#but evidence seems to point to burke

[disastercomingfaster]

Fuck Zodiac signs, who do you think killed JonBenet?

[iamnmbr3]

Why are the so many parallels between Dudley, James, Draco?... each an only child, self-absorbed, spoiled by their loving/over doting parents, bully others, James and Draco are also both posh pure-blood legacy children, all of them show their capacity to grow beyond that with the limited screen time the book efforts them (for James and Dudley somewhat understandable) but Draco actually has the best placement in the story for that and yet that the one Rowling doesnt want us the focus on

You raise several interesting points here.

There are tons of parallels. One of the reasons Harry almost immediately dislikes Draco is that when they first meet Draco reminds him of Dudley due to his air of spoiled entitlement when he casually asserts that he'll bully his parents into buying him what he wants. (Interestingly, Draco is actually posturing here - while his parents do spoil him to an extent, he most certainly is not able to push them around the way Dudley does with his parents; furthermore, I cannot imagine Vernon publicly reprimanding and shaming Dudley the way Lucius does with Draco in Borgin & Burkes in book 2.) The bigotry of the Malfoys also is ironically paralleled by how the Dursleys view the magical world.

James's dialogue when he first meets Snape & Lily directly and presumably intentionally echoes Draco's dialogue in Madam Malkin's. And James's bullying of Snape may possibly be born of bigoted, classist attitudes though that is speculation. Certainly the friend he views most as an equal is Sirius - who is both pureblood and also, like James, extremely wealthy. The way James treats his friends - especially Peter - more like subordinates also mirrors Draco's relationship with Crabbe and Goyle who are below him in the social hierarchy he is part of and act more as minions than as true friends and confidantes.

And of course Dudley, James, and Draco are all bullies. I actually think James and Dudley are the most similar of the 3. While Draco is a bully, his actions are much milder and less violent than those of James and Dudley. Also, Draco's attitudes and behavior are known and encouraged by his parents. In fact, Draco's biggest problem is that he lacks a penchant for cruelty and does not enjoy or wish to partake in the kind of violence that's expected of him. I would imagine that James and Dudley were both spoiled and that their parents turned a blind eye to their enjoyment of tormenting and hurting others, rather than openly encouraging it. I still find the sadism on display in "Snape's Worst Memory" to be one of the most deeply disturbing scenes in the books.

Now. We never really see any evidence that James changed although we are told he did. We do see a rather touching growth arc for Dudley. Draco also has an incredibly interesting redemption arc and by the last page of book 7 he has completely renounced his old views and behaviors. JK Rowling acknowledges this and yet, inexplicably, refuses to admit Draco got a redemption arc. Despite openly admitting that he changed. Which is...a redemption arc. She seems deeply resentful of the fact that fans like this character and responded to the complexity and growth that she herself wrote for him. It's genuinely bizarre and I don't get it. I suppose perhaps it's a mix of her hating drarry and how popular it became and also not having a good understanding of her own work. But your guess is as good as mine.

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson, catching up

Study In Scarlet part 1: 1880 I’ve been neglecting my correspondence (emails) and decided to start my Holmes reread today, with some good old fashioned deductive speculation and some context, in case anyone else is also reading along a month late. Please bear with me as I neglect to commit to either a Watsonian (these are real people who we can learn biographical data about) or a Doylist (remember this is just a book and we should just relax) point of view. If your mental image of Holmes and Watson are either Robert Downey Junior and Jude law, or Jeremy Brett and David Burke, you will probably be surprised at how young these two probably are.

Preliminary evidence: Our Friends’ ages

- Watson was wounded at the battle of Maiwand, fought July 27 1880, ill for months, plural, and the journey back to england took a month. At the very earliest he started looking for lodgings in November 1880 - He would have been at medical school for at least two, probably three years before finishing in 1878. It is unlikely, though not impossible, that he would have started his course of study significantly before reaching his twenties. For historical comparison, Dr. James Barry, also an army surgeon with a degree from a British medical school, started his course of study at the age of approximately twenty, and became an army surgeon at about 23. (Although Dr. Barry died in 1865 it’s unlikely that there would be a huge difference in how long their courses of study took.) People seem to have gone directly to medical school instead of doing other university courses first.  - While he could be older, could be slightly younger. Watson is probably around twenty five. - Holmes is still taking university courses, erratically, and although we don’t get any timeline of his studies, he’s probably not older than Stamford, who was a surgeon’s assistant when Watson worked with him at St. Bartholemew’s Hospital, and presumably still works there given how much he knows about Holmes’ use of the chemical labs. “Young” Stamford is likely a few years younger than Watson.  - Like Watson Holmes probably started his studies in his very late teens or early twenties. The age of getting a degree could and did vary during the 1800s from our current conception of who’s the right age to be in college (with people somewhat more likely to be sent off to secondary education slightly younger than seventeen or eighteen than they are now, and also plenty of instances of people starting college later than we usually expect from someone who is headed directly there after their childhood studies and before their first adult career) but the important thing here is that Holmes appears to be in charge of his own finances, and the age of majority for Victorian men was 21.  - Holmes has pretty much got to be somewhere between 20 and 25. My money is on him being 22-23 (because he does already have a reputation, as we shall see, he has completed at least a year of study during the time he was friends with Victor Trevor, and because he appears to complete, or give up, his coursework between the end of Study in Scarlet and any other case Watson witnesses) and on Watson being 24-26. - For context, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this story at age 27 in 1886. It’s not unreasonable to assume that, despite timeline weirdness (He was born in 1859, as Holmes might have been, but he will obviously always set his writing in the past), Holmes and Watson are going to age more or less with him.  - I have only vague memories of the Baring-Gould chronology for this series but I think it agrees with me in that regard. Baring-Gould thinks Holmes is about two or three years older than I think Holmes is, though. 

Conclusion: My sympathies to Mrs. Hudson, these boys are going to be the death of a decent amount of your furniture. 

[oldestenemy]

“It’s pointless not to test it with a full team.” The wizard says, “The point of recreating dungeons is to push both the teamwork and combat and problem solving aspects, otherwise a normal monstrodome and a dueling circle would suffice.”

“Okay but if it collapses, one person is easier to heal than four.”

“Ceren, I drew up this recipe myself, and Regina is a very precise crafter, and I am not going to let anyone get hurt in there, which is why I’m taking the first group through, it’s just a tomb from Krokotopia, it’s nothing any of you can’t handle—” And if it collapses they’ll have bigger issues than physical injury. The Monstrodome mechanics were somewhat based on magic and technology the Professor used, which Monstrologist Burke had explained could be—volatile. So if things went sour it could end up throwing everyone into the void between worlds—or worse, just compress them into nonexistence—

“—I’ll go in.”

“Grimwater—just because you want to show off—”

“Thank you, Duncan.” The words feel heavy on their tongue with the last time they were said.

Duncan still looks at them like he wishes his gaze could set the wizard on fire.

“And Ceren, if you’re so worried, come through with us. I don’t care who else comes as long as it’s not Nolan.” The wizard adds, eyeing the doorway to make sure he doesn’t appear. Duncan’s hostility is founded, they can deal with it. What they cannot tolerate without trouble is Nolan Stormgate’s constant best boy attitude. If they aren’t careful with how much time they spend enduring it then he’s going to end up crushed under a humongofrog.

In the end, it’s Duncan, Ceren, and Suzie who go in.

Regina doesn’t like hands on work that involves using her hands to fight.

She hasn’t changed much in that respect.

But she’ll keep an eye on the dome from the sidelines, making sure the viewing angles all work properly and that nothing goes too horribly wrong on the construction side of things.

The Temple of Storms is a breeze.

For all of them, though the wizard takes a back seat for the most part, lets their classmates do the heavy hitting. Picking up that handful of balance spells from Niles had seemed pointless back then (how many years ago was that? how long have they been here?) but it was certainly an aid now, being able to boost any school of their choosing.

They notice again that Duncan is using a new staff, it’s not as though he isn’t allowed, but something about it is just… familiar.

Suzie has gotten ruthless with her usage of Tempest, and it becomes very quickly evident that it’s a bit of a crutch, though the wizard can’t say they don’t have the same problems. Orthrus makes up the majority of their deck when they want things to be over. They barely need to snap to summon him forth anymore—the words and movements are so innate, their mind can call him up almost instantly.

Still, she drowns everything before Duncan even gets the chance to—as Ceren had put it—show off.

Maybe that’s why he demands to do the trial of wisdom alone.

They all let him, it’s simple enough.

The wizard wonders what it’s like to hear those books read without Raven’s voice.

It’s always there.

Those things that live must shine bright.

“How old were you when you did this?” Suzie asks them as the quartet make their way towards Krokopatra’s sarcophagus.

The wizard frowns slightly, “I wasn’t in Krokotopia for long… a few weeks maybe. So, eleven? Twelve at most? Not really any older than when we first met.” They don’t like the silence that follows those words, so they add: “It was easier back then, nothing felt real yet, I was just—”

Just a kid who was still elated to discover magic was real.

To be given so much power and responsibility felt like a dream instead of a curse.

~*~

The Dungeon-Dome is considered a success.

The wizard thinks it fits well here, in Dragonspyre, where magic is treated as an implement of war, as a combat art before all else. They think the ghosts who first set them the trials that barred entrance to the Academy would approve.

Currently it holds options for every world through to Zafaria. They make an excuse about needing to pester Milos for more empty knowledge crystals if their classmates want anything further beyond that. It’s not true—there is still a hearty pile of them waiting to be filled with the experiences that came after—but the wizard isn’t keen on reliving anything beyond Zafaria just yet.

Their classmates will have to be content to experience Mirror Lake.

The mirror will break.

Only a handful of people try to ask them questions. Most are content just to hear it’s over or she’s dead. They manage to dodge with surprising ease until—

“Hey.”

It’s Duncan again. Their body siezes up again, it keeps doing that every time someone gets close.

“I’m not here to start a fight—don’t look so much like a startled cat—” He’s got his hands raised in surrendur before he even finishes speaking. “—just wanted you to know that I forgive you for last time.”

The wizard raises an eyebrow, it’s not that they don’t want to believe him. “I really didn’t have any choice. Any wasted time was too much.” Anything else Duncan might have said is broken off though, by the soft hum of a contact sphere appearing in front of the wizard’s face.

Dear Wizard! It is I, your pal Dworgyn!

The wizard just blinks, a little caught off guard. Usually it’s only Ambrose or Cyrus calling on them, the other professors tend to keep to their own—

Come visit me in Nightside as soon as you have the courage!

Duncan is trying to incinerate them with his eyes again. Is it jealousy? Does he know they would give up this mess in an instant if it meant being like him? Belonging here? Being a normal student who wasn’t expected to hold up the whole spiral alone—

There is a momentary flash of rage accompanying these thoughts, and before they can stop the words, the offer tumbles out. “Why don’t you come with me—he’s your professor after all.” They can taste starlight on their tongue, it’s become so much harder to hold everything in after—

Breathe.

“Yeah fine—quit doing the creepy thing with your eyes—I’ll go.”

~*~

“I see you came with backup! Delightful!” Dworgyn is always… interesting. He’s very chipper for someone who has been stuck primarily alone in a half-collapsed building for several years. He explains to the five of them—Malorn and Penny had seen the wizard leaving with Duncan and immediately glued themselves to their friend’s side. Marla had been telling a new group of younger necromancers about Grubb outside the school, and had followed the group in at the mention of a ‘special message’—that he had received a message from Mortis, and that it was to be delivered to the wizard.

Mortis speaks of a ‘Shadow’ landing in Darkmoor.

The Exalted Lord of Death—

“Malistaire the Undying.”

The world around them fades out.

The eyes of Mortis suddenly alight in sickly green, and the spectral face of Malistaire, as he had been on Xiabalba, appears in the glow. The wizard takes a step back. Another. The voice of Malistaire’s spectre, or corpse, or projection—whatever it is—follows them the whole way. They cannot back down from it. It doesn’t get quieter even as they hit the cobblestone path.

Their head is swimming.

They don’t know what Kan Davasi is, or why Malistaire’s spirit hadn’t returned to the afterlife when they had finished off Morganthe—

“He’s alive?” All four of their necromantic companions are staring.

“No.” The wizard shakes their head, wrapping their arms around themself just for something to grab, nails digging through the fabric of their robes. “No, he’s not, it’s a spectre it’s a minion, it’s a projection Morganthe dragged to life in Azteca to distract me—”

“—it sure looks like him!” Duncan shouts, “You’ve known for months that he’s been alive? And you told none of us?!”

“I—” it’s a lie they keep telling themselves. That this isn’t Malistaire. That he’s still at rest. They know better but they don’t want to. “—he’s not, it’s not—” The other three are looking at them in confusion, Malorn even looks a little hurt. Duncan is matching them for every step backwards they take.

They can’t be here right now.

They can’t do this.

They run.

Read the rest here <3

[helenstella]

On Tom Burke (by Vaughan Sivell)

I had been a fan of Tom Burke for a while. Having first seen him in the BBC’s Dracula I was immediately struck by the fact that he is gifted with that certain something you can’t look away from.

He came late to Third Star. That is to say that for nearly three years, whenever we had auditions we had asked his agents to get him in, only to find he was always busy. It is of course a quirk of fate, as in so many areas of making a film, that lead to his finally being available to come and meet us when we were finally well and truly ready to shoot.

His reading of Davy was perfect. What more can be said?

In his first reading I was able to see at last, right there in front of me, exactly why Davy is my favourite character in the script. Davy is no more confused about life than the other four, but his honesty (about everything that makes his life difficult) makes his fear and uncertainty seem to be far greater. In fact – his honesty make his life the most simple. This is subtle stuff to play at times and where the script let’s Davy down Tom’s portrayal more than makes up for it.

Tom is a handsome chap of course, but even in the rushes Davy’s calm face gained a kind of enigmatic beauty. For all his over cautiousness and moaning – that beauty comes from inside the character of Davy – and it’s why we would all want him as one of our best friends. But the brilliance in being able to create that is all Tom.

That talent would be enough for any actor – but I think what I cherish most from working with Tom on Third Star is that he is one of the funniest bastards I have ever known. I actually think his mind follows paths that only the great comic creators take. He is a skilled writer and I’m sure he’ll be an equally talented director.

It was actually only after filming Third Star that Tom and I became close friends. Some time later Tom did ‘Design For Living’ at the Old Vic. I went to see it three times and EVERY time, I found that I was still totally enthralled at his performance, in a way that one can usually only experience with someone who maintains a certain mystery, because their real personae is unknown to you. And that mystery is the alluring thing that he naturally possesses – and why he is so fascinating to watch as any character and equally exciting to know in real life.

This week, I am going to see his parents in a play together. His father, well known for his elaborate practical jokes backstage, is David Burke and his mother is Anna Calder Marshall. I’m sure I’m going to see evidence of where ‘the talented actor Tom Burke’ comes from. But I also know that at some point in the evening, when the lights come up, Tom will say something to me that I could never have expected in a million years. And apart from his love of the work and the text, in writing this, I wonder if it simply his devilish taste for seeing the absurdities of every human around him that drives his talent.

I cannot, for one second, imagine being bored by Tom Burke. And that is about the nicest thing I can say about anyone.

[digitalrevolutions]

Being, Thinking, and Knowing in a Hypertext Age

The speculative rhetorical model posits that we can only know the world in ways bounded and contextualized by our own experience of being. For this reason, a speculative rhetoric approach tries to pay careful attention to the perspectives, roles, and experiences of nonhumans, since communication inevitably takes place among a vast array of nonhuman actants. Speculative rhetorician Andrew Reid asserts that “A speculative rhetoric begins with recognizing that language is nonhuman.” At first, I couldn’t begin to imagine what this must mean. Sure, animals communicate, but surely language—expressive, symbolic communication with defined rules—must be an exclusively human phenomenon.

I read Reid’s short list of scholars cited (Alexander Galloway, Richard Grusin, Bruno Latour, Alan Lui, and Quentin Meillasoux) aloud to GPT-4 and asked it to tell me what they were known for, in hopes that knowing the background Reid was drawing from would help me contextualize such a bizarre statement.

It confirmed that Bruno Latour is best known for actor-network theory, as I had thought. Meillasoux it introduced as a speculative realist philosopher. Lui it defined as a scholar of “language as a digital-cultural phenomenon, influenced by both human creativity and digital technology.” Grusin, it said, was known for proposing that new technologies “remediate” and refashion older ones. Galloway, it said, “explores how digital protocols, the rules and standards governing digital networks, shape interactions and communications.” A quick look at Google Scholar and the scholars’ university webpages confirmed that its characterizations were fairly accurate.

Altogether, I could only conclude that these scholars affirm language as a constructed, constantly evolving phenomenon, although I still couldn’t see how the ability to influence human actions would equate to an equal ownership of language. It may be old-fashioned, but at present I’m still prepared to embrace Kenneth Burke’s definition of man as “the symbol-using animal.” As far as I know, there’s no evidence that animals can grasp the abstract symbolism inherent in language as well as we can.

However, I do think Gunther Kress’s “Multimodality” afforded me with another avenue for making sense of Reid’s perspective, at least. Kress asserts that “all texts are multimodal”, where ‘text’ seems to be doing a great deal of heavy lifting to encompass practically anything into which meaning can be encoded and decoded. For him, the multimodality of verbal speech arises from its inclusion of “pitch variation; pace; stress; phonological units (produced by a complex of organs); lexis; sequencing (as syntax); etc.” In other words, any element which can have a role in imparting meaning is part of the mode (or means) of linguistic communication. Since some animals can intentionally adapt these facets of communication to a rhetorical context (i.e. cats having a less babyish meow around one another than humans), I can see the argument that many animals possess a kind of language in that way.

But since Kress’s many example pictures and diagrams stress the representational quality of human languages (in which he apparently includes visuals, which he says can develop a kind of grammar) even when it’s completely divorced from written or spoken words, I’m still inclined to say that animals have communicative skills but not language. I’m curious whether anyone knows of any animals capable of abstraction.

Similarly, I wonder at what point we could consider the product of generative AI to be language (or perhaps I should say a form of communication, period). There’s no conscious intent behind it, it’s an actant and not an actor, but it arguably works entirely in abstractions (it doesn’t have meaningful, individual experience of what anything is!) and it certainly considers its modal elements, as many generative AI models will show by displaying alternate response options.

[actualbird]

Congratulations on the second volume of The Behavioural Studies of NXX!!!!! I adored having all your analyses in a compilation to read through, and I've been having a blast rereading them and remembering what my state of mind when they were released was. Your analyses of these characters have influenced and shaped my understanding of them and in turn gotten me to interpret them more critically in a way no other fandom, let alone single writer, has and I think that's an incredible accomplishment.

So far, I've only reached the Rosa playlist analysis, but that actually got me thinking a bit about her, particularly the bit about her wanting to be the main character and the bit you quoted from 5-3. Admittedly the reason why I thought about her desure to be the protagonist stems from slightly comedic reasons because uhhh //glances at the water tank she and Artem got trapped in, Luke personal story 3, Sauna,,,,,

Yeah I wonder if she'd wish quite as hard to be the main character had she known these things were in her future. Something else that was wild to me about this is that the case that set the wheels in motion for all this to happen, for mc becoming the main character, was a case about water poisoning. It's not as simple as that of course and showed ToT's brand of evil that's always grey and not black or white even all the way back then, but ultinately the case was still about water poisoning, which is So Mundane compared to all the dangerous drugs and murder and black market auctions that are going around now. I don't think mc regrets her actions. She's shown that more than enough in the main story, you've even quoted her own thoughts that indicate she's firm in her resolve. But when I think back to main story 1 mc, I don't quite think she feels the same way.

One thing that stuck out to me while going through main story 1 again is the choice you need to make in the trial section, to present the incriminating footage or not, where she can hesitates to present the necessary evidence for justice to be served, and can continue to hesitate if the player chooses not to present it, where she needs to be encouraged by Vernon Green himself to present it and ensure justice is served.

Yes, this was a choice and ultinately she was thinking more about how it would impact Vernon Green than the perpetrator, but it still shows a bit of uncertainty regarding delivering justice in these difficult situations. I think the fact that this is even a Choice matters a lot, actually, because in cases with arguably more at stake like Main Story 3 where an entire child whose development has been stunted due to taking illegal medicine's mother is about to be convicted for murdering the person responsible for said child's condition, it's not even a choice to waver in pursuing justice.

I wonder if Main Story 1 mc would've been able to do the same thing, and think about Main Story 6 where what Irene Burke went through was so horrible people from all corners of the fandom were debating, sometimes even fighting, over whether she should've been allowed to get away with her murders. I really, really doubt main story 1 mc would've been able to remain firm in her convictions.

I think reading through your analysis and in turn Main Story 1 made me realise that mc's developed a lot too, even if it doesn't really seem like it at first. I used to think that mc, while she definitely has developed a little, didn't really grow as much as the NXX boys due to her status as an intended self insert, but I see her in Main Story 1 and her in the current story multiple years later and I'm a little floored at how her conviction has grown. She still lets herself feel and empathise with the culprits and the people close to them, but she's never wavered in the same way she did in Main Story 1,

Xgjxiyfiyf Sorry for overtaking this praise ask about the journal with my own thoughts!!!! To bring this back around to its intended point I guess it shows how much your analyses have impacted the way I view these characters that I can even write this out. It's enriched my experience with ToT in a way I never thought possible. I think the Rosa playlist analysis isn't one that I actually read before because back then I wasn't super into mc as a character or character playlists, but getting to read it now really shows how much I was missing out on. Another thing I have to thank you and the journal for, I suppose.

🌌

WAHHHH oh my gosh, hi milkyway anon!! long time no see, and hhhHH thank you SO MUCH for reading “The Journal of NXX Investigation Team Behavioral Studies: Vol 2” and for your kind words about it ;w;

on your thoughts about mc gOSH i dont think i have anything to add because i so much agree!!! main story 1 mc and main story 10 mc are very different people because of how much she had developed. i love your use of the word "conviction" because thats exactly it. mc started with a simple case, she started with doubts and hesitation, but as the cases got messier and worse like....hesitation was not an option, not if she wanted to continue bringing the justice she so stalwartly believes in. as the cases got worse, she stepped up to the challenge, for the lack of better wording. i think main story 1!mc would be so proud and amazed at how independent and capable main story!10 mc is

i also think she'd be scared

because YEAH, HOO BOY, A LOT HAS HAPPENED TO MC BECAUSE SHE IS THE MC.

i agree that earlier!mc wouldnt have been as firm but thats another reason narratively i guess why the cases were upped and upped in stakes. both for the mounting tension of the overarching story, but to get mc to grow. and grow she did, as the circumstances of the cases got heavier and heavier.

it's kinda like that metaphor about slowly boiling a crab, yknow. we went from mc in main story 1 who hesitated in presenting key evidence, to mc in main story 10 who [main story 10 spoilers] in The Sauna, upon thinking she was Gonna Die, immediately started thinking of how to Leave Evidence On Her Body for other to find by using a Branding Iron On Herself

main story 1!mc: WHO ARE YOU?!?!???

main story 10!mc, trembling a bit from the Trauma: im you but suuuuuper metal 🤘

HVSJFHSVKDJFHDS JOKES ASIDE, it's a Whole Ride remembering how far mc has come because she has! even if this game is more focused on the boys' development, it is unmistakeable that shes grown along with them, and for that, im so proud of her. i dont think she'd ever regret where her life took her, she just doesnt seem like the type, and for all her doubts in the beginning and even the new doubts she gets later on, mc still holds strong to her conviction and dedication.

in conclusion: gosh dang i love miss mc rosa qiangwei <3

thank you again for reading!!! and for this lovely ask :DDD

[nigthbreed]

The Murder of Joyce Nelson

If you have seen the Netflix documentary, it is difficult to think about Joyce Nelson without recalling her family’s devastation when they discuss her personality, the way she dressed and her fears. The family display a justified hatred and disgust towards her killer. They believe wholeheartedly that Richard was convicted with conclusive evidence.

When examining the details of Nelson case, it is plain to see that no real evidence tied Richard to the crime. One might feel a sinking feeling: if Richard Ramirez was not the killer, these poor people never had justice and the killer might still be free and probably went on to kill others. For anyone in this situation, that would be difficult to process. How does one deal with that? Can it really be true that the wrong man was caught and sentenced to death? That you were misled by both the police and the courts? It feels cruel to the family to write this, but there was no concrete evidence that Richard was the Night Stalker.

What Happened?

On 7th July, 1985, Joyce Nelson’s neighbour, Robert Blanco, noticed Joyce’s back gate was open at 6am. Blanco entered her yard and heard her TV on and called out. There was no response. He checked on her again at 9am, with the same result. At this point, Blanco noticed the window screen from the front window lying in her flowerbed. The window itself was open. Her front door was also open. The back door screen had also been cut. Blanco alerted another neighbour who called the police.

Joyce had been beaten over the head, (which was not the immediate cause of death) and then manually strangled. She had fought her attacker and sustained a broken nail and severe bruising and cuts to the face.

Physical Evidence at the Scene

Partial shoe prints in the planter under the window and on the porch.

A shoe print on Joyce Nelson’s face and robe.

Palm prints on the bedroom door and windowsill.

Glove marks on a file box in the other bedroom.

Hairs were found.

Enter: Avias

By this time, a big deal is being made by the police about the ubiquitous Avia prints. After they were found at the previous attack two days earlier, (Whitney Bennett), Sergeant Frank Salerno had finally come on board Carrillo’s serial killer train, so of course they had to appear here too in such a conspicuous place – the victim’s face. Salerno even brought a pair along with him to compare the prints. If the circumstances were not so horrific, it would be comical.

As always, the unqualified Gerald Burke plodded along to confirm the prints were indeed the Murder Avias – although we know Burke is not a reliable witness – he later perjured himself regarding the Cannon Incident five days earlier (the prints at Cannon had been inconclusive and shoe forensics expert Lisa DiMeo discovered the jury had seen faked shoe evidence). So, forgive us for implying the shoe is fabricated and preposterous at this point.

For Richard’s appeals, four partial shoe prints were examined by Lisa DiMeo. From Document 7-19.

None of this was presented at the actual trial, because the defence did not bother.

Oops – Richard dropped someone else’s hairs again

The prosecution repeatedly used those shoes to link seemingly unconnected crimes. A competent defence should have demonstrated that not only were these crimes unconnected but at Bell & Lang, Cannon, Bennett and later, the Kneiding and Abowath attacks, ‘Richard’ shed some hairs that were not his. All the hairs at Joyce Nelson’s murder scene were medium brown.

Glove Prints and Palm Prints.

First of all, glove prints cannot be used as evidence. They do not leave identifiable prints. So that must be thrown out. But the palm prints could not have been Richard’s otherwise the prosecution would have mentioned it and it would have seemed damning from a juror’s perspective, despite how unreliable fingerprint science was in the 80s.

So, it was not Richard’s hair and it was not his palm print… can the verdict really rest on partial shoeprint evidence? Wait, there’s a witness!

It was Launie Dempster, the all-seeing (literally – she had x-ray vision) newspaper deliverer again.

Dempster’s route and witness statements are presented in more detail in the Doi Incident post, but here is a recap of the locations where she claimed to have seen ‘Richard’:

14th May – man in a car opposite the Doi residence where William was killed.

(Approximately) 28th May, the same man, in the car again, on San Patricio Drive. Richard was given an alibi by his father and a family friend in El Paso for this date. (Their claim that he was there beyond the 29th was disproved by dental records)

(Approximately) 5th July, a man is seen standing by a car, close to Joyce Nelson’s home.

If Dempster saw ‘Richard’ in East Arlight Street on 5th July, not only is this date irrelevant to Joyce Nelson’s murder, which occurred on 7th July, but by placing him in Monterey Park at 3am, she unwittingly gave Richard an alibi for the Bennett attack, in Sierra Madre, 11 miles away. If Richard really was the man in Monterey Park, then he cannot have been one of Whitney Bennett’s attackers.

Dempster’s description is odd. She claims ‘Richard’ was wearing a short-sleeved shirt but also a jacket. Unless she witnessed him in the act of putting the jacket on, she would not be able to see the length of his sleeves. And there is nothing significant about her seeing a man by his car. People get in and out of their cars at all times of the day or night.

Not only that, each time Launie Dempster had seen him, it was around 3am – 4am, in the dark and he was wearing dark clothes and sitting in a dark car. How can one accurately identify someone in these conditions?

Even less likely when one considers that she had not bothered to inform the police she had seen a man near Nelson’s home until she had seen Richard Ramirez on the news. This strange delay in informing the police was also the case with Sophie Dickman, Somkid Khovananth, Virginia Petersen and the strange woman who thought an innocent man with a cat was Richard.

The bumbling, blundering defence counsel failed to adequately cross-examine Launie Dempster and her motivations for reporting her sighting so late, and never questioned her on what characteristics the suspect had that led her to believe he was Richard Ramirez.

Now that Launie Dempster has been ruled out as a reliable witness, we are still in the position of having Avia shoe prints as the primary evidence, and there is no proof Richard Ramirez ever owned a pair. Things should have looked bad for the prosecution but unfortunately, when the defendant had a bunch of clowns and the abhorrent Ray Clark as his defence counsel, he ended up with this conviction.

Felipe Solano Yet Again

Items stolen from Joyce Nelson’s home ended up in the possession of the notorious LA ‘fence’, Felipe Solano, but he and all the other burglar associates were never brought to trial, some were given immunity and the chain of ownership of the stolen items was never established. Moreover, none of the stolen property was recovered directly from Richard and his fingerprints were not found on any of them. Felipe Solano’s name keeps coming up. He will be examined in an upcoming post.

Connections to Other Attacks

The prosecution attempted to connect Nelson with Cannon and Bennett because all three women were hit over the head and manually strangled. While the crimes look similar, this theory could easily have been pulled apart, had the defence presented the necessary evidence. Someone else’s blood was found at both Cannon and Bennett, and someone else’s hair was found at all three locations, but were the hairs at each crime compared with each other? The Cannon and Bennett attacks were geographically close, but Nelson was much further away. All that appears to connect them is the shoes, but we now know the prints at Cannon were bogus. That is to say, faked evidence from the Cannon crime created a ‘spillover effect’, which caused Richard to be convicted of Nelson.

They also attempted to connect Joyce Nelson’s murder to the Dickman Incident because they occurred on the same night. Sophie Dickman lived just a mile away and was the victim of a rape and burglary. Detective Carrillo claims that Richard had not achieved his sexual gratification from Joyce’s murder so went to deal with his ‘unfinished business’ at Sophie Dickman’s. This is pure conjecture and also ridiculous – Sophie Dickman was threatened with a gun. If Joyce Nelson’s killer had a gun, why did he not use it? To say Richard was a circumstantial killer and did not have a modus operandi is lazy and too convenient. If Joyce was murdered first, then why did Sophie Dickman not report that her killer was covered in blood and bruises, from where Joyce had fought back? Because these two crimes were committed almost simultaneously a mile apart by two different men because crime in Los Angeles County was and still is out of control.

So, what is the evidence Richard Ramirez committed this brutal murder? Shoeprints. That is it. Shoes that were never proven to be his.

Do not be angry at bloggers; save your fury for Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno for pinning all these crimes on a mentally disturbed and brain-injured young man. Be angry at Richard’s appalling lawyers for not defending him and covering up his mental illness for financial reasons.

Joyce Nelson and her family have not had the justice they deserve.

-VenningB-

Read full article here

[millingroundireland]

Sure look it: Joseph and Anne hitched up in Tipperary!

There's a lot about the Millses in Ireland we still don't know. I've talked on this blog before about John Mills's journey in 1835 from Ballysheehan in County Tipperary in Southern Ireland to upstate New York, settling in Warren County, the fact that the Bibby family, which John's wife Margaret was part of, also came from the same county, the scattered mentions of Millses in census fragments from Ireland from the 1820s all the way to the 1870s, and that fact that the Millses came from the "heartland of Ireland" which was then part of the United Kingdom, most of which, apart from the northern section, become it's own independent country. Apart from that, I've found records, as I've recounted on here, of Millses in Dublin and the same county, the possible similarities in terrain between Southern Ireland and upstate New York, records of various John Millses in the 1820s in the same county, and records the National Archives of Ireland has on Millses. Furthermore, I've talked about Ireland's various famines (like the potato famine), so-called "goat gangs" or that Bob Mills at one point spent time in Ireland itself, if I have that right. Whether John and Margaret, who raised the Mills family of 10 children (by my count) [1] in Glen Falls, Chester, and other towns on Warren County, [2] grew up poor we will never know, but we can say they seem to have grown up in a rural area, connecting to what I've mentioned in passing before, with the same said on whether John Mills was a canal boat captain, or all the specifics of John's early years in Warren County, even as his death date of 1876 is pretty clear.

With that being said, and since this blog is focused on "the Irish history of my familial roots" as I noted back in March 2018, with a cast of important characters, informed by the existing history of the U.S. and Ireland, I was excited to see this email from FamilySearch:

It left open the possibility of getting one of the questions I asked back in April 2018 fulfilled, at least in part: who were John Mills's parents?

The records themselves were marriage bonds of Joseph Mills and Anne Ryall! They would have, if my implications are right, possibly six children: Rachael, Thomas, Edward, Isaac, and Dorothea "Dorothy," and John. [3] Unfortunately, I have no direct evidence that Joseph and Ann are the parents, so I am only going with the supposition right now. Anyway, here are screenshots from the pages [4] which show Joseph Mills and Anne Ryall married in Emly, County Tipperary, Ireland in 1796:

This post was originally published on WordPress in November 2020.

Looking earlier in the set, we can see this is just an index to marriage license bonds, which means that there are likely more records somewhere on the topic. [5] Now, we know the marriage happened in Cashel and Emly. So, the latter is a parish, seat of a diocese, within the barony of Clanwilliam, county of Tipperary, and the province of Munster, which is 15 miles west from Cashel, within Limerick County, according to the 1837 A Topographic Dictionary of Ireland. Cashel, on the other hand, is a city, market, and borough, within the Middlethird Barony, county of Tipperary, and the province of Munster according to the same Topographic Dictionary. However, this doesn't answer the question: what is the diocese of Cashel and Emly? It is a Roman Catholic diocese that got the name of Cashel and Emly in May 1718. At the time that Joseph and Anne married, Thomas Bray was the ordained bishop. As it turns out, the records held by the church are not public records, so that makes looking at them a bit more tricky, as the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emily have to approve access.

So that adds another piece of the puzzle when it comes to the Millses!

© 2020-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Charles Thomas Mills (1843-1917), Hattie Belle Mills (1843-1912), Joseph B. Mills (1844-1900), Joseph Thomas Mills (b. 1846), Edward E. Mills (1848-1918), Dorothy "Dora" Ann Mills (1849-1895), Margaret "Maggie" E. Mills (1854-1920), Mary Jane Mills (b. 1854), John C. Mills (b. 1855), William Benjamin Mills (1861-1888), and Robert "Rob" Byron Mills I (1862-1950).

[2] For information on some of those children, please see the posts on Bert Mills, Uncle Rob, Hattie, Dora, and others, some of which are summarized in my post "After John and Margaret: Charting their lives"

[3] "Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866", database, FamilySearch, Rachel Mills, 1833, Digital folder number 007246528, image number 178 shows Rachel marrying Robert Bibby in 1833, while other records listed on her FamilySearch page seem to say that her parents were born in Ireland; Thomas lists his parents in the 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865, 1870, and 1880 censuses as born in Ireland; Edward, who currently only has sources about his marriage to Isabella Orpin; Issac who, like Thomas, lists his parents as born in Ireland; Dorothea "Dorothy" who has the same in various censuses; and John obviously, multiple records of this which I've talked about before.

[4] "Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866", database, FamilySearch, National Archives of Ireland, images 178 and 218 of 275, digital folder number 007246528, accessed November 14, 2020. The first one is page 178, the second is page 218.

[5] "Ireland, Diocesan and Prerogative Marriage License Bonds Indexes, 1623-1866", database, FamilySearch, National Archives of Ireland, image 6 of 275, digital folder number 007246528, accessed November 14, 2020.

[archivyrep]

Is Jocasta Nu in "Star Wars" an archivist or...a librarian? [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

Long Room at Trinity College via the Trinity College website

Any question she is a librarian quickly fades away as she is described elsewhere as records custodian, even though she works within an library, reportedly based on the Long Room of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, the main chamber of the Old Library, filled with "200,000 of the Library’s oldest books." Although some characters in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars called her a librarian, she described herself at one point as an archivist.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Nov. 25 2021.

On the other hand, since the Jedi Archives is supervised by an assembly of librarians, as I noted earlier, it is no surprise she is given the official title of "Chief Librarian," as these librarians may not know the difference between an archivist and a librarian, as they are removed from what she does day-to-day, leading to further confusion. More evidence that she is an archivist is hinted in the fact that the holobooks in this library, described by some as "glowing books" are not like regular books you would find at a public library.

The holobooks are literally a form of user-friendly data storage technology which requires very little energy, displayed alongside data tapes (equivalent to analog media) and ancient crystalline information storage devices which can fit in a hand, known as holocrons. [3] The latter contain well-guarded secrets of the Jedi.

On the left, a trading card of Nu from the Star Wars Trading Game. On the right, Nu calls herself an archivist in the comic Star Wars: Darth Vader no. 9.

Rare books are parts of a library which do not fit the "usual distinctions between libraries and archives" as these books are kept in strong rooms, have limited access, even if the rare books are not necessarily archival. As such, you could say that rare books, like special collections and local studies are archives-lite in more ways than one. While holobooks seem like a combination of e-books, actual books, and perhaps something like DVDs all in one, the data tapes seem more like analog media that archives would keep, holocrons seem to more like rare books.

This means they would require specific maintenance, care, and preservation, even more than the holobooks which I had previously argued could be rare books. Its good to revisit this subject again, although I am doubting that I will broach this subject in a future post at any point, even while acknowledging that anything is possible.

This seems to lean in favor of the Jedi Archives being an archives rather than a library. In sum, it is clearly evident that the Jedi Archives is a special library as it is providing specialized information resources for a specific group, specifically the Jedi in this case, and it delivers specific services to the Jedi. In this way, you could say that special libraries are archives-lite, and that Nu is working in a repository, as it is storing records of continuing value.I think that is the best way to describe the Jedi Archives.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[lightofraye]

All right.

I've largely kept quiet on this, aside from, I think, reblogging at seeing JDM speak up for Jared. Oh and I believe mentioning how stupid that TikTok was.

Celebrities are not exempt from being gossiped about. Even in other countries where there may be stricter laws to protect celebrities from invasive paparazzi (there's a reason why Shania Twain raised her son in Switzerland!), celebrities are gossiped about. It's part and parcel of the fame.

It sucks. It happens.

Even royal families, politicians, and other famous folk will be gossiped about. (And the tragedy of Princess Diana...)

What many a blogger and I do is just talk. Speculate. Maybe make fun of some sections of the fandom, point out the toxicity of the fandom, and overall talk about our favorites. Or whatever. We'll also try to debunk a ton of nonsense (hi Misha, you born liar).

Not one celebrity is above criticism. Not one.

Not the princes, sons of Princess Diana. Not Jensen. Not Jared. Not Misha. Not... hell, Dwayne The Rock Johnson. Not Glen Powell. Nobody is above gossip!

Hell, I'm pretty sure my neighbors probably gossip about my family. I certainly talk about others when it comes up. Gossip about friends. Life. It's how we connect and find like-minded people.

But keep in mind... there's a difference between speculating with decent evidence to make said speculation seem probable (like what I do) and then there's outright fucking lies, as those girls did with the TikTok video against Jared. (And Misha about his bullshit regarding the plane.)

It turned out those girls completely lied about the whole story. It went viral enough that Hellers went nuts and tried to use it as proof of what a "bad person Jared is". It caught the attention of no less than three well-known names in Hollywood--Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Billy Burke, and Jim Michaels.

No one went chasing after these well-known names to get them to comment. They saw it all over Twitter and were annoyed enough to speak up! Jared didn't ask them to speak. He didn't have to.

They spoke up for Jared because he's well-known and well-liked in the industry. There has been endless praise for his achievement of work-life balance in Hollywood. Most sets would be working 16+ hour days. Jared succeeded in bringing that down to, what, 11, 12 hours? It meant people had a fucking life. Of course he impressed Hollywood enough to get a holding deal with a major broadcaster (CBS). And folks, it's way better with CBS than it would be with any of the streaming services right now. CBS is booming and leading in scripted shows.

Has Jared made missteps in the past? Yes. His fans actually acknowledge, actually have said they wished he hadn't done XYZ. (Doxxing in particular, they agreed, it was bad.) Yes, Jared was drunk and got into some kind of fight. He made his amends, kept to the agreement that the courts imposed upon him. And apparently attended the wedding of the person he got into a fight with! It's been years since he's done anything bad!

Meanwhile... Misha... christ. Orgasm sounds at CCS. Using the r word and his defenders trying to say "He's from a different time where that was acceptable (no it fucking wasn't no it never was)". Or the f word--he isn't queer, he cannot touch that goddamned word, back the fuck off Misha Collins. And the lies about the plane incident. (Again, repeatedly debunked by no less than three different bloggers with links to the original stories!)

Even Jensen has said some things in the past that have made me facepalm. Antis are right to call him out on it.

The difference though? I haven't seen any anti-Jensens deliberately tag him in, tell him to go kill himself, that they hope he commits suicide, or other vile things. Meanwhile I see Hellers and anti-Jareds do that to the extreme. When they were making comments in hoping that the cancellation of Walker would lead to Jared committing suicide.

It's not the same. Period.

We write gossip and speculation. We don't go to other blogs or twitters or other social medias and harass them, throw death threats at their faves. We don't incite violence. (I'm looking at you, Misha.)

None of us condone Jared's past bad behavior. The difference is, he's grown. He's owned up to it. He hasn't done anything in several years. His reaction to Prequelgate was absolutely understandable, as one story cites from Jensen that he saw Jared tried to call and text him before he gave up and tweeted. Jensen knew he fucked up. So spare me the defense of that.

Basically this is a very long essay to tl;dr: Jared learned and is doing better as a person. He didn't deserve that TikTok video trying to paint him as a bad person.

Period.

Not to defend Jensen or the rest of the SPN cast, but if they’re going to be called out why isn’t Gen also expected to come to Jared’s defense from all the constant slandering and hate online? Is she afraid of being harassed and bullied by Hellers too?

Honestly, why would she do that? The moment she would post that message, she would be slaughtered because it's her husband! She would be considered biased. If it was my husband, id tread carefully before acting and exposing my family any further. Also, Im glad Jared got defended (mostly because it was an evil lie to cast on the internet) but how stupid it is that celebrities need to go on Twitter and say he is a good tipper? I dont blame the ones that didnt vouch for him, I get it, the situation by itself is ridiculous and it shouldnt even have started in the first place. This is the scum of the fandom, right there, trying to harm a man's image for the sake of what, anyway?

[hekate1308]

Fictober 2022, #7

Prompt: “Check that again, are you sure?”

Fandom: White Collar

Rating: G

Pairings: Gen

Neal had known even when he applied for the job (pending the decision whether or not he would be a free man, and thankfully, things had worked out in his favour) that there were those within the Bureau who would never fully trust him just because of his past. There was nothing he could do but to accept the fact, and for the most part, he was doing fairly well, mostly because the other agents knew better than to go after anyone who was on good terms with Peter Burke.

Still, there were certain things he had come to expect, so he wasn’t surprised that one day, he was called and ordered to report to the OPR. He was explicitly told not to tell anyone, so he didn’t even let peter know where he was going; more so Peter wouldn’t get into trouble than for any other reason, though.

As it turned out, it was an unnecessary precaution.

The first thing he noticed was that he was most definitely not being treated as a criminal, or even a suspect. As a matter of fact, he was offered a chair in front of the desk of the agent who’d called him, rather than being led to an interrogation room, and even asked if he wanted anything to drink.

It was all explained when they asked if he knew whether or not Peter had had contact with a certain informant lately, since he seemed to have been the last one to see and/or speak to said informant.

Neal was used to thinking on his feet, but this was too much. "Check that again, are you sure?" he blurted out before he could help himself. The thought of Peter Burke – Peter Burke – doing anything that wasn’t above board – and doing it to an informant, when he had always done the outmost to keep even his CIs safe (and shouldn’t Neal know all about that? No scratch that, he did know all about that) – it was utterly ridiculous. But for some reasons, they suspected him of something, and thought that Neal would be a good witness.

Not that they really had anything to go on, but still.

He left the OPR knowing that he had to speak to Peter, despite another warning not to do so; but really, what else was he supposed to do?

Thankfully, Peter was in his office. “Neal – where have you been? Diana said that –“

“The OPR wanted to see me” he interrupted him.

Peter frowned. “Why? Certainly you haven’t –“

“Wasn’t about me”. And he quickly told him.

He didn’t know what he had expected, but it certainly hadn’t been Peter simply shaking his head and saying, “Damn, should’ve been more careful this time, but they were in a rush to be gone.”

Wait, what? “What are you –“

“The witness chose to leave, and I certainly didn’t have any power to stop them.”

Neal certainly had the feeling there was more to this story. “So there’s nothing going on?”

“Well” Peter answered, “Depends on what you mean –“

“Peter?”

“Look, Neal, they’re safe and have left the country, and that’s all you need to know, really. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Wait, are you saying that you just help informants skip the country when they want out?” He certainly hadn’t left Neal off the hook, that was certain.

He still half-expected a denial, but he didn’t do so; Instead, he looked at him, nodded as if he had made a decision and replied, “Not always, of course. But there are informants who’ve ended up in a bad situation through no fault of their own, or at least not because they did anything illegal, and if we have all the information and evidence we need, so they no longer have to bear witness to anything, why shouldn’t they get out?”

“So you are saying that you just help them disappear?” It did make sense that Peter would help those he considered worthy of it, but still…

“Let’s just say I point them in the right direction. What they do after that is up to them.”

He shrugged and got up. Neal couldn’t help but stare at him. How often had he had a lecture about doing things by the book instead of just moving ahead with the first plan that came to mind? He couldn’t help it – he had to ask.

“And how often have you… bent the rules in the past?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Peter –“

“Well, I couldn’t very well let you know while you were still serving your sentence, could I. That would just have given you ideas. Anyway, coffee?”

And Peter went to the coffee machine while whistling to himself, leaving Neal to stare after him.

[olwrathie]

Favorite Details in Far Cry 5 Part 2: Introduction

It seems as though quite a few if you liked my post where I discussed my favorite details in fc5. Well I recently restarted the game and thought I would share some more of my favorite details, specifically focusing on the introduction of the game!

Warnings: Minor spoilers for the introduction of fc5, mentions of violence.

1.) Joseph’s Control

   I could write an entire post dedicated to Joseph’s character and Greg Bryk’s portrayal of him. But one of my favorite details is in the opening scene where we see the ‘traitor’ kneeling before Joseph. We’ve all seen violent bad guys, but it is rare to see the calm power Joseph wields. When he (what I’m assuming is) digging his fingers into the man's eyes, this calmness continues to radiate from Joseph, even as he commits this violent act. And it is something that seems to carry through the entire game. 

2.) Whitehorse vs. Burke

    The tension between these two is evident from the beginning. Whitehorse’s annoyance with Burke is understandable, and Burke almost seems oblivious. Hope County is nothing but another assignment to him, but Whitehorse has lived with Eden’s Gate, he’s seen people he cares about be taken, and perhaps even killed. And despite the fact that these two are technically on the same side, as they are both on the side of the law, these two couldn’t be further apart in the sense of their motivations. And Burke’s naivety to the situation the residents of Hope County are experiencing is obviously frustrating to Whitehorse. They even continue to bicker as they approach the church, while they are in the church, while they are leaving, and in the helicopter. Honestly, I am just a sucker for complex characters that don’t get along even when they are on the same side, and I think that these two characters portray that perfectly. 

3.) Pratt’s Flask

This is a detail my friend pointed out to me, and it is slightly more lighthearted than the rest. But during the helicopter ride to Joseph’s Compound, right after Burke says, “Why do you keep callin’ em peggies?” watch Pratt. He reaches down and grabs a flask (the same one that can be seen scattered across Hope County, but I can’t tell if it’s the exact same one as they normally have Eden’s Gate symbol on them) and takes a drink. He silently offers a drink to Hudson who shoves his arm away, to which he smirks at her before setting it back down. Obviously it is never revealed what is in the flask, but by his reaction, I’m assuming it isn’t something he should be drinking while operating a helicopter...

(This is the only gif I could find of the specific scene I am talking about, so just imagine John is Pratt)

4.) Jacob’s Disapproval

    This is yet another detail my friend pointed out to me during one of my playthroughs. But in the church during the arrest, pay attention to Jacob. After Joseph’s speech, specifically when he says “...and Hell followed with him,” and he raises his arms to allow the deputy to cuff him, Jacob shakes his head. It’s subtle, so it is easy to miss. But it is almost kind of amusing to see Jacob's disapproval of his younger brother's willingness, for lack of a better word, to be arrested. Even John, who is a lawyer, does not seem fazed by Joseph’s actions, he remains stoic, but instead Jacob is the one to react.   

5.) The Music 

    This entire game’s soundtrack is phenomenal. But the music in the church scene (as well as the lack thereof) is so incredibly powerful and chilling. The way the church congregation singing “Amazing Grace” fades as the officers enter the church. Followed by the lack of music as they slowly creep toward the front of the church where Joseph stands preaching. To the subtly intense music that plays as Burke holds up the warrant. The music truly reflects the tension of the scene. But personally my favorite part of the music in this scene is after Joseph says, “...and behold it was a white horse.” The four bells that ring as Joseph makes eye contact with the player is enough to send chills down my spine. The placement is perfect, in my opinion, and the music as a whole in this scene is fantastic and really adds another level to the game.

[anittam]

This lives rent free in my head since i first played ch 7, because It's the dumbest thing and at the same time the smartest thing Rosa ever done.

Rosa is an excellent lawyer, and is very careful when using her words. She fulfilled her part of the agreement, she managed to get the accusation of the Burkes' murder dropped, and proved Jun's innocence in THIS case. But she knew that only the fact of it is associated with the Heirson showed his involvement in the nxx case, so he couldn't get away with it.

So a logical solution to get Jun to fulfill his part of the agreement, and make him suffer the consequences of his actions, was to reveal that he was the Bloodworth's killer, which is brilliant.

Because think about it, she could have omitted Jun's involvement in the murder, she had enough evidence, the time didn't add up, the cameras that showed Irine leaving the building after the murder (she was in disguise, but Rosa still finds a way to prove it was her), and that's it, she freed her client from an accusation that seemed impossible to disprove. From a professional point of view, this was the best option.

And I still think about this case, because if this weren't fiction, this case would end Rosa's career (my opinion), because who would hire a lawyer who proves her clients' innocence by accusing them of another crime? So from a professional point of view this seems dumb, but from a character building pov this is on point, because this is Rosa, he would rather take the risk of destroying his career than let a bad guy go without consequences. And I love this.

your honor there is no way my client could’ve killed this victim

he was busy killing a different one

[christieatthemis]

Well, that case sure was a lot. Spoilers for the second part of Episode 7 for anyone who hasn’t read it or finished yet.

I remember reading about people being a bit upset with this Chapter and I can kind of see why now. Before, I didn’t really understand why there would be an issue with the True Culprit going to jail, but oof, to at least some extent, maybe this should’ve been self defense. 

Maybe if it was just Mr. Burke that night he went to her apartment (the final straw really), it could’ve gone that way. 

And at this point, considering how Irene felt about Mrs. Burke even at the very end, most of her empathy was probably gone (Which, with what she went through, not particularly surprising). 

Like some of the last couple of cases, the thing that always ends up standing out to me is how different things could’ve been if someone just cared. Caroline, despite the awful way she went about it and seemingly misunderstanding how to actually be a proper mother (maybe due to her own upbringing), did seem to genuinely care about Irene and just not really understand what a child may have needed thinking that going for power meant she COULD get her daughter back and keep her this time, only to end up pushing her further away than ever. 

If she just listened to what she meant or maybe spoke to her later to confirm, maybe it would’ve been more positive. Maybe she could’ve done something about what Jun did for her admission. I wish she tried appealing it over giving up entirely, but when it feels like everything continues to just keep falling down, it’s hard to find any light and eventually, you just don’t have the heart or energy to keep looking. 

I’m just kind of confused why Rosa went so hard on persecuting Irene. I really expected it to go the way Episode 3 did where we prove Jun didn’t do the murder (because... he was off murdering someone else), but there wasn’t enough concrete evidence to persecute anyone. 

Similarly, what was with Rosa and Marius’ decisions in this?? 

If Marius knew they would contact her (which was a risk) if they asked about the box and he knew for sure the police were on their way, why not just wait? What was the point? 

Similarly, WHY confront Irene about all the evidence? I figured maybe they just wanted to see if Caroline knew and give Irene some comfort there, but no, let’s spill all these details about the case and Simon Bloodworth as well???? 

Especially when she had information about Heirson she is probably much less likely to share now. 

But yeah, just, wow. x-x

[actualbird]

Regarding 7-2 and Irene, I actually went to talk with a relative of mine that knows law just to see if her sentence could be mitigated based on Singapore law. I want to just say this is my interpretation of what was told to me, I could be wrong and also this isn't my own view I think Irene was completely justified.

So from what I was told there is a chance but a lot of her chances that would really help reduce her sentence have already been made impossible by her actions. Remorse is a big factor in mitigation but considering she didn't come clean until mc basically forced it out of her and she was denying having committed the murder up until then, any chance for remorse is basically gone even if she pled guilty in her own trial because in that case she's not showing remorse, she's forced to do it so she can get a lower sentence. Then of course she framed Jun, that's not doing her any favours.

What she can go for and what a good attorney would use is that she was under prolonged abuse from Edwin Burke that caused her to fear for her safety which led to her planning this whole thing out. It wouldn't excuse her framing Jun, but it'd provide an understandable reason for her actions which could get her a reduced sentence.

I get what you mean about this case not feeling fair, accusing Irene sucked a lot and I wish we could have let her go free. I like to think that mc didn't reveal her plans to defend Jun, but did it for Jade who did seem to care for Irene and didn't deserve to die. No one could tell for certain, but at least from the evidence they had, it seemed like Jade didn't deserve to die like her husband, and for that she did deserve justice. This reminded me of something from the Count of Monte Cristo itself but I'll save my Count of Monte Cristo ramblings for another ask because it'd double the length of this one dyifkh

🌌

reply from @zyphannie :

reply from @ihavenotfallenyet :

// spoilers for main story 7.2, cw abuse, irt this last response

okay im grouping this all together cuz milkyway!anon and zyphannie brought up a really key point in particular that i neglected to mention in my last response (thats what i get for writing responses at 5am, brain still dead ajhvsjfha), namely: jade burke

i agree, jade definitely did not deserve to die. she was a victim too, and im quite sure nobody with a conscience would begrudge her knowing that she was trying to defend irene as much as she could, given the abuse she also sustained.

jade's murder is.....and these are just my own personal feelings as a player and somebody who read the story, it in no way makes the "this isnt fair" feeling any lighter for me. in fact, it makes it heavier. cuz things get more complicated. which, given the story's themes actually, fits in a sense.

ive got this other 7.2 ask in my askbox that im still working on a response for, it's talking about jun's spiel when in the interrogation with him in 7.2, you pick the optional choice to press the button labelled "True Heart". and there he says a lot of stuff but something there that i feel like is among this story's main themes: people who live perpetually backed into a corner and surrounded by enemies lose the privilege of being able to trust

jun was talking about himself there, but i think it applies to irene too (ironic given that he manipulated her as well, but thats a Whole Other thing to talk about). irene spent her entire life mistreated and abused. she could not trust anybody because she was hurt so bad for so long. and in that, she didnt see that jade was trying

this is brought up a bit in mc's last convo with her in the trial. and i dont think that this oversight makes irene's actions evil (she Did Not Know and Could Not See) but it adds a layer of nuance and loops into that main theme.

it's not fair. and the judgement that got passed and that we see in the game thus far doesnt feel fair, because people were wronged in so many ways.

that being said, milkyway's addition about the legal stuffs i think can somehow answer ihavenotfallenyet's replies. i do not know Anything about law, so idk if i can add anything there, but at least there are certain legal systems that can indeed help irene out, if even just a bit.

looping back to the "it's not fair" thing, but i just remembered one thing in main story 7.2's case that did bring satisfaction: edwin's widescale abuse being brought as a transnational case for investigation. i like that they added that. the implications are fucking horrifying (based on how i read it, it implied that edwin was participating in child trafficking, jesus), but it's satisfying to know that this case doesnt end at this trial, if that makes sense? like, edwin is dead (deserved) and his abuse has seen the light of day. the other victims can get their justice too in whatever way is possible

conclusion: this case is a Lot. and honestly, thats all i feel qualified to say at the moment hakfjhsfa