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renegadewangs · 3 years ago

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Van Zieks - the Examination, part 5

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

It’s time to return to the first game for case 5, The Unspeakable Story!

Episode 5: The Unspeakable Story – Part 1

Prepare yourselves, this is a big one! So big, even, that I'm going to have to split it into two parts. Fortunately, we can skip over the entire Investigation segment, because virtually none of it is relevant to Van Zieks. In fact, we don't even learn Van Zieks is the prosecutor until we enter the courtroom and see him standing there. Somehow, no one thought to ask who Ryu would be facing. What we do learn during the Investigation is confirmation that McGilded was indeed a lying scumbag who murdered Thrice-fired Mason. He asked Gina to lie for him in a court of law, too. So indeed, Ryu backed the wrong horse in The Runaway Room and Van Zieks was right to suspect the defense of deceit. He was wrong in how he worded half his arguments, though.

An extra thing worth noting is that after the conversation in which the blood is found on Gina's coat and the truth of McGilded comes out, it's revealed that Gregson was hiding nearby in the shadows. He insists he didn't eavesdrop and only just walked in, but it's implied much later in the trial that he knew about the blood on the coat. This means that Gregson is, from this point on, holding the full knowledge that McGilded was McGuilty in the omnibus murder.

So into the courtroom we go, where it is shown we're facing Van Zieks. (And nobody is surprised, because who else would it have been? Auchi?) It is now two months after the Runaway Room and the two Clouded Kokoro cases, so immediately upon starting the trial, the judge basically asks Van Zieks whether he's gone insane- in his own words, that is. First he asks how many years it's been since Van Zieks retired, to which Van Zieks replies that it's been five. The judge notes that Van Zieks resurfaced rather suddenly two months ago, (then basically handled three cases in a single week,) and showed up again today.

HAH. I love how on the nose this judge is when it comes to dissing the prosecution. He goes on to state that Van Zieks used to deal exclusively in matters concerned with 'the highest echelons of society and government', yet today he's trying 'a simple case of burglary and murder'. We already learned this from Gregson in case 1-4, but it's nice to have it repeated again.

Van Zieks replies that there's two things he cannot abide: “Wealthy scoundrels who hide behind a mask of philanthropy-” (hi McGilded!) and... “Secondly- even more loathsome... Those wily scoundrels who masquerade as allies only to effect total betrayal in the final hour.”

So that settles it then. He's specifically taken on his three most recent cases because there were Japanese people involved. He's also outright admitting that which Ryu had already guessed: Van Zieks hates Japanese people and going by his wording (“betrayal”, etc.) he has some bad experiences. Ryu wonders whether that 'torrid look of hatred' in Van Zieks's eyes is directed at him or at all Japanese people. Frankly, I think that in a subconscious sense, it's neither. The way I see it, that torrid look of hatred is directed at a man who died ten years ago. But I'll get back to this when it's time to address the backstory. The judge finds that an “alarmingly scathing explanation”, but welcomes the Reaper of the Bailey back to court all the same.

I love the implication that Van Zieks can apparently just come and go as he pleases in terms of prosecuting. Retirement can just be upturned on a whim and he's allowed to choose any case he wants. Who even is keeping him informed on which cases are happening and who the defense is? Is there a Chief Prosecutor in play we don't know about or is Stronghart slipping notes into his letterbox? Or has Van Zieks been entering the prosecutor's office every day for the past two months, demanding to hear news of 'that Nipponese attorney'?

So anyway, Van Zieks lays out the opening statement, pours himself a glass of wine, accuses Ryu of jumping to conclusions and reveals that he has witnesses. Remember when he threw aside his cloak halfway into 1-3 and it was seen as a big deal? … Yeah. It's not much anymore, now. He gets rid of it before the first witnesses have even taken the stand. The guys called forth are literal criminals who happened to break into the scene of the crime and, according to Van Zieks, “will face trial in the very near future” for their “various trespasses”. Alright, so he's acknowledging he's called forth some sketchy witnesses, but considers the murder itself far more sinister than their burglary.

Ryu manages to prove the taller Skulkin brother fired a gun at the crime scene and in doing so, struck poor innocent (S)Holmes. (Ryu presents a picture of a blood-stained calendar with a bullet in it to prove this, yet ten minutes later, he'll present the exact same picture and the entire court will act as if they'd never seen it before. Awkwaaard.) Van Zieks pours himself another glass of wine, toasts to Ryu's incompetence and later has another micro-aggression:

Scumbag points! And also possibly hilarious foreshadowing if he's referring to either Asogi Sr. or Mikotoba here. Though it's hard to say how well acquainted Van Zieks was with (S)Holmes and his partner roughly 16 to 10 years ago. Anyway, Van Zieks flings another chalice and basically admits that he already knew these two criminals gunned down (S)Holmes, but made a deal with them not to get into that. Though technically, Ryu was the one who got into it by proving it in court, so Van Zieks didn't break any unscrupulous deals. And maybe he was even expecting Ryu to do so? Maybe that's why he was pushing Ryu to present evidence? Either way, Van Zieks now owes 'his Nipponese friend' a word of gratitude, since he helpfully confirmed the two brothers couldn't possibly have shot the victim. Only one bullet was fired from their pistol, after all, and if it hit (S)Holmes it couldn't possibly have killed Windibank.

Van Zieks proceeds to “take a moment to consider the aforementioned Great Detective, Mr. Sholmes” (KEEP THIS LINE IN MIND), and brings up the security cameras (S)Holmes planted at the pawnshop so that he can present a picture of the defendant waving a pistol at the victim. Why didn't he present this evidence immediately instead of asking two shady burglars to testify? Who even knows, man. He's being erratic, just as the judge said. The jurors have seen enough and vote guilty, so it's time for a Summation Examination! Van Zieks poured himself another glass of wine before Ryu even asserted his right to that, because he knew it was coming. He has to stand in silence and so he will drink.

(Juror No 1, aka Mr. Garrideb, proceeds to piss me off by oggling the maid juror. I thought the whole point of this character was that his wife misunderstood and jumped to conclusions; that she's been punishing him wrongfully since he does indeed love her and will stand by her side no matter what, but apparently not.) Some tomfoolery later, we require the prosecution's help to prove stereoscopes are just as cool as wireless telegraphy.

I honestly think it's hilarious that he's meant to stay silent but has broken that rule several times, so now we're taunting him by asking him a direct question during the Examination. So after it's been proven the two criminals moved some stuff around inside the pawnshop, four jurors vote not-guilty and the trial continues. The two witnesses get called back to the stand and---

… Okay. So he definitely is against perjury. He seems to hate it, even. He apparently keeps giving them the evil eye as they testify, intimidating Ringo into telling the truth. But I just can't shake the memory of him feeding a lie to Shamspeare in Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro. Also, the game very much caught me off guard during this testimony when I presented a piece of evidence which wasn't correct, but instead of leading to a penalty led me to a unique set of dialogue not found when presenting other wrong evidence. That is to say, I presented a picture of Gina holding the sole gun to disprove the testimony that both she and Windibank were wielding guns, which led to:

Isn't that what we often do in these games? Van Zieks clearly hasn't been paying attention. Anyway, the judge points out that so long as I couldn't prove that Gina was still holding the only gun some time later, when Windibank was shot, the evidence wasn't relevant. So I had to present the picture of Windibank's body (not holding a gun) instead. Ryu manages to point out through that picture that the Skulkin brothers were lying and-

OKAY OKAY. I GET IT. Van Zieks hates perjury with a burning passion and Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro messed up. The trial continues on to the point where Ryu manages to suggest that the Skulkin brothers shot Windibank and Gina then locked the door to save herself. At first Van Zieks is shocked at the notion, but after Ryu details his logic, he just puts his hands down on the desk and chuckles.

This is the first time we see something close to laughter from him, and it's not even really laughter. It's just a malicious, bitter little noise. In fact, we've never seen him smile. He's not even smiling now, as he cackles. That's a stark contrast from other prosecutors, who all smile/smirk as they gloat. Barok's facial expression barely changes at all. Are they building up to something? Anyway, the judge wonders why Van Zieks finds this amusing, as he found the argument quite persuasive himself. Van Zieks pours himself another glass of wine and says:

“But such blatantly malicious conjuring tricks amount to nothing more than inexcusable pettifoggery here. Because you see, it contains a fatal flaw!”

Scumbag points! He then proceeds to imply all the members of the jury are too dimwitted to count (as he flings his chalice). Bullets, that is. There were two bullets found at the crime scene and there were two guns recovered, each having fired one bullet. So if the Skulkin brothers had shot (S)Holmes, they couldn't possibly have shot Windibank as well.

Bye wine bottle, rip person sitting behind him. Van Zieks proceeds to slander Gina for being “far from a law-abiding citizen” and having “a past riddled with criminal misconduct”. To further illustrate his point, he presents a piece of evidence that the defendant attempted to steal the day beforehand, not with the subtlety of a pickpocket but by brute force and brazen impudence. Gregson loses it at this point, shouting out a loud “Hold it!” before losing his nerve and stammering his way through his protest. He mentions that there was a meeting with the prosecution service where it was agreed that piece of evidence wouldn't be used. Ryu is baffled and thinks this:

And now I'm baffled as well, because thinking back on it... Yes, Gregson has talked about Van Zieks before in Investigation segments and has been called in to testify, but as far as I can recall, he hasn't ever addressed Van Zieks directly. Fascinating stuff. Van Zieks says he's unaware of this meeting- probably because he found out Ryu's defending later on and snatched this case up at the last second. Perhaps even took it from the originally-assigned prosecutor with brute force and brazen impudence. Gregson insists that 'the government bigwigs' were very insistent about not using the disc as evidence, to which Van Zieks says:

Good gracious, Van Zieks is a loose cannon! … Or wait, maybe he's a reckless renegade? Or is he perhaps a prosecutor on the edge with nothing to lose? (Alright, put on a pot of coffee- we're gonna get to the bottom of this!) ...Either way, the prosecution thinks it's sufficiently made its case by establishing motive, opportunity and baseness of character.

OY! I thought you don't read third-rate detective stories! But Iris specifically wrote that line into existence, so he must have. Me thinks we've got a closet Adventures of (S)Herlock (S)Holmes fan on our hands, here. The jury buys into his slander, votes guilty, Iris accuses him of being mean and Ryu enters Summation Examination mode a second time.

Oh he knows what he's in for. He knows. Several minutes of talking about bullets later, the topic of (S)Holmes's waist pouch is brought up and Iris wonders whether perhaps the bullet hit one of the glass vials with flammable content. Van Zieks suddenly speaks up with an “If I may...”, catching the startled attention of Ryu in particular.

“I should inform the defence that I have the pouch in question in the antechamber outside the courtroom. As I understand it, when the police arrived on the scene and found Mr Sholmes injured, they removed the pouch in order to assess the wound. Since then, it has been in my safekeeping along with all other evidence relating to the case. I can personally vouch for the fact that it has not been touched since the incident occurred.”

This whole plotline cracks me up with how little sense it makes, considering the position of this pouch on (S)Holmes's outfit. But I'm not here to criticize plot-convenience of evidence, so let's move on and look at what's actually happening here. The defense is discussing possibilities with the jurors in hopes of changing their minds towards a not-guilty and instead of keeping silent, as he's supposed to during this moment, Van Zieks actively speaks up to admit he has a piece of evidence which may be of assistance. It's entirely possible that the pouch would have all three vials intact and thereby dismiss the theory that the bullet hit one of them, but... Regardless of whether he remembers seeing a broken vial with his own eyes, he's taking a risk by showing the pouch. He could've played by the Summation Examination rules, kept his mouth shut and then later when it comes out he had the pouch all along, just remind everyone he wasn't allowed to speak. That's what most prosecutors would've done. Naturally, it's revealed there was indeed a broken vial and some scorched leather, and even closer examination reveals a third bullet we can present to the jurors.

Scumbag point! So with all the confusion on the third bullet and the implication of there being a third gun, the judge does something pretty extraordinary. He doesn't wait for the jurors to change their leaning and instead actually suspends the Summation Examination until the matter is cleared up. This implies any judge has the power to overrule juror leanings, at the very least during Summation Examination, when they feel the case presented by the counsels is lacking important details. Anyway, closing argument on hold for now and the Skulkins return to the stand. Barok looks them straight in the eyes with his usual evil eye and asks them whether the third gun is one of theirs. When that's denied, he asks whether they had an accomplice, which is also denied. And it's kind of funny, because only a few minutes later when Ryu implies they had an accomplice, we get this line:

“Yet in all that time, there has been not a murmur of a third man. If this apparently wraithlike being exists...” pause for chalice crush... “The court must be shown hard evidence!”

But Van Zieks was the one who questioned the Skulkins about an accomplice earlier, so... Indeed, we don't have evidence, but the murmur was definitely already there. So now the prosecution wants two things: evidence there was a third person on the scene and their identity. The game prompts two options: Either present an answer to the prosecution's demands or, y'know, don't. Naturally I chose the latter option to see what happens and it goes about as well as you'd expect. Ryu stutters and trails off, Van Zieks notes the defense is unable to complete a sentence, let alone provide credible answers... Iris takes the place of Susato in telling Ryu off for faltering, so Ryu desperately tries to catch himself and push his argument. Van Zieks says: “So, my Nipponese friend, despite the swimming eyes you seem to think you have something to say...”

PENALTY FROM THE PROSECUTION, oh how I've missed you. Loading up the savegame and choosing the first option actually also leads to the exact same line of “so, my Nipponese friend, despite the swimming eyes you seem to think you have something to say...”, just with a slightly different posture and followed up with the words “this promises to be interesting.” Ryu presents the blood sample on the calendar once more and as I said before, the court acts as if they've never seen this picture before. Hilarious. Van Zieks asks why the blood is depicted as green and Ryu explains it's because of a new chemical (S)Holmes invented. The green blood is then linked to Eggert Benedict through the music disc. The court gets very excited, but much like the skin prints in case 2-2, this isn't admissible evidence. Van Zieks says “this has gone on long enough now. This flagrant ignorance of the mechanics of law.”

“The protagonist in a series of short stories for the vulgar classes. A god of detection or some such. And now you employ chemical substances devised by this fantastical persona in the highest court in the land? Do you expect us to take you seriously? The samples made by this plaything are not fit to be called evidence.”

These lines! I had a quick look at both Scarlet Study's and Taisa's scripts, and there Van Zieks outright accuses (S)Holmes of being a fictional character. He doesn't actually diss the stories themselves though, nor is there anything similar to that plaything line. He only says the chemical itself is 'rubbish'. What ultimately kills me is the “Yes, I’ve heard the name” as if this is the first time it’s being uttered in the courtroom. Let's be merciful here and take case 2-2 out of the equation. Yes, (S)Holmes is mentioned several times there, they establish the two have some sort of history and he even enters the courtroom at one point to address Van Zieks directly, but that case was developed after this one so accidental retcon is bound to happen. No, let's look solely at the cases in the first game. (S)Holmes has been mentioned several times throughout the course of this trial, even by Van Zieks himself. Even better, Van Zieks was the one to present photographs taken by one of (S)Holmes's playthings earlier on. OOPS.

Ryu enters despair mode because there really is no way to prove that the color green is unique to Eggert Benedict, nor would it be accepted as evidence to begin with. But that's okay, because much like the skin prints in 2-2, it was never about having it filed as official evidence. It was about influencing the jury and as Iris so smartly points out, the Summation Examination was suspended earlier. This means that technically, it's still going on. It doesn't matter what the prosecution or the judge thinks of (S)Holmes's invention, it only matters what the jurors think, as they now have the power to force the trial to continue. Naturally, the majority votes not-guilty. Van Zieks objects rather ferociously. “My lord, with all due respect, this is an outrage! The prosecution refuses to accept this decision!” (heehee, I really enjoy these lines. With all due respect, indeed.) The judge asks on what grounds the prosecution is objecting, and Van Zieks says:

“Then they are too ignorant to be trusted with the judgement of anyone's guilt!”

Gosh, he really doesn't enjoy how 'gullible' the jurors are, does he? Or rather, he gets frustrated when the jurors begin to think for themselves instead of taking the prosecution's word for it. The judge sets Van Zieks straight by basically reminding him that this is how the court works.

It is so satisfying to watch him squirm. Van Zieks wants us to play by the court's rules, so we're playing by the court's rules and now he's got no more comebacks. This is it folks, we're subpoena-ing Egg Benedict! He does indeed show up to court after a brief intermission and reveals his true name to be Ashley Graydon. Graydon expresses haughty dismay that the highest court of the land was swayed by some self-professed detective's homemade tincture. Van Zieks tells him it was the will of the jury, and their great British justice system demands that the jury's will is upheld. Graydon calls the jury members inept, as Van Zieks has done many times before, but agrees to testify. Ryu attempts to needle this guy several times by asserting he was definitely at the crime scene, but indeed, the blood sample doesn't count as evidence and Ryu doesn't really have anything else to back him up. Van Zieks oh-so-kindly reminds him that the obligation to prove the defense's assertion lies with, well, the defense. Eventually we do get there and Graydon starts making up some bullshit story about how he met McGilded in a gentlemen's club and bonded with him over unique music box music, so that's what that disc was. Van Zieks points out that Yard have indeed been gathering items believed to have been McGilded's property, presumably to aid their investigations. Gregson once again loses his composure here and tries to shut the conversation down.

Gregson and Van Zieks continue to banter back and forth about how Gregson is definitely not allowed to talk about these things and Van Zieks should also know better than to pry. Even Ryu thinks it's strange the two of them are bickering like that. Anyway, we're not allowed to discuss the McGilded stuff, so back to Graydon and his breaking and entering! Van Zieks asserts that if the police confiscated the disc beforehand and Graydon saw this happen, there was no reason for him to break into the pawnshop anymore.

Oooh, that's some tasty triumph over Van Zieks's ignorance! Ryu brings up the second item pawned by McGilded, a 'small box'. Van Zieks insists that no such thing was stolen from the pawnshop and he can prove it, since he has a picture of the shelves from before the break-in and one from after the break-in. You know, the pictures taken by that idiot detective's silly little plaything! Through the magic of stereoscopes (or the 3D Slider in the 3DS version), Ryu can see that a small box was moved.

It's absolutely hilarious that most of the court has to go cross-eyed to do the stereoscope thing and then there's Van Zieks, with a fancy stereoscope device that he just happened to have with him in a trial he couldn't possibly predict would require a stereoscope. He's so extra! Ryu asserts that if the box was moved, they have to raise the question of what was inside it and send the Yard to retrieve that thing at once. Van Zieks objects, saying that “some little box belonging to a man who died two months ago can't possibly be relevant to this trial.” The judge doesn't see it his way, though, and overrules his objection. Nice! So officers are dispatched to Baker Street to fetch the box and Van Zieks grumbles to himself about being hoodwinked by a farce.

The judge once again doesn't take kindly to Van Zieks's attitude problems and I love this. I can't wait for the prosecution to be penalized, because it feels like it's right around the corner here. Van Zieks elaborates that this whole thing is nothing but a smoke screen; a Nipponese specialty. Scumbag points for this one! I can't entirely connect this to Professor foreshadowing, I think it's just him being petty. Either way, he's going to jump through hoops now. Mere minutes ago he established that the Yard is still investigating McGilded's stuff and the 'aftermath' of his activities, but he's flipping it all over now. He begins to talk about how McGilded died two months ago, immediately after the trial in which he was found not-guilty.

“So I propose a toast. To my learned friend, and his most... insightful defense.”

So the logic being used here now is that McGilded was a fine, upstanding citizen and anything he pawned was truly innocent/ordinary, so why would someone want to steal it? The only way to prove that there's more to these items than might be apparent would be for Ryu to reveal that the acquittal was a mistake and the defense's argument was based on false information. They all suspected this two months ago, though. It was made abundantly clear that the only reason McGilded walked free was because nobody could say for certain whether the evidence was tampered with. Either way, Ryu's cornered now and wondering to himself whether Van Zieks knows the items in question are related to the omnibus murder. He probably does. He has access to the evidence, which means he has access to to the pawn tickets which hold some very specific dates on them.

The game gives Ryu an option whether or not to have Gina testify about what happened two months ago, but this option isn't real. If you choose 'leave it', Ryu still decides within two lines of dialogue that they have to uncover the truth. There's no penalty for stalling. So Ryu calls for Gina to testify and Van Zieks definitely knows what's up.

“In particular, the impact it will have on the accused's standing... And indeed your own.”

So this is a warning, clear and simple. Van Zieks knows shit will hit the fan. Or, as he later phrases it, it will bring the court down around Ryu's ears. But Ryu insists upon the testimony, the prosecution agrees and Gina is put on the stand. The judge tells Graydon he can step down, Graydon promptly sees this as an excuse to leave and bids them all a good day, but Van Zieks tells him to wait.

Oh, this... I like this. By now, Van Zieks has caught on to Ryu's little trick of watching the reactions from other witnesses during testimonies. He's purposely making Graydon stand there and listen to Gina's testimony just in case he reacts in such an overdramatic way, Ryu can pursue it. Iiinteresting! Now it seems as if he's on our side, but we're not quite there yet. Before Gina can begin her testimony, Van Zieks reminds her that if it turns out she willfully withheld information two months ago, she'll be prosecuted for perjury. That's just an intimidation technique to get her not to reveal what she withheld. … Which is weird, because you'd think Van Zieks would want her to spill those beans. Either way, with some encouragement from Ryu and Iris, Gina begins to talk about the lies she told. Aaand we're ending the essay here for now, because we're only about halfway into this disaster of a trial and the plot will only thicken from here on out. Stay tuned for part 2 of The Unspeakable Story!

#dgs #dgs spoilers #tgaa #tgaa spoilers #barok van zieks #thank goodness #the consistency is back #BLESS

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askaceattorney · 4 years ago

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Dear Asexual-Deesasters,

Mod Edgeworth:

If you want to know the answer to that question, go to this link.

Dear Skibot99,

Co-Mod: I’m fairly certain it was The Mod, but I don’t know for sure. He actually had another one before it, made from an old Ace Attorney musical animation. I haven’t been able to locate that video, unfortunately, but here’s the old banner:

Ah... Those were good days. Good days.

Dear Dawsongfg,

Co-Mod: It’s fine. Besides, it won’t be too long before those letters are accepted, so maybe we’ll hold onto them until that time.

Dear skibot99 again,

Mod Edgeworth: The Lost Turnabout hands down. All logic is thrown out the window the moment Phoenix had amnesia. It’s clear the Judge knew something was wrong with Phoenix, so why didn’t he call for a recess or check on Phoenix? Not to mention Wellington was annoying. He’s probably the only character I would be hesitant to play as when answering letters, if only because he was so unbearable.

As for Turnabout Ablaze, I do agree that it is a drag to get through in the end, though the entire game of AAI was boring, aside from the game mechanics. As a case by itself, I wouldn’t put it as my least favorite, if only because I did get some funny parts out of it. It also contributed to the overall story, whereas The Lost Turnabout could just be taken out and it wouldn’t effect the overarching plot.

Co-Mod: I’d probably have to go with Turnabout Big Top. I honestly couldn’t figure out the part where you have to present Max’s poster without consulting a walkthrough. Why couldn’t we just present Max himself? Besides that, the ending was largely underwhelming -- the murder weapon was hidden under Acro’s blanket the entire time, but instead of seeing a screenshot of it there, we just have to imagine it. Maybe it was a filler case, but that was no excuse for it to end so poorly.�� Not to mention one of the witnesses was a literal puppet.

It’s hard truth, Trilo. Live with it.

Dear skibot99 and Anonymous,

Mod Edgeworth: I… think I heard from her when the localization of DGS was announced? I know Mod Kristoph and Mod Maya introduced themselves when I came into the group. There’s a third person, but I only heard from her once. As for what’s going on with her… I don’t know.

As for the flooding the inbox, it’s fine. I won’t promise a letter or two won’t be deleted, but we may make an exception and I’d hardly consider 4-5 different letters flooding the inbox. However, I do highly suggest lowering your letter sending to no more than three a day to prevent deletion of your letters. The only time I’d say your letters are flooding the inbox is when you’re sending 10-20 of them, especially of the same letter, and we have to scroll down for a while to get to the next letter. We will only choose three out of that pile and delete the rest.

And yes, we do have a few that send us 10-20 of the same letter to multiple characters in the span of five minutes. Geez.

Co-Mod: Mod Paups has had to remain absent for personal reasons, and sadly, has recently communicated to me that she wishes to leave the blog entirely. Thanks for all you’ve contributed to this blog, Mod Paups, and best of luck in whatever you do next!

(Referenced Letter)

Dear mungeondaster,

Mod Edgeworth: Since I answered this one, I shall answer your letter.

(^ Why do I always use this sprite? ^) Actually, the localization never specified if Manfred Von Karma was born in Germany or not. In fact, we never knew the German part until Justice For All when Franziska Von Karma was stated to have flown all the way from Germany. It never specifies any reason for this and fans were quick to jump to the conclusion that it means the Von Karma family were German, which… isn’t entirely true? Manfred Von Karma never said he lived in Germany and, for all we know, Franziska could’ve lived in Germany to study law or something.

Now, the OG does give us more specific detail on this, being why I answered this the way I did. In the OG, both Von Karma’s were born Japanese, but lived in America or at least have an estate there. It specified that they were originally born in Japan, which would be translated to LA, California in the localization. While using the OG canon isn’t normal here, I will use it, if the localization doesn’t specify things. In this case, it never specified if the Von Karma’s were born in Germany or if Manfred Von Karma lived in America. Since he had to wait out the Statue of Limitations for DL-6, we can assume he lived in LA for 15 years or more. That means he’s American.

I am still getting the hang of writing letters, but I try to stick to canon as much as possible. If you believe we’ve made an error in our letters, feel free to let us know, but also show proof, if we go against canon. We’ll be sure the letter is sent to the right mod or else fix it.

Dear Bluedragoncody,

Mod Edgeworth: I... don’t know how to feel about that.

Also, I accidentally deleted your previous letter before this one when trying to post it on here. I’m so sorry about that. If you could remember it, would you send it again?

Co-Mod: I’ll just respond to this with an old classic:

Dear Aceattorneyismyjam,

Mod Edgeworth: I-I’m not a pro! I accidentally deleted an important mod question from bluedragoncody, because of my inexperience. Oof! Again, so sorry!

Granted, I am good with digital art and writing essays, but I’m still trying to get the hang of being a mod here. Believe me, I do get corrected on several mistakes I do here. I can’t really call myself a pro just yet. I’ve only just started becoming a mod here last month lol

Dear Dahlia,

Mod Edgeworth: I thank you for your support of this blog and my essay. Manfred Von Karma is also my favorite villain and someone I do feel is underestimated as a one dimensional villain. I think people hate him so much, because of how he ruined Miles Edgeworth’s life without looking at the bigger picture. They focus on the bad things with their black colored glasses without dissecting Manfred Von Karma’s character as a whole.

One thing I love about this blog, even before becoming a mod, is that no one here ever portrayed Manfred Von Karma as the one dimensional villain. He can be snappy at times, but as proven in many of our previous letters, he’s also portrayed as being calm when threatened, polite at times and absolutely loves his wife and children. Yes, he’s a terrible person, but that’s what makes him so interesting. He’s a bad, evil person that does good things from time to time. It doesn’t justify any of his horrible deeds, murder included, but it does make him human.

Co-Mod: I’m...going to assume you’re a different Dahlia. (I’m grabbing a Magatama of Parting just in case, though. I’m sure you can understand.)

Anyway, thanks for being such a loyal follower! This blog’s been through a lot of changes since it began, and since I joined it back in 2017, so I’m glad it’s still a good source of enjoyment for you. I’ve seen all sorts of cringe by now, by the way (some of which I wrote myself), so don’t worry about it.

I’m also glad that the characters still sound like themselves and not like us. The hilarious personalities and quirks given to them by Capcom’s writers, as well as the humanity in so many of them, make them easy to relate to, and thus fairly easy to mimic. I may have said something like this before, but I see myself in a lot of them -- in Athena’s fear of inadequacy, in Apollo’s desire for justice in a world where it’s hard to find, in Sebastian’s confusion about where to go next after his world falls apart, and possibly even in the von Karmas’ desire for perfection. I of course identify with their positive feelings as well -- Phoenix’s smugness when he gets things right, Athena’s joy after pulling off a victory in court, Adrian’s pride after her self-confidence is restored, etc. -- but there’s something about the struggles they face that make them easier to relate to, on top of being that much more awesome in the end.

Unfortunately, I can’t promise anything about this blog continuing on in perpetuity. For one thing, I don’t plan on being around forever (I’m fairly certain the other Mods don’t, either), and for that matter, there’s also no telling how long Tumblr will be around. All I can promise is that I’ll give my best while I’m here, and that the love from you and everyone else who shares it here is sure to be what keeps us going. Thank you for your contribution!

Dear TurqouiseJavelin,

Mod Edgeworth: Hm... not bad ideas. Though, we mods choose our own mod names under the condition that it doesn’t match anyone else’s mod name.

Co-Mod: What Mod Edgeworth said. Choosing the name “Mod Athena” may or may not increase your chances of being hired, though. *wink, wink*

Dear Anonymous,

Mod Edgeworth: Actually, Gregory was stated in the Autopsy to have died by a gunshot. However, you do bring up something interesting. If Gregory Edgeworth realized he was dead and last remembered Robert Hammond strangling him, he wouldn’t think “I died by the shot of a gun.” Since the Detectives weren’t aware that victim had died unconscious, they’d assume the victim would recall being shot and killed. This makes me wonder if Gregory Edgeworth was channeled, but never brought to court to be cross-examined.

There are still holes, but I do like your aspect on DL-6.

Co-Mod: Dang... No matter how many times you come back to this game, there’s always something new to think about. I honestly hadn’t considered those details about Yanni Yogi’s trial. Your explanation makes the most sense to me, but there’s one other possibility regarding Gregory’s testimony -- he may have chosen to lie about who murdered him in order to protect his son from a murder charge. That’s all open to interpretation, of course, so your guess is as good as ours.

It’s a good thing we’re not actual defense attorneys, huh?

-The Mods

#asexual deesasters #skibot99 #dawsongfg #mungeondaster #bluedragoncody #aceattorneyismyjam #young and vain #Anonymous #Mod Post #Mod Edgeworth #Co Mod

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arcaneranger · 5 years ago

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Final Thoughts - 2019 Long Shows

Dear Lord. This is where all the good shows went.

2019 was absolutely awful on a season-by-season basis (except for Summer, anyway), but that’s mostly because most of the best shows ran longer than what has become the industry norm of a single season. And indeed, heading into the new decade, we seem to be seeing a major renaissance for two- or split-cour shows, given the massive success seen by shows like My Hero Academia, Food Wars, and Haikyuu!!..particularly in comparison to the new perpetual-runners Black Clover (which, despite running for over two straight years now, is still not the most popular show of Fall 2017 by viewer count on MAL, and sits at a ‘meh’ 7.2), and even worse, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which is faring even worse on both counts even though it premiered two whole seasons earlier and the fact that it is the sequel to Naruto.

As a reminder of my rules, the shows on this list may or may not have premiered in 2019, but they finished airing this year. The split-cour rule (stating that I judge any show that “finishes” and then premieres a “new season” within six months) didn’t come into play for any 2018 shows, but it will for Ascendance of a Bookworm and Food Wars this year, at the very least.

With that being said! 25 shows running longer than thirteen episodes finished airing this year after being simulcast, and of those…

I skipped 6:

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part V: Golden Wind, Fairy Tail Final Series, A Certain Magical Index III, Ace Attorney Season 2 and Cardfight Vanguard (2018) because I either dropped or have not finished their previous (also long-running) seasons.

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS because the simulcast started late and also it was bad.

I Dropped 8:

Worst Long Show of 2019: The Rising of the Shield Hero

It’s always fun to see that a show you hated from its first episode only gets more and more distasteful afterwards, but it’s less fun when a service you have to promote because they’re the legal option is forced to shove it down your throat because they had a hand in making it and it became a massive hit that your friends don’t see any issue with because the author wrote a story that justifies its hero’s patronage of the slave industry. This is my punishment for watching the whole first season of The Asterisk War before I knew better.

YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world

A confusing mess from the word go, this ill-fated adaptation of a visual novel from the nineties seems like it was mostly made to cash in on the popularity of the Science Adventure series, but failed to present itself in a way that made an ounce of sense or looked remotely interesting.

Fairy Gone

Am I really the only one that saw potential here? I mean yes, it ended up a boring slog that didn’t care to move its plot in a meaningful direction, but the first episode was at least cool. I guess Izetta: The Last Witch should have taught me better.

We Never Learn

I know that I’m in the minority in terms of the male demographic for shows like this, but honestly, how are bland harem shows still this easy to market? A copy-pasted protagonist with copy-pasted waifus drag down what could be an interesting setup for a story.

Karakuri Circus

The first episode of this one had me excited, the second and third left me bored to tears and wondering if it would continue to look uglier by the minute. I haven’t seen a three-cour show look this janky since Knight in the Area.

Radiant

Having heard good things about this show from my cohorts, I do feel bad for saying I’ll probably never return to Radiant, but when you have a show that’s notably written by a European author...and it turns out to be a frustratingly standard shounen affair with middling production values, well, you can see my earlier annoyance with Cannon Busters.

Ensemble Stars

This one still gets to me. It almost looked like a male-idol show I would finally be able to get behind, what with its rebellious attitude and oddball setting...that is, until the setting got to be too unbelievable and the show began drowning its audience in side-characters because they had to squeeze every husbando from the mobile game into the story, and it all began to resemble UtaPri a little too much...but without the production value.

Boogiepop and Others

This was a hard drop, honestly. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I felt four episodes in, before concluding that I was bored and not particularly invested, two things that should never describe the experience of watching a Madhouse show. The fact that this was the project responsible for ruining One Punch Man only made it worse. There’s a slow burn, and then there’s walking away without turning the stove on.

And I Finished 11 (holy crap that’s like three hundred episodes just on their own).

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime (5/10 & 1/10)

I’ll be honest, I had forgotten just how livid I was with the ending (and especially the sad excuse of a recap episode) of Slimesekai, and reading back through my write-up of it, it’s certainly coming back to me. While this year had bigger demons to fight (Shield Hero), the bad taste that Slime left me with hasn’t really faded, and the wasted premise bugs me to this day.

Hinomaru Sumo (7/10)

What Hinomaru lacked in production value, it happily made up for in good execution and earnest heart. I can’t believe this came from the same studio as Conception, Try Knights and 7Seeds, but if they can only get out one good show a year, I’m glad that we got one bringing attention to a sport that many will joke about but few understand, respect and appreciate.

Kono Oto Tomare (7/10)

Speaking of giving love to traditional Japanese culture, here’s a decent-if-unoriginal show about a local high school koto club down on their luck, and the troubled teens coming together under a scrappy protagonist to bring it back to life. Kono Oto Tomare doesn’t have much that you haven’t seen before, but a decently-executed club drama with Your Lie In April-inspired musical performances is more than enough to keep me interested, and since Forest of Piano kinda crashed and burned under the weight of its own self-importance this year, it was nice to have an alternative.

MIX: Meisei Story (8/10)

It’s hard to judge MIX next to the other shows on this list because it’s almost too old-school for its own good, revelling in an eighties storytelling style that didn’t end up jiving with a wide audience this year. But at the same time, its fun character dynamics (and a very good dub from Funimation, despite them saying they’d never touch sports anime again) were very entertaining to watch, even if it didn’t focus as much on the sport it was supposedly about as much as I’d have liked.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (8/10)

I fully admit that I’m very salty about the fact that this won Show of the Decade in Funimation’s poll while it was still on and I thought there were hundreds of more deserving shows, but I can’t deny that Demon Slayer was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that I had notable problems with. That’s not gonna stop me from getting mad when it sweeps the Anime Awards in a few weeks, though.

Fire Force (8/10)

I was very afraid that David Productions wouldn’t be able to match the energy of Studio Bones’ adaptation of Ohkubo’s previous work, Soul Eater, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Even if the last few episodes contained a bit too much infodumping, it was all sandwiched between jaw-dropping fight scenes that proved that the people who make Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure can still handle the reins of a more traditional action show.

Fruits Basket 1st Season (8/10)

I know that my score for this one is a bit lower than others, but I think that Fruits Basket did pretty well in its first season, considering that it was largely spent setting up future storylines and adapting the part of the manga we’d all seen before, but with much higher production value. I’ve been familiar with this part of the story for over a decade, and the scene with Tohru and Kyo (you know the one) still made me cry. Now, we get the real plot going.

Dr Stone (9/10)

A great start to a totally new spin on shounen, Dr Stone gives me hope for survival in the post-Shokugeki world in which we’ll soon live, as a show that wears its research on its sleeve. A complex plot weaving interesting characters in and out of a narrative surrounding a philosophical battle where both sides actually do have fair points (even if one of them is going about it in a pretty cruel manner). More please.

Vinland Saga (9/10)

Once again, a great start to what will hopefully be years of quality storytelling, Vinland Saga made it seem like it was dragging in the middle only to reveal just what its slow burn had been leading up to, with twist-heavy storytelling and a fantastic cast to match the high visual quality of its brutal battles.

Run With the Wind (9/10)

It’s not often that Production I.G. gets to make a complete, fully-realized show anymore, and this one was a glorious reminder of the potential of the studio in the TV space, and a great rebound for the director of Joker Game. It’s gorgeous to look at, the cast is wonderful, and the story is both realistic and idealistic in a satisfying balance. It’s a miserable process to get to the finish line in real life, but sitting back and watching this was nothing but a treat. At least, until a minor fumble at the end.

Best Long Show of 2019: Dororo (9/10)

Speaking of complete stories, Tezuka Productions and MAPPA teamed up for a breathtaking adaptation of an underappreciated Tezuka classic that expands upon the story in exactly the right way to create a thrilling, savage, beautiful masterpiece that focuses a laser-sharp eye into the relationship between two characters in their journey to, literally and figuratively, become complete people. Also, that opening was killer.

And that’s it! That’s the fun list. Next comes the painful one. Stay tuned for the trash heap.

#final thoughts #year end anime list #long 2019 #dororo #demon slayer #Fruits Basket #vinland saga #run with the wind #Dr Stone #rising of the shield hero #fire force #kono oto tomare!#mix meisei story #hinomaru sumo #hinomaru zumou #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #tensura

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thesteadydietofeverything · 5 years ago

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Top 10 Games of 2019

This was an extremely good year for games. I don’t know if I played as many that will stick with me as I did last year, but the ones on the bottom half of this list in particular constitute some of my favorite games of the decade, and probably all-time. If I’ve got a gaming-related resolution for next year, it’s to put my playtime into supporting even smaller indie devs. My absolute favorite experiences in games this year came from seemingly out of nowhere games from teams I’ve previously never heard of before. That said, there are some big games coming up in spring I doubt I’ll be able to keep myself away from. Some quick notes/shoutouts before I get started:

-The game I put maybe the most time into this year was Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. I finally made the plunge into neverending FF MMO content, and I’m as happy as I am overwhelmed. This was a big year for the game, between the release of the Shadowbringers expansion and the Nier: Automata raid, and it very well may have made it onto my list if I had managed to actually get to any of it. At the time of this writing, though, I’ve only just finished 2015’s Heavensward, so I’ve got...a long way to go.

-One quick shoutout to the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy that came out on Switch this year, a remaster of some DS classics I never played. An absolutely delightful visual novel series that I fell in love with throughout this year.

-I originally included a couple games currently in early access that I’ve enjoyed immensely. I removed them not because of arbitrary rules about what technically “came out” this year, but just to make room for some other games I liked, out of the assumption that I’ll still love these games in their 1.0 formats when they’re released next year to include them on my 2020 list. So shoutout to Hades, probably the best rogue-like/lite/whatever I’ve ever played, and Spin Rhythm XD, which reignited my love for rhythm games.

-Disco Elysium isn’t on this list, because I’ve played about an hour of it and haven’t yet been hooked by it. But I’ve heard enough about it to be convinced that it is 1000% a game for me and something I need to get to immediately. They shouted out Marx and Engels at the Game Awards! They look so cool! I want to be their friend! And hopefully, a few weeks from now, I’ll desperately want to redact this list to squeeze this game somewhere in here.

Alright, he’s the actual list:

10. Amid Evil

The 90’s FPS renaissance continues! As opposed to last year’s Dusk, a game I adored, this one takes its cues less from Quake and more from Heretic/Hexen, placing a greater emphasis on melee combat and magic-fuelled projectiles than more traditional weapons. Also, rather than that game’s intentionally ugly aesthetic, this one opts for graphics that at times feel lush, detailed, and pretty, while still probably mostly fitting the description of lo-fi. In fact, they just added RTX to the game, something I’m extremely curious to check out. This game continued to fuel my excitement about the possibilities of embracing out-of-style gameplay mechanics to discover new and fresh possibilities from a genre I’ve never been able to stop yearning for more of.

9. Ape Out

If this were a “coolest games” list, Ape Out would win it, easily. It’s a simple game whose mechanics don’t particularly evolve throughout the course of its handful of hours, but it leaves a hell of an impression with its minimalist cut-out graphics, stylish title cards, and percussive soundtrack. Smashing guards into each other and walls and causing them to shoot each other in a mad-dash for the exit is a fun as hell take on Hotline Miami-esque top down hyper violence, even if it’s a thin enough concept that it starts to feel a bit old before the end of the game.

8. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I had a lot of problems with this game, probably most stemming from just how damn long it is - I still haven’t finished my first, and likely only, playthrough. This length seems to have motivated the developers to make battles more simple and easy, and to be fair, I would get frustrated if I were getting stuck on individual battles if I couldn’t stop thinking about how much longer I have to go, but as it is, I’ve just found them to be mostly boring. This is particularly problematic for a game that seems to require you to play through it at least...three times to really get the full picture? I couldn’t help but admire everything this game got right, though, and that mostly comes down to building a massive cast of extremely well realized and likable characters whose complex relationships with each other and with the structures they pledge loyalty to fuels harrowing drama once the plot really sets into motion. There’s a reason no other game inspired such a deluge of memes and fan fiction and art into my Twitter feed this year. It’s an impressive feat to convince every player they’ve unquestionably picked the right house and defend their problem children till the bitter end. After the success of this game, I’d love to see what this team can do next with a narrower focus and a bigger budget.

7. Resident Evil 2

It’s been a long time since I played the original Resident Evil 2, but I still consider it to be one of my favorite games of all time. I was highly skeptical of this remake at first, holding my stubborn ground that changing the fixed camera to a RE4-style behind the back perspective would turn this game more into an action game and less of a survival horror game where feeling a lack of control is part of the experience. I was pleasantly surprised to find how much they were able to modernize this game while maintaining its original feel and atmosphere. The fumbly, drifting aim-down sights effectively sell the feeling of being a rookie scared out of your wits. Being chased by Mr. X is wildly anxiety-inducing. But even more surprisingly, perhaps the greatest upgrade this game received was its map, which does you the generous service of actually marking down automatically where puzzles and items are, which rooms you’ve yet to enter, which ones you’ve searched entirely, and which ones still have more to discover. Arguably, this disrupts the feeling of being lost in a labyrinthine space that the original inspired, but in practice, it’s a remarkably satisfying and addicting video game system to engage with.

6. Judgment

No big surprise here - Ryu ga Gotoku put out another Yakuza-style game set in Kamurocho, and once again, it’s sitting somewhere on my top 10. This time, they finally put Kazuma Kiryu’s story to bed and focused on a new protagonist, down on his luck lawyer-turned-detective Takayuki Yagami. The new direction doesn’t always pay off - the added mechanics of following and chasing suspects gets a bit tedious. The game makes up for it, though, by absolutely nailing a fun, engrossing J-Drama of a plot entirely divorced from the Yakuza lore. The narrative takes several head-spinning turns through its several dozen hours, and they all feel earned, with a fresh sense of focus. The side stories in this one do even more to make you feel connected to the community of Kamurocho by befriending people from across the neighborhood. I’d love to see this team take even bigger swings in the future - and from what I’ve seen from Yakuza 7, that seems exactly like what they’re doing - but even if this game shares maybe a bit too much DNA with its predecessors, it’s hard to complain when the writing and acting are this enjoyable.

5. Control

Control feels like the kind of game that almost never gets made anymore. It’s a AAA game that isn’t connected to any larger franchises and doesn’t demand your attention for longer than a dozen hours. It doesn’t shoehorn needless RPG or MMO mechanics into its third-person action game formula to hold your attention. It introduces a wildly clever idea, tells a concise story with it, and then its over. And there’s something so refreshing about all of that. The setting of The Oldest House has a lot to do with it. I think it stands toe-to-toe with Rapture or Black Mesa as an instantly iconic game world. Its aesthetic blend of paranormal horror and banal government bureaucracy gripped my inner X-Files fan instantly, and kept him satisfied not only with its central characters and mystery but with a generous bounty of redacted documents full of worldbuilding both spine-tingling and hilarious. More will undoubtedly come from this game, in the form of DLC and possibly even more, with the way it ties itself into other Remedy universes, and as much as I expect I will love it, the refreshing experience this base game offered me likely can’t be beat.

4. Anodyne 2

I awaited Sean Han Tani and Marina Kittaka’s new game more anxiously than almost any game that came out this year, despite never having played the first one, exclusively on my love for last year’s singular All Our Asias and the promise that this game would greatly expand on that one’s Saturn/PS1-esque early 3D graphics and personal, heartfelt storytelling. Not only was I not disappointed, I was regularly pleasantly surprised by the depth of narrative and themes the game navigates. This game takes the ‘legendary hero’ tropes of a Zelda game and flips them to tell a story about the importance of community and taking care of loved ones over duty to governments or organizations. The dungeons that similarly reflect a Link to the Past-era Zelda game reduce the maps to bite-sized, funny, clever designs that ask you to internalize unique mechanics that result in affecting conclusions. Plus, it’s gorgeously idiosyncratic in its blend of 3D and 2D environments and its pretty but off-kilter score. It’s hard to believe something this full and well realized came from two people.

3. Eliza

Eliza is a work of dystopian fiction so closely resembling the state of the world in 2019 it’s hard to even want to call it sci-fi. As a proxy for the Eliza app, you speak the words of an AI therapist that offers meager, generic suggestions as a catch-all for desperate people facing any number of the nightmares of our time. The first session you get is a man reckoning with the state the world is in - we’ve only got a few more years left to save ourselves from impending climate crisis, destructive development is rendering cities unlivable for anyone but the super-rich, and the people who hold all the power are just making it all worse. The only thing you offer to him is to use a meditation app and take some medication. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that this whole structure is much less about helping struggling people and more about mining personal data.

There’s much more to this story than the grim state of mental health under late capitalism, though. It’s revealed that Evelyn, the character you play as, has a much closer history with Eliza than initially evident. Throughout the game, she’ll reacquaint herself with old coworkers, including her two former bosses who have recently split and run different companies over their differing frightening visions for the future. The game offers a biting critique of the kind of tech company optimism that brings rich, eccentric men to believe they can solve the world’s problems within the hyper-capitalist structure they’ve thrived under, and how quickly this mindset gives way to techno-fascism. There’s also Evelyn’s former team member, Nora, who has quit the tech world in favor of being a DJ “activist,” and her current lead Rae, a compassionate person who genuinely believes in the power of Eliza to better people’s lives. The writing does an excellent job of justifying everyone’s points of view and highlighting the limits of their ideology without simplifying their sense of morality.

Why this game works so well isn’t just its willingness to stare in the face of uncomfortably relevant subject matter, but its ultimately empathetic message. It offers no simple solutions to the world’s problems, but also avoids falling into utter despair. Instead, it places measured but inspiring faith in the power of making small, meaningful impacts on the people around you, and simply trying to put some good into your world. It’s a game both terrifying and comforting in its frank conclusions.

2. Death Stranding

For a game as willfully dumb as this one often is - that, for example, insists on giving all of its characters with self-explanatory names long monologues about how they got that name - Death Stranding was one of the most thought provoking games I’ve played in a while. Outside of its indulgent, awkwardly paced narrative, the game offers plenty of reflection on the impact the internet has had on our lives. As Sam Porter Bridges, you’re hiking across a post-apocalyptic America, reconnecting isolated cities by delivering supplies, building infrastructure, and, probably most importantly, connecting them to the Chiral Network, an internet of sorts constructed of supernatural material of nebulous origin. Through this structure, the game offers surprisingly insightful commentary about the necessity for communication, cooperation, and genuine love and care within a community.

The lonely world you’re tasked to explore, and the way you’re given blips of encouragement within the solitude through the structures and “likes” you give and receive through the game’s asynchronous multiplayer system, offers some striking parallels for those of us particularly “online” people who feel simultaneous desperation for human contact and aversion to social pressures. I’ve heard the themes of this game described as “incoherent” due to the way it seems to view the internet both as a powerful tool to connect people and a means by which people become isolated and alienated, but are both of these statements not completely true to reality? The game simplifies some of its conclusions - Kojima seems particularly ignorant of America’s deep structural inequities and abuses that lead to a culture of isolation and alienation. And yet, the questions it asks are provocative enough that they compelled me to keep thinking about them far longer than the answers it offers.

Beyond the surprisingly rich thematic content, this game is mostly just a joy to play. Death Stranding builds kinetic drama out of the typically rote parts of games. Moving from point A to point B has become an increasingly tedious chore in the majority of AAA open world games, but this is a game built almost entirely out of moving from point A to point B, and it makes it thrilling. The simple act of walking down a hill while trying to balance a heavy load on your back and avoiding rocks and other obstacles fulfills the promise of the term ‘walking simulator’ in a far more interesting way than most games given that descriptor. The game consistently doles out new ways to navigate terrain, which peaked for me about two thirds of the way through the game when, after spending hours setting up a network of zip lines, a delivery offered me the opportunity to utilize the entire thing in a wildly satisfying journey from one end of the map to another. It was the gaming moment of the year.

1. Outer Wilds

The first time the sun exploded in my Outer Wilds playthrough, I was probably about to die anyway. I had fallen through a black hole, and had yet to figure out how to recover from that, so I was drifting listlessly through space with diminishing oxygen as the synths started to pick up and I watched the sun fall in on itself and then expand throughout the solar system as my vision went went. The moment gave me chills, not because I wasn’t already doomed anyway, but because I couldn’t help but think about my neighbors that I had left behind to explore space. I hadn’t known that mere minutes after I left the atmosphere the solar system would be obliterated, but I was at least able to watch as it happened. They probably had no idea what happened. Suddenly their lives and their planet and everything they had known were just...gone. And then I woke up, with the campfire burning in front of me, and everyone looking just as I had left it. And I became obsessed with figuring out how to stop that from happening again.

What surprised me is that every time the sun exploded, it never failed to produce those chills I felt the first time. This game is masterful in its art, sound, and music design that manages to produce feelings so intense from an aesthetic so quaint. Tracking down fellow explorers by following the sound of their harmonica or acoustic guitar. Exploring space in a rickety vessel held together by wood and tape. Translating logs of conversations of an ancient alien race and finding the subject matter of discussion to be about small interpersonal drama as often as it is revelatory secrets of the universe. All of the potentially twee aspects of the game are balanced out by an innate sense of danger and terror that comes from exploring space and strange worlds alone. At times, the game dips into pure horror, making other aspects of the presentation all the more charming by comparison. And then there’s the clockwork machinations of the 22-minute loop you explore within, rewarding exploration and experimentation with reveals that make you feel like a genius for figuring out the puzzle at the same time that you’re stunned by the divulgence of a new piece of information.

The last few hours of the game contained a couple puzzles so obfuscated that I had to consult a guide, which admittedly lessened the impact of those reveals, but it all led to one of the most equally devastating and satisfying endings I’ve experienced in a video game recently. I really can’t say enough good things about this game. It’s not only my favorite game this year, but easily one of my favorite games of the decade, and really, of all-time, when it comes down to it.

#outer wilds #death stranding #eliza #anodyne 2 #control #judgment #resident evil 2 #fire emblem: three houses #Ape Out #Amid Evil #games #video games #GOTY

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geejaysmith · 5 years ago

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Kat and I have amazing conversations sometimes and I felt they had to be shared. Also, alienfuckers, dad jokes, Maxwell’s alternative lifestyle and other headcanons, and Ace Attorney: Doug Eiffel edition. Full transcript under the cut.

Gill [Yesterday at 6:05 PM]: On an Unrelated topic: after the finale the crew remembers "OH YEAH, EIFFEL ACTUALLY HAD A FACE-TO-FACE CONVERSATION WITH ALIENS" and now in addition to all the other reasons to want him to Remember they're really freakin' curious to know how that went

Kat [Yesterday at 6:11 PM]: Minkowski: so what did they look like Eiffel: me (They do seem to like his body, they had a few models to choose from when talking to Cutter.)

Gill [Yesterday at 6:13 PM]: Eiffel, probably: at least the aliens think I'm cool I know what was meant by that but your phrasing made me think "In a shocking turn of events, it is the aliens who are attracted to the human." The aliens... are alienfuckers

Kat [Yesterday at 6:17 PM]: I don't think that's their jam but that WOULD be just his luck

Gill [Yesterday at 6:18 PM]: It is unlikely, but also: it would be hilarious

Kat [Yesterday at 6:21 PM]: the aliens keep sending me mental sexts and i crave death

Gill [Yesterday at 6:22 PM]: And lo another shitpost transforms into a fanfic concept, like a humble irradiated lizard becoming Godzilla: "would you fuck your clone?"

Kat [Yesterday at 6:28 PM]: leave him alone has the man not suffered enough

Gill [Yesterday at 6:28 PM]: No

Kat [Yesterday at 6:29 PM]: sigh

Gill [Yesterday at 6:29 PM]: Dance for my amusement, Douglas And also because I earnestly suspect that in the case of Eiffel and an interested alien-consciousness-in-the-form-of-a-Xerox-copy-of-him the answer would end up being "yes"

Kat [Yesterday at 6:34 PM]: idk i feel like it'd be more like "Oh what you spend two fucking years trying to drag us into the star because you can't be assed to make an appearance but you'll teleport across the galaxy for a booty call? Fuck you and I mean that figuratively" later sluts

Gill [Yesterday at 6:36 PM]: Bob is a bad datemate Is this entire train of thought brought on by the fact I still think of the person who expressed they shipped Bob/Eiffel in the tags of the "Take your double to Disneyland" post? Perhaps

Kat [Yesterday at 6:39 PM]: i don't know that you can have this at the same time as 'what if the aliens' bodies are still the people suppressed' without it getting Fucked Up but that's your perogative I guess as long as I don't have to hear about it family can't walk w me tonight so i need to hit the treadmill for a bit. ttyl

Gill [Yesterday at 6:41 PM]: See u in a bit! But ah yes, I hadn't thought of that til you brought it up Points at one explanation of Dear Listener manifestations for some ideas, points at a different explanation for ideas that would become unintentionally Pretty Fucked Up under the first explanation Although there is comedy potential to be found in Eiffel and Eiffel-2 having the "are we down with this" conversation In the /Justin McElroy voice, "someone just discovered they have ~the world's worst fetish~" sense

Kat [Yesterday at 7:33 PM]: a different terrible concept: eiffel with his pop culture references restored will likely be called upon to testify at the united nations

Gill [Yesterday at 7:37 PM]: O h g o d Ace Attorney: Doug Eiffel edition

Kat [Yesterday at 7:46 PM]: i mean they're gonna have to tell the world SOMEHOW and i'd think the international court would want to know and he's the one with the subconscious recall implanted sidenote if the DL can do that mental transfer could they have just... asked them to reupload whatever their most recent scan of eiffel was there are so many ways around this that's why it failed to get much of an emotional rxn from me

Gill [Yesterday at 7:47 PM]: Minkowski and Lovelace trying to get him to practice his testimony bc if they hit enough subconscious recall triggers they can at LEAST get thru an explanation of the aliens without Eiffel going off into a tangent Once they're off the Dear Listeners' script though all bets are off

Kat [Yesterday at 7:48 PM]: here's a list of preplanned questions your honor we're not responsible if you ask anything else

Gill [Yesterday at 7:51 PM]: Eiffel, maybe: now Goddard didn't send up us there to bring home any xenomorphs but let me tell you, with the Decima project? They might as WELL have let a facehugger get up close and personal with me The translators rapidly swapping notes on late 70's sci-of cinema because a handful of them actually know what he's talking about

Kat [Yesterday at 7:54 PM]: Minkowski headdesking behind him Eiffel English isn't most of these people's first languages

Gill [Yesterday at 7:57 PM]: The news cameras are all dead-focused on Eiffel. He's hit his stride and is picking up steam. "And it was right around the time I was coughing up my liquefied respiratory system that I thought to myself, gee, I'd MUCH rather get a face of alien wing-wong than deal with this!" Minkowski is off to the side. She is visibly restraining herself. No poker face in the world can hide how hard she is longing for death. Whether it is hers or Eiffel's is a subject of contentious debate.

Kat [Yesterday at 7:58 PM]: someone at an elementary school: hey Garcia, is that your dad

Gill [Yesterday at 8:01 PM]: Anne, who was four the last time she saw her father in person, gets one look at the man weaving an intricate Star Wars metaphor out of crimes against humanity and recognizes him instantly, but signs back "I have never seen this guy before in my life."

Kat [Yesterday at 8:04 PM]: good call kiddo

============

Gill [Yesterday at 8:10 PM]: Honestly I love the concept that no matter how much Eiffel may drive them up the wall sometimes the rest of the crew would meet Anne and immediately be ready to kill a man for her sake

Kat [Yesterday at 8:15 PM]: as far as we know he's the only crewmember with kids women in the military... it wouldn't be easy even if you wanted one, which idk if any of them did

Gill [Yesterday at 8:15 PM]: Wait wait, brainwave: it is actually AMAZING that Minkowski had no idea Eiffel had a child because... does he seem like the kind of guy. Who would ever resist a Dad Joke.

Kat [Yesterday at 8:15 PM]: haha fair

Gill [Yesterday at 8:16 PM]: Eiffel: Actually, I have amazing self-restraint when I choose to exercise it. (Various noises of disbelief.) Eiffel: have you ever heard me tell a dad joke? No? I rest my case

Kat [Yesterday at 8:21 PM]: biggest plot hole of the series more like it was too painful a memory but still

Gill [Yesterday at 8:22 PM]: If he ever patches that connection it'll open the floodgates

Kat [Yesterday at 8:26 PM]: He'll become the Maes Hughes of the gang, except with fewer war crimes

Gill [Yesterday at 8:27 PM]: ...has anyone on this crew done war crimes? SI-5 excepted of course, they have obviously done war crimes

Kat [Yesterday at 8:32 PM]: yeah SI5 is war crime central I'm not sure about some of the other stuff executing a prisoner? idk about Minkowski

Gill [Yesterday at 8:32 PM]: Also my thought

Kat [Yesterday at 8:32 PM]: she wasn't a formal pow though it was an ongoing engagement I don't know the rules

Gill [Yesterday at 8:32 PM]: Minkowski Has Done One (1) War Crime (Goddard Futuristics attempts to bring that against her in the court case only for Maxwell to stroll in like lol what's up gang)

Kat [Yesterday at 8:37 PM]: does Goddard in its current incarnation last long enough to sue anyone i mean i think you could sue them for attempted genocide

Gill [Yesterday at 8:38 PM]: Look I have had one semester of business law You were the one who almost went to law school Also re: other characters being parents, the only one I could see going kiiiinda either way on the subject is Lovelace and it wouldn't have been terribly high on her priority list prior to the Hephaestus mission I can see characters having the opinion that they could see Minkowski as a mom but she and her husband both strike me as understanding themselves and one another as being more career-oriented

Kat [Yesterday at 8:44 PM]: yeah if she wanted to rise in the ranks of the military... that would probably be a strike against her

Gill [Yesterday at 8:44 PM] And the implication she's got a Complex about her parents having both left promising careers to raise her Also, Lovelace: Well I always said I could see myself settling down someday, maybe have a family if I met the right person, but when I took the job with Goddard it was legally dubious whether I could actually do that- Eiffel: Because you're an alien? Eiffel: Eiffel: ...wait a sec

Kat [Yesterday at 8:54 PM]: ha It's ok to be gay in space

Gill [Yesterday at 8:56 PM]: Alternatively it's Hera who said that bc didn't connect those dots right away, meanwhile Eiffel saw Lovelace in a flannel shirt once and Knew Immediately Eiffel may be dumb but somehow his Bi-Fi has yet to fail him

Kat [Yesterday at 8:59 PM]: Hera doesn't grasp human sexuality nuances

Gill [Yesterday at 9:01 PM]: Funny addition to above thought: Eiffel put together that Jacobi was gay after like three days on the Urania, was the only one on the Hephaestus crew to do so, and just never felt it was relevant to bring up Hera, my child... you have much to learn (Also, Hera, probably: I'm experimenting at the moment, I'm looking for a torrent so I can download lesbianism)

Kat [Yesterday at 9:04 PM]: I don't know which option is funnier, that Jacobi is just Really Fucking Obvious but Eiffel was the only one paying attention or that it was super subtle and everyone's like How Did You Do That lovelace's righteous fury overwhelmed her gaydar, she was too mad to go 'same hat'

Gill [Yesterday at 9:07 PM]: Eiffel: I have something to confess to all of you... Jacobi: Eiffel literally not a single person on this ship is straight Eiffel: Oh I was just going to recount a PG version of my wild younger days, let's just say I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two.

Kat [Yesterday at 9:07 PM]: Jacobi on Earth: Just matched with myself on Grinder a-fucking-GAIN

Gill [Yesterday at 9:10 PM]: Jacobi: Oh I definitely picked up on it but who wants to go playing into stereotypes by speculating on what may or may not be a promiscuous history? Eiffel: Promiscuous? Look I've got notches in my belt but mostly I just ended up laying in somebody's bathtub at a house party while just conscious enough to nod along to someone else's relationship drama. Eiffel: to several sororities, I was the Gay Bathtub Wizard.

Kat [Yesterday at 9:11 PM]: Maxwell on day one of orientation: So if SI5 is paramilitary what's their stance on alternative lifestyles? Jacobi: I was recruited in a gay bar.

Gill [Yesterday at 9:12 PM]: Her asking the question has my brain going in several different directions

Kat [Yesterday at 9:13 PM]: I think she was recruited right after dadt was repealed... if obama exists in this universe fantasy obama

Gill [Yesterday at 9:15 PM]: One part of my brain: Maxwell is also gay Another part of my brain: Maxwell is exclusively attracted to nonhuman persons Yet another part of my brain, most adjacent to number #2: Maxwell voice, who in their right mind would build a robot that can't fuck? The 4th part of my brain: Maxwell wants to know how chill they'll be with her living exclusively off energy drinks and frozen yogurt for weeks at a time

Kat [Yesterday at 9:15 PM]: honestly I figured whatever it was it was MUCH weirder than just being gay

Gill [Yesterday at 9:15 PM]: Maxwell: I have plans to take over the world with my army of battle bots and rule as their robot queen.

Kat [Yesterday at 9:16 PM]: Maxwell: wait if you were recruited in a gay bar does that mean our boss frequents those or did he just go there to get you Jacobi: Believe me the question haunts me also Jacobi: sounds great i'm in

Gill [Yesterday at 9:16 PM]: Or, Maxwell: I am not joking for an instant when I say that I for one welcome our alien overlords "When I was 13 I tried to get myself abducted by aliens" except it's not a joke it's an actual minor headcanon of mine Also I almost typed "adopted" rather than "abducted" which shows you why Alana would probably want to do that

Kat [Yesterday at 9:19 PM]: she did say she's on bad terms with her family

Gill [Yesterday at 9:20 PM]: She grew up a pastor's kid in a tiny rural town in Montana, hearing that they don't get along is the furthest thing from a surprise to me. The surprise is that Maxwell has a restraining order against them

Kat [Yesterday at 9:21 PM]: tht implies the court found reasonable cause to issue one wack anyway i had a long day, i'm gonna call it a night

Gill [Yesterday at 9:21 PM]: o/ But yeah that Maxwell empathizes with nonhumans, apparently more than with most regular humans, that makes perfect sense to me I can see her frustration with the AI Ethics board in her last job Expressing Their Concerns and her suppressing flashbacks to many a Creationist rant, and trying to keep her eye from twitching visibly, and no I am not projecting I am just coloring in blank spaces in the narrative with my relevant life experience

#wolf 359 #conversations with kat #deliverusfromsburb

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bathunterofdevon · 5 years ago

Text

Update

So I might as well give some commentary on my cryptic last post. Basically, I have had to fly back to the UK immediately due to the coronavirus - cutting my Canada trip short. I have had a wonderful time living and working in Collingwood, Ontario, and I made plenty of good friends. But after getting laid off, due to the place closing down, and being unable to pay the rent, I was actually pretty lucky to get back here when I did. I have heard stories of family friends being stranded in many far away places unable to get back, due to airport closures. I am a little upset that I had to leave Canada - there was so much I wanted to do there. But in all honesty, working the minimum wage job I had, much though I enjoyed it, I never would have been in any position to do anything else beyond that point. It sure is expensive being an immigrant. When I came over to Canada, I have over £3,000 in life savings that I had stashed away. But in the very first month, I lost all of it; just by looking for a place to live. (This was when I was in Toronto). Toronto is a pretty expensive place to live. It's so expensive - I swear there is a tax on the oxygen you breathe over there. I worked a shitty job over there for the first three months, as a server... except, not quite. What I did was basically like serving food, except I only did menial tasks that that were beneath the main service staff, like cleaning tables, and the floor. I didn't even get to collect tip money. And three months later, I was suddenly fired for some minor indiscretion. I won't talk about it here, because I'm a little worried that if I tell you, you might not take my side. But basically, if you have a job in Canada (and I found this out the hard way) for the first three months, you are on a kind of probationary period. You can be terminated immediately during that time with no notice whatsoever. That devastated me more than a little, because I had never been fired before. It ate into my psyche and made me wonder if I would ever really amount to anything, and whether I would have to give up and fly back early. Fortunately, after that, it turned out that I had a contact, who was a friend of a friend of my mother, who worked further up north, in this little resort by the Blue Mountain Ski Range, in Collingwood, Ontario, who managed to get me a referral for working at the front desk over there. I did a FaceTime interview, and accepted the position. Working at the resort was wonderful. Not only did I get given accommodation, but I had staff lunches, and basically all of my immediate needs were seen to. Best of all, my staff accommodation was ten times better than the last place, where I lived. I had a room all to myself, with a desk and everything. I had the resources and time schedule I needed to work on my Youtube videos all the while I was having off time from working at the front desk. After 11 whole months, I finally finished Dirty Danganronpa, while out there and breathed a sigh of relief. That sure took a lot of energy out of me. I had some troublesome flatmates though. I say troublesome, because they were difficult and unreasonable at times. They could be really unreasonable when it came to cleaning the dishes... and I later discovered that they were not equally unreasonable when it was THEIR turn to clean up after themselves. While I was initially friendly towards them, in the months gone by, I was avoid them as much as possible, because it was tricky talking to them. It was for the best that we became isolated from each other. They were nice to me at times, and I was grateful for their company at times - but their moods were often unpredictable and transient, which made me feel unsafe and unsure as to whether I could trust them. The whole time, I reflected on my status as a foreigner, and how much more useful it would be if I had a skill of some kind, and if only I had finished my driving test before I came there. Thinking about my real life situation was enough to drive me into a deep despair and self-pitying fest that would leave me feeling too exhausted and miserable to produce anything. But it wasn't all bad. I still have some positive memories of that place. I did leave a good lasting impression with my employer. And while I did eventually lose my job, unlike last time this one was not my own fault. Everybody was getting laid off, left, right and centre. And the resort itself, incidentally has closed down indefinitely. It is astonishing how far-reaching the effects of the virus have proved. I never would have predicted this level of hysteria before - I'm old enough to remember the Bird Flu, the Swine Flu, the Zika Virus, and Ebola... all I remember of those, was nothing more than there being a huge media craze; even some Youtube stars talking about them, besides a couple hundred thousands of deaths too far away for any of us to know or care. But... this was different. To be honest, though it may sound heartless of me to say this, part of me is actually excited at all the chaos that's happening. The world is in full-blown panic mode. And now government and health ministers are advising everyone to self-isolate. I just want to let these government officials and everybody else know, that I had been self-isolating long before it was fashionable. Else I would not have found the time to make these. Anyway, the day finally came when we all heard the announcement - the owner of the resort was laying off virtually everyone in the housekeeping/maintenance/front desk department, and we were being faced with a choice - either I would have to work in a different (less glamorous) department, like maintenance, or cleaning, or I would choose voluntary redundancy, and claim unemployment benefits. For me, it was a no brainer. I don't have the brain, nor the mentality to do menial, repetitive tasks like painting, and cleaning. In spite of the fact that I have worked for years in MacDonalds, and in restaurants doing tasks like that. But considering everything that was going on, I had a chat with my Mum and Dad, and they insisted that I fly back home as quickly as possible. I was reluctant to do so at first. I didn't want to throw away everything for which I'd worked so hard to achieve. It was meaningful that I was living entirely by my own means, and providing for myself. I basically wasn't a kid anymore. And I didn't want to put an abrupt end to that. But then, everything changed. Dominic Raab (The UK Government's Foreign Secretary) basically told all Brits abroad to return home as soon as possible. By then, I figured I ought to get back as soon as possible, so that I didn't end up stranded with nowhere to live. Officially, the UK is under lockdown due to the virus. But honestly, based on what I've seen, it does not feel like we are under a lockdown at all. Most of the local shops down my road are still open. Even some of the restaurants are still open - except they only do takeouts instead. I have not seen any police roadblocks, nor checkpoints of any kind. In fact, I've seen quite a few people out cycling, walking their dogs, basically just life as normal. I have to wonder how they are going to enforce this lockdown, seeing as so many people are ignoring it? Not like I care either way. If we are officially under lockdown, then I have a better reason to stay indoors, and work more on my computer. :D Now, it is estimated that we will remain under lockdown for approximately 3 months - although I don't know the actual figure. Everybody fails at predicting the future. What am I going to do in that three months time? Well, the only thing I can do at this point. If there are things that my Canada trip have taught me, it's that I have a Creative disease. I have to find ways to satisfy my urges and channel my creative instincts effectively. One of those channels is through this - my Youtube Channel. But there are three others. Another one for me is voice acting. I've mentioned earlier that I have another account where I take part in voice acting, except I'm not sure if I'm ready to introduce you to my real voice and real self yet. The third one is music. Not a lot of you may know this, but I actually have a background in music. My grandmother on my mother's side was a concert pianist (Just like another girl we all know, hmmm?) I am also an alumnus of the Academy of Contemporary Music, in Guildford, Surrey, UK. There are three videos dated about 5-7 years ago on this channel which I had to make private, because they all feature me, singing and playing guitar in them. One of them is me playing a guitar cover of the Hollyoaks Theme Tune (God - what a loser I was. So desperate for validation I would actually cover the Hollyoaks Theme tune) I don't even like Hollyoaks. I hate it with a burning passion - like every other Godawful soap opera on British Television. In fact, TV in general is just so depression and despair inducing that I refuse to watch it. Anime/Video games and Music is my escape from all that. I despise pretty much anything that depicts the real world in a realistic life setting. But to give you an idea of what else I sometimes do in my time, there is an old video - 6 years old - of a remix I did of the Allegro Cross Examination theme tune for Ace Attorney, which I made on Garageband. I make quite a lot of music using Garageband. Music is actually an even bigger part of me, than Danganronpa is - well in any case, it goes back way further than my interest in Danganronpa, that's for certain. At some point, maybe when I reach a certain point in terms of how many subscribers I have, I would love to introduce you all to my real self. It would be a rewarding experience to have all of you get to know me, and all of my facets. ...Oh, and before we all forget:

Happy Kayay-day, everybody! Let's all give a show of appreciation to Best Girl, and wish her love and happiness in Heaven. Happy Birthday, Kaede Akamatsu. - Bat Hunter

#Kaede Akamatsu #Update #Bat Hunter #Happy Birthday #Covid-19 #UK #Canada #So I'm Back Home Now

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seasonal-brotp-prompts · 5 years ago

Note

Ghost Trick ;P Or Ace Attorney (Or both, both is good~)

I had to read this several times, go to bed, wake up, and read it again to realize that you were sending this for the ask meme I reblogged X”D I reblog those for you guys to use, but hey, I’ll bite ;) (Under a cut because it’s gonna be LONG)

My favorite parent-child relationship

Hmm... for Ghost Trick I guess I liked the Justice Minister and Amelie! Poor guy goes through so much stress :(

For AA it,, is DEFINITELY Apollo and Phoenix,,, listen Phoenix adopted Trucy and that makes him Apollo’s dad and you cannot tell me otherwise >:((( also Spirit of Justice was my first game so I’m biased

My favorite sibling relationship

There are no blood sibs in GT and I honestly classify most relationships as friendships or something else? But Missile and Sissel are sibling-ish, post-game at least. Missile is the dumb but sweet little brother who Sissel makes fun of but ONLY SISSEL CAN MAKE FUN OF HIM, IF ANYONE ELSE DOES IT THEY DIE AND DON’T GET BROUGHT BACK >:(

And for AA, Trucy and Apollo for sure!! Remember how SoJ was my first game? The scene where Dhurke unknowingly ships Trucy and Apollo, I literally said “huh, they feel more like siblings to me, dunno why tho”however as far as UNhealthy relationships go, I wish Capcom would hint more at Klavier’s presumed dark past with Kristoph because OUCH

My favorite family relationship (other)

SISSEL AND LYNNE SISSEL AND LYNNE SISSEL AND LYNNE, look there are no words in the English language to describe what I think their bond is like, they’re kinda siblings but kinda best friends but kinda partners in crime/crime-busting and I could go on for hours--

With AA, definitely Pearl and Maya’s cousinhood!!! I have a little cousin who reminds me so much of Pearl in how absolutely loving and devoted she is; listen if you don’t have a small child who thinks you’re the coolest person on earth then I pity you because it’s the biggest confidence booster and motivation to be a better person

My favorite friendship between two people

If I can’t do Sissel and Lynne again, I have to give some love to Missile and Kamila. Again, I don’t know if you could call what they have exactly a “friendship?” More of a master-servant relationship? But they are so good... Missile loves his Lady so much...

My favorite AA friendship is a tie between Phoenix & Edgeworth and Klavier & Apollo!! (Basic, I know.) But I honestly see them as such DIFFERENT dynamics so it’s basically impossible to compare the two? I write more for Apollo and Klavier, but that’s because 1) they’re my favs, character-wise and 2) there’s already at least SOME good platonic content for Phoenix and Edgeworth.

My favorite friendship between a group

Oh gosh this one is hard... but I love Sissel, Lynne, and Missile, particularly if/when they’re all dead together. There’s something intimate about a group that can only communicate amongst itself.

THE WRIGHT ANYTHING AGENCY... again, maybe I’m just biased because I played the second trilogy first, but I honestly love the Dual Destinies crew more than any teams in the OG trilogy! However, the dream team of Klavier, Ema, and Apollo will also always hold a special place in my heart ;-; (The WAA is basically the healthy happy family, whereas the dream team is three salty friends just letting themselves be dumb kids amongst a slew of murders and backstory angst)

My favorite mentorship

Cabenala and Lynne!! Cabenala is such a weird uncle type but he’s so good. Of course, there’s also Jowd... gee Lynne why does Tamuki let you have TWO mentors :’)

Apollo and Phoenix again, obviously, but ALSO Edgeworth and Sebastian!! Edgeworth makes fun of Phoenix for adopting all his employees but then turns around and takes Kay, Sebastian, John, and Klavier to Gatewater Land on a “business trip”

someday I will find a mentorship that doesn’t double as a parenthood but that day is not today

My favorite rivalry

ALSO SISSEL AND LYNNE... are you seeing a pattern...But seriously, how did Shu Tamuki fit that many relationships into one pairing, I am shooketh beyond compare... I screamed whenever they’d say stuff like “not a partnership, but let’s agree to ‘use each other’” like that is some BIG TIME SLOW BURN right there

(looks at the main defense attorneys & prosecutors aGAIN) ((sweats)) are you sEEing a pAttErN,,,Okay but for the sake of deviating a little, and also being more accurate to the textbook definition of a “rivalry,” Edgeworth and Lang are FANTASTIC. Lang’s overall distrust of the law, and Edgeworth growing so fully into the path that he’s chosen in life, are both written so excellently that when you throw them at each other the tension is already there like TWO CASES IN.

My favorite hatred/antipathy

Yomiel is such a cool character and the most scream-worthy villain reveal ever. So I gotta say, probably him and Cabenala, because when *THAT SCENE* happened I thought I’d never breathe again.

SHELLY DE KILLER AND DOGEN... MY WORD... I screamed sO LOUDLY when they faced off because I’d literally just predicted that one of those two characters would die and that scene felt like the nail in the coffin. Lawful evil characters are some of my problematic favorites, so two of them in one game (not to mention you-know-who) was enough to give me a heart attack.

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon

I don’t remember if Amelie and Kamila actually do talk in canon...? I think they mention being friends, at least? But in my heart they are already best friends with a rich girl-poor girl dichotomy and they like to play dolls and probably torment their pets with dress-up :’)

Klavier and Blackquill are such a good platonic rarepair, but I’m just happy that I’ve seen platonic content for them at all?? Especially since both characters are such ports in the AA fandom l”D But yeah, I think they’d have a great dynamic. Actually there are a lot of potential Klavier friendships (Athena, Sebastian, Edgeworth as a mentor) that canon will never give us bECAUSE KLAVIER IS CAPCOM’S LEAST FAVORITE CHILD >:”(

#not a prompt #read more #anon #WSSF speaks #WSSF answers #WSSF rambles

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chxrdsxfsteel · 5 years ago

Text

Narumitsu Week Day 1 - Beginnings

AAAA this is probably the first time I've formally managed to attempt participating in this stuff, mostly because I'm still a tiny bit inexperienced with writing

My theming of Day 1's prompt will be around Phoenix's letters to Edgeworth, spanning from December 2001 (immediately following DL-6 incident) to roughly August 2016 (including covering the day of The First Turnabout).

I'm gonna warn that there'll be spoilers for Gyakuten Kenji 2/Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: Prosecutor's Path, Ace Attorney (the original), and Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, as well as the Ace Attorney anime episodes Turnabout Promise and Sound the Turnabout Melody. Also, mentions of death, some minor violence and the usual crap discussed in the Ace Attorney series applies here, so read at your own risk.

December 29th, 2001

Dear Miles, I dunno what happened yesterday.. The power went out and Mom and I had to eat dinner with candles since the power stayed off all night. Mom said it was a 'quake, a really bad one. I went to school today and didn't see you, so I hope you're okay.. Uh, I'm gonna try to get this to your uncle Ray, so he can get this to you, like we usually do if your dad isn't around to take my letters to you after I send them in the mail. Come back to school, please!! -- Phoenix

---

December 31st, 2001

Dear Miles, ...I heard your dad's gone away.. When I got my first letter to Uncle Ray, he was crying and stuff. He kept saying your dad won't be coming back from the courthouse.. I had to redo this letter a few times after that, cuz I kept crying all over it. It.. I...

(The letter is smudged a little bit all over the words after that, making the contents a little harder to read on the already semi-terrible handwriting.)

Man, I cried all over this one too, but not as bad, so I guess I'll send it. I'm real glad you and Larry aren't here to laugh at me, but I'm also really missing you bad, Miles. I don't have a dad, either, so I really wish you'd come back and stay with me and Mom. Mom says she misses you too. Where did you go...? It really hurts not having you here.. I can't stop crying... I can't stop.. Please come back!! -- Phoenix

(There's a tiny scribbled P.S. on the edge of this letter. 'P.S.- Happy New Year's in advance, I guess')

---

January 2002

Dear Miles, I.. think the teacher said you moved. I'm writing this at recess, so.. it's not gonna be as good. It's gonna be longer, too.. sorta. I don't know where you moved, but.. It hurts that you did. It's all over the news that your dad got.. I think it said 'shot'. Is that why he's not coming back? Uh, never mind, don't answer that. Lots of stuff happened since you went away. Uncle Ray stopped coming to see me after I gave him my other letter, so I'm gonna try giving this one to the principal or Mr. Grossberg's to have them try to get it to you. I feel really.. empty. Especially since you didn't write back yet. (I hope I spelled that right.. I had to ask a teacher to help me spell that.) It kinda hurts coming to school every day since you're not there. I miss you telling Larry he's saying dumb stuff (cuz he does).. I miss you teaching me about law stuff. I miss you getting all the teacher's questions right and helping me read better. I really miss you. ..I wonder, if this is how it feels for you to miss your dad. Does Uncle Ray and Larry and Mom miss you this bad, too? -- Phoenix

(Again, the letter is riddled with the occasional tear stain, and the last couple of lines seem unusually shaky, as if the writer were starting to lose their resolve mid-sentence..)

---

May 2002

Dear Miles, It was raining today when graduation happened. All of us got really wet, but you know what? I made it, Miles! I'm not gonna be in elementary school anymore! I'm a middle schooler now! ..But now I'm gonna get a cold and I'm gonna be stuck in bed for a week. Stupid rain!! Oh well, at least I got almost all A's. I'm working really hard to get to college like you were saying! You said you wanted to go to college someday to be a lawyer, right? I'm gonna do that, too! I wanna find you so we can defend people together someday like your dad did! He'd want that, right? Oh yeah, Larry and I are also learning how to draw and stuff. I wanna draw really good too, like those people who draw court trials for a living. If I really end up not being able to be a lawyer, I can at least draw you in court doing stuff, right? Anyways, I'm REALLY hoping this dumb letter gets to you this time!! The last one got sent a little bit before you showed up to get your dog back in December, but I guess it's okay that you didn't answer it. It was really good to see you again, but I'm also really scared you'll get sad and lonely by yourself out there. I hope you can visit without running away this time, okay..? -- Sincerely, Phoenix Wright

(There's another P.S. at the bottom of the letter. 'P.S- You used to put 'sincerely' on your old letters before you said your name, so I'm gonna try it, too!')

---

Spring 2004

Dear Miles, Did you like my radio request..? It was the only way I could think of to get my message out there. I really hope you're still in California to even hear that, Miles. So, I'd seen that Larry had bought a radio, since he said that was how adults liked entertainment nowadays.. (I hope I spelled that right, Miles. You kept referring to our old favorite show as 'children's entertainment' every time you talked about it at school!) I heard that the station was giving out requests one day, so I called them and asked! ..It's goofy, I know. I remember you went all pink when we were kids when I said nice stuff about you when you were there to hear it.. It made me feel warm when I thought about you! I still do feel warm, but I also feel like crying, because you're not here.

You're out there somewhere, out there with someone I don't know, out there with your dog, and that's still enough to make me feel happy. It makes me hope that you'll get these letters someday, Signal Red. ...Man, now Larry's laughing at me! I'm sitting here at lunch on the roof with him, writing this, and he said I looked all dreamy when I was writing this and my request to the station. Now I'M going pink! Okay, I'm gonna quit writing now before Larry sees it and laughs at me again.. I did mean what I said on my request, though. I want to see you again, Miles. Here's hoping one day, I can. Somehow, something tells me that my voice might help me the same way you helped me three years ago.. -- Sincerely, Phoenix Wright

---

August 2013

Dear Miles, I haven't written one of these in a while, heh.. I see you still haven't gotten my letters. Damn my life. I really had hoped you'd get the last one.. When did I write that, middle school..? I bought a radio with Larry's help after that, but you never did post a request after I did, so I kept it and moved on. I've decided I'm going to become a courtroom artist, so I've enrolled in Ivy University. Actually, haha, I didn't even MENTION that part first! I got into college finally! I had to redo my SAT a couple of times to get in, but I did it anyway! I'm mainly in their art program, but I'm doing some law studying on the side. Speaking of law... I heard you became a prosecutor not that long ago. The really nasty kind, like that gross von Karma guy. ..I saw a news story, right? It talked about you. There's some really nasty rumors going around, both in the papers and even around here at school. Nobody believes me when I say I had you for a friend, Miles. You used to be really thoughtful, and also kinda blunt. But I have a soft spot for you. A.. Admittedly..

(There's a break in the page. The handwriting got slightly shaky.)

...I guess you'd term it as 'unnecessary feelings', huh? Since middle school, I couldn't quit thinking about you wherever I went. Stuff keeps reminding me of you on a daily basis. Little Pomeranians walking around reminds me instantly of your tiny dog.. Every time I hear the Signal Samurai song when they do the occasional rerun reminds me of the time Larry bought us those keychains as kids, and that one time I had the radio people play the theme song. Since I've gotten here to Ivy University, I finally started contemplating my love life. I... never bothered with it, since I had you and Larry when we were in elementary.. You never bothered with girls, so I didn't feel so bad about being too nervous to ask any out. But the truth is... Maybe you were, and still are, enough to trump any girl. Okay, sure, I still occasionally wish I could kiss one or say 'I love you' to a girl, but.. most often, I end up imagining you in that girl's place. I see us together on the courtroom floor, working together to find the truth.. I see us finding the truth and smiling, even if one of us loses. Maybe a really long hug or a kiss at the very end of the trial, when nobody's looking at us. You going all pink and telling me that's unnecessary, but me insisting, like the goof people always call me now.

(Another break in the page. The handwriting gets slightly shaky again.)

...but I can't have you by my side now. Not now. You're stuck, Miles, and I can see that even though I can't see you physically here with me. It's almost like I can karmically feel your pain. If that makes any sense. (It probably doesn't.) I want to save you from becoming that von Karma dude. I'll get there eventually, right..?

(Another break in the page. The letter actually ends up on a second piece of paper this time, carefully handwritten in blue pen like the rest.)

..There's another reason why I can't do any of that sappy stuff I wrote earlier, at least not with you. I got a girlfriend, a really pretty one that smells sweet like cake.. Her name is Dahlia Hawthorne, and she's a writing student here at Ivy! We met up at the courthouse while I was doing some reading in the library, and I bumped into her when she'd been doing some stuff for a paper. She gave me this lovely glass necklace, with a tiny blue container and some gold decoration stuff. I ended up falling for her on the spot, ahaha. I did say earlier that I like girls, too, Miles, so I guess this makes sense! We started going out after she gave me the necklace, and she's absolutely wonderful! She makes me food all the time, and she made me this cute pink sweater I wish you'd see. (Knowing you, you'd probably end up laughing at how silly it looks, but if that's what Dollie's into, then I'll go with it!) I still really miss you, Miles, though. I wish you could meet Dahlia. She's like an angel, like the butterflies she's always got around her. She's as sweet as her coffee and cookies she makes. I'd draw her, but it'd be really weird if I gave you a picture of her, she said. Uh, I guess I'll write again later, this kinda got long.. -- Sincerely, Phoenix Wright

---

April 10th, 2014

(The letter has standard stationary belonging to the detention center, with some kind of emblem on the top, unlike the past letters which were on plain copy paper. The pen ink is replaced with pencil this time. Even the handwriting looks somber.)

Dear Miles, ...I got arrested. I guess I'd better explain, huh? Dollie had a boyfriend before me, apparently.. He was some snooty guy from the Pharmacology part of Ivy named Doug. He kept warning me about Dollie being dangerous or something, so I pushed him over and ran away. It'd been raining yesterday.. and... and..

(Tear stains almost ruins the writing in this section of the letter.)

...and Doug was gone, when I came back. I felt really bad for pushing him, honest! Now.. I might be responsible for him dying. How's that for bad luck, huh? I feel really heavy, like when I was a kid and your dad had gotten shot dead.. I can't really stop crying, and the guards are probably gonna yell at me to shut up if I start really going at it. Plus, I'm sick today, because I got a cold a little while ago thanks to all that rain.. God, Miles, I really wish you hadn't become a fucking prosecutor! I wish you were here to help me again! WHY DID GREGORY HAVE TO--

(More tear stains ruin a whole line of text following the name and messily written handwriting, making it unreadable. The writer must have been inconsolable trying to write this.)

....I had to get someone else to try defending me ib--

(The next word was crossed out after the tear-ruined handwriting. So was a few other expletives following that. Eventually, after a lot of crossed-out words in pencil, the letter continues a little more properly.)

...Crap, I ruined the letter, didn't I, Miles? I just feel so lost right now. I don't even have Larry or Dollie to make me feel better, and you're still off out there prosecuting. As I was saying before I messed up my words, I got another lawyer to hear me out. My trial starts tomorrow, so... I might be doomed. I'll never be able to become a lawyer and save you, it seems! I'll just be stuck in this gloomy prison for the rest of my life.. I really doubt I can get out of this one okay, Miles. I'm not good at doing stuff last-minute. You are, and you're not here.. Please, just this once.. Just this once, Miles... Come back.. Answer my damn letter! Please! Just once! I can't take being alone like this! I can't take it!! -- Signal Red

(The letter's not even signed properly.)

---

April 12th, 2014

(The letter goes back to its usual format, with one addition. There's an attached drawing this time. The drawing appears to be of Edgeworth himself, holding a few sunflowers and gladiolus flowers in his hands. The drawing is also in color, with Edgeworth being drawn in some distinctive shade of maroon.)

Dear Miles, ...Everything about Dahlia was a lie! She lied to EVERYONE. Including me. She was gonna kill me for real, Miles! Maybe I should've listened to imaginary-you and trusted my gut in court yesterday. Speaking of, I almost got poisoned! I'm having to write this from the hospital today, since they wanna make sure I'm not going to be poisoned for sure. But I've changed my mind about being a courtroom artist. That's no way to save you, Miles! I've made up my mind- I'm pursuing law full-time. My defense attorney, Mia, said she'd help me out if I were ever to go that way, and now I am. Dahlia's not holding me back, and now I won't let anything short of the law itself hold me back from saving you. Sure, it's probably really stupid to quit while I'm ahead, but.. I can't really say I should hold myself back anymore. I'm scared, but I want to push on now. I want you to smile with me again, Miles. That sappy stuff I said before.. I truly mean it. I love you, somehow. I don't know exactly how else to put it. You never read these, so I might as well be entirely honest, right? I promise, Miles, that I'll save you at any cost. Even if I have to defend you in court, I'll save you! That drawing’s some proof to it! -- Sincerely, Phoenix

(The P.S. this time says, ‘P.S- If I learnt anything from my shit experiences with Dahlia, it’s the meanings of the flowers I drew you with. Gladiolus flowers mean remembrance.. and sunflowers usually get symbolized for loyalty and joy. I also hear it’s a flower associated with lawyers...’)

---

July 2016

Dear Miles, Phew! I'm glad to say I finally managed to get my attorney's badge! The Bar Association just approved it today, and I'm not gonna lie, I ended up crying when my results came in! I'm now going to work for my past defense lawyer, Mia Fey! She was really happy when she'd heard I wanted to work as a member of her law team, and I'm gonna move into the office pretty soon now that I'm not gonna live in my old college apartment anymore. ..Yeah, I'm still gonna keep writing these letters to you, even though you haven't answered any of them all these years. So what if you never answered them? ..I'll keep sending them anyway. I'll be more of a pest than Larry was to us as kids until the day I die or the day you come back! ..Well, I digress. (Please tell me someday if I used this right.) Uh, anyways, things have been relatively okay since my last letter. I got my law degree, and that was really exhausting. My sleep schedule's now ruined forever thanks to going through the cogs of law full-time in college, but I kinda know what I'm doing about law now. I'm still doing art, but I more or less do it strictly as a hobby now, to be honest. I'm still in contact with Larry, too, but he's usually pretty bad at his jobs and stuff. He's a bit of a deadbeat, just like you remember him from elementary school. I don't have any pets, save for Charley, the office plant that's in Mia's office. I also got a brand-new suit the other day, a really bright blue one! Man, it was pretty cheap, and it fits kinda weird, but the shade's really comforting to me for some reason. It reminds me of Signal Blue, from Signal Samurai. I still have my old keychain to this day. It's on my phone now, actually, and I think of you a lot whenever I see it there. Mia told me a bit about her sister, Maya. She says she really likes bad jokes and that Steel Samurai show that plays sometimes on TV. I told her how you used to like Signal Samurai as a kid, and Mia said you'd probably be the kinda person who likes Steel Samurai. (I don't doubt it, surprisingly. After all, it's kinda Larry's fault you and I ever got into Signal Samurai..)

(There's a second sheet of paper attached.)

Oh, there's one more thing! Larry finally got a girlfriend. She's somewhere else right now, I think, maybe some kinda business trip? Her name was something like Cindy, I think.. but anyways, she and Larry have been having an awful lot of trouble lately, so I'm sincerely doubting they'll make it. ..As for me, well.. my mushy stuff still stands. Now, I mostly daydream about you when I'm not brushing up on law stuff or checking emails for Mia or cleaning the toilet.. I keep imagining you as a defense attorney like Mr. Gregory was, standing confident and having your cold-hard logic crush any lies that might come your way.. Well, and what I said in my last letter, heh. Me.. uh, kissing you and all that. That still stands! A lot! ..I just don't know if I can say this outside of writing, ugh. I feel so nervous just writing this down, and Mia's starting to stare eye-sized holes in my soul from where I'm sitting... Does she suspect something? Okay, yeah, maybe she does. All I usually do once asked why I became an attorney is gush about that tiny class trial years ago, when you defended me despite everyone else (save for Larry) not believing me when I said I didn't steal your lunch money.. I've kinda-sorta come to terms with the fact that you're apparently the one person I can count on for me to love, since you haven't killed me and haven't done anything else to break my heart besides not reading my goddamn letters ever. Seriously, Miles.. You've never sent any letters back to me.. That's okay, though. Maybe if you never open these, you'll never reject me like Dahlia Hawthorne did.. -- Sincerely, Phoenix Wright

---

August 3rd, 2016

Dear Miles, Okay... Here's my first ever trial! Larry got.. arrested. Probably the worst thing that's happened to him yet, I'm afraid. He's been accused of killing Cindy, apparently?? The second I heard about it, I asked the Chief to give me the case on the double! The problem? My stupid fricking not-diagnosed anxiety, that's what's the issue here! Well, that, and this IS my first trial.. Thankfully the Chief's gonna help back me up, but to be entirely honest, I'm kind of shaking right now.. I'm writing this as I'm preparing for the trial, so I don't know the outcome. Uh, wish me luck from out there, Miles! Maybe if I manage to bail Larry out of this, AND you answer my letters for once, how about the three of us go out somewhere and celebrate with the Chief? I think you'd really like Mia, Miles. She's really smart and really strong and independent, and I think you'd probably admire that a whole lot.. (And to be honest, you really should just answer my goddamn letters for once.. I miss you still, and I'm one step closer to saving you..!) -- Sincerely, Phoenix

---

April 4th, 2019 -- High Prosecutor's Office, Room 1202

Papers with varying writings scattered across the maroon-clad prosecutor’s desk, His heart fluttered slightly, feeling strong embarrassment at Wright accusing him of never touching the letters in the final page of the last letter he'd gotten before the pair reunited back during the trial of Mia Fey's murder. To be fair to the defense attorney, it hadn't exactly been his fault for not recieving them.. But to be fair to himself, he'd never bothered to open a single one, not even after Wright had freed him from the burden of ever having to hold back his pain that von Karma had caused him. As a result of realizing that, he felt his face flush furiously, almost the color of his own suit.

"...Calm yourself, Miles," the silver-haired man grumbled to himself, willing away the heat from his cheeks to the best of his ability.... and then it hit him like a pile of bricks, right then, That Sort Of Realization. He remembered wordings from a couple of the past letters, and..

Oh. Now he felt as if he'd gotten slapped in the face with a white-hot iron to the face. That was how flustered he felt, attempting to re-assemble his mess of brain cells after realizing W-- Phoenix had imagined the same things he did. No wonder Franziska said Phoenix was a distraction. He kind of was. But the good sort. How is it that he managed to miss that for so impossibly long...?!

That was incredibly embarrassing, to say the least! The grey-haired prosecutor gave a deep sigh, pinching the bottom of his nose and staying like that for at least the next ten minutes before huffing, stuffing the letters back in the bag, and locating the nearest pen and paper. Then, in a flurry of determination and his much-neater-cursive-print-hybrid handwriting, Edgeworth began to write something on the paper, his grey eyes focused very carefully on the words he wrote.

Dear Phoenix, I wish to tell you something, now that you and I have a little less chaos in our lives at the moment to prevent me from answering you...

~Fin~

#nmweek19 #opening statements #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #writing #(phew!! here's entry one!!)#(man this got Lengthy though)#guilty queue

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chickorita305 · 6 years ago

Text

An unused fanfic

As part of my application for a job, I was asked to write something creative related to one of my favorite video games. I ended up writing two. Why, you ask? Because, my dear reader, this one wouldn’t fit neatly enough into two pages. I wanted to explore this Ace Attorney scenario more than the application would allow me...so I’m posting it here! Better that it gets a shot at being read than to leave it wasting away on my computer’s local memory.

“You forgot one thing, Phoenix.” That tone of voice had never boded well for me.

A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. What did Edgeworth have up his sleeve this time?

“Oh yeah? And what might that be?” Whatever confidence I was trying to exude had no effect on Edgeworth. He shrugged as if even the simplest fool could see what he had spotted, shaking his head with a triumphant smirk.

“He’s the only one without eyewitness testimony to his innocence. All other participants at the scene of the crime have alibis. Therefore, the only one who could be the perpetrator is none other than Mr. Larry Butz. It’s a farce to continue this case any further; he’s clearly the guilty party.” The crowd buzzed, taken by Edgeworth’s words. I swallowed, hard. It was true: I had forgotten about that detail. That old phrase from elementary school ran through my head: when something smells, it’s usually the Butz. I quickly dismissed it. Larry said he was innocent, and I believed in him.

“Objection! That doesn’t prove that he’s the one who stole it. Who’s to say it wasn’t a third party?”

“Do you have proof about this ‘third party’?”

“The hall is accessible to people from the outside,” I waffled. My mind raced; if it wasn’t Larry, and if everyone else at the reception had an airtight alibi, then it had to be someone else—someone who wasn’t on the invitation list and who hadn’t been seen by the partygoers. Someone who would blend in just enough to not be suspicious. Edgeworth waggled his finger, shaking his head at what I had said.

“Every single guest has adamantly testified that they have seen no one suspicious enter or leave the venue. The only suspicious activity they’ve witnessed was committed by our prime suspect.”

My eyes trailed over to Larry. I wouldn’t have blamed any of the guests for thinking that Larry was suspicious. In his tweed, oversized suit with a huge corsage, stinking of cologne, and the way he roamed around hitting on all the girls in the room, it wasn’t hard to see why he would have left a bad impression on most of the people here. Especially when he had bumped into the bride-to-be before the ceremony. He hadn’t changed a day since fourth grade.

“If you have no proof of this mysterious outsider, then it’s time to hand him over to the police.” The buzz of the crowd was growing louder, eyes darting accusingly to the tearful Larry.

“Edgey, you’re heartless! Don’t it mean anything to you that we’re old pals? Old buddies?” Larry’s eyes were practically sparkling with the amount of liquid gushing out of them.

“I don’t give special treatment to anyone,” Edgeworth said dismissively, “least of all liars. We have laws in place to protect citizens from unscrupulous people, and it’s a prosecutor’s duty to make sure no criminal slips away scot-free.”

Edgeworth didn’t know it, but he’d given me the key to solving this mystery.

“Hold it!” The buzz died down a bit, stunned by the sudden outburst as I slapped my hands on the banquet table. All eyes were on me. Suddenly the room felt hotter. Or was I just blushing? I wished I hadn’t yelled quite as loudly, but I couldn’t back off now. Larry’s reputation was on the line. “There’s someone in this building that matches the profile. Someone no one would even notice. Someone who has a penchant for breaking things that aren’t theirs. Someone-“ I made a point to stare straight into Edgeworth’s eyes. It wasn’t easy, but I didn’t flinch. “-who doesn’t have an alibi when the glass centerpiece was broken.”

“You’re blustering.” Edgeworth pointed his finger accusingly at me, but he couldn’t shake me. He’d lost his smile. I was on to something. “If there were such a person, then how did they get in and out unseen? And where are they now?”

It was my turn to smile.

“Why, that’s simple. All the perpetrator had to do was crawl underneath all the tables.” The room was louder than ever, a mix of confused voices with outraged ones. Edgeworth seemed closer to the latter, judging by the glare leveled at me.

“That’s preposterous!” He swept his arm outward, indicating the boisterous crowd. “If someone had crawled underneath the tables as you suggest, then there should be at least one person in this crowded hall that would have witnessed it!”

“Not if they were hidden in plain sight. Or, well, just hidden by another guest.”

“What are you saying?” Edgeworth crossed his arms, tapping his fingers impatiently. I turned to Larry. The tears from his eyes seemed to have been replaced with sweat.

“It’s time to ‘fess up, Larry. You should come clean while you can. There’s a reason you wore such a large suit to the party, isn’t there?” Larry gave his signature cocky grin, but he couldn’t hide the tremble.

“Oo-oopsie～☆ I guess you already figured it out, didn’t you?” As everyone stared at Larry, dumbfounded, he started fidgeting restlessly. The tears started pouring out again. “I just felt bad for the fella, y’know? All alone at home with no one around, while I’m out here schmoozing at a fancy party. You understand, don’t you, Nicky Wicky?”

A loud thump shocked the both of us out of our conversation. I turned around to catch the very look of death radiating from Edgeworth. Seems like it had been his turn to slam the table.

“Phoenix. Larry. Explain.” Larry shot me an uncertain look, so I nodded. Tell them the truth.

“Well, recently I got a roommate. It’s lonely living all on your own, and I wanted to treat Scott to a-“

“And where is this ‘Scott’ now?” Edgeworth pressed.

“He, uh-he got scared when the lights went low for the big finale, so he jumped out of my suit and…jumped on the table. He was in such a hurry, he might have broken that glass thingamajig. Then, like Nick said, he probably hid under a table…” Larry shrunk into himself a little, glancing up at the flabbergasted Edgeworth. “…or something. It was hard to see, with the lights so low. That’s why I’ve been walking all over the place; I’ve been looking for Scott.”

“You forgot to mention a key detail, Larry.” I interjected before Edgeworth could bite off the question he had opened his mouth to ask—or, more likely, demand. “Your roommate, the one you brought with-“

A loud shriek cut me off. It sounded like a bat out of hell, muffled only slightly by the long tablecloth covering the banquet tables. Before anyone could do anything but cover their ears, a lanky white cat walked out from underneath one of the tables.

“Scott!” Larry ran to embrace the raggedy animal. It let out another shriek, but Larry didn’t seem to notice it. Once it was in Larry’s arms, it started….purring? It sounded more like a motor than a purr.

“A…a cat?” It wasn’t often that Edgeworth was perplexed. He looked askance at the creature. He’d always been more of a dog person.

“That’s right. A cat broke the centerpiece.” As the cat let out another jarring yowl, I winced. Larry wouldn’t be getting any visits from me any time soon. “Not Larry. He might be guilty of caring too much for a cat, but he’s not guilty of anything this time.”

“’This time’? Whadya mean by that, Nick?!” I tried my best to ignore Larry’s protests. The more he whined, the more he sounded like his new adopted pet. They say that pets resembled their owners…

A loud cough cut off what would have been an endless tirade from Larry. Even with all the noise, the three of us froze. We turned at once to look at the mother of the newlywed wife. Her smile could’ve cut steel, it was so deadly. Her eyes looked as cold as steel, for that matter. Those eyes were locked onto Larry, only shifting momentarily when the cat yowled again. I shuddered; maybe there was something worse than Larry having the police called on him again.

In the end, Larry didn’t have to go to court. The mother of the bride explained politely how much the glass centerpiece had cost, and Larry (surrounded by an audience of family and friends of the newlywed couple) agreed to pay off the sum over time.

#phoenix wright #fanfic

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dornishsphinx · 6 years ago

Note

T, U, and Y!

T: Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

Hmmm hard and fast headcanons that I’d die defending

From SOV, Conrad’s mother was a lady-in-waiting and close friend to Berkut’s mother who came with her to the capital when she married into the royal family. Lima was invited to the capital during the famine because the Rigelians were desperate. He saw her there and demanded she come with him in exchange for aid. (I may also be writing a fic on Conrad’s mother, watch this space ^_^)

Wrt Tellius, the United Bird Tribes eventually fall apart, the specific breaking point coming about due to arguments about over succession. The ravens end up putting forward Naesala and Leanne’s raven son and the hawk population are adamant that he not be considered (some going as far as to say that ravens in general shouldn’t be considered) due to lingering anger, the ravens getting angry in turn and moving to once again declare the independence of Kilvas (and taking a bit more territory with them this time since they’re in a stronger position.)

When it comes to Naesala and Leanne’s kids, the heron girl mostly takes after Naesala in personality, though the raven boy is more similar to Reyson than either of his parents (both also have traits from Leanne, but they’re less noticeable on first impression.) Both can sing galdr due to their mother but, especially for the raven boy, its effects are far weaker. (Maybe let’s say in gameplay terms that raven boy can buff and not actually refresh.)

Their heron daughter on one occasion also accompanies Naesala on a diplomatic mission to Begnion, where she decides to learn beorc magic—with Sanaki’s blessing and occasional direct tutelage—as a way to bypass herons’ inability to fight the laguz way, even staying there for a while when he leaves for his next destination. This is a major scandal in the laguz world.

U: Three favourite characters from three different fandoms and why they’re your favourites.

Oh man, it took me a while to settle on who to talk about, but:

Jason Todd (DC Comics)

Jason is the reason I got into DC generally, so I was already biased, but Jason is interesting because he’s a counterpoint to the idea that Batman knows Gotham City better than anyone, as someone who actively grew up on its streets rather than in the safety of a mansion, and someone who came to a vastly different conclusion on what had to be done to make it safer without being painted (mostly) as a clear-cut villain. Also, he’s a literary nerd and it’s such a cute little detail which is never really brought up explicitly on page but is a recurring thing in the background. The antique book collection in UTRH, reading Pride and Prejudice while in jail, really liking school as Robin, and in other bits I can’t remember the context of.

Where he gets fascinating is on a meta level though. We have the juxtaposition between what modern writers want Jason’s Robin to have been (I really love his run as Robin too, he’s such a cutie in comparison to what he becomes later) and how he actually was written, which kinda comes off as the characters themselves trying to convince themselves of something that isn’t true. And I’ve seen complaints about how people treat his death as being so much more important than others’ deaths when he’d hardly the only DC character to die, but it’s precisely because of real-world circumstances that it’s such a big deal–killed off by poll, left untouched for decades, his costume an ever-present ghost in the Batcave and for the Batfamily–it’s one of those things that can only happen in a big shared comicsverse medium.

I’ll never forgive the New 52 for being the reason we never saw, and can never see now, the Batfamily and Red Hood’s relationship develop.

He just became an ally again randomly in a way that screams editorial mandating “make them get along now, we don’t care how.” They just made everyone do a 180 without bothering to explain why or how and I hate it.

(Also, imo, grey morality Red Hood>outright villain Red Hood AND outright hero Red Hood.)

Laurent (Captive Prince)

Man, I know Captive Prince is controversial, but the story is just so good and even though it’s been a while since I read them, Laurent as a character has stuck with me. (I mean, I adore Damen too, but so many of the character concepts

I’ve come up with since reading the books have been Machiavellian princes shutting themselves off from their emotions, I’m pretty sure Laurent is the source.)

He’s had to adapt to survive the personal hell his uncle transformed the Veretian court into when he (and Damen) got the rest of their family killed—and, at the same time, anyone with the power or desire to protect Laurent from him—when he was just a little kid, and has just built up all the walls around himself. Seeing them slowly peel back and reveal the other sides to him he’s been forced to keep hidden for so long is one of the great things about the series. He’s such a well-realised character, and as you read along, you get to the point where you just need to see him succeed in taking Vere back from his uncle.

He always has the best comebacks too. Nearly everything he says when he’s not awkwardly trying to work his way around emotions he can’t properly express, usually when around Damen, is just pitch-perfect sarcasm even in dire circumstances.

Just a great character overall.

Franziska von Karma (Ace Attorney)

Last time I talked about a favourite Ace Attorney character it ended up being Ema, but I did say she only just beat out Franziska, so it’s her turn now. I’m so sad she’s not reappeared in any of the main games since the original trilogy, though at least we have Investigations. She still has to give Phoenix that card back!

But yes, I just love Franziska. She is very much part of the running theme of legacy families in Ace Attorney with her need to attain perfection and measure up to the Von Karma name, and her relationship with Edgeworth is sweet in a super competitive way. When she comes back later and spends the night trying to solve the puzzle locks to save Maya, you can also see that she has gone through a lot of development over the course of JFA and T&T.

(I maintain that 6-5 would have been vastly improved if she’d taken Edgeworth’s place, and am not entirely convinced it wasn’t originally written with her in mind. I mean, last time she appeared she was undergoing character development and trying to save Maya in a spirit medium-related setting, and this time had Maya being in a perilous situation in a spirit medium-related setting in a foreign country AND she has a history of working with Interpol. It would have actually made sense for her to show up as opposed to the Chief Prosecutor of a foreign country.)

(Also her design is amazing)

(Foolish fool)

Y: What are your second-hand fandoms (i.e. fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)?

Dragon Age is the big one I can think of. I played a little of Dragon Age Origins before Redcliffe became a never-ending zombie nightmare and I wasn’t able to progress, so I don’t count myself as having really played, but I pretty much know all the spoilers. And have even plotted out who I’m gonna romance when I finally do get around to it. Current plan: Alistair (while pouring one out for the F/F romance with Morrigan that could never be), Fenris and Josephine.

Also Marvel, kinda? I don’t really buy or keep up with Marvel comics anymore aside from going to see the movies. I’ll check it out, but usually it’s only on a whim. (If Agent of Asgard/JiM Loki ever get a run again, you can count on me jumping back in.)

#haha i didn't realise how long the jason bit got oops #my biases are clear #asks

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askaceattorney · 4 years ago

Text

(Song in Letter)

Dear iamnotthensa,

Co-Mod: I’m inclined to agree with you, but it also has a bit of a Professor Layton vibe to it. Maybe it’d be a good fit for the next Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, if we ever get one?

Mod Paups: I really enjoy it! it gives me detective vibes, kinda reminds me to Hotel Dusk... but I hear more as an AA Investigations soundtrack more than anything.

Dear mungeondaster,

Co-Mod: Not a problem, and thanks!

I don’t know how it got started, but I’m sure glad it did. The word “essay” used to turn me off before I started reading and enjoying the Mod’s character essays. They provide a nice in-depth look at a character’s story, personality, development in the game (if there is any), and things the casual player might not have noticed about them.

I’m equally glad that I got into them myself, since it gives me a chance to review the best (and worst) things about a character, and what makes them stand out from the others. I just wish I could post them a little more often, but in the words of Ace Writer Snoopy,

Thanks to everyone requesting them for your patience, by the way.

I’ve seen a few different Ace Attorney-related videos -- playthroughs, song covers, reviews, *twitch* Phoenix Wrong videos, etc. I recommend checking out iKiwed’s videos if you enjoy creative things made from Ace Attorney resources, and the Random Encounters musical is a pretty fun experience. Oh, and let’s not forget CMSPyrowolf’s Boot to the Head video. That one’s a classic.

Best wishes to you, too!

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: *blink blink* Really. I wasn’t aware he had any of those.

My guess is that he spent the rest of his life in prison (or most of it, at least), and gradually came to appreciate the so-called “third-rate” people and realize they’re not all that different from himself. That’s just a best-case scenario, though. If he doesn’t kill that attitude of his soon, someone else might do it, and take him along with it.

Mod Paups: I used to be a big fan of Wellington when I first played Ace Attorney! But yeah, what Mod said... it’s probably that. *shrugs*

(Referenced Post)

Dear Anon,

Co-Mod: That’s correct. Sorry if my previous response was misleading. Thanks for clarifying that for everyone.

Dear Anon,

Co-Mod: *does some quick research to see who that is* Yep, that’s pretty sad, all right. It’s hard to imagine where our favorite ace characters and their story might go without him on the team, but miracles do happen, so I’m not prepared to accept this as the series’ end just yet.

I also just learned that Buddy Faith’s appearance reportedly modeled after him. I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say we’re sorry to see you go, Buddy.

Mod Paups: Oh no... I actually had no idea about this, that’s quite sad. I really do hope someone else will take over to keep AA going as long as it can, I still want to see more...

Dear mungeondaster again,

Co-Mod: I hadn’t really thought much about it, but I could be convinced either way. Whether Edgeworth was elected by his peers or hired by the Bar Association, his record speaks for itself, so who wouldn’t want him for that position? Besides the criminals, I mean.

Dear mungeondaster again (again),

Mod Paups: Well, while I do understand your point, I would by no means call Godot a villain. Godot was a good man whose’s life began to get worse and worse by the seconds, and his antagonism was a byproduct of his situation and suffering. By what you’re saying, Blackquill could definitely be considered a villain as well.

Now, to the last part of the question, I think maybe it’s time for a little change, to have like an actual villain prosecutor maybe? or maybe even an evil judge, that’d be a cool plot-twist in my opinion. I also wanna say, I do find characters like Blackquill or Nahyuta more appealing than Klavier, so I wouldn’t be mad if we got another one like them.

Co-Mod: I’ve always enjoyed seeing bad guys undergo a change of heart and eventually become good guys (or at least better guys), so if I had to choose, I’d go with a sympathetic prosecutor. I also enjoy seeing a corrupt one get their just desserts as much as anyone, but if there’s any chance of them joining the side of justice, that's an even bigger win in my book.

And you’re welcome!

(Referenced Letter)

Dear skibot99,

Co-Mod: She only mentions “Bullets the Magic Cat” once in AJ:AA, if you examine the barrel of the revolver in Turnabout Serenade. I couldn’t find any pictures of it, but you can find it in this game script on GameFAQS.com. I’m surprised someone remembered that, to be honest. Mod Paups: I... I actually cannot remember it myself... You really have to check every nook and cranny huh.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: No need to apologize for being human. I still make mistakes on this blog fairly often, even after being here for roughly three years. I’ve made my share of dumb moves too, for that matter.

Your modified letter should be posted by now (since I didn’t know of a way to change it and leave it in the inbox), so no worries.

Dear Starry,

Co-Mod: I’ve seen the drawings, and I have to say, they’re pretty amazing. I always love anything artistically creative, especially in the form of fan art, so thank you for sharing it! That kind of support goes both ways, so thanks for that, too.

-The Mods

#iamnotthensa #mungeondaster #Anonymous #skibot99 #doveofthedawn #Mod Post #Co Mod #Mod Paups

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zebraslovescupcakestoo · 6 years ago

Text

Coffee breaks

How did Felix ended up being friends with Sam?

It was a winter day in Chicago at my friends work place where you'll find me taking a cat nap on the blue couch. I had a long morning and noon time from my line of work and my lawyer friend and comrade, Sammuel Toutsaint, also known as Sam Toucan for short, was kind enough to let me be. I could have done it at my house, but then there's always something or someone to prevent me to do so.

Apart from what really mattered, I need my time to relax just for a little bit.

I then started to dream about the past... of how I've met him and how he became one of our best assets against the corruptions and mafias like Alfonso's.

----- two years ago -----

I was anxious. This is my first case as a OFFICIAL detective! I've may have three months of police experience after I joined, but this is my time to shine and I want to make the best impression by solving this mysterious cases of bizarre circumstances.

At first, the first thing I got was just the name on the attorney business card along with an address and a phone number. It was attached on one of the report files when they handed to me. I did at first tried to call him twice at work, but it didn't answer. So I decided to go at the address on the card.

My first visit at the attorney's headquarters... I've probably had worst....

I walked in and I've asked the receptionist of the person I was supposed to meet. She said that he's not in now, but she had an idea of where he is and asked me to wait a bit. I had no problem with that. That is until I've met one of the attorneys there. Judging from the type of badge, he must be a prosecutor.

He looked well polished and may have that air of arrogance...

Depending of the character's behavior, I need to be on my best behavior and my guard up. But not even my police and my 'parental' training wasn't prepared for this. Upon the first glance we exchange, he looked at me like I was just a kid playing a detective star...

Look, I know I may be small and still have the baby face, but I'm a full pledge adult with nephews to look after! Although sometimes I needed to show my I.D. To prove it... But even then I'm still not safe from those kind of prejudice.

Thankfully, the receptionist was able to track down my mystery person at a local cafe place he recently hangs around to avoid certain people he didn't get along. I can understand what she meant and why that person goes there.

After she handed me the address, I wasted not another minute in there with that fancy, nicker pocket guy who was starring at me with arrogance. My late father once told me that whenever there's someone who had an expensive suit and talks to you, they tend to have an attitude to match and lawyers are a prime example of the worsts...

At least, that what he used to say and... I do hope that mine would be at least be nicer... Even if it's just for one time.

Once I've arrived at the cafe shop, I was surprised that it's one of those usual yet unique place. The place feels like it was almost completely made of wood yet it had some modern design, but it kept its original settings. It feels like just an ordinary coffee brewery yet it feels like it had that second home feeling... Like dad used to take me and sometimes my sister for a drink and he'd be teaching about the coffee tips and other stuff... Man, these sweet memories takes me back.

Ah, no. Get back in reality! Where is he? I don't see anybody except for the barista employee which I believed is the owner and there was three high school kids that appeared to be jocks judging from those red football team jackets... How unusual for them to be in a place like this.

Then again, I was pretty unusual person myself back in my high school. I was either at the library, on a soccer field or occasionally at a museum on most week days compared to the 'popular kids' hangouts.

I decided not to pursue the matter and asked the guy in charge. “Excuse me, I'm looking for someone named Sammuel Toutsaint. Would you know who he is?” The man simply nodded. “Ah, great! Can you tell me where is he?” I asked another question and he just simply pointed the restrooms for men as I looked at the direction he aimed. “Ah, ok. So...” I then noticed two coffee cups and he then pointed out a really ideal seating area next to the entrance of the store with a big window. “Alright, I'll... wait for him there.” Huh. Not much of a talker this guy... yet he somewhat understood what I was gonna do.

I sat at the appointed table and I glanced back at the jockey kids. I noticed that they were mocking at the owner cause he wasn't a talkative type and some other remarks while they finished off their pastries. I gotta admit that I admire his resistance to those kinds of teasing... I did at one point in my life that I was bullied for my eyes that was in an unusual golden color until I got into high school and I was able to solve my 'first' case at the bakery sales...

I then noticed a figure passed by me and he plot down on his seat across me. He had black hair with an Elvis inspired bangs, a deep blue colored eyes, he wore light blue dress shirt, a yellow over-sized sleeveless sweat shirt, navy blue pants and the most distinguished character trait that I've first noticed it myself was that he had THE most ridiculous rainbow tie I've probably seen.

“Are you... Sammuel Toutsaint? The new ace defendant attorney?” I nervously but politely asked the guy. “Yes but please, just call me Sam Toucan for short. Don't think too hard about it, kid. I don't like to beat around the bush so much unless I had to.” So he's the straight forward type of guy... I don't sense any malicious intend from him, so I guess honesty is a surprisingly a rare trait from him.

Ok, so I need to get straight to the point of this first encounter. “I've been assigned to solve this mysterious case of odd thefts which involves the statues being taken from the victim's homes and then were broken into pieces just outside of their homes.” I told him a short brief and then he questioned me. “If that's the case, why would it be a robbery if the items them selves were found just outside of the victim's home only broken?”

“Well... 'They' say it's a variety of odd vandalism, but I believed it was actually a sort of a robbery. in a way.” I told him on what I believed to be right. He just looked at me with dead in the eyes like he was saying 'what the heck you think you are, some kind of a upstart, naive, kid who wanted to be the best of the best by bragging?'

Luckily for me, I have my evidence to back me up before I decided to claim it. “I studied carefully of the details and what they all had in common. Upon each crime scene, I noticed that there were a few that was from a wealthy home. Yet despite of all of the treasuries they held in each places, the perpetrator was keen on selecting only one specific object and left the rest of the room untouched. Speaking of the item at hand...” I then took out a sketch of the item itself. “There was only about five so far that were smashed to pieces and they were all found under a nearby street light. All of which were these black busts of the ancient deity, Anubis.”

He raised an eye brow at that. “Why would our 'culprit' would steal only these type of busts and then broke it in the streets, worst of all under a street light that would obviously let him be detected?”

“I would say that it might be a theory that our thief was looking for something inside the busts. The bust itself was made from some cheap plaster that was solid enough to harden but easily break if thrown hard enough.” I answered.

“Alright, but still, why would they throw it under a street light?” He asked again.

“I believed that there's something rare and valuable hidden in one of these specific busts. Most likely about the value. Money is a golden standard for most cases that involves stealing. I believed that there's a precious shining object at hand, still determined what it is that so small, would required some lightning to be seen. No normal human eyes can see it in the dark.” I gave my second answer. So far I did well... I think.

He then rested his face on one side as our barista handed over a coffee pot along with two cups, sugar cubes in a small container and cream. “I'm pouring for ya, how do you take it?” He lifted the coffee pot and suggested it.

You know... it's been a few years since I had a hot cup of coffee... Maybe I should try it....

“Black?” Was my first option. “Don't try to sound tough, you sissy.” He saw through my first awkward response...

“Cream?” I tried to sound it a bit more social elite. “Oh, coming right up, madam.” He then pulled a gentlemen accent and sarcastically mocked the slightly lighter, second option.

“Cream and sugar?” I sounded like I've been grown down. “What are ya, twelve? Never mind, what else do you wanted to talk about?” He just poured in his own cup and then placed the pot at the center, but I lost my taste for coffee after that.

Guess I needed to wrap this meeting up quickly. “I've been looking a bit deeper on my own searching and I did came across one particular home decor shop that specialized on their home made brands. I did talked to the owner at the time but he couldn't help due to my... inexperience and his lack of trusts to the law enforcement. However, I did manage to meet his brother, who was like a second in charge, did mentioned more details I wanted to hear after the first one left. The first was that there WAS a connection between the busts that were sold, did indeed were from that place, and the second that there's six in total, included the ones that were broken. Which leaves whoever have the sixth, must be what the thief is looking for. I did asked for the sales registries but... He mentioned that the owner kept it very privately and that it would be really hard for anyone to get it. But then... he handed me your card and he said that it could help me. I wanted to met you after that, but by then the courts were closed for the evening so... I was wondering if there was a way to get access of those sale records without causing so much trouble.”

“What about your badge?” He pointed out the obvious.

“If I used my badge, that would only fueled the fire to his hatred against the law, probably spreading rumors like we're the bad guys who would do anything they wanted like the Alfonso mafia. You know them, right?” I doubt that there's isn't a single person in this town that doesn't know this notorious group.

“I've heard and saw some of their handy works when I moved here a few months ago.” Oh? He's from out of town? That explains that certain English accent that's a bit different. It's not exactly American, yet not quite English. Where have I heard it before? “You're actually new too?”

“If you meant by moving here a few months ago from here and Montreal and started out weeks after, it might be. But my bar license is proven to be legitimately professional. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know?” He then sounded like a middle aged men with experience. But what really caught me was how he pronounced 'Montreal' in a more french accent and that's when it hit me. “Are you originally from Canada?” My eyes widen and I smiled at the guy with excitement. I feel like I'm making a new foreign friend and that I hope that I will learn about their cultures.

But he didn't responded cause he was eyeing on the jocks that had their fun and that they were leaving the shop. I glanced at them too until my eyes gave a sensor warning. I blinked once and it showed me that one of them had hidden a few bags of assorted coffee beans and some sugar while the others were acting like their bodyguards. Not on my watch even if you're in high school. I quickly stand up and placed myself between them and the door before they exited. One of them with a black slick hair spoke. “What are you doing, punk? You're in our way.”

I showed them my badge and stated. “I am Detective Felix Lockheart and I'm asking your friend right there to open up up his jacket. I don't believe any kid would gain that size after eating just a small danish pastry.” I pointed at the middle guy who hid the goods. The third one who had blond hair then mocked me. “Oh, how stupid! Did you hear him? Do you need to call your daddy at work to pick you up?” They all laughed until I made my move. I moved like lightning and I snatched one of the coffee bag that was hidden from his left pocket. They were all surprised, including Sam, who I think he whispers something with tabernacle or something french.

“Now, I do believed that this shop doesn't sell these individually and that I didn't see the money you've handed out to pay it. Return the rest and I will not report it.” I gave them a chance to slip, but the red head, who was the one who had it, wasn't compromising. “Man, who do you think you are punk? Jimmy, get him.” Then the blond grabbed me by my white shirt and slammed me against the side of the door. “Not so tough now, are ya? Mr. Holmes.” Then it was the black haired one that spoke. “If you wanted to play detective, go play with your sis...ter.” Suddenly they all turned a bit pale when they looked on their left. I turned to my right and see Sam standing up straight with his hands in his pockets.

I was just as shocked as they were. I mean, I've only seen him passed me but I failed to noticed that he was REALLY tall! He almost reached the ceiling with his head. Did I also fail to mention that he had that average jock built that wasn't like a heavy bodybuilder but just enough to have those abs?

Sam then spoke with an intimidating glare. “Now, I would let him go unless you wanted to make medical history.” He pointed at me with his right hand and then the blond gently puts me down. “Good choice. Now see, I noticed from your upbringings that your parents are paying for your college, when they asked me for 'advice.' Now see this guy here-” He pulled me closer to him in a way that says 'this is my kid.'

“Is a respectable human being that serves our city. He is even merciful with this minor incident and will not report it if you return the sh!t you've stolen. Last I've checked with college submissions your parents are sending you three, they don't allow kids with criminal records in 'easy' and I'm a good friend of the head master there. Now... don't judge this guy here cause of his looks. It's not the uniform that makes a man, it's the man in the uniform AND the man in THIS uniform... Can break your face with his sharp claws and he has back ups if ever he needs to.” He even lowered his head a bit just to glare straight in their eyes as they trembled. This guy could make the roughest thugs of the abandoned docks look like decent folks!

It didn't took long for them to emptied all of the stolen goods and placed them on the counter as 'we' watched. I didn't 'detect' anymore so I nodded. “Alright, I'm letting you kids off this time, but next time I will not go easy.”

The one with black slick hair then said with fear from Sam. “Yes sir, we were wrong and we won't do it again. Can we go now?”

“Oh yeah, I think you three learn enough lessons for one day, eh? We don't want to overload your brains, eh?” My big new 'friend' somewhat came to 'friendly' terms with them. “Why don't you kids just 'walk' right out of here and be done with it?” They all awkwardly smiled at him as they leave. As soon as they were half way through the door, Sam just jerked his head forward and they were sent scattering. I've seen this kind of technique with guys with his height and stature, but very few of them can pulled it off.

He then looked down at me and asked. “You ok?” “Yes! Yes! Um... Thank you for helping me.” I thanked him. Where were my manners?

“Wake up.” He then said.... Wait. That never happened nor said that.

He then shake me again and my vision started to blur.... “Wake up, Félix.”

---

“Aweille! Wake up, Félix! It's almost our coffee break at the usual spot!” I was woken up by Sam's big hands in my hair and messing it up. “Ack! Sam, no! I told you not to do that! It took me a while to groom it this morning.” I quickly got up and fixed it. I hope he didn't have anything that would stick in it like he did with his 'favorite' attorneys who he had a huge dislikes apart from we now know they're in Bendy's pocket roll.

“If you don't wake up the first two times, j'men criss! and you needed to be at your house in two hours.” He pointed at the ugly owl clock he found at a garage sale that 'miraculously' still works...

“Why do you have weird things in your office? I don't wished to be rude or anything but-”

“The idea of having weird things in here is to ward off people with stupid bullsh!t. You'd have your own personal space too if you follow my lead at your work space.” He tried to persuade me.

“No thanks, I've had my share of craziness.” I responded until I realized I needed to tell him something.

“Oh yeah! That clock reminds me of something!” I reached over the arms of the couch to grab my yellow leather brief case that had black X's and dots covered on it. That used to belong to my father too which had a unique charm that I couldn't resist. I rustled in it, but I couldn't find it...

“Where is it?” I mumbled to myself. Then Sam started to make conversation in a deep voice. “I don't know.”

“It's gone.” “That's true.”

“It's lost.” “Now I know.”

“Where could it be?” “Could be anywhere.”

“Maybe it will turn up.” “Maybe, but not yet.”

“It's gone.” “That's true... Are we going through this sh!t again?” He then fired that stupid, sarcastic question that I've unintentionally set myself up. I forgot that I'm friends with a smart a&&.

I just looked at him with a straight face, since I've pretty gotten used to this, and asked. “May I borrow the coffee table for a minute so that I can sort it out?” He gestured and I carefully dumped out all of the continent. Since it was a pretty big bag and I've rarely carried it, I've sometimes forgot to sort out the papers, tickets, outdated documents, and some books...

“Man, I really do need to sort out my bag one of these days. I really need to practice what I- aha! There it is! I knew I did brought it!” I finally found my book! It was entitled 'Lamplight City' with a blue cover and it was the first volume.

“That one? It was a New Year gift. No need to return it. Even if it WAS lend, I don't care if I ever got it back, I just want to know where the f#k it went.” Sam being a 'practical' guy, he wasn't the least bit shy to tell me that.

“I know it's just... I wanted to thank you again after I've finally finished reading it. I know it took me a while, regarding my busy schedule, but this is a really interesting story. The great Britain from the eighteen fifties, a steam punk themed technologies, a former private investigator who still helps the innocent victims like Sherlock while he did so with the voice of his long time partner who got killed in the first chapter and... I've never felt this exited over a fictional detective story since like ages!” I held it with both arms crossed like my nephews would do to their stuffed toys.

I was so lost in words that I didn't noticed him getting dressed up for winter weather. “That's cute and all, but I'm late for a cup of real coffee. Shove those all back in and you can sort them out there. Anything that's no use can still be used to lit the coffee pot or a fire insurance fraud.” He waited for me. Even the most 'holy' person isn't gonna change him to take a compliment nicely.

I quickly shove it all in and dressed for this chilling weather. Thank God that I'm blessed to have a such nice warm coat along with mittens and a scarf. Sam wasn't affected to the cold and said that the winter time here is no competition from where he came from. Not even our snow storms were a challenge to him, despite he swears religiously in french whenever he had to shovel his driveway. I hope that he count that as HIS blessings that my kids doesn't understand french... at least not yet or we're gonna have a serious problem here.

As were passing through the main entrance, I noticed Sam's most hated rival, Jerry, was there. He was the one who snubbed me off when I first went here too, ya remember? He was with his 'underlings' that Sam called them and he noticed us leaving. Being the 'famous' lawyer in this place, he called Sam out. “Leaving so soon? I was wondering when you'll ever live your life right.” His followers were responded to this by chuckling and giggling. “You're right, life's complicated. We get up, we go to work, we eat three meals, we take one good sh!t and we all go back to bed. What a f#king mystery to me!” He said and ignored them as we passed by. He knows that if he gave him more attention, he's going around in circles with their conversations... So he decided to end the conversations with anything he can think of, including throwing them off.

Not the one that almost got this guy through a window, once upon an incident a few months ago. I mean, we can't control the people that walked through our lives but that doesn't mean we can choose to throw them out of a two story window, Sam!

But that story is for another time. Right now, we'll just enjoy our coffee and our bro time. In peace if life could be generous this time.

------------------Author’s Notes---------------------------

Here’s a decent, short but simple story of how My OC Sam Toucan met with Marini4′s Felix the Cat.

I wanted to type a plausible story of how they met since I’ve first created this character. Now to be fair, I keep on adding, subtracting, or redo his bio since he’s not an ‘official’ canon to the BBTIM universe.

Some of Sam’s origins will still be kept in the dark, but I decided to start on how they met and give you readers a good idea of his character.

If you saw my art of him, you’d probably read his description that I got that look from the Phoenix Wright game series and that his attitude is based from that legendary comedian, George Carlin.

I wanted to give him that character who’s honest but doesn’t give a sh!t at the same time. But I want to give him an impression that he still has that ‘family instinct’ when it comes to Felix and his nephews, just he’s not willingly to show that side to most people.

I feel like I’m giving him a complex character... Sorry if he’s out of it.

Anyways, I did do a reference of one of the recent games I’ve discovered on Steam. The title from Felix’s book is indeed, Lamplight city. THAT game is very interesting if you’re a fan of what I’ve just typed by Felix’s description and if your’re a fan of solving mysteries and pixel art styled.

I’ll let a link to the Steam shop here and if you just wanted to watch it from a game play, here. I hope you all enjoy it.

BBTIM universe and characters belong to Marini4 and OC Sam Toucan belongs to me.

#bendy before the ink machine #Felix The Cat #sam toucan #humanized #fanfiction #marini4 #oc

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gyakutengagotoku · 4 years ago

Text

GS4 vs AJ:AA - Episode 3, Part 3

Lately, I’ve had a terrible time setting a posting schedule that keeps conflicting with my folks’ plans. I’m like the resident errand girl... Now, especially now, I understand the pain of Nick and his pupils when the court makes them do whatever because no one else wants to.

Anyhow, I’m back and back on schedule. No more mess-ups dragging me back to a previous post, no sirree! Oh, and again, don’t mind the extra entries I through in there just for sharing. I got at least one viewer who has yet to play through the English versions of these next games.

If only I knew how to be funny when I have nothing to say, though...

> Wright Anything Agency

<Trucy> なんていうか。ナゾが多いって、ワクワクしますよね！　なんとなく。 It's another mystery, Apollo! I love mysteries.

<Apollo> オレはしないケドね。 I don't.

そういえば‥‥成歩堂さんは？意見を聞きたいんだけど。 Speaking of mysteries, what's Mr. Wright up to? I wouldn't mind asking his opinion.

<Trucy> あ。そういえば、パパ。最近、見ないですよね。 Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Daddy around.

<Apollo> おとうさんを、 “のらネコ”みたいに言うなよ。 What, is he some kind of stray that just wanders in and out at will?

"Don't treat your dad like some 'stray cat'."

Ah, so he's a cat?

> Examine: photo

<Apollo> 古そうな写真に、みぬきちゃんが尊敬する魔術師が写っている。 A faded photograph showing one of Trucy's favorite magicians.

みぬきちゃんは、毎日この写真に向かって手をあわせているみたいだ。 She talks to it daily for good luck, I hear.

<Trucy> あ！今日の“お祈り”忘れてました！ Ack! I almost forgot!

えーと。偉大な魔術師になれますよーに！ Umm... I hope I become a famous Grand Magician!

あと、ついでにオドロキさんが、リッパな弁護士になれますように！ Oh, and I hope Apollo becomes an Ace Attorney!

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ これで、よしっと。 ...There! All done.

<Apollo> （まあ。ご利益があるかどうかは、　ナゾだよな‥‥） (I suppose if you're going to talk to inanimate objects, a photo isn't so bad.)

Aww, Trucy. Yeah, this is more of a custom you'd find in Japanese households and offices, since they're pretty big on praying to their family members beyond the grave or certain lucky Kami for good fortune and all that. 'Tis an Asian thing, really.

Odoroki: "(Eh. Who knows if it really works or not...)"

> Examine: silk hat

<Apollo> やっぱり。ボウシから、色々なものを出すんでしょ？ That's one of those hats you pull things out of, right?

<Trucy> もちろん、やりますよ。みぬきのボウシも小宇宙ですから！ Of course! My hat's like a little universe! Bigger on the inside than on the outside!

<Apollo> 小宇宙か‥‥なんだかスゴイね。 “ギャラクティカ！”ってカンジだ。 Hmm... That reminds me of a sci-fi show I used to watch.

Odoroki actually gives that sci-fi show by name: "Galactica!", which is most likely referring to Battlestar Galactica itself.

> Examine: spaghetti

<Apollo> ロウ細工じゃなくて、ホンモノの料理を置いてるお店もあるよね。 I've seen some restaurants that set out real food to show what's on the menu.

<Trucy> そういうのって、なぜか減ってることありません？ I have, too! But I noticed something strange...

喫茶店のサンドイッチの具だけが、なくなってるの見たことあります！ One time, there was a sandwich without any lettuce!

あれはあれで、フシギです！ Like it had disappeared... by magic!

<Apollo> ‥‥ダレかが、ツマミ食いしただけじゃないの。 ...I'm sure someone just swiped the lettuce and ate it.

<Trucy> あ！　あのサンドイッチ、もしかして‥‥ Wait, that sandwich... You didn't...!

オドロキさん。いくらおナカがすいたからって、カラダ壊しますよ。 Apollo, you shouldn't eat sample food, no matter how hungry you are!

<Apollo> 食べないよ！ヒトを“のら犬”みたいに言うなよ。 Just how hard up do you think I am!?

Last two lines: "Odoroki-san, if you're always keeping yourself hungry like that, you'll hurt your health." "I didn't eat it! Don't treat others like a 'stray dog'."

Ah, so he's a dog. Btw, yes, it is still a sandwich with lettuce from a coffee shop in the JP script.

> Examine: hula hoop

<Apollo> けっこうジャマなんだよな、それ。 You know, that ring kind of gets in the way.

この前も、依頼人がつまづいて転んでたし。 Our client the other day tripped on it and fell on the floor.

<Trucy> そのあと、外までころがったリングを探すのもタイヘンでしたね。 ...Sending my ring rolling out the door! You know how long it took me to find it?

<Apollo> 怒った依頼人をなだめる方が、もっとタイヘンだったよ。 You know how long it took to calm down the client?

けっきょく、依頼もらえなかったし。 ‥‥少しは、片付けようよ。 And in the end, they walked out without hiring us. Could you clean up a bit?

Oh, I would pay a private eye good money to find who this client was based on, out of the staff who wrote the original script. Any ideas, guys?

> Talk: Yesterday's Trial

<Apollo> 今日の法廷で‥‥ラミロアさんは、ハッキリ証言した。 Lamiroir dropped a bomb in court today...

《犯人は、ダイアンさんだ》って。 "It was Daryan"...

<Trucy> ラミロアさん。一度、聞いた声はゼッタイ忘れないんでしょ？ Lamiroir said she's never forgotten a voice, right?

なんか、カッコイイですよねー。 That's so cool!

<Apollo> うん。まあね。 Um, I guess.

<Trucy> なんていうんでしたっけ、アレ。 What's that called again?

ええと。 “じごくみみ”っていう‥‥ Um... Elephant ears...? I bet that's what they're called...

<Apollo> ちょっとちがうぞ、それ。 ...Somehow I don't think that means what you think it means.

In JP, Minuki uses the word "jigoku mimi", which is a metaphor like "ears so sharp they could hear into hell itself", or so it sounds. It can refer to one of two kinds of people: 1) those with the special ability to remember something forever after hearing it once, or 2) incredibly nosy people who'd dig into others' secrets without permission.

Also, I just learned that "elephant ears" can be another name for taro.

> Talk: Interpol

<Apollo> 国際警察の捜査官‥‥かあ。 An Interpol agent... hmm.

<Trucy> で？　なんですか？ “こくさいけいさつ”って。 I was wondering, what is "Interpol" anyway?

<Apollo> え！　そ。そりゃ、アレだろ？ Huh? Interpol?

国際犯罪のハンニンをつかま��るんじゃないか。 They're the guys who catch international criminals.

<Trucy> なんでも“こくさい”をつけりゃいいワケじゃないと思いますケド。 Why can't they just call them "International Police" instead of making up some silly name?

Minuki: "I don't think just throwing 'International' onto anything has an excuse, though."

Unfortunately, they don't have the rights to name themselves "Justice League of Nations" yet, so "Interpol" will have to do.

<Apollo> ‥‥やっぱり、アレかな。ラミロアさんを調べていた、とか？ Yeah... ...Anyway, you think he was investigating Lamiroir?

<Trucy> えええ！　ナニ言ってるんですか！ Whaaaa--!? Why would anyone do that?

ラミロアさんが犯罪者なワケ、ないじゃないですか！ She's not a criminal! She couldn't be!

<Apollo> いやいや。ヒトは見かけによらない、って言うぞ。 Don't be fooled by appearances is all I'm saying.

<Trucy> コドモの純真な目はゴマかせない、って言うじゃないですか！ But remember I'm a magician, Apollo! I can spot a palmed coin at fifty paces!

<Apollo> 自分で言うなよ。 If only it were that easy.

Last three lines: "Sorry, but like they say, 'You can't judge a book by its cover.'" "Don't you mean, 'You can't fool a kid's true-seeing eyes!'" "Don't make up your own saying."

(Fyi, I do sometimes hear this saying about how "kids aren't so easily fooled" in both English and Japanese, but I wanted to make a pun of my own.)

> Enter Valant

<Apollo> はあ。どうも‥‥ Ah, um, nice to meet you. Who... are you?

（ニヤニヤ笑いながら、　言われてもなあ‥‥） (And could you please stop smirking like that?)

<Trucy> ああああッ！　あ。あ。あ。あ。あ。あ‥‥あなたはッ！ Ah. Ahhhhhhh! It's you!!! Uncle Valant!

<Apollo> なんだよ。やっぱり、トモダチか？ Uncle Valant...? He's your uncle!?

<Trucy> ナニ言ってるんですか！ No, silly!

或真敷（あるまじき）バランさんですよ！ It's the Great Gramarye, Valant Gramarye!

あの。大魔術師のッ！ The Grand Magician!

<Valant> さよう‥‥テレビでおなじみ、あの有名な或真敷　バランです。 Yes, it is I, the Great Valant Gramarye. As seen on television.

<Apollo> （ニヤニヤ笑いながら　言われてもなあ‥‥） (And could you please stop smirking like that?)

Btw, it's only in English that Trucy calls him "Uncle". In JP, she simply calls him "Valant-san". Oh, and that "t" at the end is supposed to be silent.

<Apollo> あの‥‥ Um, I hate to intrude, but...

いったい、大魔術師さんが、オレたちになんの用ですか？ What is a Great Magician doing paying us a visit?

<Valant> ‥‥おそらく。用があるのは、あなたたちの方でしょう。 I believe it was you who wished to see me?

なんなりと、聞いていただいてけっこう。 So, be quick with your questions!

このバランに乱反射する‥‥ And do not quail, quake, or quiver. I am quite tame.

ビッグスターのオーラ��、恐れることはありません。 Though my stardom may sear the sight... I'm quite down to earth when need calls.

<Apollo> （‥‥たしかに、あるイミ、　恐るべきオーラがマブしいな） (He does have a certain aura to him, it's true.)

"(...Yeah, in a way, he does have an impressively shining aura.)"

> Talk: Troupe Gramarye

<Trucy> あの。もしかしてオドロキさん。 Wait, Apollo...

《或真敷一座》を知らない‥‥ なんてコトはないですよね？ Don't tell me you don't know about Troupe Gramarye?

<Apollo> あるまじき‥‥ なんていうか、その。 Troupe Grammarie... huh? No.

どこかで聞いたような気はするんだけどね‥‥ But it does sound kind of familiar...

<Valant> おお。まさに、あるまじき青年というべきかな。 Oh, lost life! Lamentably listless lad!

今をトキめく大魔術集団をご存じないとは。 To not know of the greatest troupe of magicians on the planet!

<Apollo> （或真敷　バラン‥‥ 　思い出してきた） (Valant Gramarye... The name began to surface in my mind.)

（たしか、オレが小さいころ、　テレビによく出てたような‥‥） (It was a name I'd heard on television as a child.)

<Trucy> そうですよ！ You bet you've heard the name!

ゴウカ客船を消してみたり、遊園地をバクハしてみたり、 He made a cruise ship disappear, and blew up an amusement park...

銀行の金庫から金塊を消してみたり、あげくの果てに、 ...Oh, and he made all this gold disappear from a safe!

閉じこめられた刑務所から脱走してみたり！ And then escaped from a high security prison!

<Apollo> ‥‥なんだか‥‥ Um...

大いなるゴカイを生みそうなプロフィールだな、それ。 ...You said he is a magician?

"That kind of profile could lead to some big misunderstandings."

(Ok, honestly I only kept this bit in because I love how colorful they made Valant's lines and they are worth sharing.)

> Talk: During the Show

<Apollo> あの‥‥もしかして。 So, I was wondering...

この歌の途中で起こっている “フシギ”は‥‥ That stunt in the middle of the song there...

<Trucy> フシギ‥‥？ I didn't see a stunt...

<Apollo> ラミロアさんが消えたり現れたりしてるじゃないか！ What about Lamiroir vanishing and reappearing!?

<Trucy> あ。ああ‥‥見なれてるから、フシギだって思いませんでした！ Oh, that? I guess I'm so used to seeing that happen I didn't even notice.

<Apollo> （さすが、魔術の子‥‥） (So young to be so jaded...)

"Oh, that... I'm so used to seeing it that it's no mystery to me!" "(As expected of a young magician...)"

<Valant> ‥‥さよう。かの、ささやかなステージこそ。 A simple slight-of-hand, a petit prestidigitation.

この或真敷が仕掛けた魔術なのです。 A modicum of magic from me... to you.

<Trucy> やっぱり！　バランさんが、コンサート会場にいたのは‥‥ So that's why you were at the concert!

<Valant> ご想像のとおり。 Yes.

このバランのトリックを見届けるためだったのです。 I was there to watch my trick take to the air...

<Apollo> じゃあ‥‥ラミロアさんが消えた、そのシカケ‥‥ご存じなんですか？ So you're the one who knows how it was all done.

<Valant> トーゼンでしょう！我こそ、ステージの神。 Of course. I am like a deity, with the stage as my domain!

ステージ上で起こるすべてのフシギを操る‥‥ I suffer no mystery upon those floodlit boards not grasped tightly twixt my fingers.

そのフシギなチカラこそ神たるゆえんなのですから。 It is a potent, primeval power I possess.

Someone give this man a medal for "Ascending the Astral Apex of Alliterative Ability" at once.

<Apollo> あ、あの！よかったら‥‥そのシカケ。 Um... Well... Do you think you could...

教えていただけませんか！ ...tell me how it was done!?

<Trucy> おっと！ Hey now!

<Apollo> み。みぬきちゃん‥‥？ Trucy...?

<Trucy> 魔術師にシカケをたずねるのはルール違反ですよ、オドロキさん。 That's like, totally against the rules, Apollo!

<Apollo> ナニ言ってるんだよ！殺人事件の捜査だぞ！ Not during a murder investigation, it's not!

<Valant> そういうワケにはまいりませぬ。或真敷の秘術は、或真敷だけのもの。 Mais non, for my illusions are mine alone, m'sieur.

And he speaks French! ...Well, actually that's not so surprising. His name is very Frenchy in the first place.

Also, I just wanna mention how he's one of the few AA characters to use the '-nu' form of negation to some words. So far, I think only two others have used such colorful or cultural language, and that would be Luke Atmey and Victor Kudo.

> Present anything

<Valant> ほほう。この私に‥‥ただで、キセキを要求するというのですか。 What's this? You would ask me for a miracle? Free of fee?

いいでしょう。その証拠品を、消せばいいのですね？　永久に！ Then thy wish be granted! Thy will be done! Thy evidence evicted into the ether!

<Apollo> いやいや！　やめてください！ Ack! No evicting, please!

（‥‥魔術師って、　こんなのばっかりなのか？） (...Are all magicians like this, I wonder?)

From my experience? Yeah, quite a lot of them like to make things disappear right from people's pockets. Usually they return them to people, though. I still remember that one lady who was still screaming after the show about the autograph she got from Penn & Teller after volunteering in an act...

Sorry, I feel nostalgic for the ol' Vegas days. Anyway, this is just another entry to share.

> Finish talking

<Valant> ‥‥それでは、みぬき嬢。バランはこれにて失礼いたしますぞ。 ...I, Valant Gramarye, now make my leave, Miss Trucy.

<Trucy> バランさん！　もう少し、ゆっくりしていってくださいよー。 There's no need to rush, Uncle Valant! You should stay a while!

<Valant> そうもまいりませぬ。 I am afraid I cannot. I may not. I shall not.

捜査に協力を求められているゆえ、現場に戻らなければ。 I have been asked to assist with an analysis and so I shall slink back to the scene.

<Apollo> じゃあ‥‥今日は、あのコンサート会場に？ So... you'll be at the concert venue today?

<Valant> さよう。このバランに話があったら、あのコロシアムへどうぞ。 Correct. If you would call on me, come to the Coliseum!

ではッ！　いざ、さらばッ！ See you later, crocodile.

<Apollo> （サッソウとマントを　ひるがえして‥‥） (With a whirl of his cloak, and a wink of his eye...)

（ドアからフツーに出ていったな） (...he turned and walked out through the door. Normally.)

...I don't know why "See you later, crocodile" irks me so much. It's either "See you later, alligator!" or "Been a while, crocodile!" Not both mixed up! This scene does remind me of the "dancingly descended through the front door" boys back in the day, though.

> Move: Detention Center

> Examine: camera

<Apollo> 監視カメラがこっちを見ている。 That security camera is looking at me.

カメラを向けられると、ついポーズを取りたくなるな。 Why do I feel this sudden urge to make a silly face?

"Suddenly I feel like making a pose before that camera."

> Present: anything

<Machi> ＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥ ＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥

<Trucy> “コトバが分からず、話せないのが　残念です。美しいお嬢さん‥‥” I think he said...

<Trucy> ‥‥ですって。 "I am sorry I cannot speak your language. You are very beautiful, fair maiden."

<Apollo> ‥‥勝手なホンヤクをするなよ。 ...This is why I never trust a translator.

Screw you, Apollo. I didn't make this blog to ask for your opinion. >:(

Anyway, it was just: "...Don't make up your own translation."

> Move: Sunshine Coliseum

> Examine: blimp

<Trucy> あ！　飛行船ですよ！ Look! A blimp!

<Apollo> となりには、バルーンもあがってるね。 Those balloons next to it have ad banners on them.

<Trucy> えーと‥‥《大安の日セール・大安売り》ですって！ Let's see... "Big Sale, All Shirts 50% Off."

<Apollo> なんだ。となりのデパートのバルーンじゃないか‥‥ Oh. It's an ad for the department store next door.

It doesn't specify what kind of sale it is in the JP, so I guess it's officially a clothing shop sale. That said, it does say it's a "Lucky Day Sale - Huge Bargain Deals!" I'm not sure exactly how common it is among the Japanese to honor particular "auspicious" days of the year (though, they do have a lunar calendar for these kinds of events), but you'd definitely see these events affect the seasonal shopping cycles.

> Examine: coliseum

<Apollo> 《県立国際ひのまるコロシアム》か。や��らとビッグな名前だね。 Sunshine Coliseum sure is living up to its name today.

<Trucy> おっきいですよねー。 It's huge!

こんな大舞台に立てるなんて‥‥ うー。牙琉さん、うらやましい！ And Mr. Gavin got to play on that enormous stage... I'm so jealous!

みぬきもいつか！このコロシアムで、デビュー戦を！ Someday, I'll fight my first battle on this stage!

<Apollo> なんだよ。“戦”って。 Battle?

<Trucy> だって。なんか“コロシアム”って、格闘技のイメージがありませんか？ Well, yeah, it's a coliseum, isn't it?

<Apollo> 語感が、“コロシアウ”に、似てるからじゃないかな。 Um, they don't do gladiatorial contests at these places any more, Trucy.

<Trucy> そっか！　さすが、オドロキさん！ナゾが解けました！ Really? I had no idea! I wonder why they stopped.

<Apollo> （そんなに、感心されると、　訂正しづらいな‥‥） (Sometimes I worry about her.)

Last four lines: "Well, when I hear 'Colosseum', it makes me think of duels to the death, right?" "Maybe the nuance of the word comes from 'koroshiau'." [mutual killing] "Really? Nice, Odoroki-san! We solved the mystery!" "(With how much she's admiring me, it's hard to correct it...)"

> Examine: costumed mascot

<Apollo> なんだ？あのイヨウな人物は‥‥ What's that... creature there?

<Trucy> わあ！　警察局のアイドル、等身大「タイホくん」だ！ Oooh! That's the police mascot, the Blue Badger!

<Apollo> え！あれが等身大なの？ Eh? It's life size!

<Trucy> 知らないんですか？　よく見ますよ。夜の街をパトロールしてるところ。 Haven't you seen them around town? Patrolling the streets?

暮らしの“安心”を願う、正義のマスコットキャラクターなんです！ Yes, now even law and order has a mascot!

<Apollo> ‥‥それは、アクニンもゼンニンもまとめて逃げ出すだろうね。 ...I'd run from that thing even if I wasn't a criminal.

歩くたびにグラグラするアタマが“不安”なカンジだし。 Why does its head wobble like that when it walks? It's freaky.

<Trucy> オドロキさん！モンクが多いですよ！ I don't think you're showing true Blue Badger spirit, Apollo.

It was just "Odoroki-san! You're complaining too much!"

To be honest, though, I kinda agree with him. I love the Badgers, all of them, but it didn't take AAI to make me question whether they'd be cute or creepy... At least the official Tokyo PD mascot Pipo-kun actually looks cute, kinda like a mouse or teddy in uniform.

...Manly Pipo scares me, plz make it go away.

> Move: In the Wings

> Examine: piano

<Trucy> おっきなピアノですよね！みぬき。弾いたことないんですよね。 That's one big piano! I've never actually played one.

<Apollo> ふうん。成歩堂さんに習えばいいのに。 Heh. You should get Mr. Wright to teach you sometime.

<Trucy> あー、ダメダメ。パパ、弾けないから。 No good, he can't play either.

<Apollo> （これだけソンケイされてない　パパもめずらしいな） (I kind of feel bad for the guy now...)

"(It's not too often that I'd find a dad who is respected this little.)"

> Examine: electronics

<Apollo> いろいろなキカイがある。音響装置だろうか。 Look at all the electronics. They must be sound-related.

<Trucy> こういう機械を見ると、どうにもいじり倒したくなりますよね。 Doesn't seeing a bunch of machines like this make you want to just fiddle with 'em?

いじり倒していいですか？オドロキさん！ Can I, Apollo? Please?

<Apollo> “いじる”だけじゃダメなのかよ。やめとけよ。コワれるから。 No, no fiddling! You'll break something.

<Trucy> でも。コワれることをおそれてちゃ、何もイジれませんよ！ If you're going to make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs!

パパがいつも、言ってます。 “カタチあるもの、みなコワれる” That's what Daddy always says.

<Apollo> ‥‥そこまで悟ってコワしても、怒られるの、オレだからな。 These eggs look kind of expensive.

"But if you're always afraid to break things, you'll never get to fiddle with them! Daddy always says, 'Anything with form will eventually be broken.'" "...Even if you understand and still break it, I'm the one who'll be blamed."

> Examine: tower

<Trucy> このステージの塔の上に、レタスさんとマキさんが‥‥ I still can't believe we found Machi and Mr. LeTouse up there...

<Apollo> アレはさすがに驚いたよ。だから、高いところはキライなんだ。 Yeah. I used to not like high places. Now I hate them.

<Trucy> それ、高さはあんまりカンケイないと思いますけど。 It's not like it would have been nicer if we found a dead body closer to the ground.

‥‥そういえば。パパもニガテですね。高いトコ。 ...Though that reminds me. Daddy's bad with heights, too.

<Apollo> へえ。そうなんだ。 Huh, no kidding.

<Trucy> こないだ。遊園地でカンランシャに乗ったんですよ。 He took me on a Ferris wheel ride a while ago, you know!

パパ、途中からカオが “もすぐりーん”になってました。 Halfway through, his face got all green and he mumbled "objection" over and over.

<Apollo> （‥‥成歩堂さん、かわいそうに） (...Poor guy.)

"Moss green", she says. Thank you, Minuki-chan, for that very detailed description.

> Examine: instrument case

<Apollo> 巨大な楽器のケースが置いてある。 Now that's a big instrument case.

<Trucy> それ、コントラバスっていう楽器のケースですよ。 That's a case for a contrabass, I think.

<Apollo> ちょっとしたバイオリンなら２０個は入りそうなイキオイだ。 You could fit twenty violins in there, I bet.

<Trucy> カタチは似てますけど、ゼンゼンちがう楽器ですっ！ It may look like a violin, but it's a completely different instrument!

<Apollo> みぬきちゃんなら、５人は入りそうなイキオイだ。 You could fit five Trucys in there, I bet.

<Trucy> もう！　ワザとやってるでしょ！ Hey! Are you comparing me to an instrument!?

みぬきとしては、あのビミョーな “半開き”が気になります。 Hmm. I wonder who left it sitting open like that.

Second to last line: "Hey! You're doing that on purpose, aren't you!?"

> Examine: ladder

<Apollo> 昨日、塔の上にのぼったハシゴが置いてある。 That's the ladder we used to climb up the stage tower.

‥‥あれは、キョーレツな体験だったな。 ...Not a moment I'm likely to forget any time soon.

<Trucy> うーん、たしかに。アレは見モノでしたよね。 Me neither...

みぬき。《へっぴり腰》ってコトバの意味、ハッキリわかりました！ I'll never be able to climb another tower again without thinking about it, you know?

<Apollo> ‥‥だから、ニガテなんだよ。高いところはさ。 ...I'll never be able to climb a tower again, period.

Second to last line again: "I now understand what they mean by 'weak knees'!"

(Literally, it's "bent back", but has the meaning of that. Though, it definitely puts a smile on my face picturing moss-green Nick with his bent back again.)

> Talk: Valant Gramarye

<Valant> ‥‥あなたの考えていることはわかります。 I know what you are thinking in that head of yours.

『“或真敷”‥‥ああ。そういえば　ムカシ、テレビで見たっけ』 "Gramarye, yes," you say. "I recall seeing him on television."

おおかた、そんなトコロではないでしょうかな？ Something of that sort?

<Apollo> え‥‥ええ。そのとおりです。 Um, actually, yes, you're right.

<Trucy> これがウワサの “読心術”かもしれませんよ！ Wow! He just read your mind, Apollo!

<Apollo> ‥‥ウソつけ。 ...Or everyone tells him that and he made a good guess.

"So this may be the rumored 'mind-reading technique'!" "...I'm not buying it."

> Talk: Magnifi Gramarye

<Valant> 天斎とザックの亡き、今。私のねがいは、ただひとつ。 Now that Magnifi and Zak are gone, I have but one wish.

残されたこの私が、天斎の奇跡をステージによみがえらせるッ！ Let it be I, Valant Gramarye who brings the Gramarye miracle back to the big stage!

<Trucy> みぬき。応援してますから！ I'm rooting for you!

<Valant> みぬき嬢。早く大きくなることです。あなたのウデっぷしが必要なのだ。 Miss Trucy, you cannot grow up quick enough! I need your skill by my side!

<Trucy> はいッ！　このウデっぷしで！ One skill, coming up!

<Apollo> （やれやれ。ものすごいスピードで　話が事件からそれていくな‥‥） (How do we manage to get off the topic of the case so quickly all the time?)

Interestingly, the "skill" he mentions refers to physical strength? Was he expecting Trucy to help him move some loads backstage or something? Well, times have been tough on the troupe, so I guess stage workers are short...

> Present: attorney's badge

<Valant> ほう‥‥それが、あなたが弁護士たる“証”ですか。 Ah... The proof positive of your profession, yes?

<Apollo> ええ。そうです。 Um, yeah.

<Valant> ‥‥ふむ。少々、拝借してよろしいかな？ Might I... have a look?

‥‥おや。消えてしまいましたな。 Oh! What's this? It is gone!

<Apollo> うわわっ！　何するんですかッ！ Ack! What'd you do with my attorney's badge!?

<Valant> はっはっはっはっはっ。あわてずともよいですぞ。 Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha. Don't be alarmed.

みぬき嬢！　その腰のトピットの中をごらんなさい。 Miss Trucy! Take a look into your topit, if you would.

<Trucy> きゃっ！　こんなところにオドロキさんのバッジが！ Eek! It's your badge, Apollo! What's it doing in there?

スゴいです、バランさん！フシギですよねー。オドロキさん。 That was amazing! Wasn't it, Apollo?

<Apollo> （そんなコトより、みぬきちゃんの　腰についてるポシェット‥‥） (He called that pouch at her waist a "topit"...?)

（“トピット”っていうんだ。　‥‥魔術師用語か？） (Is that some kind of magician speak?)

So I had to search it up, and apparently a topit is a hidden sleeve or pocket that a magician uses to hide objects during an act. So it is indeed magician-speak. Normally, these topits are hidden in a jacket or outfit or somewhere and not out in the open like Trucy's pouch, though... If anything, her topit is stuffed with a certain Mr. Hat already.

> Move: Backstage Hallway

> Examine: Gavinners' dressing room door

<Apollo> こっちは、《ガリューウエーブ》の楽屋だ。 That's the Gavinners's dressing room.

今、ガリューウエーブのメンバーは捜査でいそがしいはず‥‥ They're all out on the investigation.

おそらく、誰もいないだろうな。 Being backstage isn't half as glamorous without a band here.

Funny seeing this coming from Apollo of all people. For reference: "There's probably no one in there."

> Examine: Lamiroir's dressing room door

<Apollo> ラミロアさんの楽屋‥‥ 事件現場のドアだ。 That's Lamiroir's dressing room... and the scene of the crime.

殺人事件の現場にしては、警備がウスいよな‥‥ It's kind of lightly guarded for being a crime scene.

<Trucy> いいじゃないですか。入りやすくて。 I'm not complaining! Makes it easier for us to go in!

それに、みぬきたち。アカネさんも公認ですから。 And Ema gave us her OK, right?

堂々と入って、これでもかとひっかきまわしても大丈夫ですよ！ We can wander in and do as we like!

<Apollo> （‥‥なんだか、アカネさんが　心配になってきたぞ） (How is Ema doing, anyway...?)

（カリントウ食べすぎて　虫歯にならなきゃいいけど） (I hope she's not getting cavities from eating all those chocolate Snackoos...)

"(...I get the feeling Akane-san is gonna worry.) (Ah well, as long as she doesn't get cavities from eating so much karintou.)"

> Finish talking

<Lamiroir> 連絡はそれを使っておりましたから。ないと困るハズなのですが‥‥ We use it for communication. It would be quite inconvenient should it go missing.

<Apollo> わかりました。オレたちが預かっておきますよ。 We'll hold on to it for you then.

牙琉検事に会ったら、言っておきますから。 We'll give it to Prosecutor Gavin when we see him.

<Lamiroir> そうですね。では、おねがいできますかしら。 Yes, that's best. Thank you.

<Trucy> あ！　じゃあ、ソレ。みぬきがつけておきますね！ So, can I put it on?

< > 《ヘッドセット》をみぬきちゃんに取りつけた。 Headset attached to Trucy.

<Trucy> プラモデルみたいに言わないでください！ "Attached"? I'm not some kind of robot, Apollo!

Or a plastic model, as per the JP.

> Move: Lamiroir's Dressing Room

< > ‥‥さくさくさくさく‥‥ ...MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH...

<Apollo> う‥‥‥ Uh oh...

このキョーレツなニクシミをこめてカリントウを噛み砕く音は‥‥ There's only one person I know who can munch with such... venom.

<Ema> ‥‥ナニしに来たのよ。 ...What are you doing here?

<Apollo> あいかわらず、フキゲンそうですね。アカネさん。 Hello, Ema. You're looking as grumpy as ever.

<Ema> そりゃそうでしょ。 Oh, am I supposed to be happy?

法廷でアンタにやりこめられて、牙琉検事にバカにされちゃうし。 You give me the second degree in court, and Prosecutor Gavin makes me look like a fool.

Heh, I like both the descriptions with "venom" and the "intense crunching noise" from the JP. Thinking about it, for someone to munch so loudly even with a closed mouth, that is a pretty impressive level of intense.

> Examine: crime scene

<Apollo> あれ。ここ、カーペットが切り取られてるぞ。 Look, the carpet's been torn up here.

<Trucy> 今日の法廷で《のみとーる試薬》をふりかけたトコですね！ That's the part we did the lunimol testing on in court!

<Ema> “ルミノール試薬”よ！ノミを取ってどうするの！ "Loony mall"? What's "Loony mall"!? It's "Luminol"! Get it right!

<Trucy> ‥‥‥！ ...!

アカネさん、カガク捜査のコトになると、コワい‥‥ Ema's kind of scary when it comes to science.

<Apollo> ‥‥みぬきちゃんも、そろそろキチンとおぼえようよ。 ...Best learn the word and not incite her wrath again.

Heh, she mistakes it as "Nomitol", and Akane-san snaps at her about "Why would I be catching fleas!?" since "nomi" is "flea" and "toru" is to "take" or "pick up".

> Examine: bullet holes

<Apollo> こんなに厚いカベが、ぺっこりヘコんでいる。 Look at the way those bullets tore through this thick wall.

ホントに、オソロシイ威力のピストルだったんだな。 That revolver really was something else.

<Trucy> マキさんみたいに小柄なヒトでも、撃てるものなのかなあ。 I wonder if someone as little as me could even fire it?

<Apollo> 肩がハズれちゃうかもしれないね。しばらくピアノなんか弾けないよ。 Dislocating your shoulder would kind of put a crimp on your stage career.

<Trucy> あ。じゃあ、ウチのパパの肩コリも吹き飛ばしちゃうカモ！ Daddy always has stiff shoulders, maybe that could loosen him up!

<Apollo> やめてくれよ。ホントに撃ちそうだぞ、あのヒト。 Don't even mention it. I'm afraid he might go out and actually try it.

<Trucy> たぶん、ないと思うけどなあ。そんな度胸。 Nah, he doesn't have the guts to pull the trigger, I bet.

Haha, Odoroki's second to last line: "It might dislocate your shoulder. You wouldn't even be able to play piano."

> Examine: bowl

<Trucy> きゃあ！　フルーツですよフルーツですよフルーツ！ Look! It's fruit! Fruit, Apollo! Fruit!!!

<Apollo> ‥‥１回多いよ。 ...I heard you the first time.

これだけあるのに、スイカをひとクチかじっただけとは‥‥ It sure is a lot of fruit. I doubt anyone would miss a bit of watermelon...

<Trucy> メロンを瞬間移動させましょうか。 ‥‥みぬきのおなかに。 I know, I'll make it vanish! Into my stomach!

<Apollo> やめておこうよ。ベンショウさせられるかもしれない。 Better not. They might make you pay for it.

そんなおカネがあったら、事務所のカベを塗りなおそうよ。 And if you have the money for that, you should probably repaint the office first.

<Trucy> メロンって、そんなに高いんですかっ！ Watermelons are that expensive!?

<Apollo> まあ、よく知らないけど。 *shrug* These could've been imported from some exotic locale, for all we know.

Nice shoutout to Japan's exotic fruit market. There are indeed such things as square watermelons and exquisite canteloupes that can go for as high as 10-15,000 yen per melon (~$95-143 these days).

Also, Minuki mentioned she'll have some of the canteloupe to herself, which is why Odoroki warned her about how expensive it'd be.

> Examine: bouquet

<Trucy> “ゴウカらんらん”な花が飾ってありますね！ That's one heavy-duty bouquet there.

<Apollo> ワルいけど、“けんらん”だぞ。 I have trouble thinking of flowers as being "heavy-duty".

<Trucy> えー！　でも！“ゆうきりんりん” って言いません？ But they call lots of things heavy-duty!

<Apollo> それは言うけど。 Not flowers, they don't.

<Trucy> “るんるん気分”とか。 What about a "heavy" scent?

<Apollo> たしかにね。 I think you mean "heady".

<Trucy> 事務所のトナリのメガネ屋さんは “れんれん”だし。 What if the flowers were plastic?

<Apollo> お。苦しくなってきたな。 They still wouldn't be heavy.

<Trucy> “ろんろん”は‥‥‥‥‥‥ないや。みぬきの負けですね！ OK, what if they were made out of metal?

<Apollo> じゃ、満を持して “けんらん”ってコトで。 What, like a magnolia made out of steel?

<Trucy> はいっ！ Exactly! Though I hope all my fans don't start throwing metal flowers at me.

Once again, we have a case of Japanese wordplay that couldn't make it through translation. Here it is:

"There's some 'gouka ranran' flowers here!" [splendid-fiery] "Sorry, but that should be 'kenran'." [gouka kenran = luxurious] "Huh? But don't they always say 'yuuki rinrin'?" [full of vigor] "That they do." "And 'runrun kibun' too." [exuberant mood] "That's right." "And even the glasses shopkeeper next to the office is 'renren'." [attached to /

fond of] "Oh, now you're starting to grasp at straws." "And for 'ronron'... I can't think of any. Well, I'm out!" "Then, you can accept that it's 'kenran'." "Okay!"

I respect the ref to Steel Magnolia, though.

> Examine: wigs

<Apollo> 美容院なんかで見かける、パーマをかける機械だ。 That's one of those permanent dryers you see in hair salons.

<Trucy> そういえば、これ。正式な名前はなんていうんですか？ Is that what they're really called? "Permanent dryers"?

<Apollo> パーマをかけるキカイだから ‥‥《パーマ機》？ Do I look like a beautician? I just know they dry your hair and give you a permanent...

<Trucy> “機”だけニホンゴってカッコ悪いです！ It just doesn't sound very glamorous, you know?

<Apollo> じゃあ‥‥ちょっとコジャレて《パーマシーン》‥‥？ OK, how about a "permachine"!?

<Trucy> シンプルに《パーマー》とか。《ドライヤー》のノリで。 Or you could go more simple, like "permer"!

<Apollo> ‥‥けっこう遊べるね。《正式な名前を考えよう》って。 ...This isn't a bad game, thinking up official names for things.

その時点で“正式”じゃないけど。 Not that it makes the name actually official or anything.

As it happens, it's not too far from the original script, even including a bit of Japanese wordplay: "It's one of those machines you'd see at a beauty salon that gives you a perm." "Say, what is the official name of those things?" "Well, it's a machine that gives you a perm, so... 'perma-ki'?" [kikai = machine] "It sounds weird just leaving that 'ki' in there!" "Then... to keep it trendy, how about 'permachine'?" "Or keep it simple like 'permer', kinda like 'dryer'." "...We sure can play around with thinking up official names for things. Not that it makes the name actually official or anything."

> Examine: presents

<Trucy> ラミロアさんへのプレゼントですね。 A stack of presents for Lamiroir.

さすが、大スターのプレゼントはどれも大きいですよねー。 Stars always get the biggest presents.

ね。ね。オドロキさん。みぬきも受付中ですよ。プレゼント。 You know, you could give me a present, Apollo.

<Apollo> ‥‥じゃ、はい。アメ玉。 ...Here, have a piece of candy.

<Trucy> わあい！　ありがとう！ Gee! Thanks!!!

<Apollo> （喜んでくれたのに、なんで　こう、ムネがいたむんだろう） (She must not get a lot of presents... Poor girl.)

(I'm happy for her and all, but why do I feel so bad?)"

I guess it can go two ways: he's sorry that she doesn't get many presents, or he's upset he had to give away some of his sweets.

> Talk: Yesterday's Trial

<Ema> とにかくね。あのちっちゃな子にダマされてたと思うと、くやしくて。 It just bugs me to think that little kid outsmarted me.

<Ema> 目が見えたんなら、よけいにアヤシイんじゃない？　あの子。 And it makes him even more suspicious now that we know he can see!

天井の通気口も見えたワケだし、ピストルも撃てたし。 He could have seen the air duct, and he could have shot that revolver.

<Trucy> でも‥‥ラミロアさん、そうは証言していませんよ。 But that's not how it sounded in Lamiroir's testimony.

<Ema> ああ。現場で、ハンニン‥‥ 眉月刑事の声を聞いた、ってね。 You mean her saying she heard Detective Daryan's voice at the scene? Hmm...

<Trucy> そうですっ！ That's right!

<Ema> もう。なんでワケのわかんない事件ばっか起こるのよ、この国は！ Why can't we have a normal, straightforward killing once in a while in this country!?

<Apollo> クニのせいにしないでくださいよ‥‥ I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

Ah, here's the legendary Ema quote! It's pretty similar to the original: "Ugh. Why is this country just full of cases that don't make sense at all!?" "Please don't blame the country, it's not at fault..."

> Talk: Song Lyrics

<Ema> ここまで一致していると‥‥ グーゼンとは思えないよね。 It is kind of hard to chalk it up to coincidence, hmm.

<Trucy> ですよねっ！みぬきが見つけたんですけど。 I know! And I found it.

<Ema> これって、やっぱり。ハンニンがやった‥‥のかなあ？ You think the same person did all of this?

<Apollo> オレに聞かないでくださいよ。ハンニンじゃないし。 Don't ask me. I didn't do it.

<Ema> あたしだってちがうよ。あの通気口、入れないし。 Neither did I! I couldn't fit through that air vent anyway.

<Trucy> ‥‥え！　みんな‥‥ みぬきを疑ってるんですかっ？ What... You all think I did it!?

<Apollo> （ダレも言ってない） (Sometimes I worry about that girl.)

"(No one said anything about you.)"

This here is some fine Among Us logic, yessiree.

> Talk: Something Odd

<Trucy> ‥‥あの。ナニか見つけたんですか？ ...So what did you find?

<Ema> まあね。ちっちゃくて、きのうは見落としていたんだけど‥‥ It's so little I must have passed over it yesterday.

あの、ソファの下に、コイツがね‥‥ I found it under the sofa.

<Trucy> ‥‥なんですか。コレ。 ...What is it?

<Ema> 何かの機械の部品、みたいだけどね。サッパリわからないの。 Part of some device, I think. I haven't a clue what.

ハジっこについてるキカイ、見覚えがあるから調べてみたら‥‥ The bit sticking out from the end looked familiar, so I had it examined.

どうやら《アンテナ》みたい。 Turns out it's an antenna.

<Trucy> アンテナ‥‥ Ooh, like on a beetle?

<Ema> だから。電波に反応するのかな、って思って。 Like on a cell phone. This device must use an electronic signal of some sort.

<Trucy> 電波、か。ココロ当たりあるような‥‥ないような。 An electronic signal, you say? Hmm...

Hm, I wonder if Trucy likes collecting beetles. Otherwise, I have no idea where that line came from.

> Finish talking, examine crime scene again

<Trucy> ‥‥ちょっと、気になったんですけど。 You know what I couldn't stop thinking?

このカーペット、誰がベンショウするんでしょうね。 Who's going to pay for this carpet?

<Apollo> オレたちじゃないコトはたしかだけど‥‥ As long as it's not us...

やっぱり。ハンニン‥‥じゃないかな。 Maybe... the shooter?

<Trucy> うーん。それじゃあ、悪いコトするときは‥‥ I guess it's true what they say.

ヒトにメイワクがかからないようにしないと。 Crime doesn't pay!

<Apollo> ‥‥ベツのルートからそこへたどり着きたかったね。 I would hope that carpet replacement costs weren't the only thing holding you back.

The last three lines: "Hmm. It's like, 'When you do something wrong... don't cause trouble for others too.'" "...I wished we could have come to that through a different way."

> Move: Sunshine Coliseum

> Meet Daryan, finish talking

<Daryan> どう思ってるんだよ。ホントのトコロは。 What do you really think happened? Really?

‥‥オレがやった‥‥なんて考えてないだろうなあ？ You don't think I did it, right?

<Apollo> そ。それは‥‥ W-Well...

<Daryan> なんか、たよりないからな、おまえさん。おぼえておいてくれよ。 Great. Way to instill a guy with some confidence.

事件が起こった瞬間。オレはステージで、暴れてたんだぜ。 Just remember, I was ripping it up on stage when it happened, OK? Ripping!

<Apollo> ‥‥‥！ ...!

<Daryan> あの“歌姫”とかいうおばさんの言うことに、ダマされるなよ。 Don't get led astray by some siren song, eh?

さもないと‥‥ １年ぶんのハジをかくことになるぜ。 Get this one wrong, and you'll be eating humble pie for a year. I'll bake it myself.

<Trucy> なんか‥‥感じ悪いですね。 Let's... not talk to him anymore. Alright?

<Apollo> （眉月　大庵‥‥刑事、か‥‥） (Detective Daryan Crescend... He's one stone I'd leave unturned if I had a choice.)

Heh, nice. It was plainly "Don't be fooled by that 'songtress' lady", but made the perfect opportunity for a reference to siren songs. Ngl, I was half-expecting the JP script to run off of her Goddess title in some way...

> Move: Prosecutor Gavin's Office

< > ‥‥ピッ‥‥ ...*beep*...

<Klavier> やれやれ‥‥こんなときにこそ、ダイアンが必要なんだけど。 It's times like this when I start to miss Daryan...

‥‥ん？ ...Huh?

<Apollo> あ‥‥どうも。 Erm, hiya!

<Trucy> えへ。来ちゃいましたあ。 Tee hee! Just thought we'd drop in. Hope you're not mad...?

<Klavier> ‥‥“えへ”とこられちゃあ、怒るワケにもいかないな。 ...How could I be? There's not enough "tee hee" in the world, in any case.

まあ、座りなよ。 Have a seat.

<Apollo> （意外にココロの広いオトコだな） (Prosecutor Gavin, the philanthropist.)

<Trucy> オドロキさんも見習うんですよ。 Watch and learn, Apollo!

"(He's a lot kinder than I thought, this guy.)"

> Examine: guitars

<Apollo> すごい数のギターですね。こんなに持ってて、どうするんですか‥‥ Look at all the guitars! Why so many?

<Klavier> 何本あったって、困らないさ。ギターは、ぼくの恋人だからね。 You can never have too many guitars. They are like... my lovers.

<Apollo> （なんだかハラの立つセリフだな） (I didn't just hear him say that.)

"(Feels like he's saying that just to rub it in my face.)"

<Trucy> オドロキさん、知らないんですか？これは、予備のギターですよ。 They're backup guitars, Apollo. Don't you know anything?

“ろっくんろーる”は、ギターを壊してナンボの世界ですから！ Rock 'n' rollers always smash their guitars at the end of a show!

<Apollo> どんな世界だよ‥‥ No wonder it's so hard to make it as a musician.

"What kind of wacky world do they live in..."

<Trucy> ほらほら！　オドロキさんも、 “ろっく”してみてくださいよ！ You know what, you should try rocking a little, Apollo.

<Apollo> ‥‥持ち主の目の前でそれは、さすがにロックすぎるだろ。 And breaking his guitars while he watches? That might be a little too rocking.

<Klavier> はっはっは。でもね。ぼくは、そーいうのはやらないんだ。 Ah ha ha ha. Of course, I would never do such a thing.

言っただろ？ギターは、ぼくの恋人だって。 Did I not say, they are like my lovers?

ぼくが、恋人にそんなことをするオトコに見えるかい？ Do I seem like the kind of man who would do such a thing to ones he loves?

<Trucy> いいえ、まさか！　見えませんよ！さすが、ガリューさんですね！ No, no! Not at all! I mean, you're Mr. Gavin, upstanding prosecutor!

<Apollo> （おいおい‥‥“ろっく”な　世界はどうしたんだよ） (What happened to Prosecutor Gavin, god of rock?)

"No, no! Not at all! It's you we're talking about, Garyuu-san!" "(Hey... what happened to that world of 'rock' you were on about?)"

> Examine: window

<Klavier> どうだい？すばらしい眺めだろう？ The view is exhilarating, ja?

いつも、ここで夜景を楽しみながら、曲の構想を練るんだ。 I sit here, gazing down upon the city, writing my songs.

<Apollo> 検事の仕事をしましょうよ。 Try working on cases.

<Klavier> 曲を考えることと、事件の推理をすること‥‥ It is the same thing.

ぼくにとっては、同じなんだよ。 I write lyrics the same way I corroborate evidence.

どちらも大切なのは、ロジックと感性のハーモニーだからね。 It is a harmony between the logical mind, and the primal spirit within!

<Apollo> （言ってることはカッコイイけど、　ごまかされている気がする‥‥） (Is it so hard to admit that you like staring out your window and daydreaming?)

"(He may have put it in a cool way, but I bet he's just trying to deflect...)"

Do prosecutors have a habit of just staring out their windows for some reason? I know that frilly guy does it because he's got a bit of time at this time.

> Talk: The Case

<Klavier> ああ‥‥そうだ。今日の新聞を見たかな？ Ah, that reminds me, did you see the paper today?

<Trucy> はい！ Yes!

テレビのページだけはみぬき、毎朝チェックしてるんですよ！ I always read the TV section.

<Klavier> それはエラいね。おデコくん、キミは？ Good girl. How about you, Herr Forehead?

<Apollo> オレも、４コマまんがはチェックしてますけど。 ...I read the funnies.

Ah, something we can agree on, Apollo. Then again, with how Odoroki mentions the 4koma, I can't help but picture those on Gyakuten Tsuushin and now the joke is super meta.

<Klavier> ‥‥コイツを見たまえ。 ...Then you will not have seen this!

<Apollo> 《悪魔のしらべが惨劇をもたらす！　～二枚目検事のキケンな歌声》 "Concert of Tragedy -- The Prosecutor's Deadly Song!"

<Trucy> え。今夜、そんなドラマ、ありましたっけ？ Ooh, is that a new show? I haven't heard about that one.

<Klavier> ドラマじゃないよ。れっきとした、記事の見出しさ。 It's not a show. It's an article. News, you know?

<Trucy> あ‥‥もしかして。みぬきたちの‥‥ Oh, does this have anything to do with the case...?

<Klavier> 法廷から帰ってから、ぼくの電話は鳴りっぱなしだよ。 Since getting back from the trial, my phone has been ringing off the hook!

Second to last: "Oh... so it's about us...?"

> Finish talking, get the replica

> (optional) Move: W.A.A., present replica

<Trucy> レタスさんは‥‥ コレを調べていたんですね。 So this is what Mr. LeTouse was after...

<Apollo> うん。国際警察がコレを追いかけていた、ってこと��ろうね。 It's international smuggling. That's why Interpol was involved.

（今回の事件とどう関わるのかは、　まだイマイチ分からないけど） (I'm still not sure how this ties into our case, though.)

<Trucy> ちっちゃいのに、すごいんですね、コレ！ Wow, how could such a little thing be so important!

<Apollo> たしかに‥‥ まるで、みぬきちゃんみたいだね。 In that way, it's a bit like you, Trucy.

<Trucy> ！‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ オドロキさん！ ...Apollo!

みぬきは、ちっちゃいんじゃなくて、まだ若いだけです！ I'm not small! I mean, I am, but I'm still growing!

<Apollo> （‥‥一応、　ほめたつもりだったんだけどな） (It was intended as a compliment.)

<Trucy> オドロキさんこそ、前髪で身長かせいでるじゃないですか！ Well you cheat your height by sticking your hair up like that!

<Apollo> （こ、これは別に、そういうんじゃ　ないんだけど‥‥） (Hey, it's called fashion.)

"(H-hey, I just like it this way. I didn't mean it like that...)"

> Move: Sunshine Coliseum, In the Wings, then Hickfield Clinic

> Move: Detention Center, present replica

> Talk: The Cocoon

<Trucy> この“マユ”‥‥ いったい、なんなんですか？ What is this cocoon, anyway?

<Machi> ＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥ ＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥

<Lamiroir> 『マユ、糸‥‥特効薬』 "The cocoon, the silk, is a potent cure."

<Trucy> とっこうやく‥‥？ A cure...?

<Apollo> 何かの病気に効く、ってコトかな。 It must cure some disease.

<Machi> ＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥ ＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠＠‥‥

<Lamiroir> 『《チリョーレス症候群》‥‥』という病気に効くみたいですわ。 It's a cure for "Incuritis".

<Apollo> チリョーレス‥‥ A cure for Incuritis?

Ughhh, it literally is just "Chiryoles" (chiryou + less = cure-less), aka "Incuritis". And here I was expecting it was just the loc team having a brainfart once in a while.

#gsvsaa #gs4 #ajaa #turnabout serenade #part 3

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