at your claim is a tell-tale to your half-siblings what kind of magic wielder you are. One time, there was a child of Hecate who summoned the dead beneath their feet and everyone had a meltdown thinking it was another child of Hades until Chiron pointed out the claim symbol belonged to Hecate, and Necromancy is within her domain. Which can be utterly terrifying or cool. Just don’t actually mess with Death itself and stay in your lane, unless you want either Hades or Thanatos having a word with you; either or both. Nico di Angelo becomes a common sight around the Hecate cabin as he acts as a sort of liaison for his father’s domain. 

Hecate’s domain is very broad and large, and you guys have a lot to figure out. Aside from magic, every child of Hecate has a mixed bag of what powers they inherited from Hecate’s domain. Some have others that others don’t. You have shared headaches with the children of Hermes, who are in a similar boat.

As cheesy as it might sound, your power is stronger at night and when the moon is out. Of course a full moon is when you’re at peak strength, but what people don’t know is that your powers can be at peak strength depending on the phases of the moon. This is determined by finding out what phase of the moon the day you were born on, and the phases leading up to that face you feel stronger but the phases afterwards feel less intense for you. If you were born on a full (and/or old) moon, well, more power to you. Literally. 

While not all common, there’s a high percentage of children of Hecate being born in the evenings and night. 

“With great power there must also come great responsibility” - Spiderman, Stan Lee. These words are similar to the Sword of Damocles, that Mr. D and Chiron tells you and the Hecate cabin that power cannot simply be enjoyed for its privileges alone, but necessarily makes its holders morally responsible for what they choose to do and what they fail to do with it. As a child of Hecate, with magic at your disposal, you have to work and study hard to control the magic and command it to your will, however it is a heavy burden to bear and magic can be not only bring miracles, but can take on a form of its own if their wielder isn’t convicted enough. 

Along with magic, the mist is your next inherent power. You help maintain the mist between the world of the gods and the mortal realm; maintaining the balance. The power of the mist comes naturally to you and you can use it to create illusions or manipulate the veil over mortal eyes. However, be careful of it because if you mess with the mist too much, you might pull the mist’s veil over a mortal’s eyes too powerfully and affect their mind, distorting it; it’s cautioned to only manipulate the mist that is still tethered to reality. Worse, you also might get lost in it yourself; or worse find yourself between the borders between the living and the dead. Limbo if you will.

Hecate may seem a bit cold and solitary, but she does care for you. Especially after the 2nd Titan War, where many of your unclaimed (read: unrecognized by the camp) half siblings had perished during the war. You might get the occasional words of advice with magic, magical items, or what your siblings have collectively understood as vague magic teaching moments. You definitely feel her guiding hand when you command more magic that threatens to lash out at you, and you feel her hands guide you to mould the magic in a way you want like a potter’s hand.  At least one thing is for sure, Hecate loves all her children equally…even including Lamia and Circe who are pretty hostile to you guys. 

On that note, you have definitely performed a magic spell you’ve seen on TV, Book, Movie, or Game, and proceeded to tear it apart on how it should not have worked and how it should work before creating either an entirely new spell or an even better one. At the very least, you have a laugh and lead you into discovering and creating new spells. 

You can use magic with your hands, but you could also use a wand or staff, or what have you. With wands though, it has never been easier walking around among mortals and spell-casting magic, and playing it off from certain franchises or being a very dedicated DnD player. The latter is very true and you have no shortage of LARPers.

You know the roles like “The Fairy Godmother”, “The Wicked Witch”, “The Wizard”, and etc? Oh yeah. Every child of Hecate starts to come into one of these roles and leans into it completely. What is yours? 

You and your siblings have an awkward relationship with Lamia, who was a former daughter of Hecate, who became a monster, and is the reason why all monsters can find half-bloods. Sure it was out of spite at Hera for killing all of Lamia’s children, but like….really?  You’re not entirely sure if you guys are safe from Lamia’s curse but on the other hand, given the amount of monsters you’ve encountered and the latest news from one of your half-siblings, Alabaster who was hunted down by Lamia from Gaea, it’s really up in the air. There’s a long research by all the Hecate cabin on how to break this curse or at least mitigate it.

When you get claimed, you feel the veins in your body growing both hot and cold, with power sparking wildly from your fingertips. The small well of bubbling power that had always been in you suddenly burst open and was overflowing, like the seal on it had been ripped off. Wind was kicking around you with the ground trembling and cracking under your power. You could see the mist rolling in and twisting around you with the wind, cutting you off from the outside world. 

With what you could see outside it was utter chaos. People were running around doing damage control with a few brave, offensive demigods taking the front as they knocked away any flying debris and were keeping your magic from breaching the red zone as they batten down the hatches. 

You weren’t sure what to do with this power but you couldn’t just turn the tap off either, you had to release it somehow. But just shooting raw magical power wasn’t desirable since the magic could take on the form of the cognitive power of those around you, whatever that was. 

You tried to remember a spell you were familiar with. Something that was familiar to you that was almost as easy as breathing. You remembered it but the power of the magic within you was too much. It felt like you couldn’t breathe, the extension part of you had to move how you want like you were discovering growth pains, your limbs feeling almost feeling foreign to you. You tried to squeeze the magic into form but it pushed back between the gaps of your fingers like you took too much clay. 

You started to breathe heavily as sweat clung and soaked your being, the strain becoming unbearable. Then you heard yelling as you felt something open beside you. Then you felt someone press up against you, hands grabbing yours that was also flowing with magic. 

You gasped and looked at the person, seeing a girl with dark hair and with glowing green eyes. 

“What-” you tried to say to say how and why she was here and that she shouldn’t be, but then before you could see anything more, she gripped your hands harder and you felt her magic flowing into yours, as if smoothing the gaps, helping you grasp your raging power. 

“Do you know a spell?!” she yelled over the raging, howling wind. 

You stammered to reply but nodded instead as she nodded back. “Alright! Use that spell! I’ll help you enforce it!” 

You were confused but you could feel the magic about to explode soon so you pushed everything aside and focused on what was at hand. You remembered that spell from earlier, taking deep shaky breaths as you tried to manipulate the magic into a form. You could feel it oozing from the gaps of your fingers again but with the girl’s help, she smoothed it and followed your hands, shaping it with you. 

You took form and you threw it in the air as the energy took on a form, taking the wind and mist with it. All tension in your body left you and disappeared with the spell , making you collapse immediately. You were out of breath and out of focus so you weren’t really paying attention to what was happening. All you heard was a boom, sprinkles, oohs and ahhs with gasps and peals of laughter. 

From your starfished position on the ground, you heard feet crunching on the ground beside you and you peaked to see see the girl from earlier, hands on her hips with an exasperated smile on her face with a thin sheen of sweat; even she looked a bit winded. 

“So that’s what kind of magic wielder you are” she commented, crouching beside you. 

“What?” you tiredly said, confused. 

She gestured to the air, “This kind of situation isn’t unusual for children of Hecate, even if yours is a little bit on the extreme side. Every child of Hecate that gets claimed has a spell that they have to unleash and we figured out the first spell they instinctively use is a good indicator what kind of magic wielder and person they are.”

“Oh” you uttered dumbly as you took in the open sky above you. The adrenaline was just dying down and your mind caught up. Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you sat up and looked at the girl. “Wait, how do you know this?”

The girl grinned and stood up, holding her hand out to you as you clasped it. “My name is Lou Ellen Blackstone, daughter, head coven, and cabin leader of the Hecate cabin” she introduced herself as she helped you up. 

“Oh…wait, does that mean-” you asked as Lou Ellen nodded.

“Yup, you just got claimed by Hecate which makes us half-siblings” she said as she patted your shoulder and helped you steady yourself as you headed towards the Apollo kids, “Let’s get you checked up just in case. Suddenly being able to have that much access to your magic takes a whole lot of you.”

“So this isn’t new?” you asked as a child of Apollo checked you over. 

“Nah. While some children of Hecate can access their magic before they get claimed, when Hecate claims you, it suddenly feels like the cap on our magic is removed. Don’t worry too much about it, with some practice and integrity, you’ll get a hold of your magic soon enough. In the meantime, you have the entire Hecate cabin to help you.”

You smiled at the thought as you felt yourself drifting off to sleep due to the exhaustion. 

[brightdown00]

If You Want An ACTUAL 'Feminist Icon' Man With Depth, Then Ares Is Your Best Candidate (NOT Hades!)

He has been SEVERELY misrepresented. Wonder Woman, Percy Jackson, DC Comics ... why didn't God of War use Ares instead of Kratos who is just one of Zeus' lieutenants?

(Don't get too excited just yet, it's still a pretty low bar.)

1) Ares is quite literally the ONLY Greek God (sitting on the Twelve Olympians) who doesn't need to be put on an sex offender registry. (I won't speak for his Roman counterpart, Mars, however ...) The worst he ever did, was seduce Phylonome, an hunting companion of Artemis, in the guise of an shepherd. That's hardly comparable to Zeus seducing Callisto in the guise of Artemis, or Alkmene in the guise of her husband Amphitryon, or Poseidon seducing Tyro in the guise of the river-God Enicepus.

That's right, the 'sacker of cities' isn't a rapist himself. (If you don't like irony, then Greek mythology isn't for you.)

2) Not only is Ares the only one who isn't a rapist, but he has actually stood up for sexual assault survivors more than once (even if they're his mother or daughter!) Ares was famously tried (and acquitted!) for homicide by a jury of the Twelve Olympians, after he slew Poseidon's son for raping his daughter. In one version of the myth, he was found guilty and forced to serve among mortals (which was the same sentence Zeus gave Poseidon and Apollo for conspiring against him). The implication is that all the Goddesses voted to acquit, all the Gods voted to convict, and what with Poseidon as prosecutor, Zeus as judge, and Ares as defendant, there were more goddesses on the jury than gods. Even if Zeus cast his vote to convict, it would have come to a tie and the rule was that the defendant is to be acquitted if there is a tie. (This is what occurred in The Oresteia, the setting of which was also the Areopagus.) When two giant sons stormed Olympus with the intention of taking Hera and Artemis, Ares was trapped by them in a jar, and the implication was because he was defending his mother and he was only a child at the time. He was also present at the punishment of Ixion who attempted to violate Hera, alongside Athena and Hermes.

3) Ares is the father of the Amazons (you hear that, DC Comics?) The founder of the Amazons, Otrera (who, btw, is the mythological founder of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus), is either his daughter with the wood-nymph Harmonia, or his consort (if she is the daughter of Eurus, God of the North Winds) by whom he fathered Melanippe, Antiope, Hippolyta, and Penthesilea. Their nation's capital city is named Themiskyra in honour of Themis (Zeus' second wife and his aunt by whom he fathered three daughters), whom Ares is on surprisingly close terms with (see the Homeric Hymn to Ares), since he was also the patron god of the law enforcement.

4) One of Ares' epithets is 'feasted by women', in the ancient city of Tegea in Arcadia; during a war between the Tegeans and the Spartans, the women of Tegea defended the city from an invasion led by the Spartan king Charilaus.

5) Women abused by their husbands, as I've read online (but cannot verify), would have likely prayed to Ares for the strength to survive, which makes sense since he is the God of Courage (who else would they have prayed to?), which may have (sadly) further contributed to his unpopularity in Ancient Greece. Likely women also prayed that their abusive husbands would die violently on the battlefield in the next war ... He is, after all, the 'slayer of men'. It's not any different from how mothers would pray to Demeter to bring their daughters back alive, or unmarried girls would pray to Artemis to escape an unwanted marriage ... There's no 'protector of women in Greek mythology' because the Hellenistic religion worked through power bargains with the Gods and their respective domains ...

6) Aphrodite was forced into a marriage with Hephaestus in exchange for Hera's release (Hephaestus initially sued for the hand of Athena which ... didn't work out; see Erichthonius for more detail), Aphrodite expected that she would marry Ares. (They may or may not have been sleeping together before since Dionysus is the one who got Hephaestus drunk enough to do it ... Dionysus is the son of Semele, daughter of Harmonia, Ares and Aphrodite's daughter ... or maybe it's just the wonky timeline in Greek mythology ... ) Love and War. Their children are Eros (the literal Cupid himself) and Anteros (Unrequited Love), Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Panic), and Harmonia (Harmony). They have an open marriage (they are often acknowledged as each other's consort in mythology), despite Ares killing Adonis as a boar (although one version has Artemis killing Adonis as revenge for Hippolytus) and Aphrodite cursing Eos with insatiable lust. Spartans gave Aphrodite the epithet of 'Areia' (similar to how Zeus has the epithet of 'Heraion'). Note how Ares and Aphrodite are the only official couple, whether they're depicted as married or otherwise, on the Twelve Olympians (following her divorce from Hephaestus) besides Zeus and Hera themselves, which brings me to my next point ...

7) Even though Ares was not worshipped by many Ancient Greeks (just as they didn't feel comfortable even mentioning Hades by name), he was always depicted as an handsome soldier, which was the peak of male attractiveness at the time. Legally, he would have been considered as the 'legitimate' heir to the throne of Olympus as the only 'true' son of Zeus and Hera (since Hephaestus was conceived via parthenogenesis), given how the Ancient Greeks projected their own sociocultural norms onto their Gods. He is also one of the most handsome of Zeus' sons (along with Apollo, Hermes, and Dionysus). Bizarrely, he could almost be considered as Ancient Greece's cultural equivalent of Prince Charming in a roundabout way.

8) Ares is the son of Hera (the Goddess of Marriage, Family, and Childbirth, Patron of Women and Queen of Olympus) and the husband of Aphrodite (Goddess of Love and Beauty; Lust and Sexuality; Desire and Pleasure). He is also the rival to his half-sister Athena (Goddess of Wisdom and Reason; Strategy and Warfare; Arts and Crafts) for his father's affections, and shares jurisdiction with his half-sister Artemis over the Amazons. He's also on good terms with his grand-aunt, Themis, and I would assume his aunt Hestia. Zeus and Hera's other children are all daughters (Enyo, Eileithyia, Hebe, Angelos, Arge, Eleuthera), and a part of Zeus is concerned that Ares would overthrow him (more on that in another day, for another post). It's not hard to see why Ares drinks the Respect Women Juice unlike his father, uncles, or brothers.

9) People often use Ares persecuting a pregnant Leto at Hera's orders against him, disregarding that Hera is not only his mother but the Queen of Olympus. Even then, he never did anything more than deny her entrance to cities. The entirety of Ancient Greece itself was under orders to deny Leto sanctuary, and so are you really going to fault Ares for it? ZEUS didn't even hold it against Ares, even though he's his least favourite and Leto is his favourite woman ...

9) Ancient Greek mythology is largely passed through Athens, and they associated Ares with foreigners such as the Thracians (Thrace is said to be the God's birthplace) whom they regarded as stupid, uncivilized barbarians (see 6). His respecting women is likely meant to be seen as a negative trait, and highly correlated with how Ares was seen in general (see 3).

Note: I am NOT calling Ares an 'feminist icon' man, I'm just saying that he is the best possible candidate in Greek mythology.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

"When Hector died I felt anger." His sister looks at him skepticaly. The scars on her face a scary reminder, it should not be possible for them to hurt like that, to feel so much, to almost die, but their dad, their king could do it. "Even before the war the achaeans were your champions, yours, dad's, Hermes, Ares's, even Hera's. Hector was mine."

"You ruined his sister in pettyness." She finally says cold and almost unafected. He knows her way to well and they are long past that, he has no idea what she is thinking but he knows she'll never forget today, he won't either, he just hopes she forgives.

"Aren't mortals there for us to ruin?" His conviction about it used to be stronger, more honest, he didn't care for Cassandra but mayhaps he should have.

"Did you knew they existed before us?" His sister answers never one to refuse a debate. Ares was better at this types of conversations, Ares for all his faults was better at being a brother to all, Apollo was a good brother to Artemis, his other half, maybe to Hermes, sometimes, but he still didn't knew how to be with the others. "They were there with the old gods and with the Titans... they'll likely be there after us."

He wants to say it won't be an after them. But this aren't his words and the lightning never stroke him (it had never stroked Athena either, what's the point of being the favorites when you can still be hurt?).

"I love the sirens."

"You already made that point."

"I could not raise Hector and his clan as a reason. It was the gods will, dad's will, that made Odysseus kill Hector's son, and I already had my permited vengeance when I helped Paris kill Achiles."

She nods serius.

"Hector was my champion but I would never have his death be a reason to fight with dad. I would never have protected his child. I didn't."

"Are you here to blame me?"

"No... I... your mortal, you call him friend, it's true isn't it? He is not just a champion."

"I was never one for lies." But she smiles, a mischivous glint in her eyes, she was always one for lies, but she was also always one to tell truth when it actually mattered.

"Was it worth it?"

"Be more specific, dear brother." She knows what he wants to ask but she also knows how hard it is for him and how frustrating it is for the god of poetry to lose his words. This is her smaller, pettiest revenge and it fills him with relief that maybe things didn't change irreparably between them.

"All that happened today, all your suffering, not only the physical pain but the knowledge, was your friend worth it?"

She looks at him pondering the question before answering resolute. "Yes. Absolutly."

He smilles soflty.

"In this case I hope Odysseus makes home well and recovers from all his misfortunes. He must be really exceptional to have your friendship."

"He is."

"I heard he is a marksman. I don't think he'll need it but I'll still do my best to garantee his arrows do not miss a single target." It's the closest to an apology he'll ever be able to say. He hopes she takes it.

"Apollo, what you said about knowledge, I always knew we weren't really imune from father just cause he called us his favorites." His eyes grow bigger, she must really love her mortal, a small part of him thinks, Zeus will end us all one day the bigger part says in a small panicked realization. "Goddess of knowledge." It's a small jest, a way to take him out of his own fears, she'll never say she forgives him but now he knows she does.

"Silly of me to ever have forgotten it." He answers. More because he fells he has to say something. "Now if you forgive me, I have new bands to find and you have a long list of concerned sibblings to listen to and a mortal to save. Good luck, Thena."

He didn't really nicknamed his sibblings, there was always 'sweetheart', 'darling', 'honey', 'girlie' but never nicknames. Those were for Artemis and Hermes only. He should start changing that.

"See you arround, fanboy."

Athena never ever nicknames, she isn't soft, she isn't silly and her jokes are always dry. 'Fanboy' sounds like Hermes. THIS is the actual closest to forgiviness he'll have. He laughs musically as he leaves.

[s-awturn]

Underworld Sun || LH44

summary: It only took an unpretentious visit to a local florist for all of Lewis's convictions to come crashing down, and finally the lord of the Underworld found what was missing in his lonely existence.

cw: dark content, slightly stalkerish behavior, nostalgia, pure smut, Lewis!dom x reader!sub, revelation, mention of magic, violence, outbursts of rage, (fake) naivety, devotion, deep love, soulmates, family interference, mention of kidnapping.

a/n: After weeks (my God, how embarrassing) I'm updating this little story that came to celebrate my first hundred followers and today I have three hundred and a little bit, I can't help but be happy and surprised by this, like, you guys really like what I write (give me a minute, I'm emotional here) Anyway, I hope you like it and I apologize, but in this story I really can't bring long chapters.

chapter two

The mastiffs were waiting for him as soon as he stepped into the Black Forest, the black dogs guiding him through the trees, not caring if Lewis was following them. He could feel the dense magic of the place mixing with the magic of Hecate, the goddess of witches was present in every corner of that forest, in the trunks of the majestic pine trees, in the dry leaves on the ground, even in the drops of dew on the plants. Hecate was in everything, watching Hades entering her enclosure, waiting for him to come to her.

And it didn't take long for him to arrive.

A Germanic Gothic cottage, with a window box of wisteria and hyacinths, and more black dogs lying in the doorway. The relaxed posture of the resting mastiffs did little to hiding how attentive they were, Lewis knew that all it took was one false move, one misinterpreted thought for those dogs to tear his body apart until only bones remained. Lewis smelled herbal tea and fruitcake, and Hecate's husky, powerful voice came through the air like a whisper, humming an old lullaby, singing about old gods, past wars and forgotten glories.

The cabin doors opened and Lewis paused for a few seconds, he didn't know if he was ready for whatever Hecate might tell him. He could have gone after Apollo or Athena, but he knew that his nephews would not hesitate to report their concerns to Zeus and everything would become a big family affair, like everything in that family. Hecate was trustworthy, discreet and antisocial, like him, so there was no one better to give Hades any information without ending up in one of the Olympian interrogations.

“As tempting as it may be, I don’t want a salt statue of the god of the underworld on my doorstep, so just come in,” he hears her say, and as if a hand were pushing him, Lewis enters, hearing the doors slam shut with a thud.

The inside of the cabin was exactly as he expected, cozy, mystical, and dark. Candles were scattered everywhere, the smell of hemp mingling with the aroma of the Black Forest. It was easy to recognize who that hut belonged to.

“I hope you’re hungry, I used my best herbs to make a tea, so you better eat.” He found her in the kitchen, arranging the food on the table.

Hecate was a tall, slender woman with dark hair, pale skin, and eyes as dark as night. Small veins of magic flickered around her, making Hecate's hair levitate, the goddess making it clear why she was one of the most powerful in the entire pantheon, powerful enough to make Zeus afraid to face her.

No one would want to be blacklisted by the heiress of Nyx and Erebus.

“I heard some interesting rumors, could you confirm which ones are true?” She pointed to the chair, waiting for him to settle in. Hades opened the button on his jacket and picked up the cup of tea.

“That depends, what rumors have you been hearing?”

“About Persephone, the walls of Tartarus, and something about the games being canceled…”

“The walls are actually falling down, this makes it easier for Cronus and his minions to try to get out..” he clarified, “And as for Persephone... Don't ask me how, but Zeus said she's alive, but remains hidden in some corner of the planet, without manifesting its powers or any trace of its divinity.”

Hecate looked at the god of the dead over the rim of the cup, the goddess's nocturnal eyes seeming to capture the details that Hades left out “And what do you want, Lewis? I like your visits, but I doubt this was a courtesy”

“I was with the Moirai, with the walls of Tartarus crumbling, my domains are in danger, I need to know what to do to stop it”

“and they said what?”

"that I should seek what is lost, but I do not understand" Hades mutters, he hated not knowing things, hated looking like a fool with no answers.

“Her eyes shone, as bright as when the Milky Way appeared in the sky.

“Tell me Hades, do you feel it?”

“What?”

“You feel that hole deep in your soul, deep, immense, growing bigger every day, devouring more and more pieces of you. Something in you was lost so many years ago that you can't even remember.” Hecate said, her voice taking on a deep, dark tone. “"If you don't find what you lost, if you don't fill that hole, Tartarus will continue to crumble, you will continue to be threatened”

“But what did I lose, Hecate?”

“It's not something, it's someone, Hades”

Olympus

“She is your daughter too, Zeus!” Demeter shouted, she didn’t care about Hera’s fierce glares, the queen of the gods detested any mention of Zeus’s bastards. “Bring her home, Zeus!”

All the Olympian gods and creatures felt the tremors shaking Mount Olympus. The trees seemed to grow and it seemed that winter had come early.

“Hermes and Apollo are after her, Demeter, what do you want me to do? Go down there and open every hole in the earth to look for her?” Zeus said, he seemed too calm and peaceful for Demeter, the goddess of agriculture made the entire Earth shake, she might not be the mistress of earthquakes, but no one would want to anger her, well, except Zeus.

“Yes! Because you never thought twice before turning the Earth upside down looking for your lovers!" She said and finally saw Zeus abandon his composure. The heavenly eyes of the king of the gods turned stormy and lightning crackled around him, making the air static. Demeter was approaching a dangerous limit, but she was never known for temperance.

“Hold your sharp tongue, Demeter, I have already made it clear that Hermes and Apollo will bring Persephone back." He stood up, making everyone in the dome fall silent. "Now speak to me like this again and I will ensure that you spend the rest of eternity sealed in an amphora"

Demeter clenched her jaw, trying to contain her anger, she knew it was not good to contradict Zeus when he spoke in that tone, never. Everyone still remembered finding Hera imprisoned on a golden throne, punished for her own arrogance in plotting against her husband. Zeus was benevolent, but even his charity had limits.

“I understand your fears, sister, Persephone has been lost for centuries, I too want her back and I demand that Apollo and Hermes do their best to bring her home”

Demeter nodded and gave a measured bow before leaving the dome, letting the soft scent of ripe wheat perfume the air.

“Athena, Artemis and Hestia, join Apollo and Hermes and help in the search for Persephone, I will not allow us to spend the next equinox celebration with our incomplete family.” He ordered before leaving the dome, making it clear that he would not admit failure, there was no possibility that Persephone would not be home by the next winter equinox.

The gods scattered, wondering what might happen if the goddess of spring was not home in time.

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO S-AWTURN™ 🪐. I do not allow copying or republication. Any unauthorized publication will be reported.

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[missmagooglie]

So I just reblogged a very thoughtful Hen and Karen character meta. And it got me thinking about Hen's arc this season. And the teasers have all kind of stressed Gerrard as being a central plot focus for Buck, stressing that Hen has bigger concerns at home and she has to toe the line with Gerrard so she doesn't lose Mara for good, but here's the thing. Here's the thing. I think THAT is the point of Gerrard. Hen has to find a way to serve under this odious man in a way that will prove she can handle the political pressures of leadership after failing to do so during her last stint as interim captain of the 118.

This got long, so under a cut it goes.

If you look at Hen across the past few seasons, and in particular if you look at last season, one of Hen's character traits that tends to cause her the most friction is that she does not compromise when she thinks (or knows) she's right. And this has historically been a huge source of strength for her. It's what allowed her to withstand Gerrard's captaincy the first time around. It's a huge part of what makes her an exemplary firefighter and paramedic.

It has also, in season 7 especially, been a huge hurdle for her when it comes to leadership. Hen is smart, she is driven, she is confident in herself and her decisions, and she absolutely does not know how to take "no" for an answer. And not once but TWICE in season 7, we saw Hen's conviction in her own assessment get her into trouble. The first was with Councilwoman Ortiz' son. As a paramedic, she absolutely made the right call. She correctly identified his inebriated state, and reallocated on site resources when he was belligerent toward Chimney and offered clear refusal of care. What Hen didn't do was think beyond the immediate facts of the scene and consider ways to limit liability if her assessment was wrong or there were facts she was unaware of (which, spoiler alert, there were. Of both the medical and political variety).

When Hen was being investigated, she did not respond the way an LAFD captain should have. She reacted personally, defensively. She correctly identified that the source of her trouble was political rather than personal, but she still defended herself on a personal basis rather than working with Chief Simpson to find a way to appease the grieving Councilwoman. She reacted as an individual facing a personal attack rather than a leader navigating a sticky political situation, and in the process made the investigation about her (lack of) wrongdoing. She thought that being vindicated would mark the end of her troubles, but instead she ended up making herself a target for a woman looking to blame someone for her grief. A savvy captain would have found a way to deflect attention and smooth things over with the Councilwoman to avoid long term repercussions with a powerful member of the city government, even if that meant accepting a carefully calculated token acknowledgement of blame (perhaps a vague and unspecified blame of the department overall rather than a specific individual, to reduce opportunities for reprisal) to appease the Councilwoman's pride.

Then, even after she was cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated within the span of a single shift, Hen was motivated BOTH by her love and loyalty to Bobby and Athena, but ALSO her own need to prove herself and her own instincts correct when she decides that instead of reporting back to the station to resume her post she was instead going to go against orders to comandeer a helicopter and fly into a hurricane well out of LAFD jurisdiction to try and rescue a cruise ship of unconfirmed status. And she did this with three of her direct reports in tow. Did she ask them to be there? Did she order them to follow her into that helicopter? No. But given that she was technically their commanding officer at the time, their actions were technically her responsibility.

Now again, Hen felt vindicated by the fact that she was RIGHT, the Uno was in dire distress, her blatant insubordination did save lives. But while her actions showed extraordinary individual heroism, they did NOT show the sort of steady, level-headed leadership Hen would need to earn a permanent promotion to Captain. She showed a willingness to do whatever needed to be done to solve the problem in front of her, but not an ability to think beyond the current problem and consider how to best serve the LAFD beyond the current emergency.

So how does all that relate to Gerrard? Well, first of all Hen made herself all but unpromotable in the eyes of Chief Simpson and undoubtedly the rest of the LADF brass, creating a leadership vacuum when Bobby retired unexpectedly. That gives the OPPORTUNITY for Gerrard to step in. But why Gerrard, specifically? Why not some new jackass to terrorize the 118?

Because everything Hen did to survive the first time she served under Gerrard leaned on her value as an individual. In order to grow into the leader the 118 needs, she'll have to survive Gerrard this go-round using completely different methods. And to make absolutely sure she experiences that growth, the show has conveniently given Hen PERSONAL STAKES that render her old methods of survival unusable. Everything Hen did to prove herself in the past involved bucking Gerrard's leadership, showing how capable she was even if it meant undermining him. Now, with Mara on the line, Hen has no choice but to toe the line and keep her nose clean. So how is she going to change tactics and work WITHIN the system? How is she going to show that she can follow regulations and orders she disagrees with, without sacrificing her dedication to doing her job to the utmost of her ability? How is Hen going to prove that she can make decisions that benefit the station and the department long-term while still giving the problem in front of her everything she's got? How can she balance the right thing to do RIGHT NOW with doing what's needed to serve the bigger picture?

If Hen meets Gerrard head-on with defiance and disdain, it will be proof that she has not grown in the intervening years any more than he has. Instead, Gerrard is going to be a test of Hen's ability to show genuine and meaningful leadership without recklessly flouting orders she may not agree with in favor of her own priorities.

Or at least, that's my hope.

[bitchywitchyvibes666]

Lord Hephaestus

The gods had been disgusted with him from the moment his divine existence was brought onto this world, Athena downright cruel in the way she spoke of what would come to be known as the God of fire. Even his own mother, Khione: the goddess of snow, had squeezed her eyes closed in prayer as she looked on at the burnt flesh that riddled the young God. 

When he had become of age his father had cast him from Olympus in disgust, no longer willing to deal with the disfigured, short tempered fire God. The God had let the heavens know of his wrath when he was forced to settle down among mortals to grant his followers wishes. He become known to be a God full of anger and resentment, if you wanted someone to burn then he was your God. He angered the Gods with his reckless and harsh punishments, making it known that he was fully willing to burn the world they created. 

Dabi was used to people barging their way into his temple, voices loud and full of anger demanding he seek out to destroy someone or something. Demanding a raging fire to seek out the person the mortals had decided their anger was most deserving of, Dabi always watched with the same sickening smirk and a fully willing nature to destroy anything in the means of angering the other Gods. 

That’s why he was more than a little surprised when you had wandered into his temple, eyes wide and doe like as you looked around in fascination. Your hands clutched a small woven basket close to you, filled with different fruits, oils and flowers as you took more shy almost shaky steps into the temple. 

Cold, glaring blue eyes followed your every move as you finally stopped before his statute, waiting for your pretty shining lips to curl up in disgust as you gazed at the marble that formed his disfigured face and body. He waited for it but it never came, your eyes stayed gleaming with admiration and warmth as you gazed up at it, head tilted to the side as your lips pulled into the softest sweetest smile he’d ever seen. 

His head tilted slight to the side, raven hair falling over his scarred cheek as he watched one of your smaller hands let go of the basket and reach out to trace one of the burns carved into the marble chest, his chest flexing at the touch like you were actually touching him. Your touch was delicate and almost...loving as you gently trailed one of your fingers over the edge of the burn on his stomach. Your eyes followed your movements with such conviction like this was your entire purpose, you touched his stature so softly like he was made of glass. 

He watched as your perfect manicured nails gently follow one of the carved stables as your face changed. His breathing became baited as he waited for you to finally be disgusted with him, only to watch the worry fill your beautiful eyes as your lips pulled into a small pout. 

Everything Dabi had fell apart as he heard the words “oh my baby, my poor baby” leave your lip gloss covered lips. It was such a simple statement, a statement that should of sent so much anger through with just how fucking pompous it was but when she said it with nothing but pure untainted care...he just couldn’t stop the feeling that wrecked through his heart. 

His breathing could probably be heard from Olympus as he leaned closer, desperate to get closer to you as you took a small step back. His heart raced like a wild animal, he was fully willing to grab you if you tired to leave at that point, he watched as you innocently held up your little basket. Your face now shining with warmth and happiness as your sweet, honeyed voice filled his ears and danced in his mind. 

“I tried really hard to bring you things that you would like my Lord but the scriptures of you are very limited so I hope I at least brought one thing you’d enjoy” 

Fuck, the way you looked up at his stature really did something to him, your eyes large and innocent and if it wasn’t just downright sinful the way you called him your lord. He teeth broke apart his lower lip as he watched you gently place everything at the alter that sat by his feet, loving the way you looked on your knees before him. Fuck may his father smite him if he wasn’t thinking about filling your mouth with something less than angelic. 

Dabi had never been so close to anything that could be considered this angelic because Gods know that none of them are. He knew the moment that your clueless self had decided to spare a modicum of kindness to someone like him that one way or another you would end up in his arms, destined to burn the world with him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

19 days, 6 hours and 48 minutes it had been since Dabi first saw you. 19 days, 6 hours and 48 minutes since he decided that you belonged to him and 19 days, 6 hours and 48 minutes since Dabi had decided to keep a close eye on you. 

He watched with a fury like no other as you went about your life when you weren’t visiting him, conversing with other people when all you should be doing was sitting pretty at his feet, taking his cock in any hole he desired whenever he told you too.  He hated whenever he saw you talking to another mortal but especially men, no one could taint the only right thing the Gods had done...no one but him of course. 

It had been another one of those times where he had watched you converse with another mortal man before deciding to make your way home. Cute little heels making the sweetest sound as you skipped into the darkened ally way, pretty head not even aware of the danger that you had just put yourself in. Dress flowing in the light breeze as you skipped down into the darkness, humming a sweet little tune to yourself. 

All it took was a moment, nothing more than a single moment of jealousy, for Dabi to make his choice before he was slamming his fist into the back of your head and catching your falling body, scarred lips whispering the quietest apologies into your ear. Deep whispers of “I’m sorry baby, it had to be done”.  His hearting fighting between racing at the sight he caught of your panties and the feeling of your skin rubbing lightly against his clothes or the calm that washed over him at the feeling of finally having you in his arms. 

Blue eyes almost lightening up at the sight of your peaceful face as you laid in his arms but he picked you up, a certain thought flying through his mind as he held you like a bride and made his way back to his temple. Scarred hands shaking lightly as they held you, fingers digging into your skin like if he loosened his grip then you would disappear. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dabi was never know for his patience or for being a God of much faith so it didn’t faze him when his patience wore thin and he could no longer keep his hands to himself, completely fed up with waiting for you to wake up. Callous fingers gently trailing their way over the smooth, plush skin of your leg as blue eyes trained on your face for any sign of movement. His touch only just ghosting over your skin, not wanting you to wake up so soon into his fun.

His movements soon getting bolder when he saw how peacefully you slept on even in the wake of his touch, his fingers trailing higher up your leg until they reached the softness of your thick inner thigh. Dabi couldn’t hold back the smirk that took over his lips as he moved his fingers higher under the skirt of your dress, his middle finger moving out to gently trace the edge of your panties. He rolled his shoulders as the lace tickled the tip of his finger before he moved his finger to the middle of your panties, gently pushing the fabric into your slit as he indulged in the feeling of you. 

Dabi didn’t care about much but right now he cared very much about how he was gently rubbing his middle finger over your pussy, gently playing with your clit as you slept on completely unaware of the depraved man having his way with you. 

Dabi let out a sharp intake of breath before moving away from you as you shifted in your sleep, body finally reacting to his touch. He waited with baited breath for any sign you had woken up before his shoulders sagged in relief as you just kept sleeping. Dabi watched as you parted your legs further in your sleep, now fully on your back and completely spread out just for him. Dabi waited for another moment before a gentle thud filled the room as he dropped to his knees, handing finding themselves hocking the back of your knees to pull you closer to the edge of the bed, legs now resting on his shoulders as he came faced to face with pretty purple of your lace panties.

His pierced tongue peeking out and running across his bottom lip as he looked at the lace that covered your sweet cunt from his hungry gaze. He didn’t even bother to try to stop himself as he moved a hand off of your thigh, moving it back to your cunt so he could move your underwear to the side. He could feel his mouth starting to water at the sheer sight of your perfect cunt, so pretty and sweet looking, he couldn’t stop his mind for wondering if you tasted as sweet as you looked. 

Dabi glanced up at your sleeping face before deciding that there was no harm in him tasting what belonged to him. Dabi almost moaned out loud the moment the tip of his tongue touched your cunt, spreading your lips apart and going straight for your little clit. He savoured every single moan and whimper that left your pretty lips as he focused his attention on your clit, eyes closing slightly in pleasure at finally being between your thighs. This was truly the closest to heaven the young God would ever get. 

Dabi’s eyes flew open the moment he heard a confused whimper as small hands tried to push his head away. He tightened his grip on your thighs as you tried to shuffle away from the strange man between your legs, pulling away from your cunt long enough to shush you before going right back to work. Dabi relished in the sounds you made when he sucked your clit into his mouth, embarrassed and confused by the orgasm that washed over you and that caused your thighs to tighten around his head. 

He pulled away with a delish smirked as he moved your legs from his shoulders to his waist as he moved to stand between your legs, blue eyes looking down at your scared little face as your mind raced to try to work all of this out. A scarred hand made its way to hold your cheek as he leaned down to place a surprisingly sweet kiss to your lips, leaving the taste of you behind as he whisper.. 

“It’s okay little one, your Lord is gonna make you feel so fucking good” 

[mylifewasamazinguntiliwasborn]

So why do I think Dual Destinies is a dogshit game @elzux?

It all boils down to one very simple thing - almost nothing about the game feels like Ace Attorney.

I think the first important thing to note here is that by the time Dual Destinies came out, Ace Attorney had been my special interest for over 5 years. I was extremely familiar with the original trilogy, as well as Apollo Justice and both Investigations games. At that point I didn't dislike any of the games I had played, Apollo Justice was my least favourite but I still loved the game a lot.

Now to the meat. Why doesn't Dual Destinies feel like Ace Attorney? Let's break it down.

The dialogue - lacks the usual humour and snark. The game can't keep me focused on the dialogue. In a game where reading the dialogue is required to play the game. The dialogue is so, so boring and often nonsensical that I found myself skipping huge blocks of text, just because I either couldn't or didn't want to read what was going on. It's a massive drop in quality in a series that is known for its top tier dialogue, which usually effectively furthers both the plot and the characters. Here we instead have dialogue that feels like someone who only knew Phoenix Wright through early 2010s Youtube memes had written it. My favourite example is from DD-1 where Phoenix's inner dialogue reads (Noooo, come back my beautiful contradiction!). First glance, it's okay. Maybe even funny. Second glance, hold up. Phoenix would never think that. He might have used this as a punchline after 4-6 text boxes of lamenting, not just as a single one sentence reaction to one Objection by Payne, of all people.

The characters - closely tied to the dialogue. The returning characters don't act like themselves. The new characters are paper thin and without agency. The side characters are so boring I still barely remember anyone's names. Phoenix is stupid. Why is he stupid? Phoenix is goofy, yeah. He's a silly little guy. Sometimes he's slow, although his literal character arc of the first 3 games is becoming The Best Attorney Ever. He can't be stupid 10+ years into his career. Especially remembering that he JUST tried to reinvent the entire court system in his country (more on this later). That's simply not something an idiot or an incapable lawyer fucking does. Apollo isn't Apollo. He's given three new backstories here and in result, Apollo Justice ceased to exist. He was kind even if a little sarcastic, he was unsure about himself, and he was so willing to learn. And here? Here he's just a mean prick and a know-it-all. Yeah okay he's traumatised yadda yadda then why is he like that in DD-2 as well? You know, BEFORE his bEsT fRiEnD died? Also what fucking best friend? How about you talk about his mother instead? Why turn his cute speech patterns into some traumatic goddamn mess? Literally no one asked for that. Athena is an awful character for the first half of the game, then gets some meat, and is then devolved back to 0 by giving all her agency to Simon Blackquill. Amazing. THIS is the game series praised for its strong female characters? Give me a break. I don't know anything about Athena except that she's a polyglot and has PTSD. That's not a character, that's a plot device. Simon Blackquill is kinda okay but he's also the first major overstepping a line Ace Attorney does. His character is too ridiculous. Why is a death row convict a prosecutor. Even within the AA universe it just doesn't make sense. He's just too much. Bobby Fulbright/Phantom is the 3rd worst character of the entire series. Where is Klavier Gavin. And let's talk about character designs while we're here! They're awful! Not only are the 3D models ass, but Pearl Fey's aged up design is fucking horrendous! Also this is the first game that really feels like it was made for cosplayers. The characters don't feel like characters anymore. This is an anime convention in a courtroom, now.

The plot - again closely tied to the dialogue as dialogue is the main device used to move the plot along in Ace Attorney. It fucking sucks. The cases don't make sense. It's a trend started by AJ, but DD takes it a step or a hundred further. Every case is so deeply uninteresting that even after having now freshly played the first 2 cases, I couldn't really summarise their plots for you. Where's the motivation, or the motive for that matter? Who cares? Who are these people? The only interesting case is the last one, and it's only interesting because of the last half of it. That's where the game peaks, I'll admit it's even good for a moment there. Then it's of course brought down by the whole Phantom thing (refer to section "The characters"). It's so one-dimensional, something Ace Attorney has barely ever been before. It's like Berry Big Circus: The Game. I'm miserable writing this thinking about how I still have four more cases of this to go. But most importantly: WHY give Apollo all these fucking backstories? And WHY erase everything Phoenix did in AJ? Where's the jury? Why was it buried? What happened? What? Where's Klavier Gavin?

The game mechanics - this is huge. First off, let me go back to the beginning where I said by the time DD came out, I had already made Ace Attorney my entire personality. I knew those games through and through. There's this very specific Ace Attorney logic that one either has/learns along the way or doesn't. Like when you're cross examining and you can Just Tell what to press, or what to present, even if you're not entirely sure why. The games are intuitive, so to speak. Well, not DD! DD remains the only game in the series beside PLvsAA where I have to look up stuff in a guide or save scam to save my ass. DD diverts from the AA logic so much that playing it doesn't feel like Ace Attorney. I can excuse PLvsAA, it was a PL game to begin with so I can understand why sometimes the writing would be lacking, but the 5th installment of the main series!? No way. Also, the mood matrix is easy and stupid and comparable to how Pokémon for the past 10 years has tried to one up itself with each generation when there was no need. Mega evolution was great, why would we need all that other shit. Magatama was great, we don't need Perceive or Moods or Seances. Fuck you. Sorry I'm getting really riled up now. And finally, of course, the elephant in the room. Why. Why can you not examine each location? What? What the fuck? That's where the best dialogue happens. That's where you build the characters you fucking morons. In the background. That's why we have the entire stepladder thing. You can't just take that out. The moment I realised they had done this I lost all hope for the game and haven't seen it since. But Unski, there must be something you like about Dual Destinies, right? It can't all be that bad, right? Right?

Correct. Here's an exhaustive list of all the things I liked about Dual Destinies. -The OST was only the 3rd worst in the series. This isn't entirely on the composer though, it's also that while I like the orchestral arrangements well enough, they just don't quite hit the intensity I fell Ace Attorney deserves. Yes this includes DGS. -Speaking of OST, probably the best Truth theme of the series, and also some of the best Reminiscences are here. -Aura Blackquill is a solid good character with an interesting backstory and her own agenda. She is easily my favourite character in this game, and A tier in the over all series as well. -Phenomenal, haunting artwork. If you've played the game, you probably know which one I'm talking about. -Sometimes the cutscenes weren't entirely awful. -They brought back the black Psyche-Locks. If only they could have done that on someone more meaningful.