#for legal purposes I didn't kill him and wouldn't kill anyone

[thequeenofsastiel]

People be like "You didn't even know who Brian Thompson was a week ago and yet you're celebrating his death??"

Uh, yeah, sorry man, just because I don't know the name of every evil person in the world doesn't somehow mean that I can't appreciate it when they die. Like, sure I didn't know who he was then, but I sure as fuck know who he was now, and he was a goddamn monster, so excuse me for not knowing that I should've hated him before now.

[caldella]

Still kinda surprised by how many people post-Mastermind seem to miss these details RE the trial:

-Stolas can't refute the assassination attempt claims because he did not hear them and does not know they exist. He doesn't even know Striker was at that trial. He saw Blitzø's head about to go choppy choppy, guessed it was something to do with the illegal portion of IMP, and knew that almost definitely the Grimoire was involved. He acted accordingly.

- Trying to push back on the trial and get a handle on what had fully transpired wouldn't work. The people running that trial were making a show. They wanted to punish someone, publicly. Only an equally big show would catch their attention enough to get them to listen.

- Andrealphus and Stella have both demeaned Stolas in public since the start of S2. From Stella's Not Divorced party, this has been happening for years and is accepted. He's a laughing stock to his own social class. Part of Stolas' abuse has been a form of forced isolation by getting his peers to look down on him. The public has heard how pathetic he is. He probably knows the other upperclass won't listen to him unless he is dramatic enough for Andre to not turn the room back in his favor.

- Even if Blitzø had permission from Stolas to use the book, Stolas was not permitted to give the book out for that purpose. Andre states in the beginning of the episode that the deal with the Grimoire was incredibly illegal. Stolas' reasoning to Ozzie for the crystal was that it was a legal way to travel to the human world. Blitzø had been breaking the law by using the Grimoire. He was guilty of that, even if Stolas was complicit.

- Blitzø's crystal is registered, which almost definitely means it has an issue date and other info to track when it was given out. There are months/a year or more where IMP was publicly functioning before it. Functioning legally now doesn't absolve him of functioning illegally in the past.

- Blitzø admitted to using the book in court and admitted to attempting to steal it, which Stolas might not have known, but it was safe to assume at that point that the court had some proof of the book's use. Even if not, Stolas knew full well that IMP had been functioning illegally pre-crystal. This would've doomed Blitzø either way. The actual truth was still a death sentence for Blitzø.

There was no way for Stolas to pick apart the trial at that point, and telling the actual truth about the Grimoire would only split the blame between them. And the court was ready to kill Blitzø to let that blame serve as a lesson. His only way to completely absolve Blitzø of guilt was to pretend everything Blitzø did was Stolas' idea and turn all blame to himself.

(Editing to say this isn't bashing anyone who 'didn't get it,' I suppose just surprised at how largely some of these points are missed.)

[possessesnightshift]

regarding the beautiful bisexual italian man who allegedly is responsible for the uhc shooting...

look, i totally get the impulse to obsess over this random guy and turn him into some kind of a working class hero. we're all desperate to root for someone who can take direct action against healthcare tycoons who make our lives so much harder.

but lately i've noticed a shift in the gravity of this discourse away from "why the hell did a man need to die to get pharmacies to stop rejecting all my claims?" and more towards "i want to hear the cute italian twunk moaning and gagging on it..." and like...

i do get it. not only is he just a very clearly attractive man (despite all the media trying in vain to find the worst pictures of him to show), but he has a grab bag of random personality traits that manage to make a lot of people relate to them, even if the claims are dubious at best

he was an avid reader, he was an elon musk follower, he went to an ivy league, he was a chronic poster, he had anxiety, he was a stemcel, he was bisexual, he had mein kampf on his goodreads list, he wanted a white girl to go bug on his dick...

all of these things combined are enough to make this man fascinating to almost anyone. some of them even make him sympathetic to a lot of people (even if stuff like the bi thing is most likely unfounded)

but i want to make something absolutely clear.

this is not. about. luigi mangione...

hell this isn't about ANY suspect that could be the perpetrator (we do not KNOW if luigi mangione can be found guilty until an actual jury goes into deliberation. otherwise we're just putting our blind faith into the nypd which is definitely sketchy, even if the evidence does seem to indicate it's him thus far...)

no this is about one man and one man only:

Brian. Motherfucking. Thompson.

even if this act had been done by some unglamorous 60 year-old trailer trash person instead of a fit, attractive 26 year-old, this shooting is still not about him or his politics or whether he should or shoudln't face justice

no this is about the fact that brian thompson was valuable enough to his company to be a multi-millionaire, but not so valuable that the meeting he missed due to his execution had to be postponed. not so valuable that his position wasn't filled in a matter of days.

this is about the fact that the unceremonious death of an "innocent" man was a better policy in terms of increasing people's access to health coverage than anything the democrats or the republicans advocated for in the past decade. it's the fact that brian thompson's death apparently hurt people very little and helped people a lot.

it didn't have to be this way.

they made it this precarious on purpose because they assumed they could get away with it.

gun to my head? i personally think luigi mangione doesn't deserve to see jail time even if he is guilty. daniel penny executed a black homeless man and he doesn't have to go to prison. kyle rittenhouse is a free man. meanwhile marcellus williams was proven innocent and executed anyway for the crime of not murdering anyone. you can't convince me there are no murders the state wouldn't just unconditionally support if it's in their class interest. if that's the way it is, we deserve to allow this man his "legal kill" that serves us in our defense against the violence of the capital class.

but even if he goes down, even if they make an example out of him, it does not matter.

because this story is not about the killer.

it is about the man who was killed...

and the question of why he had to die for our healthcare needs to be properly addressed...

enjoy the memes for this brief moment in time. but once the glamor and intrigue dies away and we can stop drawing horny fanart of the alleged shooter, we need to circle back to talking about brian thompson. he needs to be the centerpiece of this story. his actions. his ruthless drive to turn a profit. the community of billionaires looking out for themselves. THAT is what this should be about...

we are brushing up against severe disempowerment in the new trump administration. we CANNOT fumble this opportunity for class solidarity...

get it all out of your systems

and turn right back around and demand to know whether these ceo monsters are planning on rejecting our claims the moment this story has faded into the background

[2oosterr]

orcaprice sfw alphabet | wc: 3.5k

john price x ryan 'orca' murdoch

this was,,,, a lot lol. i keep trying to write little things for them but they always turn into 4k fics LMAO 😫😫 i just can't help myself........... anyway behold mama y papa <3

Affection (how affectionate are they? how do they show affection?)

orca isn't a very affectionate person to begin with, but she still prefers to keep things behind closed doors. she'll deny it to hell and back, but pretty much any kind of physical affection gets her very flustered very easily. she prefers to give price the affection she desires in subtler gestures, like linking her pinky with price's, or sitting close enough that their legs touch.

price is a more physical lover, he pulls orca into hugs and kisses her just to see her turn red, but he'll respect her wishes to keep most affection private. he shows his love for her in other ways that he knows she appreciates, like bringing her coffee in the mornings, or sitting down just to spend time with her.

Best friend (what would they be like as a best friend? how would the friendship start?)

orca is a difficult person to get along with. there's no way to manufacture a friendship with her; if she can tell you're intentionally trying to get on her good side – for example, by saying the 'right' things or forcing aspects of your personality – anything you try will have the exact opposite effect. earning her favour has to occur naturally, and by god she does not make it easy lol. but if you manage to somehow get past the walls around her heart, orca is a fiercely loyal person who is willing to do just about anything for the small circle she calls friends.

price is easier to become friends with, he's more willing to trust and more open to new people. despite this, it also takes a while for him to really consider someone a friend, and, unlike orca, for him there's a difference between trusting someone and being friends with them.

Cuddles (do they like to cuddle? how would they cuddle?)

orca loves to cuddle. she would never admit it, and she would deny it if anyone brought it up, but she would kill for a good cuddle – and price just so happens to be the best cuddler of all time, so it works out perfectly.

price loves physical affection, so he would never turn away an opportunity to have orca in his arms. laying wrapped up in each other, with no disturbances from the outside world – it's the best way to spend their free time together.

Domestic (do they want to settle down? how are they at cooking and cleaning?)

the idea of settling down has never been a possibility for orca. the life of a soldier is all she's ever known, the structure, stability, and sense of purpose this job brings her helps her to function and without that, she'd be lost. maybe one day, a lot later down the line, she might pass the mantle to someone else, but she would never be able to completely leave the company behind.

she didn’t have a normal childhood, and has been a soldier for basically all her life, so she never properly learned how to do a lot of domestic stuff like cooking. she tries her best, but she's just not good at it lol.

price, on the other hand, was very close with his mum growing, and learned how to maintain a home from a young age. despite joining the army as soon as he was legally able to, he still had a more normal youth compared to orca. he does most (all) of the cooking between them, and orca is content with simply watching him work. same as orca, settling down, or retiring, has also never been in the cards for him. his work is far too ingrained into who he is for him to be able to leave it behind.

Ending (if they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

in person. orca's never been afraid of other people's reactions, and that extends to breakups. that being said, she wouldn't get into a relationship with someone she didn't intend on spending her life with. the vulnerability, and with how long it takes her to open up to people, means that she takes her relationships – both platonic and romantic – incredibly seriously.

price would rather end things in person. to him, it's more respectful, and it's easier to communicate face to face rather than through a screen. he's had relationships in the past, and he always tried to end things as amicably as possible, for the sake of himself and his partners.

Fiance(e) (how do they feel about commitment? how quick would they want to get married?)

initially, the idea of commitment scared orca. she's been independent all her life, and never even considered marriage until she met price, so being held to that standard was just never appealing to her. when they eventually began their relationship, it surprised her how quickly she was thinking about being married and committed to him – which, in turn, scared her even more, since she'd never felt this way before.

price never thought he'd ever get married. a combination of his upbringing – watching his parents' marriage fall apart, and vowing to never become his father – and his job, of course, lead him to make peace with the fact that it wasn't going to happen for him.

from the moment he realised he was in love with orca, he knew she was the one. it took a long time to get there, to get past her walls, but once they finally reached a comfortable point in their relationship, the thought appeared in his mind like it had been there all along.

Gentle (how gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

orca is not gentle in the slightest. she's mean and blunt, and she cares very little for how her words and actions affect others – though her attitude does change once she becomes closer with people. she still couldn't be considered nice, but she does make an effort to treat the people she cares about with more respect than average and a slightly kinder touch.

price is incredibly gentle. he knows his own strength, and he's well aware that he's a big man, so he's always conscious of how he's treating others. he very rarely shouts, he chooses his words carefully, and when he is physical with people, he knows where to draw the line.

Hugs (do they like hugs? how often do they do it? what are their hugs like?)

same as cuddling, orca loves hugs. it's embarrassing, and she'd rather die than admit it, but there's nothing she craves more than an overly long bear hug; and price, of course, is more than happy to oblige. she might squeeze just a little too tight, and it may feel slightly clunky, but it's the thought that counts.

I love you (how fast do they say the l-word?)

it takes orca a long, long time to get to the point where she feels comfortable enough to tell price she loves him. she's always struggled with trusting new people, and it usually takes years for her to properly warm up to them, for fear of rejection or judgement. she'd never had a real relationship before price because of her trust issues, so despite knowing she loves him, she still finds it difficult to say it out loud.

price tells her the first moment he realises it. it's spur of the moment, and he tells her he doesn't expect her to say it back, but he needed her to know. life is short, and with their line of work he knows that any day could be their last, so he'd rather not waste time hiding his true feelings.

Jealousy (how jealous do they get? what do they do when they’re jealous?)

orca isn’t one to get jealous. she gets annoyed very easily, but actual jealousy is rare for her. she’s a naturally confident person, and it takes a lot to shake that – but if she were to ever get jealous, it would be over her looks. she doesn’t see herself as an attractive person, and if someone she believes is more attractive than her gets close to price, she could definitely react badly.

it would take a lot of self control, but orca wouldn’t lash out in anger over her jealousy. logically, she knows its irrational to get jealous over something so shallow, she knows price isn’t like that, but that though still doesn’t make her feel any better. she’d prefer to isolate herself until she can get over it so she doesn’t risk hurting price.

price is also extremely secure in their relationship because he’s well aware of how difficult it is to get close to orca. basically, he knows he doesn’t have any competition lol. sometimes though, he does feel the tiniest amount of jealousy over how close orca and eric are, but he never lets it get to him. he's aware of the bond they share, and considering how long they've been friends, he knows there's no need to worry.

Kisses (what are their kisses like? where do they like to kiss their partner? where do they like to be kissed?)

orca isn't accustomed to affection, and she has her own way of expressing her fondness for price, so kisses aren't really common for her. a peck on the cheek, or a soft press of her lips on his shoulder is the most she can manage without having a flustered meltdown.

price isn't nearly as easily effected, and he loves to gently take orca's head in his hand and press their lips together, just to watch her face turn red. he loves to kiss her cheek, mostly because it's too quick for her to properly react to, so he can get away with it in public lol.

Little ones (how are they around children?)

orca hates kids. can’t stand the little bastards. she’s definitely the type to pull faces at babies and laugh when a kid falls over in public, but she’ll more so go out of her way to avoid contact with them. she understands it’s not their fault that she resents them, but she can’t change her feelings towards them either.

price is neutral towards kids. he can talk to them and interact with them just fine, but he’s definitely not responsible enough to babysit them, and he knows for a fact that he doesn’t want any of his own.

Morning (how are mornings spent with them?)

mornings are the invention of the devil according to orca. she hates them, it takes her forever to wake up, and she forbids anyone from speaking to her for at least an hour after she's woken up. she's even crankier than usual, if that's even possible.

price is the only exception to this rule, which he's incredibly smug about. he doesn't struggle as much with mornings, he's able to get up and go fairly easily not matter how early it is.

Night (how are nights spent with them?)

orca is definitely more of a night owl, and prefers to stay up late after the sun goes down. it's more peaceful to her, and the less chance she'll be bothered by anyone else, the better. she loves the quiet and the darkness, and it gets a lot cooler at night, which she prefers.

price wants to stay up with her, and he tries his best, but most of the time he ends up falling asleep on her. whether they're watching a movie, just talking, or he's watching her work, there's a good sixty percent chance he's knocked out waiting for her to come to bed.

Open (when would they start revealing things about themselves? do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

they both take a while to fully open up, orca especially. as they gradually got closer, and she learned more about price, she got more and more comfortable talking about herself. the pace of their relationship is slow, but neither of them ever felt the need to rush or force things.

Patience (how easily angered are they?)

orca? extremely.

price is much, much calmer in comparison. it takes a lot to truly anger him, he prides himself on his patience and his ability to keep a level head in almost any situation. despite this, orca has a unique ability to get under his skin like nobody else. he doesn't take her jabs seriously anymore, but when they first met, the burning anger she was able to evoke in him was a shock to him.

Quizzes (how much would they remember about their partner? do they remember every little detail they mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

both orca and price remember every tiny detail about the other without fail. orca mentioned her favourite colour in an offhand comment and price ingrained that into his memory. orca overheard price talking about his favourite food and asked (ordered) eric to help her learn to cook it. they're insufferable about each other.

Remember (what is their favourite moment in their relationship?)

orca's favourite memory is a slightly more solemn one. it was relatively early in their relationship, and she'd been struggling with a relapse for a few months. he walked in on her with a bottle of whiskey in her office late one night, about to pour herself a glass, and she'd expected him to look at her with disappointment, or even yell at her.

he didn't, though. he didn't even acknowledge the bottle, and instead sat down in a chair opposite her desk and started a petty argument about something or other. she unwittingly took the bait and argued back with him, which eventually transitioned into a more civilised conversation. they'd talked for hours, and eventually gone their separate ways to get some rest.

it wasn't until a few hours later, when she was laying awake in bed, that she realised what he'd done. he'd stayed up late with her, effortlessly distracted her because he knew she couldn't resist the temptation of yelling at him, and she hadn't even noticed when he'd lifted the bottle from her desk and taken it with him when he left. it was a confusing feeling, being on the receiving end of what she usually does to other people, but it made her a little misty-eyed the more she thought about it.

price's favourite memory is of when he proposed to orca. like most other things they do, it was spur of the moment, he'd planned to do it for a while before but couldn't find the right moment.

it happened while they were both on leave. he'd taken her with him back to his home in england, and was showing her around the small town he grew up in. they were walking along a path through the woods, and the sunlight was hitting everything just right, the box in his pocket was practically burning a hole through his leg.

before he could think too hard about it, he just got down on one knee and pulled out the ring. orca didn't notice at first, too engrossed in whatever she was talking about, but after a moment she realised that he was missing from her side. she'd turned around, expecting him to be tying his shoe or something, to find him gazing up at her with the most lovestruck look on his face.

she'd stared at him for a few seconds, wide-eyed and frozen with shock, before rushing back to where he was kneeling and throwing herself into his arms. they'd both ended up on the dusty ground, but neither of them cared about the dirt covering them, because her response was more than enough for price to slip the ring onto her finger.

orca finds the memory embarrassing, because she couldn't stop crying at the time, but any time price finds himself missing her too much when they're apart, he looks at his wedding band and remembers it fondly.

Security (how protective are they? how would they protect their partner? how would they like to be protected?)

both orca and price are incredibly similar in the way that they would do anything to protect the ones they love. there is no line to cross when it comes to each other, no action is too far. they both have a reputation for being ruthless, and they're more than willing to risk their lives for the other.

Try (how much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

both of them put a lot of thought into dates for each other. orca's ideas may be a little more on the strange side, since she's not well versed in relationships, and she's a little unconventional anyways, but they're just as heartfelt as the more regular dates that price plans.

as for gifts, orca buys him a box of cigars and a fridge magnet from every new place she goes, and price buys her anything fighter jet or killer whale related he sees.

Ugly (what would be some bad habits of theirs?)

for orca, it's her tendency to lash out at others when she's upset with them. she tries to control her temper, and she's doing a lot better than she used to, but sometimes she can't stop herself before she says something hurtful.

for price, it's how he overly blames himself when things go wrong. he takes too much accountability for things that aren't reasonably his fault, and often refuses to let anyone tell him otherwise. he overthinks, about what he could've done differently and what more could've happened, and it's difficult to pull him out of that mindset.

Vanity (how concerned are they with their looks?)

it would be a lie to say orca doesn’t care about how she looks. when she was younger, she was somewhat vain because she saw herself as conventionally attractive, but since she got the scar on her face her looks have become somewhat of an insecurity for her. over the years it has bothered her less and less, but she definitely doesn’t think of herself the same way anymore.

at the beginning of her relationship with price, she found it incredibly hard to believe him when he said he was attracted to her. she honestly thought he was fucking with her, because she couldn’t understand why he didn’t think she was ugly. this insecurity has cause some problems in their relationship, but they’ve worked past them and thanks to him, orca feels a lot better about her looks now.

price, though, cares very little about vanity. he's attractive, he knows that, he's been pursued by women since he was a fresh-faced corporal, but he never allowed it to go to his head. he takes pride his appearance of course, and does his best to make sure he always looks presentable, but it's not something that's overly important to him.

Whole (would they feel incomplete without their partner)

yes, for both of them, but not in a co-dependent way. they're both very secure people, and they've lived most of their lives without each other – along with the fact that they don't get all that much time together due to their jobs and living in different countries – but they definitely feel more at home when they're together.

Xtra (a random headcanon for them.)

orca loves arguing. she finds it exhilarating, the way it makes her pulse race and how she can pull a reaction out of whoever she’s arguing with. most of the time, she’s just picking fights for no reason other than to entertain herself. she’s great at pretending to care deeply about something for the sake of the argument lol – and paired with her incredibly serious image, it comes far too easily to her. it took price – and everyone else, for that matter – a long time to realise that she’s joking most of the time, but now he likes to join in when he can tell she’s not serious (he still struggles sometimes).

Yuck (what are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

orca doesn't like people who take life too seriously. she knows her reputation, and how she comes across, is incredibly serious and intimidating, but she's a lot more laid back than most people think. she also knows that her job is serious by nature, but she values the ability to find humour in bleak situations.

price doesn't like people who need their hand held through every little task. he values independence and intelligence, and he's had partners in the past who relied on him for far more than he was comfortable with.

Zzz (what is a sleep habits of theirs?)

orca hates mornings with a passion. she thinks that waking up at six am is a crime against humanity, and if she had it her way she'd never be up before ten. she sleeps lightly, not light enough to be constantly woken up, but when there's a loud noise or something similar she'll hear it. she also falls asleep incredibly quickly, basically as soon as her head hits the pillow she's out.

price has made his peace with getting up at six every morning, but deep down he loves getting to sleep in. his body still naturally wakes him up with the sun though, and no matter how much he tries to go back to sleep, it never happens. unlike orca, he doesn't usually wake up during the night – once he's out, he's out.

[dwarf-vader-of-middle-earth]

Hah, I had to drive out and grab a box of pasta to cook since grain moths ate all my others again. Anyway!!

On the drive home, I thought she was gone. LONG gone. But I swear, I saw my old neighbor and uhh... "friend" whom I haven't seen since... 15 years ago? Yeah about then. She was a garbage asshole.

I was so close to this girl for years, we talked on the phone every day for at least an hour or two, and we hung out whenever we could, and we shared all our secrets with each other.

But that "friend" kept saying I was too masculine a girl, that no guys would want a girl stronger than they are. I'd have to give up MMA and videogames and all around be more feminine if I wanted guys. And she tried SO DAMN HARD to convince me to give up being masculine as fuck.

She once asked about what boys I liked. I told her about the boys I was interested in, and she noticed they were all "outcasts". Not the popular kids. Not one guy on my radar was in the popular crowd. She wanted exclusively popular boys, and said I should also be seeking to gain the attention of popular boys instead of outcasts, because everyone should want to be popular!!

Mind you the popular kids are the reason I wound up in therapy with PTSD all these years later.

We had our second ever sleepover one night, and the next morning I went to make her chocolate chip pancakes! On my own!! She didn't even ask!!

But they weren't good enough and so she called me the next day and said she didn't want to be friends anymore because I made bad pancakes. She blocked my number, and in school, since we attended the same school together, she would literally cover herself in a hood and duck into crowds to avoid seeing me or my mother who worked the kitchen there.

Even her own father couldn't figure out why she was acting as she was. He tried to figure it out, and he was a great guy, but his daughter HATES him to this day for literally no reason. She didn't even call him dad, she used his first name to refer to him, even when talking directly to him.

I haven't seen this girl, heard from her, etc. in 15 years at least. I thought she moved away.

But I saw her tonight on my way home, and I laughed. Because I am nothing she wanted me to be. At all.

And her? She looked MISERABLE!!!!!

I'm the gayest manliest dudebro ever, and I love men. And well... men love me, too. But they don't love a miserable sexist sod.

And yeah, my life is far from beautiful. It's nowhere near perfect. But at least I'm living as my original and authentic self, not a carbon copy of what a bunch of asshats deem is worthy of recognition and praise just so I can gain their false favor and be at their whims as a literal puppet that spews hate and disdain for anyone different.

For frame of reference, those same popular kids told an actual legitimate long time friend of mine, word for word, "You have to leave <deadname> if you want to be popular." That friend wouldn't do it. She turned down popularity and stuck by me through and through until graduation.

Those same popular kids jumped me, ganged up on me, and threw food at me several times a week every week every year until we graduated. Even outside of school, I could not leave my house because they literally waited in the trees to spew swears at me from above and throw acorns and bark and stones.

Toward the last two weeks before graduating, I legally changed my name for transition purposes. I had deleted everyone I knew off all social media unless they were a close friend, and changed my media name as well, and nobody but 1 person has found me since in the following 6 years.

None of them know where I'm at, where I live, what my name is, they most likely cannot and will not find me. And that's how I like it.

Leave me dead to the fuckers who hurt me. I was dead to them before I changed my name, and what difference does it make that I killed the girl they knew and became the man I am today? I'm me, I'm an author who writes queer fiction mainly about men like myself, who all find the men of their dreams and they kiss, and it's great. I've got two books published in print paperback currently, and a bunch more in the works! And best of all is I've currently got another trans guy, also super masculine, who likes me and we've been talking!! And the feelings he's got for me are pretty mutual!!

Dudes love other dudes that are confident and capable and authentic. They don't like carbon copies of a damsel in distress that can't think or act for herself because she's so worried about losing the favor of the ruling populous.

Fuck the majority, and fuck what anyone else thinks of me. I'm gonna fuck a gay man and snuggle him as we make out dirty while giving the mental middle finger to all those who told us we weren't enough.

[artemissoteira]

28, 29, 40, and 63 for ithren!! 👀

thank youuuu my favorite pen pal!!

28. who would they kill? Who would they kill for?

The party. The party. 💀

No, more seriously -- it largely just wouldn't occur to them to kill because it never occurs to them that other people would be a threat. They killed some soldiers when they walked from Typhna to Karaff, but that was early in their time interacting with people and probably largely incidental to just, getting them out of the way. Nowadays they're more likely to just step into the ethereal plane - more efficient. They're busy. They don't have any particular moral feelings about it.

They'd love to kill Aelrard though, absolutely. Anyone who stops them from teleporting like that. If Yerm weren't already dead I'd kill him myself. Although, I guess there did actually turn out to be some logic to the temporal harbor blocking conjuration. Ithren still maintains that it's a needlessly broad restriction as a result of lazy arcane design and is endlessly irked by it.

(They wouldn't actually kill the party, even if you attack them. Not on purpose, anyway. For legal reasons that was a joke.)

29. who would they save? who would they be saved by?

The party. The party. 😭

Nullira, Harbor. Iniko, I hope. No one else really registers instinctively. Though honestly - they'd save anyone they were pointed towards as being in danger. People should be safe.

Someone would have to point them, though, because danger is a very, shall we say abstract concept to them.

40. do they enjoy poetry?

Oh, fun. I think ithren would enjoy poetry that fucks with formatting and language, because language is a very artificial thing to them. Post campaign ithren is going to go become a prolific post-structuralist poet, I've decided. You can't stop me.

63. what fight has scared them the most?

Hahaha. Ithren has never felt fear because the things that matter to them have never been threatened. Never could be, really. They also have a particular, like -- idk, isolationist fatalism?? When it comes to other people's actions. They weren't afraid or worried about the party/Mahety choosing to kill them at Halkifell, because they saw it as not something they could (or should, or would) change or influence. You'd make your decision, as is your right, and then they'd proceed accordingly. There's no point fearing something that is going to happen regardless.

Oh wait, I'm wrong, ithren has been scared. Not technically a fight, but - that first convo in Pasra, when Ingot drew on them, Ithren asked if we were still friends & Kempa made them answer whether they thought the party were their friends first. They didn't like that at all, and wound up giving some qualified answer, because they were scared of saying "yes" and being told that they were wrong.

[weepingseraphstranger]

Finally saw what the whole 'Mouth -washing' stuff was about. I loathe Jimmy. Like, I can find myself liking Akainu and All For One (for the sole purpose of thirst tbh), but I cannot with Jimmy. That's how much I hate him. He's a narcissist, a "victim", pathetic, an asshole, and a coward. He takes what he wants and gets rid of what he doesn't, all the while convincing himself he's not the bad guy. He looks down on not only his peers, but those above him, even the ones he's envious of. He's so self-absorbed and can't take responsibility for his actions, that he fails at what he wants: to be a hero, the good guy, the one who gets the attention and good rep— to be something and to be in control. Because you need to have some sense of self-awareness, reflection, and responsibility to get that.

Even before he went totes delusional, it was still there. He was never really a good person. I mean, what good person sexually assaults anyone? Then only thinks of the consequences when their victim might "ruin his life" (let's be real, he did it to himself) before, then, trying to ditch all of that? And, no, I don't think he was off the deep end like you can argue he was near the end. He made a conscious decision to crash the ship because if he was going to do anything, he was going to rope everyone else into it. It couldn't just be him. Why would it? He wouldn't be the hero if he did. He wouldn't be "fixing it all" if he only "fixed" his situation. Because he's just a coward.

Not only that, but you can tell he has no respect for women. Again, what man who actually respects women would sexually assault one of them? None. We can also see that by the way he treats Anya and the way the other three got to have a moment before their death. She didn't really get to. She was glimpsed over. And the men showed up someway as he was going about the end. She showed up as the womb, the line of "babies"/ponies. He saw her as nothing but that. As nothing but what he got them into the situation—the "problem".

Also, the way he treated her vs the others was really telling. He saw a chance to control, be it because she was a woman or because she seems naturally soft-hearteded and sensitive. If it was just because of her sensitive nature, then why was the way he treated her and Daisuke different? That boy was naive and easily manipulated himself. He probably would've defended himself instead of completely take it, but if Jimmy was only a little meaner, he would've probably shrugged it off. Who knows? I just find it odd that even before the crash, he clearly treated Anya and the rest of the crew so differently. Treating her as nothing and a pain when she was also important. (—And more important than Daisuke who was merely an intern and not the nurse. She had way more responsibility on her shoulders than he did.)

And in the end, I don't think he truly felt guilt. That "sorry" at the end (the only time we see him somewhat taking responsibility which even then...no) wasn't truthful to his own friend. He was still thinking of himself. He wasn't sorry for what he did, he was sorry that it ended up going so badly. You can still tell that he doesn't want to admit it was all his fault. (Not taking some blame off of Curly who should have been the captain, not the friend, and taken action when Anya spoke about what happened and shouldn't have let Jimmy go where ever after they interacted when the whole pregnancy thing was happening despite knowing why Anya was scared) And despite not feeling as if it was completely on him, he continues to believe it was him who had fixed it in the end. By what? Freezing Curly and killing himself? (Not even making sure the pod was working before he offed himself.) So Curly can be found, have to deal with the consequences while he can die his delusional part of "hero"? Mf Curly should've been put out of his misery and Jimmy should've done himself next. Either that or freeze himself, be found with murked workers and face the legal repercussions because it would be quite obvious what happened.

And on the topic of him and Curly, I don't think he truly liked him. They were friends, yes, but he couldn't see him as anything but what he wanted. All of Curly's wins in life, he couldn't truly feel happy for. He couldn't be helped to be an open ear for him because why would Curly ever have a problem with anything when he didn't have his life and he wanted his life? Why does Curly get to be ungrateful for the life he wants? He must be looking down on them, he must think he's above them for that, right? Its all a competition in his mind. There's no equal. If he's not on top, he's the poor old underdog who deserves better. If he's not on top, that means everyone else is against him.

Honestly, I see their dynamic as toxic. Curly is Jimmy's doormat. I don't know much psychology but I am more attuned to the roles of abusive families, (mainly because there was my father who is...such a bastard) but you can say it's like he's both the golden child and scapegoat combined into one. He's his enabler because he's just so naive and in a way so blind and ignorant. Like, wow, he's your friend and you don't want to see bad in your friend but...dumbass. He's already spoken down on you so many times. But it's hard to see that, especially when Curly is the softer one in their dynamic. Imagining being the friend— spanning how many years back— of a narcissist like Jimmy. And yes, even enablers can be a victim of a narcissist. Guilt tripping, gaslighting, all that juicy stuff. It's not an equal, balanced friendship. Jimmy would never be capable of having a good, balanced, equal relationship.

Uuuuh, I've exhausted my smooth brain. So, yeah, I hate Jimmy. Love how the creators wrote him. Very nice. Very good. Great. Phenomenal. His character? Skin him and put him in salt and lemon. Someone said he was evil Flynn Rider and that was accurate but still giving him too much credit.

[memori662]

My dear Liraz you're not escaping this one...

Liraz is a ruthless man.

𝓡𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓼

adjective

❝ Having or showing no pity or compassion for others. ❞

Really.

His choices are all based on pure logic.

“Would you kill a loved one to save 100 of people?”

He'd think: what if those 100 of people are all assasins? They'd cause more deaths. But short answer: yes.

He can't say much about the assasins because he himself isn't a saint either.

His position as the boss of the [REDACTED] (HAHA sorry I don't have a good name still... But it's a not so legal organization) requires him to be cold-bloodied. Emotions? They're just things to weaken a man (like humans, in general). They serve no purpose if you want to be a good boss, sacrificing everything to make your fellow organization see the light. He has excellent leadership skills. Everyone in the [REDACTED] rather than kneel to him with fear, they kneel to him with respect. I mean, maybe the newbies and subordinates that aren't wings do fear him a little... But that's because he's the boss! Of course if they appreciate their lives a lil' bit, they'll think twice before creating a conspiracy cult against Liraz.

Before becoming the [REDACTED]'s Boss, people would gladly tell you about how much of a charismatic and easy to talk man he is! Though, even back there, he was a sweet little Devil with his manipulation tactics. He was a natural at it, accompanied by his intelligence? Oh yes. But don't think he was manipulating people just because. He didn't actually add manipulate people into his daily routine. He started to when he started working for the —previous— [REDACTED]'s Boss. How did he even get involved in shady bussiness...? ... Well, he was a shady doctor (?)

And at that time, his bestie (winkwink) broke up with him (winkwink) 'cause he was becoming too evil for his taste. Basically they're a divorced couple now. Though they never became a couple, they're an old divorced couple, trust.

Anyway, back to the topic...

He didn't let his emotions go in his way even when he had to deal with children. This man almost has a baby fever! Yet he still resisted the urge to spare them... Memori, Kai and Kian are his favourite kids, no doubt. There may be a slight favoritism with Memori thanks to her participating in his very legal medical activities, but meh.

The list would go like:

1. Memori

2. Kai (... He sent him to his death).

3. Kian

He never lost the composture. His mask was one he has been wearing since his birth. Never letting anyone see past it. The perfect poker face.

Maybe that's why his men are still a little wary of him, because they know if they're no longer useful to him, he won't doubt to trash them.

If he wants to kill you, he won't do it right away. He'll wait until there's something he may win with your death. That's what happened with Kai.

Now, why would he sacrifice his strongest man? Okay maybe that was for plot reasons-

Well, because if he ever died suddenly, they'd assume he had chosen Memori as the new boss since she's his right-hand woman. The problem? At that time, she was or too cold and detached or overly emotional. And she has no leadership skills for such a big place. He could've easily discharged her from her job at the [REDACTED], yes. But then people would assume they're free to attack her, and she'd no longer have to obey Liraz's orders compulsorily. He may wake up in a coffin if that happens. And second, Kai's death would bring them more benefits than losses (two of his most skilled wings leaving). Oh, but he still had Kian. The one who would be a wing if not because there are only 4 wings and all 4 of them were occupied. Now there would be only 2 wings out of 4. So Kian could be another wing. That means, he still had some gems in his organization. And he trusts blindly that Memori wouldn't reveal anything sensible to anyone about the [REDACTED]. Because even if now their bond is broken, he's confident that Memori isn't the type of person to spill good-hidden secrets. Plus, now they're officially (who-knows-how) a legal organization, so why even bother to try to ruin it?

That was his reasoning. And it did go just as planned. His prediction skills are great, too.

And he does have an ability? What is it? Hmm... That is a top-secret data even for the [REDACTED] members... But maybe it isn't that hard to guess?

[jokersdiamond]

So tired a' bein' told/seein' my love for him is wrong...

Did he break me? Oh sure. Y'know what I also did? Hit back. Screamed an' threatened violence. Maybe I wasn't as "bad" as he was...but I wasn't exactly innocent in my memories. Who I am is what he allowed me ta be; who I loved bein' outside a'...society's norms.

Ain't exactly legal ta own two spotted hyenas. They were my babies, all tha' same.

An' what about Pammy? People jus' gonna conveniently forget she hurt me, too? Tried ta kill me a few dozen times fa' bein' "annoying" or whatevah? I loved (an' still love) her, too.

Brucie didn't exactly hit soft. I kissed that man!!! I would do it again!

Laughable thinkin' anyone I could be wit' hadn't hurt me- physically, btw- in tha' past. "Oh, but they wouldn't keep doing it, is the point-" LMAO! LOL!!! I'm always gonna be annoying!!! It's my heart an' soul, bein' a villain... Though I don't mind tha' antihero stuff, in this new life. A dash a' chaos to keep spirits light, ya feel?

...I 'unno. I like tha' creative folk. I like some sources who don't treat me like a dumb blonde bimbo. Who know that I fuckin' faked my bubbly personality on purpose cause I wanted to trick people inta' underminin' my abilities.

I love bein' loved!! Don't like seein' how tha' perception a' me shifts over time.

...But I guess that's why a bit more source separation would do me some good. 🤷‍♀️

[gotholdladywithadhd]

Not to pee in anyone's Cheerios here but I'm pretty sure most of these points have mundane explanations.

Those men were skinheads I doubt they were demons. The grave guards probably ended up somewhere else (who knows where but I don't think Crowley would have killed them, at least not on purpose) If they did die they might have gone to hell as damned souls but it's unlikely they were made into demons. If hell could transform damned souls into demons they wouldn't have a staffing problem. Crowley's over powered miracles make me wonder a bit though.

The no regerts tattoo was likely a joke like this

"The Grand Lodge of Antient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland is the governing body of Scottish Freemasonry, founded in 1736, and headquartered in Edinburgh." from their website. So I would assume many Masons are buried in the local cemeteries.

It's a Scottish Cemetery so it would have a lot of Celtic crosses in it, I don't think this would make it stand out as odd.

It was guarded because grave robbing was a big business before the laws changed to allow medical schools to obtain bodies legally. I believe they were privately hired by those who could afford them. I reckon Elspeth risked going to a wealthier section of the cemetery (or a wealthier cemetery) because all of the poor had already been dug up and sold off. Many grave robbers also stole any jewellery off the bodies so that may have provided and extra incentive as well. One thing I always wondered was why Aziraphale and Crowley didn't use a miracle to disable the gun or miracle the shot out of it. Maybe they didn't think about it not realising Wee Morag would lose her shit at the sight of a dead body and panic. But still that does bother me. I'm like Aziraphale stop just looking at the damn thing and disable it already ffs!

I don't think demons would have any interest in guarding a cemetery. Nothing there for them, no souls to tempt, they are all ready sorted and sent up or down at this point.

The statue is interesting but I have a feeling Gabriel might have commissioned the damn thing himself, one wonders how much time he spent in Edinburgh prior to meeting up with Beelzebub.

I think the cross may have been an accident? But it may be something else I remain open minded.

It was important to Aziraphale as I imagine many places he spent time with Crowley were. But also I think he went there to see if he could get anymore clues about Gabriel bc of the statue and decided to call Crowley when he saw someone who might let him borrow his phone, (well were absolutely going to let him borrow the phone let's be honest.) because he was about to pop and needed to tell Crowley about what he found out.

I wouldn't want to stare at a statue all night if I could be sitting comfortably in a pub either. And could look at the real thing in comfort. Plus if my bf took me to a statue of himself and said he would come and spend hours looking at it, the ick factor would make me want to leave ASAP as well out of second hand embarrassment. 😏

The cemetery of Edinburgh

Just a thought I had while rewatching s2e3. It has been suggested before that the cemetery in Edinburgh is special, and I agree. Also I believe that because it's so special it's being watched. But not only in the present. It has been watched for years and maybe centuries.

In the minisode we see two guards showing up after the trip gun fires. These are sent somewhere very deep underground by Crowley. Maybe even as deep as Crowley goes himself after Hell has found out what he's done for Elspeth?

Next thing we see is Aziraphale meeting two men at exactly the same spot, and they seem to have appeared literally out of nowhere. Two very suspicious looking men with at least one obvious demon association ('no regerts'). What I think is they could be the same men from 1827. Were they demons then? Did they become demons when Crowley sent them to Hell? I've no idea.

I wish we knew more about the cemetery. Unfortunately most of what I have is speculation.

it's masonic

it has a lot of celtic crosses (popular in the XIX century)

it is guarded (?)

it is guarded by demons (?). I mean, who else would be lurking in a cemetery in a series written by Neil Gaiman? I'm sure they are demons.

it has the weirdest statue made by someone who seems to know what actual archangel Gabriel looks like.

and the cross of the statue appears not to be a constant feature

this place is important enough for Aziraphale to visit while in Edinburgh, and also important enough to call Crowley from.

during the 'date' with Gabriel Beelzebub seem to be eager to leave the cemetery asap

There is a line in Belle&Sebastian's song Act of the Apostle II that goes: Oh, if I could make sense of it all! - it has been playing in my head ever since I watched GO s2.

[chaoslynx]

hey, I'd like your input on a certain question I have pertaining to a hypothetical alternate ending of banana fish (the one where ash survives his stab wound). if you're not sure how to answer, that's completely fine, but I've seen so many people in the fandom claim so many different things about what would have happened if he survived, and I'm searching for a solid opinion.

I think the majority of the fandom can collectively agree that ash didn't need to die in order to heal from his trauma. I've see a lot of idiots say that even if ash lived, he would never heal or escape his past trauma, and so dying was the best outcome for his circumstances, which I'm sure the majority of us with more than 1 active braincell knows that's utter dog shit, and that survivors can heal no matter how big of a wound they may need treated.

however, I've seen people say that dying was his best option, NOT because he wouldn't have healed from his trauma, but because he wouldn't have the chance to heal considering the fact that he'd always be hunted down by his enemies. I've also seen people claim that even if he moved countries, he'd always be in constant danger because people would never stop looking for him. that he, as well as eiji, would have to live in fear and would never find peace due to the enemies ash has made during his lifetime.

I'm not sure what to think of this. I believe he'd be able to fake his death, borrow a new identity, and fake a passport to get on that damn plane headed to Japan. some have said that he wouldn't be able to due to his criminal record and so he'd never be allowed on a plane, which I also believe is dog shit. if that blond can scam millions of dollars out of and buy a condo right across from his #1 enemy without being caught, he can fucking travel. it's absurd how part of the fandom STILL underestimates his abilities, considering that he's shown time and time again of how capable and intelligent he truly is.

If you're able to answer, I'd like your opinion. we've established that survivors are able to heal no matter how big the baggage, but do you think he'd get the chance to heal, or would he always be on the run? would he forever be preoccupied with running from his enemies, or do you think his enemies would die trying to find him? I personally think that since his #1 enemy, D*no, is charred to a crisp, that he'd be somewhat safe from the rest. I don't think they'd even find him in an entirely different country in an entirely different continent.

but what do I know, honestly? maybe Yoshida confirmed that even if he did survive, he'd still be on the run until he died. I know she's said that murderers didn't deserve happy endings (bullshit, considering the circumstances that ash was in), but I'm not sure if she's clarified whether he would be on the run if he did hypothetically live. what do you think? no pressure :)

First of all, I'm a big fan of ignoring things Yoshida said.

I'm glad we agree that trauma survivors can heal! Also a big fan of that. Not gonna discuss that more here since we're already on the same page 💖

Before I get into whether or not Ash could ever escape from his enemies, I'd like to establish something about myself and my beliefs. I, personally, think that living is always going to be the better option. I am not going to be taking this question as a "could Ash have escaped his enemies, or is it good that he died?" That's not the problem here. The question I'll respond to below is "could Ash have escaped his enemies, or would he have always been on the run?"

This is an important distinction, because the first question implies that some lives just aren't worth living. I think your intentions here were good, so please don't take this as an attack on you in any way! But I'm not a fan of "living in fear [or living any other way] is worse than death" for a number of reasons. For one thing, dying is permanent. Once you die, there's never a chance of it getting better. It's literally a permanent solution to what often has the potential to be a temporary problem.

Also, any sort of "death is better" logic is a very slippery slope to be walking. If death is better than living in fear, is it also better than living with a permanent disability? With a chronic illness? At what point is it bad but still worth living through? Will Ash, on some level, always be living in fear due to what's likely post-traumatic stress disorder? Healing is obviously possible, but healing means learning how to cope better with a history of trauma, not getting rid of it.

So we're essentially asking the same question that we've already established the answer to: Is it better to live than to die? And, uh, yeah. Yeah, it is.

So anyway, moving onto the question I believe you were intending to ask: Would Ash have been able to escape his enemies?

Yeah. He would have.

For one thing, most of the people who actually gave a shit were already dead. Sure, the Corsican Foundation still existed, but most of them probably didn't think much of Ash besides him being Dino's favorite. There were those who saw Ash's mind in action during that month he spent with Dino during canon, but without Dino there, they have no reason to want Ash dead. Same with the ones who wanted Ash dead before the National Health Institute arc, if they weren't already dead themselves by the end of canon (like Kippard).

If Ash weren't going after them, I don't see why any of them would go after Ash.

Yut-Lung arguably had more enemies than Ash did by the end of canon, which was even Blanca's excuse for agreeing to work for him, but I don't see anyone arguing that Yue should have died. (I believe that he was canonically killed by one of his enemies at some point after Garden of Light, but does that mean that those 7+ years of freedom that he lived were pointless just because they came to an end?)

As far as traveling, yeah, Ash absolutely would have been able to fake an identity if he needed to. Like you said, he's done worse, and it's not like he doesn't have the connections for it. Although ...

I don't know if I've ever fully explained it in a fic or on here, but here's how I usually write post-canon.

Ash and Eiji stay in NYC. We know that moving back to the States and staying there is possible for Eiji, because ... it's what he does in canon after Ash's death. It's mentioned in GoL that Eiji moved back before he even healed completely from his gunshot wound, and that he got his Permanent Resident Card five years later.

As far as Ash, as much as a fucking pain in the ass it would be for him, I usually write him as actually testifying in court against ... fucking everyone. He gets help with this from Max, of course, and also from Jessica (who leaked Max's investigation, including the evidence they obtained from Frog, to the media in episode 23). In return for his testimony, he's granted total witness immunity for his crimes. ((Keep in mind that I know nothing about legal processes and how this would actually work in real life, but for fanfiction purposes that's how I choose to write it.))

So basically: Fuck Yoshida. Fuck death. Live your best life. YOLO.

[blackquillchillin]

Honestly both games mishandle Nick, espchally aa5. In aa6 he does serve a purpose, it makes sense for him to visit Maya, and it doesn't make sense for Apollo to up and head there for no reason. Nick agreeing to defend Albi even knowing he could die is a very nick thing to do. I dunno if it makes as much sense post-benix, but still. So aa6 can keep him i guess, especially as we shift to Apollo later (as we should) but either make it so they can't reach Nick to tell him (no service cause mountains and/or he's in a sewer) or have him come back for trucy. I also liked magical turnabout quite a bit, but from a father daughter perspective it made no sense. Have Nick head back and then follow Apollo into the latter story.

Aa5 though, really screws up. Man has no reason to be there. He hired Athena, sure, but based on his dialogue he knows nothing about Simon, so shouldn't be that invested in the case. Hell, man shouldn't even be a lawyer again, because the game isn't about him. Getting his badge back is major, and shouldn't be handwaved. Aa5 wants to have 3 major playable characters, but does justice to none of them. The only reason to have Nick show up at the end is so they can be like "wow Nick's back!" There's no reason for him to get involved up until Apollo is injured, and even then not in a legal capacity. And yeah, sure, Edgeworth asked him, but other then a vague "he knew Simon was innocent" we don't know why. And how the hell would Edgeworth know that anyway? And if that's true, why didn't Nick know Simon was on death row until the day before his execution? Wouldn't Edgeworth have told him about the time limit on helping this man?

...I do want Nick to get his badge back. But shoehorning him in to the last case leads to such awful characterization (Trucy) and serves no real purpose! Why can't Apollo defend Athena? Why was Athena even accused, if the phantom is as cold and calculating as they claim? Why not just...kill her?

This games writing is a mess, which is very frustrating because it has a lot of threads that could have been great, but uses none of them well.

You want Nick to show up in aa5? Fine. Have Athena go to him for help with the Simon issue. Edgeworth has at most reason to believe Simon might not have bombed anyone, so he wouldn't be trying to get the man cleared. Or, have Apollo go talk to him, about his doubts, his fears. Have him be a mentor figure, not a main character. Have him freak when Trucy is kidnapped, and have him contact Edgeworth, not just randomly have him show up. Set Nick up to get his badge back either in a touching post game scene, or the next game, but let this game not focus on him. Do either of the other lawyers justice by giving them time, please.

Thinking about Phoenix and Trucy’s dynamic in aa5 and aa6 because of a post I reblogged recently (idk if I should link it or not) and man it really is something that majorly pisses me off. Warning this is gonna get pretty anti aa5/aa6. And rambly I am too lazy to properly format and structure this

TLDR Phoenix would be a good father based on his character and how his fatherhood is shown in aa4 but aa5 and aa6 write it incredibly badly

First there’s the kidnapping in 5-5. You could feel they were trying to recreate 2-4 with this case by having someone close to Phoenix get kidnapped to force him to be at a trial and the killer being an assassin. It’s just… not nearly as good. For many reasons but this is about Phoenix and Trucy. One of the reasons farewell my turnabout works so well is that the tension and suspense around Maya’s kidnapping is written incredibly well. The whole cast is constantly worried, especially Phoenix. He’s in an instant panic when he hears Maya’s been kidnapped, and it’s constant at the forefront of his mind. It’s one of the reasons the case works so well at being anxiety-inducing, you can really feel Phoenix’s fear and anxiety through the entirety of it. He always has thoughts related to Maya and how worried he is, he finds different sources of help (Gumshoe, Edgeworth) to ensure her safety, the entire REASON he goes along with being Engarde’s lawyer at all is because he can’t fathom the idea of Maya getting hurt. When the reunite at the end of the case, he screams her name and cries and the game actually portrays his damn relief

With Trucy ? He has some dialogue when it happens that is basically just “oh no”, then does the trial without even thinking on it again. No blue dialogue nothing. There’s that one moment where Aura threatens to kill her and he does the most empty fucking “nooo don’t hurt her” I’ve ever seen a father do, and that’s kind of it. Then the trial continues like nothing happened and he once again forgets about it, pretty much. And when she comes back at the end of the case, there’s no crying or yelling or anything, just a bland “Trucy are you okay”. The contrast between the two kidnappings is insane

Then there’s the magical turnabout in aa6 and ohh boy it doesn’t get better. I actually like the magical turnabout, idk if that’s unpopular or not, because I found the gameplay and the case fun and I liked what it did for Apollo and Trucy’s relationship. But oh my god do I hate what it does for Phoenix and Trucy’s relationship. Again.

There are some brief frantic phone calls with Apollo at the start and end of the trial and that’s literally it ? I know why they couldn’t have Phoenix just fly back to Japanifornia because of the Khura’in gameplay and all that, but then make the magical turnabout a case in a different game where Phoenix isn’t in another country. The reasoning for him not flying back is that he wouldn’t make it to the first trial day, but it’s not like that’s a problem for Phoenix ? I know “taking a plane the second you hear someone’s in danger” is Edgeworth’s thing but let’s be real Phoenix definitely would be that guy too if he was out of the country regularly and had money. There’s no way he would hear his daughter is getting accused of murder and he would go “well plane tickets are expensive. I can phone her when the trial’s over”. Plus at that point Trucy is 17 ? It really shocked me while I was playing that he only learned about her arrest from the news or something, because I was thinking shouldn’t he have been immediately contacted by the police, seeing as he’s her legal guardian and she’s a minor ? The ace attorney universe doesn’t seem to have laws like minors being tried differently (looking at you Machi Tobaye), but still Jesus Christ.

And this isn’t me arguing Phoenix is a bad father who doesn’t care for Trucy, this is me arguing the writing of aa5 and aa6 is abysmal. How he treats Trucy in those games is completely different than how he treats her in aa4. In aa4, he’s definitely not a perfect father, but you can tell he cares so, so much about her. She’s literally “his light”. One can argue one of the reasons he was willing to forge the ace was because he couldn’t afford to go to prison when he had Trucy to take care of. He states that “he’s the only one who knows how she really feels”, showing how attentive he is to her emotional state (because god knows Trucy isn’t open about her real feelings) and that Trucy trusts him. In short, you can tell he’s a caring and loving father.

I think the problem with how his fatherhood is written in aa5/aa6 is that they didn’t really have time to flesh it out because of how much is always happening in those games (which is a whole other problem of its own), so they elected to give him stereotypical father things. So he shows basic (really basic) worry when she’s in a bad situation, then the game goes “alright we showed he gives a bit of a shit back to the game”. There are also some lines, like the one where Athena makes a joke about Trucy’s diary talking about crushes and Apollo saying if that were the case Phoenix would burst into tears, that kinda just feel like “haha yeah that’s what dads do right ?”. To me it felt like those games didn’t want to focus on them at all but couldn’t ignore that yknow. they’re father and daughter. and so tacked on some lines without really focusing on if it’s in character or not, without making changes to the plot itself to make it less ooc.

[12timetraveler]

What Colter Almost Stole

Chapter 53 of Campfire Stories

Hosea/f!reader

Having successfully escaped Blackwater, the gang is forced to hide up in Colter. But the harsh weather is not good for Hosea Matthews and his chronic respiratory issues.

"Bring him in here," Hosea's voice cut through the howling wind. His lantern lit the way through the blinding snow as Bill and Arthur carried Davy into the old, worn down house. Abigail and some of the others followed. You saw Hosea poke his head out of the cabin, looking for you. You didn't miss the relief that passed over his face when he saw you trudging through the snow, Jack on your hip. You kicked the snow off your boots, as futile as the attempt may have been, before stepping into the cabin. Tilly reached out and you passed Jack off to her, knowing that you and Hosea would be getting to work and someone else would need to mind Jack.

"Davy's dead." Abigail called out sadly. You reached for Hosea, and found his hand already reaching for you. He gave your hand a quick squeeze, which you returned. Oh Davy. Davy, Mac and Sean were the only reasons you'd made it off that ferry and out of Blackwater. Sean and Mac were missing. And now Davy lay dead on a desk in the middle of this old school house.

"What are we going to do? We need supplies?" Hosea asked Dutch, all business. There would be time to grieve later, once everyone was safe. Dutch gave Hosea a knowing look.

"Well first of all," Dutch replied. "You are gonna stay here and get yourself warm." You all knew Hosea wasn't in the best health, and you could see this weather was starting to wear on him already. You were grateful Dutch wasn't trying to send him out in this. You squeezed Hosea's hand again, leaning your body against his, silently begging him to do as Dutch said. Perhaps the fact that he didn't protest was almost more concerning. He just didn't even seem to have the energy to argue.

Arthur came up alongside you, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you in this cramped cabin. You were grateful for it, to be honest. Being packed like sardines in this cabin was helping defrost your frozen limbs.

"Now I sent John and Micah out scouting ahead. Arthur and I are gonna ride out and see if we can find one of them." Dutch continued.

"In this?" Arthur asked.

"Just for a short bit. I don't see what other choice we have." Dutch said. Hosea gave Arthur a look, the one he always gave when Arthur was being difficult. The kind of look that a father gave their unruly son.

"Listen. Listen to me, all of you, for a moment." Dutch began, addressing the rest of the gang. You tuned him out as he began another one of his speeches. You respected Dutch. But you had never known a man who could say so much, and mean so little. You'd stopped listening to his grand speeches long ago.

You glanced up at Hosea, who was watching Dutch. But he squeezed your hand once more, acknowledging you while still keeping up the pretense of listening.

"Stay. Strong. Stay with me. We ain't done yet!" Dutch ended his speech. "Come on, Arthur."

With a quick farewell pat on Hosea's back, Arthur followed Dutch out into the freezing cold once more.

"Alright," Susan said, down to business, "we got some work to do."

"We'll go check the other cabins." Hosea volunteered. You nodded in agreement. "See which ones are usable so we can get everyone settled."

"Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Matthews," Susan said, bobbing her head at you. You and Hosea weren't married. Likely never would make it official in front of god. But to the rest of camp, for all intents and purposes, you were his wife. Calling you Mrs. Matthews had started as a sort of joke, but now you weren't sure anyone even remembered your legal last name.

Hosea tightened his grip on your hand, and after you nodded that you were ready, the two of you stepped out into the snow.

Charles was just approaching the cabin as you closed the door behind you. You clutched Hosea tightly, bracing against the snow.

"You two need any help?" Charles asked.

"You go rest that hand, Charles," you replied before Hosea could say anything.

"Your hand? Let me see?" He asked, reaching out for Charles' hand. Charles reluctantly allowed Hosea to examine his hand. You knew the former lone wolf hated when people fussed over him. That's exactly why you weren't going to let him overdo it and permanently damage his hand. You'd forced him to let you wrap it for him on your way up the mountain.

"Nothing serious. Just a stupid mistake." Charles grumbled.

"Be that as it may, we need you strong as soon as possible. Go inside and warm up. You've done enough for us already." Hosea said. Charles didn't argue. He respected Hosea too much.

Once Charles went inside, you and Hosea began trudging across the snowy road to the first building across the way. The door swung open easily. It was small, but had a number of bunks.

"The boys can stay in here." Hosea mused. You nodded in agreement. They wouldn't like it. And someone would likely be leaving this mountain with a black eye. But the school house would likely be for the women, and the softer men like Uncle and Swanson and Strauss. The younger men, Javier, Lenny, Bill, Micah, Charles, they could all manage in here.

Just from glancing around the little town, you knew most of the buildings were unusable. There was only one left, and knowing the hierarchy of the gang, it would be for Dutch and Molly, Arthur, and possibly Hosea and yourself.

"So what happened on that ferry?" Hosea asked as the two of you stepped out into the storm and began trudging to the next building.

"I'm not completely sure." You said. "I wasn't with the main group. But one minute everything was fine. The next it was chaos. Lawmen and Pinkerton's all swarming the ferry." You paused. "I didn't see it but... Davy said Dutch killed someone. An innocent."

"He did?" Hosea asked, brow furrowing in concern. You both stopped your conversation as you hit a patch of ice, both of you scrambling to stay on your feet. You and Hosea had both grown up in mountain towns. But it had been years since either of you had experienced a storm like this. It seemed you'd lost your snow legs.

You braced yourself against the building and pulled Hosea along with you, pausing to regain your balance before the two of you stepped into the cabin. The door swung shut behind you, and Hosea lifted his lantern. Two bedrooms and a main living room. Yes this would definitely be where Dutch, Hosea, Arthur stayed. You and Molly would be here as well due to your relationships.

Hosea stepped towards the fireplace and began working on starting a fire while you opened drawers and cabinets, looking for any provisions that may be in the cabin. You tried to take your mind off it all, to push away the guilt you felt.

"Are you alright?" Hosea's voice cut through the silence, you turned to see him crossing the room toward you, backed by the glow of the fireplace. "I haven't been able to check on you. We're your hurt during all that?" He asked. You nodded slowly. Without Hosea having to ask, you unbuttoned your coat and slipped your left arm out of your sleeve, rolling up your shirt to reveal your hastily bandaged arm.

Hosea took it gently and began looking it over. It wasn't anything serious. Just a graze.

"It would have been worse if it weren't for Davy." You murmured. Hosea hummed, but didn't say anything, calmly examining your arm and letting you speak on your own terms.