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corvus--rex · 3 years ago

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The first part of this is already on Ao3 as part of Julance 2021, and I wanted to throw it up here with the second (unfinished) part of the chapter. It's sleeping for now, but I really want to come back to it. If you've read the first part on Ao3, I said that Keith's a little dark at first, but that he has his reasons - those reasons come in in his part. It is an Omegaverse, with Alpha Lance and Omega Keith. As usual, please feel free to skip it if it's not your thing :)

~*~*~*~

Part 1: Sharpshooter

Unilu was an old neighborhood. One that didn’t care where you came from or where you were going. Didn’t care about dynamics. Didn’t care about where your money came from. The density of the buildings made the area dark even in the middle of the day. The stories said that Altea had been a beautiful city, light and free. That was impossible to see anymore. Daibazaal Industries had taken over long ago, running the nanny-state government from boardrooms.

This was the world Lance McClain navigated through on his way to a bar called Baku’s Den. He was supposed to be meeting up with Florona, a girl he’d been put in contact with. She had connections to a job he was interested in. Omega trafficking wasn’t an uncommon practice, but it was usually female Omegas that were targeted. Some bullshit about delicate beauty and submission he didn’t believe in. Lance’s mother was an Omega, wherever she was. He hoped she was safe; he hadn’t seen her in 8 years. But this trafficking ring was pretty new, and dealing exclusively in male Omegas. Lance had a feeling he knew why.

The Daibazaal state had mandated sterilization for all Betas and some female Omegas. Male Omegas were safe from the invasive procedure. The official reason was that there was a population issue and the city was over-crowded, and that, although unfortunate, it was necessary for even resource distribution, and the statistics showed that male Omegas were far less likely to have children. It was total bullshit. The birth rate had been dropping steadily for years. Some once-thriving neighborhoods had become ghost towns. The only reason a place like Unilu was still holding on was because they looked the other way on most things, becoming a haven of sorts for people like Lance. The Alpha had always had an innate talent for firearms of all types. It was a talent he’d honed into a finely-sharpened skill. One that he used to chip away at Daibazaal and the atrocities they allowed to go unaddressed, like this trafficking ring.

He’d left his hoverbike a few blocks away, making his way to Baku’s Den on foot. He stiffened when he caught the scent of someone coming up beside him, but relaxed when he realized he knew the Beta. It was another runner who went by Rolo. Lance and Rolo had first met when Rolo and his girlfriend Nyma took off with Lance’s hoverbike. He’d gotten it back from the Beta pair and their cyber-terrier Beezer, and they’d eventually become friends of a sort.

Rolo casually sauntered up beside the Alpha. “So, where ya headed?” he asked.

“Just drinks with a girl,” Lance answered. Meeting a contact,was the translation.

The Beta understood. “She pretty?” One of your usual contacts?

“Don’t know. Blind date a friend set up.” No, but I trust the one who set up the meeting.

“Well, good luck with that. Never can tell with some girls. Gimme a call if you need an excuse.” Watch your back. Call if you need backup.

Lance chuckled at the surface sentiment. “Sure. Thanks, man.” Will do.

“Well, I better take Beezer for a walk. Gettin’ late.” Doing a hacking run tonight, but I’ll be nearby.

“Have fun with that. Watch out for any stray cats.” Good luck. Keep an eye out for security bots.

“Eh, they’re easy to scare off.” I can get around them.

By then, they’d reached the block Baku’s Den was on. Lance nodded toward it, Rolo understanding that this was where his meeting was taking place. They parted ways, Lance headed for the bar, and Rolo disappeared around the corner. The sign hologram on the dark grey concrete building sat over the heavy steel door. The sign read Baku’s Den in a stylized typeface with a three-jawed serpent weaving through the letters. The serpent flew – swam? – through the bar’s name on a continual loop, executing a barrel roll around the name every third loop.

The interior looked very much like most other bars Lance had been to, whether meeting fixers or just relaxing. A dark concrete floor was easy to clean (and hide ingrained blood stains) after the inevitable bar fights. Dim lighting was both a blessing and a curse since it kept things more intimate, but it was also harder to spot a weapon. Booths were the same way. Made things more private, but also gave someone the chance to ambush a target. Lance’s cursory sweep was more tactical than he let show. He noted all exit points, where was best for cover, who looked the most dangerous. He also spotted his contact.

Florona sat at the edge of the booth in the back corner. She had closely cut maroon hair except for a white swath down the middle that was cut longer and swept to one side. Her gloss black cybernetic eyes had no visible sclera or iris, but he knew she was looking at him. He could see her brown leather jacket with dark red accents and skin-tight burgundy pants and heavy boots. It was also a pretty safe guess that she was armed. Just as it was a near certainty that Florona wasn’t her real name.

Lance McClain certainly wasn’t his. But when he was separated from his family at 16, he left Leandro Dávila behind. He made a new identity for himself, one that let him not stand out at all, one that let him hide. He wasn’t even sure if there was anything left of Leandro in him. Leandro had been a hopeful, optimistic child. Lance was hardened by years of fighting, jaded by harsh reality. Leandro would have been afraid of Lance. It was a smart thing to be.

Some people, like Florona, wore their cybernetics for the world to see. Implants and attachments that were blatantly obvious. Rarer were those like Lance. He’d lost his eyes after a run gone wrong. The crew he was with sold him out when they thought the other side would pay better for it. They blinded him, but even without sight, he was still able to take them out and escape. He’d called his fixer, who got him help. His cybernetics looked natural, as close to his original blue as they could get. But they were fully functional cyberware. Top of the line a few years back. Night vision, infrared, zooming, even the ability to limit the amount of light received – all linked in. By blinding him, his old crew made sure he would never be blinded again. Not too long after that, he lost his left hand. That run was successful, but Lance had gotten caught in crossfire and an unlucky shot blew out his wrist, shredding tendons and splintering bone. The new one was indistinguishable from his right, the artificial skin blending seamlessly with the organic.

Lance had no choice but to slide into the booth facing away from the door, forcing him to trust Florona with his personal safety. He nodded to her, careful not to say a word until he was seated. “Florona.” It was a statement, a greeting, a question, a confirmation.

“McClain,” she returned, “Or would you prefer Sharpshooter?”

He put on the illusion of relaxing, something he never truly did. “Lance is fine,” he said casually.

Florona’s lips twitched with an amused huff. “Alright, Lance. I’m going to order us drinks while we wait,” she said, signaling to the aqua-haired waitress.

“Waiting for what?” This wasn’t what Lance was expecting, and now he was getting nervous.

“Your partner.”

“Partner? That’s news to me. What can you tell me about them?”

The waitress came over, waiting for what she was sure would be Florona’s usual order. “Nunvil,” Florona said – no surprises there. “And bring the bottle.”

Lance whistled low. “You go hard.”

Florona raised a perfect eyebrow. “And you don’t?”

“Never said I didn’t. So, what about this partner?”

She leaned back, throwing an arm over the back of the booth. “Best fuckin’ swordsman I’ve ever seen. Stealth type. He’s got this one blade �� let’s just say I never want to be on the wrong side of it.”

The waitress returned setting unopened bottle and a pair of glasses on the table. When she left, Florona made a show of breaking the seal on the bottle. She poured both glasses, and Lance idly played with the rim of his.

“What’s so special about this blade?” he asked. He was genuinely curious, but made sure she didn’t know that.

“Ultraviolet hard-light. Keeps it maglocked to a sheath on his back. Bio-activated so no one but him can use it. I got to see what happens when someone tried to take it once. Wasn’t pretty. New guy tried to hit on him. Pretty forcefully, but he didn’t know what he was in for.”

Interesting information. This mysterious partner of his was a known factor here. Lance wasn’t sure if Florona had mentioned that part to remind him that he was an outsider in Unilu or if she just considered it part of the story.

“I should tell you what to expect from him before he gets here. You're an Alpha, and he may take offense to that. He’s an Omega, and a lifetime of bad experiences makes him resent Alphas on sight.”

“That’s fair,” he said, and finally picked up his glass. He actually enjoyed the silky burn as it went down. “Anything else I should know?”

“Don’t piss him off. He’s not likely to actually kill you, but the threat will be there.”

“Anything else that’s not vague and threatening?” Lance asked, draining his glass.

“Mm, nope.” Florona refilled both their glasses, and Lance saw the tiniest movement of her looking to the bar. “Except that he’s coming over. Better get ready, he’s an experience.”

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

Part 2: Samurai

Keith stashed his heavily modified hoverbike in an alley barely a block away from Baku’s Den, activating the chameleon hologram that would keep it out of sight. He was familiar with both the Unilu neighborhood in general and Baku’s Den in particular, and knew to be cautious. It wasn’t just the relative lawlessness of the area that kept his guard up. Nowhere was truly safe for a male Omega in Altea. Not anymore, not with the disappearances that he now knew were a major Omega trafficking ring.

Knowing that the upper echelons of Altean society were buying and selling male Omegas like prized pets made his blood boil. It was assumed they were being taken as breeders, to be used to give the city’s elite heirs until their bodies gave out. But Keith had seen the kinds of things that happened to Omegas, male or female. Breeding was only part of it. He was lucky that he hadn’t been taken, but he’d freed more than a few who were in similar situations. Kidnapped or given away to Alphas, and even Betas, and abused into being the “perfect” Omega. It varied depending on the human garbage controlling the Omega. Docile, submissive servants, hypersexualized walking sex toys, psychologically broken breeding stock for their Alphas, and that was the better end. He’d seen Omegas so physically, emotionally, mentally broken that there was no saving them. Death was a welcome rest for them, but not for the abusers. He felt nothing for them as people when he put them down, only a sense of relief that they would never harm another Omega.

Keith was mainly a runner specializing in stealth and close combat. Taking out low-level Omega trafficking was what he did between runs. If working opposite Daibazaal Industries and its only subsidiary, Galra Technologies, was what amounted to Keith’s day job, his vigilante justice for trafficked and abused Omegas was his passion project. It was what made him jump at the chance to at least help bring down the biggest trafficking ring the city had ever seen. He didn’t know Florona well, but he trusted her boss Luxia, and she was the one who first had the intel for the run being offered.

The exterior of Baku’s Den was its usual façade of calm, as much as a high-class dive bar could be. Keith knew as well as anyone that a fight could break out at any time and for any reason. Just walking in made him uneasy, especially when he opened the door to a loud argument in progress between members of a runner team he’d seen there before. Almost subconsciously, his hand went toward the hard-light blade he kept sheathed on his lower back at all times. The near-fight ended with raucous laughter and a call for another round of drinks. He dropped his hand with a relieved sigh and made his way to the bar, intentionally catching Florona’s eye on the way.

“Keith! Haven’t seen you in a while,” Luxia greeted him.

“Yeah, been busy,” he answered, “Just finished another run last night. Anything I should know about this guy before I head over?”

She shrugged. “Experienced runner. Long-range firearms specialist. Got a couple cybernetics, but nothing obvious.” Luxia knew Keith’s preferred drink, and set the glass of SilveRing down in front of him, the dim lighting of the bar illuminating the juniberry-distilled, deep magenta alcohol from within and highlighting the silvery ring settled around the perimeter of the liquid surface. “Just so you know, he’s an Alpha, but I can tell he’s not just in it for the money. Don’t know what his deal is with that, but he seemed legitimately pissed at the idea of Omegas being trafficked.”

“Good to know. He’s still an Alpha.” Keith finished his drink, Luxia refilling it without a word. “Well, better head over there. Run’s more important than some Alpha.

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19* | 20* | 21*

#my writing #abandoned wips #keith kogane #lance mcclain #alpha lance mcclain #omega keith kogane #klance #keith x lance #abo #omegaverse #vld #voltron #voltron legendary defender

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moiloru · 3 years ago

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About the so-called "Third-Case Syndrome"

I've been in the Ace Attorney fandom for a few years now, and there is a story I've heard more times than I can count: the story of the "Third-Case Syndrome." After joining the Danganronpa fandom, I realized - not without surprise - that a similar "Third-Chapter Syndrome" had admittedly cursed the series. However, I do believe that, in both cases, it would be wise to exert caution: things are never as simple as they seem. Now, even if this seems evident to me, I'll say it just to be sure: this is only my opinion. You might disagree, but please do not be toxic about it.

Before we proceed, I'd also like to warn you all: spoilers ahead for the entire Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series (even the Investigations and DGS games). Now, let's begin.

Ace Attorney:

AA1 - Turnabout Samurai:

To start off, we have 1-3. I agree with most of the fandom that it is slightly too long and the investigation segments drag out. Going from Studio One to Studio Two, to the Detention Center, etc. is quickly boring. However, its cast is solid (especially Powers and Oldbag), Dee Vasquez's motive (self-defense) is original, the Steel Samurai's theme slaps, and Edgeworth gets the first bit of his character development! I believe it outweights the negative aspects of the case and make it enjoyable. I believe it is far better than 1-1 and 1-2 (with its obvious twists and rushed ending), although it doesn't compare with 1-4 and 1-5, of course. But it's definitely not the case that people point the finger out when arguing about the "curse."

JfA - Turnabout Big Top:

I'll definitely be playing Devil's advocate on that one, but I like 2-3. Of course, the whole "love triangle" thing was shit, but the rest of the case was fine! Regina sucks, that I can agree with, but Moe was funny (in my opinion), Max got some quality character development in the end, Ben & Trilo were a nice duo, and Acro... Acro is one of the best culprits in the series, hands down. His theme is amazing and he is one of the most tragic characters in the series. Knowing that he unknowingly killed the person who had helped him is just sad, and his motive for trying to kill Regina, while not excusable, is understable. Losing the two people he was closest to, and him explaining that he couldn't "up and leave" (literally, too) before Bat had woken up was just sad. Also, while 2-3 isn't amazing like 2-4 (my favorite case) is, it's miles ahead of 2-1 (which objectively sucks) and 2-2 (which lasts for hours with an annoying and predictable culprit). Besides, the plot twist at the end with Edgeworth appearing sets the tone for the upcoming final case. In my opinion, Turnabout Big Top gets some undeserved hate.

T&T - Recipe for Turnabout:

3-3 is really good, no questions asked. The mere fact that it's better than 3-2 (predictable culprit, forgettable victim...) is obvious to me. But it also features the return of Maggey, and the first (and only) appearance of amazingly comical characters like Furio Tigre and Victor Kudo (who both have amazing theme songs). The victim might be a little forgettable, but he at least gets some development, unlike Bullard in The Stolen Turnabout. Of course, Tigre is obvious as the killer, but he's meant to be this way, and the way you corner him is amazing. The reveal that Godot can't see red on white matters in 3-5, and the case is hilarious. Special mention of Viola Cadaverini, who's underrated by the fandom, in my opinion. 3-3 is probably the strongest third case in the Trilogy, and it is definitely not the worst case in T&T.

AJ - Turnabout Serenade:

Okay, this case sucks. I dislike it very much and I can't find anything that would redeem it. The victim is boring, Daryan is obvious, Valant isn't good enough, the mini-game is tedious, and the "Phoenix saves the day" thing is repetitive. However, 4-3's biggest flaw is the defendant, Machi Tobaye. Lamiroir is an enjoyable character, and the plot twist surrounding her eyesight isn't bad, but it doesn't make Machi good enough not to ruin the case. This case is the weak point of a great game, but fortunately, 4-4 more than makes up for it.

DD - Turnabout Academy:

Dual Destinies is my least favorite game in the main series, but it has some solid cases, 5-3 being one of them. The trio of Juniper, Robin, and Hugh is amazing (even if the twist around Robin was pretty obvious), the WAA trio works very well, and we even get a chance to see Klavier again (his objection clip sucks, though)! It is definitely a strong case, even if Means was a bit obvious, and while it doesn't hold up to the great ending of DD, I do believe that 5-3 is better than 5-1, 5-2, and maybe even 5-4.

SoJ - The Rite of Turnabout:

Maya's comeback makes this case good, albeit not great. It is better than 6-1 for sure (drags on too much for a tutorial case) and probably 6-4 and 6-6, but it pales compared to 6-2 and 6-5, of course. Nayhuta is the weak point of 6-3, but everything else about this case is pretty good! The "new" Maya is a right balance of her former self with some more maturity, Datz is funny, Beh'leeb Inmee was a really emotional character, and while I don't like Tahrust too much, the plot twist around his death was pretty cool. Also, this case also makes it clear why Phoenix did what he did in 6-5 when Inga blackmailed him: he can't lose Maya. It could have been better, but this case is solid, and definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

AAI - The Kidnapped Turnabout:

Unfortunately, AAI kinda sucks. The first three cases aren't that good, and while I1-3 is probably better than I1-1, I'll admit it's terrible. It's long, the Amanos sucks, Lauren Paups isn't that great, and if it wasn't for Kay, the case would probably be the worst in the series.

AAI2 - The Inherited Turnabout:

Is there anything bad to say about I2-3? I mean, you play as Gregory freaking Edgeworth, so what more do you want? Ah, yes, it also has DL-6 development, the exceptional Katherine Hall and Jeffrey Masters, plot twists, flashbacks done right (!), and while the villain isn't great, he is satisfying to catch, and he matters in I2-5. Honestly, this case would probably be enough to prove my whole argument.

DGS1 - The Adventure of the Runaway Room:

After a somewhat disappointing second case (in my opinion), DGS1-3 is really good! Megundal (I'll use the names from the fan translation, since I'm used to them and like them better) is quite the interesting character, and the Engarde-like plot twist surrounding him is amazing. His death in the final cutscene is also good and ties in nicely with the final case. Ryunosuke's first trial in England gives him cool development, and damn it, Barok van Zieks! His legslam, glass throw, and objection clip suffice to make him an amazing character, and there's more to him that just that. This case is better than DGS1-2, DGS1-1, and maybe even DGS1-4 if you don't consider its link to DGS2.

DGS2 - The Return of the Great Departed Soul:

While not as good as the two following cases in my opinion, this case is definitely above-average. Gina's comeback is just great, and her new mentor-protégé relationship with Gregson is nothing short of wholesome. Enoch Drebbler is one of the best culprits in the duology, and Courtney Sithe's character is very good, too. She gives a confident vibe that really serves the case. Benjamin Dobinbough (because his canon English name is one I refuse to acknowledge) is a great clueless defendant, and his relationship to Barok is quite nice! It definitely makes the case trickier! Rozaic has a really mysterious and enjoyable atmosphere surrounding her, and finding Herlock standing like statue at the wax museum was amusing. Of course, the best thing about this case is Asogi's return. It is handled well by the game that doesn't try to cover the obvious plot twist.. The final cutscene is just *smooch*. I also can't forget the Joint Reasoning with Herlock when looking for Enoch. Again, this case is definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

Overall thoughts:

I don't think the Third-Case Syndrome holds for Ace Attorney. Some third cases weren't good (4-3 and I1-3) but most are either good (1-3, 3-3, 5-3, DGS1-3) or excellent (I2-3 and DGS2-3). I know Turnabout Big Top traumatized most of the fandom, but I don't think it's that bad, and definitely not bad enough to start a curse revolving around third cases.

Danganronpa:

Trigger Happy Havoc:

Chapter Three of THH is... good enough. The pointless argument between Taka and Hifumi is annoying, to be sure, and Celeste did us a favor by getting rid of them. And her plan wasn't bad, either! It could have worked if Makoto and Kyoko had not been there. However, I do believe that this chapter is too boring before the first murder. The motive is also... meh. The plot twist oh Hifumi waking up and remembering Celeste's true name was enjoyable, though. 1-3 isn't amazing by any means, but I think it's better than 1-5 and 1-6, but it stands no chance against 1-2 and 1-4.

Goodbye Despair:

Well, this one sucks. I think it's the only DR chapter that literally has a plot hole. The "Despair Syndrome" motive is probably the worse in the series and this case pretty much ruined Mikan's character. Her execution is lame, Ibuki shouldn't have been a victim (seriously, why?), the culprit is obvious, and the timeframe to execute her plot doesn't work if you aren't Sonic the Hedgehog. Also... that attempt at fanservice was cringe, and it almost killed Hajime. The only thing that redeems this chapter a bit is the name "Titty Typhoon" but that's it. This one definitely alimented the "curse," and rightfully so. In-between two great cases, 2-3 doesn't make a good impression.

Killing Harmony:

3-3 is a chapter I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the atmosphere was excellent and fitting of the killer, and Kokichi's prank had us all freak out at first. I don't like neither Angie nor Kiyo (sorry, Kiyo fans), but somehow, it didn't make the chapter worse for me. On the other hand, the Necronomicon motive sucks almost as much as the motive in 2-3. It could have worked in DR2 considering the Killing Game happened virtually, but in V3, the motive was just an outright lie from Monokuma, so it doesn't work. Also, Kiyo was a bit too obvious: the music, the theme, his sudden importance in the plot, the séance... it was just a bit too much not to make him suspicious. Finally, this chapter's major flaw, which I can sum up in one word: sister. That, was traumatizing. Without even going in details, everything that happened after Kiyo's "sister" appeared during the Class Trial ruined it. I'm also curious to know if the writers at Spike Chunsoft are mentally stable, considering Kiyo's relationship with his sister and the fact that they ship Monotaro and his sister Monophanie in the next case. It's not a bad chapter at all, but it has its flaws, unfortunately.

Overall thoughts:

While I wouldn't call it a "curse," it's true that third cases in Danganronpa aren't amazing, especially in DR2. You'll also notice that I didn't mention UDG simply because it's too different a game to be compared to THH, DR2, and V3. If we ever get another Killing Game, I hope that the third chapter will be better, because we've yet to have an awesome Chapter Three so far.

Final thoughts:

I don't believe there are curses revolving around third cases/chapters, neither in Ace Attorney, nor in Danganronpa. However, it's true that in the case of Danganronpa, on average, third cases are the weakest, while Chapters Four and Five are almost always great. Third cases in Ace Attorney definitely get an unfair treatement, though.

Thanks for reading, and I'm open to discussing all of this if you disagree!

#ace attorney #danganronpa #headcanons #ace attorney spoilers #danganronpa spoilers #dai gyakuten saiban spoilers #the great ace attorney spoilers #ask if you want something tagged and I'll add it

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aquilamage · 5 years ago

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I finally finished my Sebastian birthday fic!!!!! a little behind schedule but who’s counting? Special shoutout to @unnecessarygayfeelings for all the conversations we have had about this concept and other Seb-Kay friendship stuff, she really inspired and encouraged me to actually write this whole thing

Also on ao3 and ff.n

When Kay finds out Sebastian's never had a proper birthday before, she knows that something must be done about it.

It had become something of a ritual for the two of them: spending their weekend evenings at Mr. Edgeworth’s house, usually with Kay bringing something over to further her quest of catching Sebastian up on all of the stuff he’d never seen before. Tonight was Pink Princess (admittedly in part as an appeasement tactic, since last time she’d gotten them into a lively roasting of the Steel Samurai franchise before Sebastian realized Mr. Edgeworth been in the adjoining room for a while).

They were partway through a filler arc – the one involving the non-powered secondary characters having to defend the town by themselves – and the episode’s ending credits just started to roll when Sebastian slumped forward with a huff.

“Yeah, I know. This isn’t the best writing in the series,” she said, using the break in action to check her phone.

Another little sound. “It’s not that. It’s… they’re the same age as me, and they’re doing all this important saving the world stuff.” When she glanced over at him, he’d wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his head on them.

She shook her head. “Well yeah. But it’s made up, right? Besides, I think the cases we’ve been helping with lately have been pretty cool and important too.” Seeing him still looking downcast, she slid the popcorn closer to him.

That cheered him up, at least enough to be watching with some interest as the opener for the next episode started.

As the theme song started, Kay processed something else about what he had said. Oh. Despite herself, she couldn’t help but breathe out a laugh. When he gave her a look, she waved a hand. “Sorry. You just said you were the same age as these characters, so, you know...”

He only kept staring, tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Uh. Just that they’re eighteen, actually. Which is fine,” she added quickly, seeing him frown, “it gets mentioned like once, so it makes sense you might mess it up, especially when it’s that close anyway.”

A long silence. “But…I am eighteen.”

The smile dropped right off her face. “What?” she breathed, then “I’m serious; it’s fine.”

Mouth quivering slightly, he brought his hands up to his collar. “I am too.” The very beginnings of tears formed.

“…that you’re eighteen?” She huffed, flopping herself back against the couch. “Since when? Because I seem to remember you saying you were seventeen before.”

“Since…my birthday? Last month?”

She stiffened. “Wait, your birthday was last month and you didn’t even tell me?” An exaggerated pout. “I thought we were friends.”

He ducked his head. “It’s not like it’s important.”

Kay opened her mouth, then closed it. Looked down, frowning, hand on her chin. Tilted her head back up. Only managed an “uch-” sort of sound before giving up again. Finally, after a series of very expressive eyebrow and nose wrinklings, constantly shifting back and forth: “what do you mean it’s not important?!” When he jumped at the force and volume, she immediately backed up. “Sorry,” she whispered. “But really, it’s your birthday. Your eighteenth! That’s a big thing!”

With an uneasy frown, Sebastian half-shrugged.

“Aw, come on.” She softened a bit. “Look, I know it wouldn’t have been the same, but I know we all would’ve done something to celebrate if we’d known.”

There was a long silence. Then, slowly, he relaxed his shoulders and his arms wrapped around himself, a bit at least. “Can we not- not talk about this anymore?” His voice was thick and strained.

“Uh- Okay.” Much as she was suddenly curious and a little concerned, Kay knew she shouldn’t push. The number of times she’d actually seen Sebastian assert boundaries could be counted on one hand, and they were supposed to be encouraging him about that. She held up the remote. “You…wanna keep watching?”

After a steadying breath, he nodded once, sharply.

---

It was about an episode and a half after Mr. Edgeworth had gone to bed, tone suggesting that he thought they should too (although the droop of his eyes betrayed he wasn’t expecting that of Kay, nor did he see it as being worth his energy to try very hard to convince them), when Sebastian spoke again.

“I’ve never ca- celebrated it before.” The admission almost got lost in the onscreen dialogue, not helped by the fact that he didn’t give any real indication that he was doing anything but watching the tv.

Kay turned. “What do you- oh. Oh.” With only the flickering screen as lighting, it was hard to make out any expression. “What, like, ever?”

That habitual little half-flinch of arms to his chest. “Not that I can remember.”

She stared at him. In her mind flashed memories of every birthday event she’d ever had: family, school, friends – especially the ones when her dad had still been alive. She tried to picture all that, gone. Her brain couldn’t even grapple the concept, it was so foreign.

How did she respond to that? She’s noticed over the past few months, how much Sebastian had going on in his life that she couldn’t even imagine, but still. “…that sucks.”

He shrugged, but even in the darkness it was very obvious how hard he was struggling to keep his face neutral. “It’s fine. I- …I’m used to it.” Another deep breath, and then he broke down crying.

Cursing under her breath, Kay pushed herself up, but then stopped herself immediately. Too abrupt. Right, she’d messed this up last time and they’d talked it over after. Do that instead. She pulled the blanket off the top of the couch. “Can I, uh…?” She held it up.

He nodded. When she draped it over him, he kept still, but when she sat back down (a bit closer than before but still giving plenty of space), he pulled the blanket tighter around his shoulders. Not quite relaxed, but free of tension.

As that happened, she shuffled around for the remote and switched off the tv. She didn’t know what else to say, so she sat there bouncing her leg, hands on her knees. It felt awkward, though she couldn’t say why until she finally realized that Sebastian’s crying was awfully quiet.

Which was why she immediately perked up when he moved.

“Do you ra- r- …where are the tissues?” He had one hand keeping the blanket on, the other on the arm of the couch propping himself up, and his face was a mess.

“I’ll go get them!” Because if nothing else it gave her something to do, and the situation did nothing to curb her usual fidgety tendencies. She found the box quickly, bringing it back over to him.

He practically cradled it in his lap. “Thanks.”

“Yeah.”

They resumed their positions. This time, Kay’s thoughts went back to the crux of the situation: Sebastian’s lack of proper birthdays. It was a smaller cruelty than many of the others he’d suffered, she knew that. But that didn’t make it not awful. Besides, unlike some of the ‘bigger’ stuff, this seemed – unlike some of the others, as she started to think it over – like one she could do something concrete about.

But first, she needed some information.

---

A stream of people poured into the lobby as the trial let out. Kay stood against the wall at just the right angle to keep out of their way, watching the crowd intently. The place practically cleared out, but then she spotted her. “Judge Courtney!” she said, rushing over.

“Ah, Kay. What brings you here?”

She crossed her arms. “Some questions. You’ve known Sebastian the longest out of anyone I know. What does he like?”

A pause, barely noticeable except for a blink and a slight tilt of the head. “May I ask what this is for?”

“Sebastian’s birthday.”

“Oh. Kay,” she held up a hand, “perhaps we should sit somewhere more comfortable.”

Hoo boy, that was code for ‘Serious Adult Conversation ahead’ if she ever heard it. “Alright.” Kay shrugged. Then as they started walking, she dropped her voice. “I already know it was last month.” She didn’t know Courtney knew that part about him, but considering how things were going, she figured it was a pretty good guess.

Courtney didn’t respond until they reached one of the benches outside, draped over with trees. As she sat, she smoothed out her dress. “I certainly trust that you have the kindest of intentions. However, I have to question if…whatever it is you have planned...is for the best.”

“I just want to throw him a party! He deserves to have one for once in his life.” Really, she’d thought Courtney would be more chill about this.

That gave her pause. “I don’t know what your understanding of the situation is, but,” she sighed, then put a finger to her lips. “I mentioned it to him before the date, and he simply told me not to bother about it.” As she spoke, she traced patterns on her gavel, face downcast. “It’s wonderful that you want to do something for him, but this might simply be too close to everything that’s happened for him not to be reminded how much things have changed.”

Kay frowned. “I guess.” That tracked, even if she would’ve thought that Sebastian dismissed his birthday because he didn’t think it was worth Courtney bothering. From what she could tell, though, it seemed like she wasn’t aware of the whole ‘hadn’t actually had a birthday before’ part, and honestly Kay wasn’t sure if it was her place to mention it now. She slid one foot off the edge of the chair and onto the ground. “But I can’t just not do anything. It doesn’t feel right.”

A car started up in the nearby lot, and the wind rustled through the trees, brushing Kay’s hair against her face and ruffling her scarf.

Courtney sighed. “I’m not going to be able to stop you.” She bowed her head, slightly, slowly, then looked back up at her. “Perhaps, then, I can at least convince you that whatever you choose to do, to remember to keep his best interests at heart.”

Of course she was doing this for Sebastian’s interests! That was kind of the whole point. Kay frowned.

“Including not pushing him further than he would be comfortable.” Folding her arms in her lap, she sat with an even more proper posture, a presence wholly focused on her, waiting expectantly to appraise her response.

Despite herself, she shrunk back a little. What Sebastian would be comfortable…hm. She supposed she hadn’t thought of that, at least not in the details of the situation which, yeah. Might be a bit much. Kay cleared her throat, and said, meekly, “yeah. I can do that.”

---

“Alright, so we’re gonna have to make some adjustments.” Sprawled out on her bed, she regarded her open notebook. The page was absolutely covered in notes of different ink colors, some highlighted, with little drawings in the margins and white spaces. On a post-it note, she scribbled “save for next year?”, stuck it on top. She flipped to a blank page. “Let’s try this again,” she muttered.

For a long time after, the room was quiet but for the light scratch of paper rustling and a lot of pen clicking. Finally, she sat up. This page had a short bullet-point list, made seemingly longer by the lines she’d crossed out.

Kay smiled. “Now we’re talking.”

---

Mid-knock, the door was yanked open. “I have a flight to catch in half an hour, so this had better be-” Franziska paused. “Kay Faraday. How can I help you?”

She grinned. “You can sign something for me.” With a flourish, she produced a blue-and-pink envelope.

A huff. “Well, let me see what…” Holding the paper stiffly, she looked at Kay with narrowed eyes. “Kay Faraday. Are you sure this is an appropriate thing to be doing?” In a lower voice, “I’m not sure I am the best person for this.”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” Kay sidled around next to her. “I just hit you up first because I had a deadline. You don’t have to do anything besides sign your name. Ok?” Seeing Franziska still waver, she leaned in further with the last line, tilting her head.

“…Very well.” Moving to her desk, she scribbled something down. For a second, she paused, pen hovering over the paper. But then she shrugged and resumed like it was nothing. “Here you are.”

Oh, she was going to have to resist real hard not to immediately read whatever was on there. Then again, if other people would be seeing it anyway, maybe… She plucked it out of her hands. “Awesome, thanks! Good luck on your investigation!”

Franziska crossed her arms. As the door shut, she sighed. “You might need it more, if you are doing anything like I might think,” she murmured to herself lightly.

---

“..and that’s when they switched over notation styles. Well, except for- Uh, Kay?”

Her train of thought flew away like the bird on the windowsill. “Hmm?” She looked back at Sebastian.

He still had his hands out in front of him from talking, his eyebrows slightly raised now. The lack of his voice in the air hung in the silence like an afterimage on the back of her mind. As that quiet went on, the line of his mouth gathered into a slight pout.

Kay’s thoughts felt like they were swimming through honey as she tried to process herself back to what was happening. The whole thing started from Sebastian getting antsy about Mr. Edgeworth’s meeting taking so long, she recalled, the stiffness from sitting in the rigid waiting room chair settling back into her awareness. He’d started fidgeting with his baton. So she’d asked him about it. Sebastian had immediately been distracted talking about the few concerts he’d been to- Oh, right. She had been listening intently, but after a while of having nothing else to do but listen, she’d found herself staring through the window behind him and that had been the end of her attention.

Seeing him start to tense, she cursed herself about it. “Sorry,” she rubbed the back of her neck. “I kind of spaced out for a bit. What were you saying?”

For a terrifying moment, his face went blank. Then, he blinked, and smiled. “Oh, that’s ok! I get disgruntled a lot when Justine’s explaining things, so I get it.”

“You mean distracted?”

“...Yeah! That.” He hummed something under his breath. When Kay didn’t say anything else, he stared down at his feet. “Do you actually want me to keep talking?”

Well, she had mostly been trying to occupy him, but there had been some curiosity there too. Besides, it was fun to see him so excited about something. Kay stood, stretching. “Give me a second, but yeah.” As she pulled her arm behind her head, “but, maybe a little more beginner level, if you can?”

---

“Wow pal, I can’t believe you’re asking me for help with this.”

“Of course I am!” Kay threw an arm around Gumshoe. She meant it too: he was the most friendly, enthusiastic person she’d ever met. Yeah, he didn’t know Sebastian as well, so it might be a little more difficult to- and he was already writing, brow furrowed in concentration. Huh. Cool.

With a thoughtful noise, he held it up to reread, chewing lightly on the end of his pen. Then, with a nod, he handed it over. “How about this?”

It was only a quick scan, but she could tell “Perfect. Thanks, Gummy.”

---

A spoon clattered to the table.

“Yeah!” Kay threw her arms in the air, sending her spoon skittering across the floor. “Oohf, I got it.” Ducking under the table, she picked it up.

Across from her, Sebastian watched with his eyebrows raised, putting his own spoon back where it belonged.

She flung herself back up. “So! If you really want to make it stay, the secret is to-”

“How was everything tonight?”

Immediately she put her hands down, smiling politely. “Great, thanks!”

The server nodded. “Great. And are we having dessert today?”

“Yeah!” Kay said, at the same time Sebastian dipped his head with a “no, thank you.” They looked at each other.

Kay spoke first. “Can we get a menu?”

“Sure thing!”

When they’d left, she leaned over. “Aw, come on, you should get something.”

“Eh.” Half-shrugging, with an uneasy frown, he looked away. “No, it’s fine.”

Hmm. She let him be for the moment. Scanning the menu, she made her own decision, then continued staring, counting to a minute(ish) before she moved. The laminated paper slid across the table. “I’ll pay if that’s the issue, but seriously. We’ve been working so much, we deserve something nice.”

Sebastian looked at her, briefly at the menu, then back to her. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“…What, to order dessert? Yeah. That’s why it’s there.” She rested her chin in her hands. “You could show up and just get desserts, if you really wanted.” She paused. “Huh.” Then, she shook her head. File that in future developing plans.

“Okay.” Not sounding entirely convinced, he started examining the options anyway.

To give herself something to do, Kay pulled out her phone. She bounced between a couple game apps, refreshing the same website three times, replying to a conversation thread she’d been having with someone about Steel Samurai, checking a different site…

“Ready to order?”

About to answer for herself, she noticed Sebastian frowning, the menu making wobbling noises from him bending it in his hands. “Uh, can we get another minute?” Then, she picked up her chair from under her and dragged it over to sit next to him. “What’s up?”

Seemingly reflexively, he clutched the menu to his chest. “Sorry.” He relaxed slowly. “I don’t know…”

“Well,” she tapped one of the items, “they’ve got a sampler tray. How about we get that?”

An uncertain nod. But then, a tiny smile.

Kay insisted on handing each of the desserts to him individually, putting on her most exaggerated game show host voice to ask ‘the celebrity judge’s opinion on the contestant’s dishes.’ It took him a moment to warm up to it, but soon enough they were trading remarks and dishes back and forth with ease.

It made her feel energized and light to see Sebastian enjoying himself so much, and even more grateful to herself for this idea. Even so, she didn’t let that distract her from keeping notes about the whole thing in her head.

---

“Hey, Mr. Edgeworth.” Her usual singsong greeting had a little extra touch of sweet to it, in the cadence that led up to something rather than being a sentence on its own.

“Kay. What food have I run out of this time.” Sure, he did sound a little tired at that, but the sarcasm weighed that pretty lightly.

She leaned on his desk, taking a tone of false indignation. “No.” She paused. “I mean, you might want to pick up more cereal next time you go shopping, but that’s just my thief’s intuition.” Wagging a finger, she leaned forward just enough to push some of his papers askew. “I came here to ask a favor.”

Now, he finally looked up at her. All he did was raise an eyebrow (and narrow his eyes a little, but this instance felt more like squinting – because she was pretty sure at this point that he needed glasses), but it was pretty obviously leading up to a ‘Kay, what kind of trouble do you expect me to help you with now?’

“Kay, what trouble do you expect me to get you out of now?”

She laughed. “Hey! It’s not like that this time, and besides, it’s not even for me.” In one motion she pulled the envelope out of her bag and dropped it so it fell perfectly in front of him.

Still with a bit of trepidation, Mr. Edgeworth looked inside. He frowned, until he got to actually examine the contents properly. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Sliding off the desk, Kay wandered over towards the bookshelf. She started poking at files randomly, mostly as an excuse to not look at him without just pointedly not looking at him. Although she did peek over her shoulder. Just for a second.

All she saw was him glaring down intently, anyway.

Several minutes later, he cleared his throat. “Here you are.” When she stepped back over to take it, there was a moment of hesitation from him. The hand holding the envelope faltered. “Kay. What else do you have planned?”

“Why, are you offering to help?”

“Ngh. No, I simply…wished to be forewarned.” He looked off to the side. “Rather than being thrown headlong into who knows what.”

Surprise party for Mr. Edgeworth: no, but it might be funny to let him think you’re planning one. She grinned. “You’re such a stick in the mud.” Before he could react, she snatched the envelope “but thanks for the help anyway!” and bounded off.

“Kay!”

She stuck her head back in the door. “What?”

“Do you have something else planned?”

“Yeah,” she said, drawing out the pause. “But nothing involving you, unless you really want.” This time was sincere, rather than teasing.

He relaxed, slowly sitting down. “I…think I will pass this time.”

“Alright, suit yourself.” That made things easier, since she hadn’t planned for him saying yes anyway. And then she was off again.

---

“Hey!”

Sebastian froze, head darting from side to side.

“Up here.”

He gazed up the stairwell to where Kay was, leaning over the railing to wave at him. “Uh, hi. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I-” With a shake of her head, she jogged down to his level, skipping a few steps as she went to land next to him. “So,” she huffed, “I was wondering. Instead of going to Mr. Edgeworth’s Friday, can we do my place?”

For a moment, he wrung his hands together, expression mostly empty with a tinge of confusion. But then, he nodded. “Sure.” He breathed in through his nose. “Uh, where is that?”

She blinked. “Right. Here, get your phone out.” And she dictated the address for him. “Good?”

“I...think so.” Furrowing his brow, he clutched his phone in a way worryingly like he would his baton if his grip were any tighter. “Is there anything I have to do?”

“No? Just show up.” She did her best to smile reassuringly. Sebastian had never been over to her apartment before, but it wasn’t that big of a thing. Well, for her at least, she supposed. “It’s not as fancy as Mr. Edgeworth’s, but I’m not going to get as uptight about things either. Actually, let me know if you want me to pick up any specific kind of snacks, but otherwise yeah. Same time and everything. Trust me, it’ll be great.”

---

“Was there something else?” It had been a while since their last conversation, but considering that one had been about Sebastian, and that those were the only times Kay had approached her on her own before, she supposed it was fair for Courtney to assume so. Besides, she was right.

Kay held out the envelope. “I had an idea. If you could get that back to me by the end of the day.” With a playful salute, she turned to go. “Drop it with Mr. Edgeworth, if you need to.”

She raised an eyebrow, but slowly opened the envelope. As she scanned the contents, her expression warmed into a soft smile. “I see.”

---

The door to Kay’s apartment swung open. “Hey! Come in.”

Shoulders tight, Sebastian stepped inside. “Uh, hi.”

She smiled. “Make yourself at home, okay. What do you want to drink?”

There was a bit of a pause before he said “water’s fine,” leaning over to take off his shoes.

Well, that was something at least. In the kitchen, she filled up both glasses – she’d get him to drink something else later. It was pretty quiet, Kay noted as she opened a cupboard. But then again, it made sense that Sebastian wouldn’t be a ‘having conversations from different rooms’ kind of person. Balancing the drinks and as many snacks as she could fit in her arms, she reentered the living room to find him standing in the middle of the floor. “Sit down, stay a while.” She dumped everything on the coffee table. Then she collapsed on the couch, patting the other cushion.

He followed her lead, tucking his legs under him. The glass of water was accepted, and as Kay started up the tv, he even reached for the bag of grapes.

“So. Do you want to start off where we were watching or do you want to play a game first?”

---

Three episodes of Jammin’ Ninja, a pizza, several rounds of Mario Kart, and five Guitar Hero losses in a row later, Kay dropped her controller in her lap. “I think I’m done with this one,” she said, flopping back.

“Hey, you are pretty good at this.” Sebastian leaned forward with his fork to slide another piece of pizza onto his plate (Kay was tempted to poke fun at him for that – it felt like such a Mr. Edgeworth thing, and she definitely would’ve gotten at him for it – but dropped it, considering). He smirked. “I guess I just happen to be better.”

Kay opened her mouth, but failed to find a smart remark that wouldn’t end up unnecessarily mean. Instead, she stuck her tongue out.

He stuck his tongue out back at her, and when she repeated the action, but more exaggerated, he burst out laughing. As he calmed, he simply sat watching her. Then, with a yawn like a cat, he stretched, arms over his head and back arching. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”

“Alright.” Kay stayed slumped against the couch until she heard the door shut, at which point she dashed to the linen closet. She had just enough time to throw herself into approximately the same position before Sebastian returned. “So, I have something for you.”

He tilted his head. “What?”

Grinning broadly, she lifted the gift bag from behind the couch. “I know it’s a little late, but,” she plopped it in the spot between them. “Your birthday present.”

In the background, the game’s menu music looped through again. Right, she’d meant to turn that off before. Not that Sebastian seemed to care or notice, with the way he stared wide-eyed at the multicolor balloon print. Finally, he started to lean forward. “Are you sure?” His voice was very small, a scared hesitancy that nearly broke her heart.

“Yup.” She nudged it closer to him.

Still cautious, he picked up the bag into his lap, and just…held it there, for a moment. His hands were still curled around it, but loosely, and he watched Kay over the top of it, as if waiting for her to…do something, she didn’t know.

“There should be a card on top; start with that.” She wasn’t sure prompting was exactly what he needed, but…

“Oh,” he said softly. “Oh, right.” He pulled it closer to himself then. With a delicacy that she hadn’t started showing until- wait, no, she still tore into presents like an excited three-year-old. Anyway the point was that Sebastian was very careful in opening the envelope flap and taking out the card. It was a rather generic design, but only on the outside. Sebastian looked at her, and she motioned for him to open it. When he did so, he let out a tiny gasp.

Kay tried not to stare at him as he read, but every time she tried to turn her attention away it kept skittering back. It was impossible to tell exactly what part he was reading when, but she already knew the contents. The card had only come with a simple “Happy Birthday” on the inside, but that was fine. They’d done plenty to fill the rest of the space

In the top left corner, written in smooth black ink and typographical quality cursive, was Franziska’s. It simply read, “All good wishes on your birthday. -Franziska von Karma”

While not much more in content, Gumshoe’s big round handwriting took up a lot bigger of a space, occasionally spilling across the fold line. “Happiest of birthdays, pal! Have a great day – you deserve it!”

Mr. Edgeworth’s looked as though he had lined up a ruler as a guide for writing it (honestly, she would bet money he had), and the actual lettering, while angular, was equally neat and consistent across the bottom right side. “We’ve only been working together for a short time, but even in that I have witnessed your great strength and dedication. It is an honor to continue to be a part of your journey.” There was just the tiniest dot of extra ink at the end of the sentence, the closest thing to an imperfection in the writing. “Happy Birthday, Sebastian.”

When she’d taken a peek at the card this afternoon after Mr. Edgeworth had handed it back to her, she’d been surprised to see that Courtney’s handwriting was somewhat jumbled. Then again, the fact that she’d had to make do with working around the space of everyone else’s notes probably didn’t help. She’d written, in pen that looked like some very dark color that was just off from black, “Sebastian. When we spoke about your birthday previously, I hope that my misunderstanding did not seem like a lack of care. If it did, I can only offer my deepest apologies, and the promise to try harder in the future to become the kind of person you would be more comfortable being open around. I wish you the best belated birthday possible, with love. Justine.”

And taking up a good third-bordering-on-half of the bottom right side (helped by the fact that she’d put a sticky note reservation there before handing it out), was Kay’s cursive-print hybrid, alternating sparkly gel pen colors every phrase or so. “Hey. I hope this isn’t overstepping, but you’re someone important to all of us, so I had to find some way to include everyone. You deserve to have your birthday celebrated, okay? This isn’t enough to make up for past stuff, but it’s still something, right? Happy Birthday. -Kay” In the space under the words, she’d doodled a little picture of herself making a heart with her hands.

Sebastian started crying very early into his reading. The first couple tears steadily developed until the paper shook and had to be in danger of getting wet (if it wasn’t already). Taking a big, shaky breath, he put the card on his lap.

At this point, Kay reached behind her for the box of tissues on the lower shelf of the side table, and held it out.

With a nod, he took it. He hadn’t stopped crying, so it was more damage control at the moment as he blotted at his face.

While he was busy with that, Kay took the opportunity to gradually turn down the tv volume. That didn’t take very long, though, leaving her to sit and wait. At least it was less awkward than last time.

Finally, he got his breathing and the tears mostly under control. Although when he sat up and looked at her he quickly ducked his head again, eyes watering. “I- uh… He sniffled. “…thank you,” he whispered, voice thick.

Oh, now her eyes were starting to sting. “It’s no problem at all.”

Sebastian smiled weakly, although his mouth still trembled.

They sat there for some time. Kay held in her impulse to say something, wanting to give him time to finish processing and let him move on at his own pace.

And eventually he did. Very carefully, he set the card on the top of the back of the couch and opened the bag. A few sheets of tissue paper, pulled out and scattered across the couch later, he held up a small box. He looked at Kay just long enough for her to give him a ‘go on’ nod, then opened it. “Huh,” he whispered upon seeing the contents. His mouth pressed together, clearly trying to keep steady as he examined a pair of dark blue socks patterned with tiny orange cats. “I love it.”

She grinned, leaning on the back cushion. “Yeah. That one made me think of you.”

A heavy breath, although the tears were framing a smile. It took him a minute, but he managed to steady himself again without fully crying this time.

“Hey,” she fake-whispered. “There’s more in there.”

He carefully lifted the socks, only to squint at finding just paper. The moment he saw what was on it, though, his hand flew to his mouth in a gasp. “Oh, this is…”

“That’s the right one, right?”

With a soft noise of agreement, he started studying it further. “I’ve never gotten to hear them, but I’ve heard the orchestra performance is- Wait, why are there two tickets?”

“So you can take someone with you,” she murmured.

The smile wavered just a little. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Carefully, he repacked the box. Still not looking at her, he said, “do you- would you want to go?”

Kay had figured it would come up, and she picked her words carefully. “If you want. But you know I don’t know a thing about your fancy music stuff.” It wasn’t that she wouldn’t go and at least have a decent time, probably. But for Sebastian’s sake, if he just wanted someone to talk at, it wouldn’t make much of a difference if Kay had actually been there or not. “You gotta know someone who would get more out of it than me.”

Chewing on his lip, he stared down at the cushions. “Well, there’s-” he paused, the little flinch of frustration that usually popped up when he started talking about some part of his life only to remember that, since the mess with his father, it wasn’t the same anymore. “...Uh. I’ll have to see,” he said, barely audible.

“Or you can go by yourself. It’s meant to be something nice for you, so if dealing with that part’s a problem, don’t bother. I can handle returning it and I’ll buy you lunch or something instead, alright? Focus on the cool music stuff.”

He mimicked her pose, hands on his hips. “Yeah!” The smile returned as he closed his eyes, arms drifting until he was doing tiny little conducting motions, probably not even aware.

When he’d calmed a bit to merely bouncing a little, she leaned forward, chin resting on her head. “You’ve still got one thing left.”

“Oh!” Again, he put the box to the side and shuffled through the paper, this time retrieving a much larger translucent plastic container. Sliding the bag out of the way on the floor, he pried off the lid. And stared at the contents.

The look on his face was so blank… “I picked cupcakes because I thought they’d be more fun.” Plus, a couple of them were much easier to fit in a gift bag than a whole cake. “The rest are in the kitchen, but I put one of each flavor… What?”

As she talked, he’d bowed his head, and his shoulders were shaking, breaths coming fast and unsteady.

“Uh, Seb?”

Then he looked up. Sure enough, there were tears at the corners of his eyes, but the light in them…

Kay stared. “What is so funny?”

“You-” He covered his mouth with a hand. “They’re, uh,” laughter tripping up his words, he tilted the box so she could see.

Nothing about it seemed out of the ordinary to her- three medium size cupcakes of different flavors (carrot, spice, chocolate: not Sebastian’s top three, but she’d gone with what he seemed to like and then whatever other likes that let her use the same frosting), although you couldn’t tell from this angle due to the teal frosting she’d painstakingly decorated with sugarwork music notes. “What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s-” he shrunk back slightly. “It’s really nice, but” his voice got quieter “you did write this all wrong.”

She crossed her arms. “But I looked at references and everything!”

“Well, you got the notes right, but if you actually look at the way the measures are laid out across these, none of them have a combination of notes that gives them the same amount of beats as the other ones, so it’s…” He trailed off as it was Kay’s turn to start giggling.

“I’m not laughing at you,” she said as she scooted next to him. “I did really mess those up, though, huh?”

At that, he relaxed. “Yeah. A lot.”

“I’ll get it right next year.”

There was a moment of silence. Then, he reached up to wipe away a single tear. “You better,” he said, smiling.

#Sebastian Debeste #Kay Faraday #also a bunch of other aai/2 characters but not quite enough to tag #partners in crime (platonic)#Ace Attorney #fanfiction #my writing #rambles

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dlamp-dictator · 4 years ago

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Allen X Wants to Like Guilty Gear Part 1: Allen X Does Not Like Guilty Gear

Folks, I tried. I really tried. For the last few years I’ve tried to like Guilty Gear. I’ve honestly been playing bits of this series since around the time Accent Core was on the PS3 store. I’ve really tried. I’ve played Accent Core Plus R, Xrd, Revelator and Rev 2, and I’ve been trying my damn hardest to like this series because I can see all the cool and fun stuff in it. I can see the cool grungy-rock meets 90s anime aesthetic. I can see how insane and cool Roman Cancel combos are. I can hear all the awesome music in the soundtracks. And I see all the blood, sweat, and tears poured into this series to make it the coolest hard-rock fighting game it wants to be and I really want to like it.

But I don’t... God, it’s Samurai Shodown all over again.

I just can’t get into this series, man. Something, some things about it keep me from fully enjoying it. Mostly some petty things that just add up and tumble the pile over, but things nonetheless.

And... I wanted to talk about that a little.

I wanted to just let out all my love and misgivings for the Guilty Gear in hopes of finally purging all the negative from my being, or at least write it out in a constructive manner so I can lay all my transgressions bare and maybe... possibly... actually want to purchase and play Strive on launch day.

But first, as usual, a synopsis.

The Guilty Gear series is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works, helmed and created by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who I know as the composer of the Blazblue soundtrack, but has quite the large track record that I won’t go into here. Guilty Gear as a story focuses on the lone bounty hunter Sol Badguy, a human experiment known as a Gear, half-human, half monstrous being of science and magic. The storyline of each game tends to focus on Sol finding the humanity in his would-be marks as well as confronting the still-lingering humanity in himself as he copes with both his self-loathing and loathing the for one who made him this way, a scientist simply call That Man, or Asuka as the most recent games have shown us. The storyline itself is long and complicated but as of Strive it seems the final battle between Sol and That Man is finally at hand and the battlefield will be the United States.

Gameplay-wise, Guilty Gear is a fast-paced, combo-centric series that uses chaining attacks that can cancel into special and super moves, along with the unique Roman Cancels, which slow down time and leave your opponent open for more punishment mid-combo. Think the Chain Shift in Under Night with a bit more hangtime if you want a comparison, or the Rapid Cancel of the Blazblue series with a slowdown effect and more flash.

And with the basics out of the way let’s talk about the specifics.

The Good Things

Of course, that isn’t to say I hate this game series. There’s a lot I like and enjoy about the Guilty Gear series that I’ll go into greater detail in a later essay, but for now I’ll give a brief mention of all the things I enjoy about it.

The Music

I was introduced to Daisuke Ishiwatari’s music through Blazblue, and while I love Blazblue music to this day I’ll also admit that it sounds very... video game-y. It doesn’t sound like something that could be listened to from anything other than a game. But Guilty Gear music sounds like actual music. I don’t mean that in an insulting way toward Blazblue, but... man does Pride and Glory sound like something you’d listen to while driving your pickup truck on the highway. Damn, does Get Down to Business sound like something an actual rock concert would play. And the Xrd soundtracks sound so good man. One Dawn, Enough is Enough, Starry Sky, Lily of Steel, they all sound so damn good. And as cheesy and over-the-top as they sound I love the LA and NY Vocals of this series. Personal favorites are Keep Yourself Alive II, Fuuga, and Suck a Sage.

The Aesthetic

If there was one thing I didn’t really like about Blazblue it was a lot of characters, even the ones I mained, had an aesthetic I just couldn’t latch onto. A weird mix of fantasy, eastern, and early-2000s action anime that just didn’t click with me save for Hibiki Kohaku. Guilty Gear is a lot more my speed with a more rugged look to their characters. Something about a lot these characters just have that good mix of grunge and 90s fashion I love. Some of my favorites being Answer, Ramlethal, and Jam.

Tension

While there’s a lot about Guilty Gear’s mechanics I find unappealing and convoluted I love how building and using meter works in this series, specific in Accent Core Plus R. Dust being a sort of EX button works really well in this game since I personally feel like Dust is kind of under-used a lot of the time save for the universal sweep. This point probably won’t get an entire essay covering it, but I did at least want to give it a shoutout.

Setting

This point will be getting its own essay, but to keep things short and simple I like the setting of Guilty Gear, medieval-esque magitech with a dash a modern-world flavor just hits with real well with me. Like a nice mix of Under Night and Tales of Symphonia.

And that’s it for the good stuff, at least the good stuff I can make into later essays. Now let’s talk about...

The Conflicting Things

Really, my issues with Guilty Gear are similar to Samurai Shodown and Granblue Fantasy Versus, where I love those game aesthetically, but actually playing them is another matter. However, unlike those two games my issues are almost the opposite. Where Samsho and GBVS had a slower and more fundamentals approach that didn’t appeal to my cocaine-esque addiction to combo chains, special cancels and air-dashing, Guilty Gear is almost too fast for my taste, or at least a different kind of fast. This is something very hard to explain. If you've read my initial thoughts on Crystar then you have a good idea about what I mean. This is something very hard to explain to people that haven’t played the game and is likely more a technical part of Guilty Gear’s mechanics that I can explain with an real sophistication aside from saying ‘this game feels weird,’ but... I’m gonna’ try.

The Button Layout

Alright, this is something I can actually explain. I’m... not a fan of 5-button fighters. Really, anything more than 4 buttons is hard for me to grasp. This is mostly due to the fact that I use a standard dualshock controller when playing fighting games. I frankly don’t have money for an arcade stick nor the patience to figure our how to work with one, so I’m stuck with the PS4 controller. For games like Blazblue, Granblue, and even stuff like Tekken and Dead or Alive this works out fine, as even when those games have a fifth or six button they usually aren’t heavily involved in combos or can be supplemented by other means. But games like Street Fighter, Skullgirls, and Guilty Gear the fifth and sixth button are used very liberally. Granted, Dust isn’t used as often as heavy punch, but it’s still a key button used for sweeps and air combos, turning my hands into pretzels as a results.

I don’t you dare tell me to just get use to it or get good. I’m a Carl main. I’m used multi-tasking with my hands.

...

Dammit, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, a smaller issue I have is just the way Punch, Kick, Slash, and Heavy Slash are mapped both on the controller and on the display screen. It just doesn’t mesh well with me where they’re mapped, and switching the button layout honestly makes it worse because the display proper doesn’t adjust for where I map the buttons.

Roman Cancels

Roman Cancels are just a tool I don’t think I’ll ever find a good use for, or at least something that would take me a long time to use optimally. Like I said before, they’re basically Chain Shift with more hangtime, but it feels like the Rapid Cancel in the sense that I have to move very quickly after activating or I outright lose the combo, and unlike Chain Shift and Rapid Cancel where I can just ignore the mechanic, keep the meter, and focus on small, easy combos with good defense, Roman Cancels feel somewhat needed to do decent damage in this game. Or at least the trial mode really thinks so.

From what I’ve seen of Strive’s mechanics I think Roman Cancels will be a little easier for me to conceptualize and use, but... I dunno’, I’m not feeling too confident on that.

I do recognize that this issue is a me problem, but it’s a probably I have nonetheless.

The Look

Specifically on Xrd, something about the 2.5D makes certain movements a little hard to read and judge. This isn’t something I can really describe that well, but something about that game specifically feels weird. Like the cell-shaded, 3D contrasts a little with the feel of motion in that game. I have a similar issue with the recent Street Fighter games as well. Again, it’s nothing concrete and it’s honestly indescribable for someone of my knowledge on the subject, but... something feels awkward when I’m playing this game in a serious light.

The Fandom

This has nothing to do with the game, but tends to create cracks in me when I play this game. As a guy that got into Arc System Works games via Blazblue Calamity Trigger, seeing a lot of the Guilty Gear be demeaning and insulting toward the Blazblue Community has always rubbed me the wrong way and I have a difficult time getting into this series in a more serious way because of it. I know this is likely a vocal minority, I know this isn’t every Guilty Gear fan, but it feels like a vocal side of Guilty Gear community keeps thinking that Guilty Gear is some sort of antithesis to anime air-dashers like Blazblue, as if the grungy rock aesthetic cancels out the anime aesthetic of Blazblue. This has always annoyed me, but it tends to crop up everytime someone brings up Guilty Gear designs versus Blazblue designs and while I find the idea of discussing and comparing the two interesting it always seems to devolve into insulting Blazblue.

Though to give a short version of my opinion this: I don’t want to hear shit about Blazblue waifus when Baiken mains don’t even play Baiken. And I especially don’t want to hear shit about Blazblue’s pandering fanservice when Dizzy, Ram, and Elphelt exist.

About Strive

I think that covers the main things keeping me from liking Guilty Gear, or at least playing Guilty Gear. So I want to talk about Strive, the next game coming up. This will also be something that will be expanded on in a later essay, but for now I’ll say I’m cautiously excited about Strive coming out and I look forward to at least giving it a shot. Though to give some rapid-fire bullet points on the matter...

Overall, I think Strive looks great, the presentations is fantastic and I love a lot of the new designs for the characters, though I hear that opinion is actually contentious in the fandom.

I heard that Strive is gonna’ have a dub again. I’m... curious, but I’ll save my opinions for a different essay. Long story short, if they get a new director or the old director puts more care into the performances I’ll be happy. I did overall like Xrd’s original dub barring a few performances.

So far everything about Strive looks cool, but it’s still Guilty Gear, so... debating on if I wanna’ get that day 1. Especially since I still only have a base PS4. I’ve no interest in getting the new hotness for at least another year and gamers are self-centered demons that mock those using lesser hardware. That isn’t a Guilty Gear thing, it’s just a gamer thing.

For those wondering, if I pick of this game I’ll probably main Chipp, Ram, and maybe Giovanna.

I have mixed feelings about the soundtrack. Save for Smell of the Game the lyrics in the themes I’ve hard are a mix of okay to... not okay. Hope they have versions without the lyrics similar to Raven in Rev 2.

And I think that’s everything. Next... probably another essay about Arknights.

#your dictator is speaking #guilty gear

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flight-of-the-sacred-eagle · 5 years ago

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Trucy Wright, Gift Giver Extraordinaire

Trucy is best ban don’t @ me

“Okay, I give up. Trucy, I need your help,” Apollo said as he sat down on the bench next to her, burying his face in his hands.

“Oh? With what?” Trucy asked, smirking as she took a drink of the slushee she had convinced him to buy her. Apollo groaned.

“I can’t figure out what to buy for anyone besides you and Clay,” he said. “Like. I have no ideas at all,” he said. Trucy giggled.

“Aw, did law sap your creativity too?” She asked.

“What? No!” Apollo exclaimed. “My creativity is fine- it’s just that my boyfriend is a fucking millionaire, Athena has no interests besides messing with me, your dad is... your dad, and everyone else either scares me or I know nothing about them,” he said.

“Aw, Papa isn’t scary, Polly!” Trucy exclaimed before she put a finger to her chin. “But I see what you’re getting at,” she said. “Especially when it comes to shopping for Klav- Daddy used to have the same problem when shopping for Papa,” she said before grinning. “You’ve come to the right place though!” She exclaimed as she stood up. Apollo chuckled.

“Have I?” He asked as he stood up. Trucy nodded as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

“Yep!” She said. “They don’t call me Trucy Wright, gift giver extraordinaire for nothing!” She said.

“No one calls you that,” Apollo said.

“Well, you better start calling me that if you want my help,” Trucy said with a smirk. Apollo snorted.

“Okay, okay,” he said. “What do you suggest we do, Trucy Wright, gift giver extraordinaire?” He said. Trucy beamed.

“I’m glad you asked!” She said as she grabbed her pseudo brother’s hand. “Obviously the most important person on your lift is Klavier, so we should shop for him first,” she said. “Plus, he’d be the hardest,” she said.

“You’ve got that right,” Apollo grumbled. “It’s been three years since we started dating and Christmas shopping for him is still hell,” he said.

“Well... what do you get him for his birthdays?” Trucy asked before her eyes widened as Apollo turned beet red. “Polly!” She exclaimed with a giggle. Apollo shook his head.

“I didn’t say anything!” He exclaimed. Trucy chuckled.

“You turned redder than your suit,” she said before smirking. “I’d suggest you give him the same thing this Christmas but considering you’ve got Clay there...” she trailed off.

“Oh for the love of- I already have Clay teasing me every two seconds, I don’t need you adding on to this!” Apollo exclaimed.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” Trucy said before humming. “Well... I’d suggest a new guitar but aren’t the ones he uses super expensive?” She asked. Apollo nodded.

“Yeah. I think the cheapest one he wants is five thousand,” he said. “Plus I know nothing about guitars,” he said. Trucy hummed.

“What else does he like?” She asked.

“Well, there’s the law stuff obviously,” Apollo said. “And...” he trailed off. “Okay, you have to promise not to tell anyone this,” he said. “Like. Seriously- you cannot tell anyone this,” he said.

“Polly, I’m a magician. I know how to keep secrets,” Trucy said. “But you’re making it sound like he’s got some super weird interest,” he said. Apollo snorted.

“Now weird. Just something you wouldn’t expect and I don’t know if he wants anyone to know,” he said. “He actually really loves cooking,” he said, grin on his face. “And he’s such a good cook,” he said as a dopey look formed on his face. “He can make a peanut butter sandwich taste like heaven,” he said. Trucy chuckled.

“Well, how about we try to combine all that?” She asked as she pulled up her phone. “The Gavviners fans make everything- I bet I can find some specialized cooking stuff or...�� she trailed off as she stood off to the side to avoid the mall traffic. Then, her eyes went wide. “Polly. Polly, I think I found the best thing ever,” she said and she handed her phone to Apollo.

“What is this?” Apollo asked as he looked at the phone. “Holy shit,” he said. “Trucy- this is amazing!” He exclaimed. “‘I cook as good as Klavier Gavin looks,” he read. “And Gavviners purple and silver... this is awesome!” He exclaimed as he pulled his own phone out.

“I told you! I’m Trucy Wright! Gift giver extraordinaire!” Trucy exclaimed as Apollo handed her her phone back. “Now, who next?” She asked. “You’ve got Simon, Athena, Daddy, Papa, Ema, Auntie Frannie, Auntie Maya, and Pearls left, right?” She said. Apollo nodded.

“Yeah. Well, I need to get something for Nahyuta and Rayfa, but that’s not nearly as hard as everyone else- especially since they’re not coming here,” he said. “But I’m kind of split with Ema,” he admitted. Trucy cocked her head.

“How so?” She asked.

“Well, I don’t know if I should just buy her a few bulk bags of snackoos or if I should get her a stupid coffee mug or something,” he said. “I found a mug that I really like for her too- it says ‘I trained in forensics so yes I can murder you and get away with it’,” he said, causing Trucy to snort.

“Go with that,” Trucy said. “I think Klavier said he was going to buy her a years worth of snackoos since he heard you can’t find them in Khura’in,” she said.

“Well, mug it is then,” Apollo said. “And that’s the last one I had any ideas for,” he admitted. Trucy hummed.

“Well, Auntie Maya is easy- she’ll take anything Steel Samurai related,” she said. “Pearly likes pretty much everything,” she admitted. “But she does like to draw, so maybe a sketchbook?” She suggested. Apollo nodded as he started scrolling through his phone.

“Hm. I’ll probably look for a sketchbook or something here,” he said. “As for the Steel Samurai stuff... there is that game store here- they probably sell stuff there,” he said before frowning. “Actually, that may be something I can get for Rayfa too...” he mumbled.

“You could knock out three and get Papa something Steel Samurai related too!” Trucy exclaimed. “He and Auntie Maya can spend hours talking about it,” she said. “And I don’t think either of them have anything from the Nickel Samurai saga!” She exclaimed.

“Really?” Apollo asked as he quickly typed something. “Let’s see... Matt Engarde... where have I heard that name...” he mumbled. Trucy frowned.

“He sounds familiar,” she said before cocking her head as Apollo’s eyes went wide. “Polly?” She asked. Apollo shook his head.

“Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth got him convicted of murder,” he said. “And your father was his defense attorney,” he said.

“Oh,” Trucy said. “Well, I guess that would explain why no one has anything related to that,” she said before shaking her head. “Anyways, maybe you should get Daddy a funny law mug or something,” she said. “‘thena is getting him a ‘World’s Best Lawyer’ mug, and Papa is getting him a ‘World’s Most Interesting Lawyer’ mug,” she said.

“Is there a ‘World’s Okayest Lawyer’ mug?” Apollo asked with a snort. “Because that would finish the trifecta,” he said. Trucy nodded.

“There probably is,” she said. “Now. ‘thena mentioned something about how Simon is trying to find a toy for Taka that won’t break immediately,” she said. “And she mentioned how her jewelry was getting stale,” she said. Apollo rolled his eyes.

“Doesn’t she have like. Fifty different necklaces?” He asked.

“A girl can never have too much jewelry, Polly,” Trucy said. “But maybe get her a small ring or something?” She said.

“Maybe I’ll get her a book on the differences between white and brown sugar,” Apollo said with a snort. “And I can get Blackquill a chew toy or something for Taka,” he said before sighing. “This just leaves Prosecutor Von Karma...” he mumbled. Trucy grinned.

“Oh, she’s easy,” she said. “She collects whips,” she said. Apollo just looked at her.

“You want me to get her a whip?” He asked. She nodded. “Well... if you think it’s a good idea,” he said.

“I do!” Trucy said before beaming. “Now come on- let’s go get these things!” She exclaimed as she grabbed Apollo’s hand and pulled him back into the crowd.

“Okay, okay,” Apollo said with a laugh. “Thanks for your help,” he said. Trucy smiled.

“Anytime, Polly!” She said before smirking. “Now, about my payment...”

#trucy wright #apollo justice #ace attorney #fun sib time #trucy made him buy her some cookies after this

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crystalelemental · 7 years ago

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You know, talking even briefly about how I don’t care much for the Gen 5 starters has resulted in me wanting to share my opinions about starter Pokemon as a whole. Like, what I think of each of their evolutionary lines. So let’s do that. Not really a ranking or anything, just my opinions on each.

BULBASAUR LINE Bulbasaur’s evolution line is great, fight me. They’re little dinosaur creatures with a giant flower that blooms on its back as it evolves, how is that not cool? Grass/Poison was super redundant in Gen 1, putting it into conflict with every other grass type bar Tangela, but nowadays it’s...slightly less common of a typing? Okay, it’s pretty standard. But I really like the concept behind them. Also, I can’t remember where I saw this, but someone insulted Venusaur’s design and I want you to know I’m judging.

CHARMANDER LINE Okay, Charmander? Super cute, love the little lizard creature. Charmeleon? Okay, bigger and angrier, kind of a thing with Pokemon as they evolve. Charizard? The most stock-standard “dragon” you can imagine. It’s literally just a Dragon. Had they not been cowards about the typing back then, it probably would be Fire/Dragon. But no, Fire/Flying. I really don’t like Charizard. It’s so standard and yet it’s held up as one of the best Pokemon designs, and for what? For being a standard, boring-ass dragon. Listen kids, dragons are boring, and we need to get over them.

SQUIRTLE LINE Squirtle itself is just adorable. I love this thing so much, it’s honestly becoming my favorite of the gen 1 starters, even over Bulbasaur who I adore. I’ve heard others mention that Wartortle is kinda underwhelming, but really, it’s not worse than Charmeleon or Ivysaur, and they’re just fine, so I think those people are just mean. As for Blastoise itself, it’s a cool concept, though you do have to wonder how it got metallic cannons coming out of its shell. Really doesn’t make much biological sense at all, which proves once again that anything that genwunners complain about Gen 5 being stupid for, Gen 1 did it too. Overall great, probably turning into my favorite of the evolution lines.

CHIKORITA LINE Okay, I really like this evolution line, but for contrarian reasons. Chikorita is not the cutest of the starters in Gen 2. Cyndaquil is. Its concept of having a giant flower around its neck isn’t bad, but Venusaur’s just a little more interesting in concept. But ultimately, I still really like this line. Because it’s the worst starter line from a competitive standpoint. It’s so bad it’s hard to use even in the main game. This poor thing deserves love, and if you hate on them, you are a bad person.

CYNDAQUIL LINE Okay, real talk: Cyndaquil was my go-to as a kid. It’s so cute! It’s such a cool concept, too. The evolution line is a little stale, though? I know the other starters aren’t exactly much better, but it really feels like it’s just slowly elongating with no substantial differences between the forms. Also, mono-Fire feels like a huge waste on such a cool concept. Like, imagine if this thing got a secondary Electric or Ground type or something. Yes, horrific 4x weaknesses, I understand that, but counterpoint: it’d be cool. And that’s really what matters. Not like Typhlosion’s exact copy of Charizard’s stats did it any favors to begin with. Still, this line is probably my favorite of the generation for one, singular reason. It’s not a reptile. Every other starter up to this point was some kind of reptile! Gen 1 had this whole dinosaur motif going on, and Chikorita’s basically a dinosaur thing while Totodile is an alligator...crocodile...thing. Thank you, Cyndaquil, for being the most unique animal type of the starters. Even if your evolution path is kinda boring.

TOTODILE LINE Totodile’s line is...interesting. It starts out as a cute little critter, and as many evolutions do, becomes a huge hulking monstrosity in its final form. Feraligatr is pretty cool, and I do think it’s interesting how it’s the lowest level for final evolution of all starters. That was a neat trade-off. But man, Croconaw’s design just looks...odd. It’s probably supposed to be like an egg pattern, but it really looks like a weird caveman cloth print, and it doesn’t look great. It’s like an awkward teen years before getting to be a fairly cool adult.

TREECKO LINE Treecko was always my least favorite of the Gen 3 starter lines, and I never really knew quite why I was so lukewarm about it. Spoilers, I adore the other two, but Treecko never really stood out. I think my comments on Cyndaquil gave me a realization as to why: it’s another reptile creature. It’s a cool-looking evolution line, but it’s still a reptile. And I’m about reptiled out. Still, we have to admit that Grovyle is super cool, both because of its sleek design, and its role in Explorers of Sky.

TORCHIC LINE Prior to Gen 6 producing the greatest starter of all time, Torchic was my stated favorite. Listen, Fire/Fighting was a cool typing back when it happened the first time. It wasn’t until it kept happening that everyone got sick of it forever. A kickboxing chicken is also just about the funniest way to go with the typing, too. You can’t deny how imaginative this line is. Plus, the first form is super adorable. Tiny little chicken, doing its best. I love it so... And its final form looks nice, too. Really, the designs of Gen 3 were all spectacular.

MUDKIP LINE Mudkip was the one that gave Torchic a run for its money. Mudkip itself is super adorable and precious, and while it and all its evolutions can look a little dopey, they have a lot of charm in their design. Plus, Water/Ground is an awesome typing. Quagsire did it first, yes, but that didn’t make it any less cool.

TURTWIG LINE Believe it or not, I don’t have very strong opinions about most of the Gen 4 starters. Like Gen 5, I feel like none of them stuck with me that strongly, and any playthrough of the game, I’m perfectly fine dumping the starter. That said, if I had to pick a favorite of them, it’s Turtwig. I guess I just like turtles. It’s mostly the concept behind its final form that I love. It carries a giant tree on its back, and packs a fairly unique Grass/Ground typing.

CHIMCHAR LINE And now the exact opposite. From day 1, I never liked Chimchar. First off, I do not like monkeys. I just don’t. Secondly, Infernape stole the exact same typing as Blaziken, which is not only shitty, but also really boring. Every other starter so far has been fairly unique in typing choices, and this asshole is gonna just do the exact same thing as last gen? Oh, I’m sorry, it gets to be way faster but a bit less strong but still really strong. Fuck Infernape.

PIPLUP LINE Piplup is cute, though. And having its final form be some emperor penguin that’s apparently made of steel is awesome. Torterra is the favorite from this gen, but man, Empoleon had such a cool typing it was hard to not consider it the most interesting.

SNIVY LINE Snivy’s alright. It had a solid design, and I can understand why Smugleaf caught on as the fan favorite. That said, that’s kinda all it’s got. Serperior is plain boring, and it’s the only Grass starter not to get Earthquake for coverage at any point. The only thing to its name is Contrary, and somehow it’s on its way to being the highest competitively ranked Grass starter, even above Mega Venusaur. Which just goes to show that competitive Pokemon is broken beyond all repair and we should probably torch it all and start over.

TEPIG LINE I can’t believe they gave us three Fire/Fighting types in a row. I’m gonna say it: if Emboar had gotten literally any other typing, it’d be my favorite of this gen. Not even a contest, really. Emboar looks cool, and Tepig is adorable. Sure, Pignite is...a little awkward of a design, but that’s fine, it stood up. It’s not lying to me unlike some middle stage fire starters I could mention. But the fact that it’s part Fighting means it’s a huge disappointment.

OSHAWOTT LINE Oh wait, except Oshawott is also a huge disappointment. An adorable little otter to a cool samurai otter, to whatever the hell is going on with Samurott. “Steve, it can stand on its back legs and has the sword thing so-” no. No it does not. You know why? Because it’s not drawn like that. If you wanted to keep the samurai thing going, it’d be drawn and displayed as bipedal. Instead, you gave us water horse, whose special attack is higher than its physical attack. This should’ve been the favorite of the generation, but that final form does not look good, does not make sense for the line, and is mono-Water. Not even a dual typing to keep things interesting? Sad. So I guess I don’t have a favorite of Gen 5 starters. Because none of them are consistently good.

CHESPIN LINE Gen 6 did many things wrong. Starters were not one of them. Chespin is adorable and wonderful. People made fun of Quilladin, but really, it’s the same deal as Pignite: it looks a little awkward but ends on a high note. Chesnaught looks great, and the paladin concept is great, giving it a lot of good support moves and a Grass/Fighting type that is never really good but is interesting. I like it a lot, but it’s massively overshadowed by...

FENNEKIN LINE Behold, the greatest starter line ever made. They gave me a fox! A Fire/Psychic fox! Do you know how long I had waited? Literally since Ninetales. Fennekin is adorable, Braixen is the sassiest thing ever I love it, and Delphox is still an excellent witch design. If there is any flaw this line could possibly have, it’s that Braixen should have the Psychic typing and access to some of the tech Delphox does. Oh, and that the evolution line is competitive trash and has gotten literally nothing of value while a certain bastard-ass frog gets like 12 different favors over nothing.

FROAKIE LINE This is the worst starter line of all time. Froakie itself was fine. The idea of going ninja-theme on the frogs? Fine. I don’t care about ninjas at all, but fine. That should’ve been the end of it. But no. It could’ve been just as simple as “not my preference” and move on. And it should be. But instead, they give it Protean, one of the most broken abilities in the series, on top of its blistering speed. Hell, in ORAS, they gave it Gunk Shot, which rounded its coverage so perfectly it got banned to fucking Ubers. So obviously, we went too far, right? Time to dial it back. Haha, idiot. In the change to Gen 7, they give its multi-hit priority move a special designation instead of physical, because god forbid this bougie-ass frog have to work for anything in its goddamned life. Oh, and we gave it a special snowflake form based on the anime, that gets like 50 more base stat points than a goddamned mega evolution. Because, again, god forbid this bougie frog have to work for a damned thing in its life. I thought it was blatant favoritism that Charizard got two megas. I thought it couldn’t get any more obvious who their favorite starter was. I was a goddamned idiot. They could’ve gone way harder, and they did. Greninja deserves nothing but getting its ass nerfed into the ground where it belongs.

ROWLET LINE You know, I actually wish the Rowlet line was better than it is. Rowlet itself is cute, and while the final form’s design isn’t really my thing, the concept of it being an extinct bird and thus being part Ghost is...morbidly hilarious. It’s also an archer! That’s really neat! But...it’s not very good. I blame the speed. Why did they want to make everything so bulky offensive this gen? It didn’t work. Whatever their reason, it’s a nice enough evolution line that just doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.

LITTEN LINE Ooooh boy, okay. Look. Litten’s super cute. Torracat? I can work with that. But Incineroar... Oh my god it looks so weird. I don’t know what it is. I think it’s similar to Bewear, in that it really just looks like someone’s fursona, only instead of being a really bad and lazy fursona with no personality, it’s a surprisingly high-quality one with a backstory about being a wrestler that’s simultaneously endearing but also concerning how much effort was put into it. I know it’s a fire-type thing to stand up in the final form, but maybe...you shouldn’t have. Maybe you should’ve been like Samurott. Actually, maybe the two of you should trade places! Samurott should stand its ass up, and you should sits yours down. Then everything would be fixed. Forever.

POPPLIO LINE Were it not for Fennekin being an adorable fox with the best typing, this would be my favorite evolution line. Popplio was cute. Maybe a little odd looking, but still cute. Brionne was one of the prettiest middle evolutions in starter history, and it ends on the most elegant thing in the world. Primarina is gorgeous, and I adore it. Much like Fennekin, if there’s any real detriment, it’s that the middle stage doesn’t get the secondary Fairy typing. Then it would truly be perfect.

#pokemon #starter pokemon #for anyone wondering my favorites by type #water has 2 #grass has 2 #technically grass has 1 but someone from gen 5 had to win #and fire has 3

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Warrior Season 2 Episode 7 Review: If you Wait by the River Long Enough…

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This Warrior review contains spoilers.

Warrior Season 2 Episode 7

This episode picks up right where the last one left off – Young Jun (Jason Tobin), Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji), and Hong (Chen Tang) return from their successful mission to face Father Jun’s (Perry Young) wrath.

The Jun father-son relationship has been trying since the beginning, and it comes to a head when Father Jun blackballs his son from the Hop Wei with a ritual to ‘burn’ him out. Hop Wei members show their loyalty with branded forearms, so Father Jun burns out Young Jun’s brand with what appears to be the flat side of red-hot sword tip.

It’s a brutal ritual and bothersome to anyone who knows swords. No one ever does this. Swords are heat treated so getting one red hot like that would spoil the temper of the blade. In Warrior’s defense, all we get is the tip so it might not be a sword at all. Maybe it’s a special sword-tip-shaped branding iron just for burning out blackballed members of the Hop Wei Tong.

Nevertheless, the ritual leaves Father Jun feeling unsatisfied, so he orders the Hop Wei to kill the threesome. But Ah Sahm says his piece in defense of Young Jun’s actions and sways the tong to their side. They all stand down as Young Jun tells his father that “We are honoring your long years of leadership and celebrating your retirement,” and then takes the chair as the head of the Hop Wei. It’s a significant role change, something we’ve been waiting for since Warrior began.

Later the Juns have a heart to heart. Father Jun tells his son to kill him because that’s the way power is transferred in the tong, and even offers to do it himself, implying again the Young Jun is too wimpy. But he refuses patricide, claiming he wants to keep his father’s wisdom. Instead, he puts him under constant guard, which is good because Father Jun is too interesting of a character to kill off just yet.

Prostitutes, Cops, Politicians and the Weapon Dealer

Ah Toy (Olivia Cheng) and Nellie (Miranda Raison) get it on in Ah Toy’s bordello, and the irony of their tryst location isn’t lost on either of them. In a moment of post-coital bliss, Ah Toy opens up to Nellie, revealing her tragic backstory. Her husband was a silk vendor who was murdered on the boat when they were travelling to America, forcing Ah Toy to become the captain’s concubine to save herself from being passed around by the whole ship’s crew. She confides in Nellie that she has 200 hectares of land outside of Chinatown but because she’s Chinese, she’s had to hide her ownership using her token white real estate partner, Patterson (Frank Rautenbach). Nellie suggests that she take over as Ah Toy’s Caucasian partner and shares her frustration with one particularly nasty group of sex traffickers who run a sadistic rival brothel. Ah Toy asks Nellie to show her where they are on a map.

Warrior: The Historical Inspiration for Nellie Davenport

By Gene Ching

Movies

Best Martial Arts Movies on Netflix Right Now

By Gene Ching

In court, O’Hara (Kieran Bew) testifies against Zing (Dustin Nguyen). Zing is sentenced to be hanged at San Quentin. San Quentin is California’s oldest prison, established in 1852. It lies north of San Francisco, only 20 miles away by the Golden Gate bridge, but much farther in the time that Warrior is set because the bridge didn’t open until 1937. Nevertheless, it’s a timely and appropriate reference. Although Warrior is fictional, it reverently references a tumultuous time in American history with ample liberties taken.

After the trial, Leary (Dean Jagger) corners O’Hara and calls him out on rumors he’s heard about him working for Zing, but O’Hara covers quickly by saying that it was a ruse so he could get closer to his target. Later, Mayor Blake (Christian McKay) honors O’Hara and the Chinatown police squad for catching the swordsman. After that, it’s Buckley’s (Langley Kirkwood) turn to corner Leary after the speeches. Knowing Leary has the Irish vote, he tries to sway him into politics.

Leary returns to the Banshee and boxes some poor bloke in the back alley. Sophie (Celine Buckens) shows up and breaks Leary’s focus, so his opponent connects with some good punches. But Leary gathers his composure and knocks his opponent out, then runs to Sophie. She regrets the Mercer bombing. Leary mentions his chat with Buckley, and Sophie also encourages him into politics because she realizes he has the Irish vote too.

Ah Sahm places an order for a lot hatchets and other weapons with Chao (Hoon Lee). Chao comments on Young Jun usurping the Hop Wei, insinuating that Ah Sahm had a bigger hand in it that he claims. After noticing Chao’s injuries, Ah Sahm counters by implying Chao had a hand in Zing’s bust, knowing full well it was all a set up. Ah Toy is the real swordswoman and Ah Sahm joined her for some of the revenge murders. Chao dodges the question like always, claiming his father said, “Wait by the river and the bodies will come floating by.” Ah Sahm retorts by saying Sun Tzu said this but this is a common mistake.

The real quote comes from a mistranslation of Confucius. While observing a river, Confucius said “Time is like this, no matter day or night.” However, the characters he used for “time” can also mean ‘corpse’ and over time, the translation became misconstrued in English. Whether that mistranslation goes as far back as the period when Warrior is set is unknown, but the quote is bandied about in martial circles for years and is commonly attributed to Sun Tzu or as some samurai wisdom.

Slicing Up Sex Traffickers

Ah Toy and Lai (Jenny Umbhau) raid a dirty brothel where the girls are kept in a dungeon filled ankle-deep water. It’s one of those sets that looks cool but is too absurd. Why would you keep prostitutes in standing water? Not only would that be a petri dish for disease in an already unhealthy environment, given San Francisco weather, there’s no way that would be anything but freezing cold.

Nevertheless, it’s the big dose of Kung Fu for this episode so we won’t quibble. It’s a lot of shadowing sword play where both Ah Toy and Lai get to shine as they slice and dice the sex traffickers. Much of it is shot from a bird’s eye view, giving an artsy angle to a very carnal and sanguineous battle. Lai tortures one of the traffickers before killing him which gives Ah Toy pause.

Later, Ah Toy visits Nellie’s winery refuge to deliver the women she and Lai rescued. She leaves Lai there too. It’s a major bummer. This better not be the end of Lai. Umbhau is a talented martial artist and brings some much-needed genuine Kung Fu action to Warrior. Hopefully, this won’t be her final appearance in the show, but the scene has the feeling as if she’s being written out for a few episodes.

The next day, O’Hara and his squad find the bodies and realize it’s death by sword. The cop that was first on the scene offers to keep his mouth shut if O’Hara recommends him for a promotion. O’Hara consents and he and his men clean the mess up and hide the evidence that would blow their framing of Zing. But Lee (Tom Weston-Jones) has his suspicions too. When he returns the incriminating stolen watch that O’Hara planted on Zing to Timmon’s widow (Michelle Douglas), she reveals that O’Hara had been there before the raid. Lee realizes that O’Hara poached the watch.

After Ah Toy tells Patterson that she’s transferring ownership of her properties, he goes to confess to a Priest (Lawrence Joffe). But the Priest is dirty. He takes an offering from Patterson through the confessional window, revealing that his hand is conspicuously missing a finger. The Priest sends Patterson to a slaughterhouse to meet two brutish butchers who are now presumably hired to exact revenge for Patterson. The death of Ah Toy would transfer her properties to him, and he’s already used them for investment collateral. Butcher hitmen sound very promising.

The Body Comes Floating By

Mayor Blake is called out in a Gentleman’s Club by Merriweather (Andre Jacobs) about Penny’s (Joanna Vanderham) use of Chinese labor. He is caught unaware that Penny had approached Merriweather earlier about a deal for Mercer Steel. Mercer is supplying steel for Merriweather’s buildings. The Panic of ’73 is brought up which places the time period of Warrior within the early years of the Great Depression. Blake’s loss of face at the club sets up an unbelievably bad night for Penny.

Leary walks Sophie near to home and before they part, Penny sees them together. When Sophie comes in, she and Penny argue and Penny kicks her out of the house. Then Blake comes home drunk and starts fighting with Penny about the Merriweather deal. He claims it will jeopardize his plans to become governor. Penny tells him to divorce her. Their fight gets physical. Sophie rushes to defend her sister but both women are overpowered by Blake. Straddling Penny, Blake starts choking her out.

This was oddly foreshadowed in this episode by an earlier sex scene where Mai Ling (Dianne Doan) plays some dominance strangulation games with Li Yong (Joe Taslim). As Penny starts to lose consciousness, she is rescued by Jacob (Kenneth Fok), who strikes Blake in the back of the head with a fire iron. With a good chunk of his skull taken out, the Mayor looks dead. It’s a grisly end to a despicable politician, but one well deserved, and the survivors are left to clean up the mess.

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The post Warrior Season 2 Episode 7 Review: If you Wait by the River Long Enough… appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/36yuIbP

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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enzoendoplaylistchallengo · 7 years ago

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Endo Enzo Playlist week 9: Episode 36: The beautiful blue plumage birds of Notlob that sleeps on their back. Mass distributor of dead birds across Bolton causes confusion. Bird-watching for titmouse's, woodpeckers, swallows and blue footed boobies.

9 weeks fellas! We are 9 weeks watching the days go by and into the first of the year. So sit back under the moonlight crack open a soda, say something poinient thats not written by the guy on your campus who writes poetry and get ready for another week of media recommendations applied in blog form.

Hello everyone, we are not broadcasting from the pink lake called Lake Hillier, which is located in Melbourne Australia. The water is pink due to a micro algae that turns the water its abnormaly pink color. Though its not the only pink lake in the world it is quite beautiful and has some interesting subjects of micobiological life within it. You won't need a microscope or be a scientist to enjoy the music I have for you lined up this week. Plug in those headphones or your speakers and chill out to this weeks playlist.

Zombie by Cranberries

American Idiot by Greenday

All the things she said by tATu

Youth of a nation by P.O.D.

Prayer of the refugee by Rise Against

Rooftops by Lostprophets

Radiant Heart by Black Mountain

Adams Song by Blink 182

Now for a commercial break

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FCcN6jwehQ

Growing up in a age where you are raised with super heros, super villains, shows like Johnny Quest, Justicie League, their comes a time where you question much about these sort of pseudo laws that go unspoken until years later: merchandising, when to do a attack on the opposing hero, whats too far, whats too little, why do only certain villians face certain enemies, what happens when heros retire, do villians reform, what about prison time for the villians since they can never stay in one, are all heros as perfect behind closed doors, how are henchman hired, what do said henchman do on their free time? Well theirs a little show caled Venture Brothers that pokes fun at these things. Imbued with old pop culture comedy, it takes the viewer on a trip following former child star Rusty Venture as he performs his science experiments and continuing his adventures with his two sons. Matched with the enemy of the Monarch, frequently him and Rusty bump heads over these pseodo laws. The show follows this cavalcade of characters traversing the two opposing set of rules, the two sons future and is a hilarious trip for anyone. If you want a good spoof of 60's Johnny Quest era shows with modernized takes on it, this is a show that is worth buying in a box set.

I'm just going to say it...Jojo's Bizzare Adventure. I've fallen in love with this series since watching the Phantom Blood anime and I'm just starting Diamond Unbreakable. To those of you who don't know the series it starts with the strained relationship between Joseph Joestar and adopted brother Dio Brando as they live in the Joestar mansion. The story evolves as it follows generation after generation facing off against the likes of Dio, perfect beings, assasins, vampires, zombies. My favoriote thing is the addition within the second Jojo series Stardust Crusaders where they introduce stands which are like psychic avatars that grant the users some powers based on their desires. I can go on and on about the series but I'm really trying to avoid spoilers, if you watch anime, or generaly want a action fighting based adventure follow this series.

This weeks film is a classic in my book for its special effects and writing. Throne of Blood was made in the late 60's about samurais and generals lead by a spirit to perform a prophecy of taking a siege. Not is all what it seems though as theirs lots of deciept, manipulation and betrayal on this story based on a old play. The film excells in my book to keep intrigue and action, utilizing some special effects that I found very nifty for the time period, it is worth a watch and film study for those who like films set in feudal Japan or those who like Shakespearien styled writing. (*It seems I was wanting to know if I recognized any actors in this film, because I thought one in particular was in it but was wrong and on Wikipedia it mentions it was inspired by Macbeth, so a Macbeth twist on a already existing Japanese play. I apologize in advance for any redudency in my last sentence of the movie post.)

Vs:

This weeks matchup for the versus is two rodent gals with spirit to spare.

Having faced dangerous missions for NOL and surviving the demi human Makato Nanaya uses her intuition, her various techniques like summoning a giant fist or making multiple Makatos temporarily appear, signature steel tonfas and various powerful punching abilities of which can shoot someone to the moon.

Her opponent has taken down some of the biggest villians in the Marvel universe. A nimble, acrobatic, and cunning super hero. She uses her squirrel like ability and power to command her squirrel friends to take down villians. She also posseses a set of claws for climbing, a utility belt, and known hand to hand combat skills.

Who will win? Whos more squirley? Whos posses the stronger fighting spirit

Squirell Girl vs Makoto Nanaya

And thus passes another transmission to you all. Hit the books study up on nothing and I will see you all bright eyed, bushy tailed for the next post being week 10. Now go get some coffee, tea, and a nice bagel wake yourself up.

6 18 24 15 7 24 22 8 16 2 19 15 4 2 15 12 22 23 18 21 2 19

#music blog #playlist blog #Marvel #Blazeblue #Jojo Bizzare Adventure #Venture Brothers #what am i even doing #squirrel

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martens-movie-reviews · 7 years ago

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Release Date: June 14, 2013 Running Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

“With the imminent destruction of Krypton, their home planet, Jor-El and his wife seek to preserve their race by sending their infant son to Earth. The child’s spacecraft lands at the farm of Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark and raise him as their own son. Though his extraordinary abilities have led to the adult Clark living on the fringe of society, he finds he must become a hero to save those he loves from a dire threat.”

Because of the anticipated release of Justice League on Friday November 17, I’ve decided to write reviews of all of the movies that make up the DC Extended Universe so far. There have been a lot of talks about how long this franchise will last, but as a comic book fan, and huge lover of movies, I never want movies to be bad. I’m hoping that it’ll be amazing. You can find the dates for when the reviews for the other DCEU movie will be released at the link here. I wrote the review for Wonder Woman around the time it came out, and it can be found here.

DC Extended Universe – Source: Warner Brothers Entertainment

Man of Steel Trailer: Source – Warner Brothers Entertainment

Cast & Crew

The director of Man of Steel was Zack Snyder, whose work includes films that I enjoyed such as ‘Watchmen’ in 2009 and ‘Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole’ in 2010, as well as films that I didn’t enjoy so much such as ‘Dawn of the Dead’ in 2004, and ‘Sucker Punch’ in 2011. The film that in my mind, he’s the most known for is ‘300’, which while visually amazing, was more of a meh kind of film for me. He has since directed the sequel to this film ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and most of ‘Justice League’ before having to step away due to personal reasons.

Man of Steel was written by David S. Goyer, based on the story that he and Christopher Nolan wrote. Nolan’s work as a writer includes ‘Memento’, his ‘Batman’ trilogy, and ‘Inception’ prior to working on this film. He has since wrote ‘Interstellar’ in 2014, and ‘Dunkirk’ in 2017. Goyer’s previous writing jobs includes the ‘Blade’ trilogy from 1998 – 2004, working with Nolan on the ‘Batman’ films previously mentioned as well as the sequel ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’ in 2011 prior to working on Man of Steel. He’s since wrote the ‘Constantine’ television show, as well as ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ in 2016. He was recently announced to be one of the writers for the ‘Green Lantern Corps’ that will be coming out in 2020.

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Cast includes Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Ayelet Zurer, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Richard Cetrone, Mackenzie Gray, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff, Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry.

Review

The character of Clark Kent / Kal – El was played by Cooper Timberline, Dylan Sprayberry and Henry Cavill, with the latter also playing Superman. I feel like all three of them did a good job at playing the Clark Kent character, and I was surprised at how consistent they were in terms of character. Cavill’s acting in the role of Kal – El was rough at first, with some very wooden delivery of some lines, however that could also be the script or the direction that he got. I enjoyed the portrayal that we got, even if it was a ‘darker’ and ‘broodier’ version of what he is supposed to be, I still thought it was well done at the end. Cavill’s Superman still needs some work, but seems to have a lot of potential, and I was pleased with the improvements in the character in the follow up film.

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The character of Lois Lane was played by Amy Adams, in which she did an alright job with what she was given. I didn’t enjoy what they did with her character overall, but I will go into more detail about that further below. I feel like Adams was a good choice for the role that they put her in, but didn’t give off the Lois Lane vibe that I remembered from the few comic books that I read of Superman(read both Marvel and DC as a kid, but enjoyed Marvel more).

Michael Shannon as General Zod was a good choice in my mind for the role, as he demands the attention when on screen, and you need someone with a presence to portray Zod. I feel like the character could have been used a lot better, but from I enjoyed the performance that we got from Shannon. It demanded more than what we ended up getting.

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The Kent parents were played by Diane Lane and Kevin Costner, who I feel was really well cast in those roles. I would have prefered a lot more from Costner’s character, and the way he died was just stupid, but from the acting standpoint, I really enjoyed that Lane was able to capture Martha Kent’s essence of trying to connect with Clark on the emotional level, while Jonathan Kent was the moral compass of doing what’s right at the right time. I didn’t enjoy the fact that they made him say the word ‘maybe’ when asked if Clark should have let his classmates die.

The Kryptonian parents Lara Lor-Van played by Ayelet Zurer, and Jor – El who was portrayed by Russell Crowe was a mixed bag of emotions for me throughout this film. I loved everything about Zurer’s performance from the flashbacks to Krypton, and the struggle to send her child away for a chance for survival. It’s something that I wish would be explored more in the future, with the A.I. Jor – El talking about his wife to their son. Russell Crowe’s performance was a problem for me in this role. I don’t think he fit the role of Jor – El, whatsoever, and I didn’t like that they made him capable of beating General Zod in a fist fight. That was one of the problems with certain characters in the film.

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One thing that was really unexpected in the movie, was that it opens with the birth of Kal – El, literally Lara in labour, the first time that a natural birth happened on Krypton for centuries. I enjoyed what they did with the movie, in a way to make Kal – El ‘special’ in that sense, however I really wish that they will elaborate on the Codex. That is something that would be very interesting if ever they were going to have a new Krypton eventually in the universe, however I feel like they’ve already forgotten about it.

Seeing Krypton was absolutely amazing. I thought that the scenery and the animals in that sequence was very much inspired by James Cameron’s movie ‘Avatar’. The cinematography in general for this movie was beautiful. I thought that the way that they captured Krypton, Smallville, and the Arctic was extremely well done. It’s one of the better looking films in the past 5 years, and part of that quality is thanks to the cinematographer of the film – Amir Mokri. His work includes ‘Coyote Ugly’ from 2000, ‘Bad Boys 2’ in 2003 and ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ in 2011 prior to Man of Steel.

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The score for this film was put together by one of the most well known and fantastic composer since the early 2000s. Hans Zimmer‘s work has sadly been given a lot of slack in recent years for the loud ‘BWAM’ that marketing people love putting in trailers, which have become annoying, I have to admit. In my opinion, his work is on the same level in terms of quality and how memorable they are as other great movie score composers such as John Williams, Howard Shore and Danny Elfman. Zimmer’s work in this film was strong, hopeful, and sometimes inspiring while still having those epic moments that is required in big budget films.

Movie scores are what I listen to while I’m working at my desk, or writing these reviews, or when I was studying while in school. I just looked at my ‘instrumental’ playlist that I’ve had and been adding to it for the last 10 years and Hans Zimmer has 61 out of the 250 songs on that playlist. His work includes such soundtracks as ‘The Lion King’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl’, ‘The Last Samurai’, ‘August Rush’, ‘Sherlock Holmes’, and ‘Inception’. I really enjoyed the music in this movie, and I know that a lot of people were disappointed when the Superman theme was never incorporated into the score, however I feel like Zimmer added a sense of wonder and grandness that was needed for this version.

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The flashbacks in Man of Steel was very much hit and miss for me. I feel like the two younger version of Clark Kent did a good job in their portrayals, and I was happy to see that they were providing some backstory to who he is, while at the same time not lingering too much on it.

One of the stupidest death scenes that I’ve ever watched was the flashback scene of Jonathan Kent being swallowed up by the tornado (twister, not entirely sure of the difference, if you know, tell me in the comments below) while telling Clark to stay where he was, and stupidly sacrificing himself. I feel like Clark could have easily saved him, but they wanted to make the film ‘darker’ and make Clark go on this long and arduous journey to find out what his place on Earth is, and to find out what kind of man he wants to become, but I was pissed off at that death scene.

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One of the bigger mistakes in this film was that Lois Lane was made to be an integral piece of the film. She was involved in everything, and while I know that she’s a reporter and loves getting information, the fact that she took a picture of cliff face, and saw a man enough to know to zoom in, then can somehow scale a mountain, and thinks she can escape the authorities after being called is funny. I feel like they should have kept her as a supporting character rather than one of the leads in the movie. I’m not happy that they made her find out that Superman is Clark Kent right away, as there’s a lot less in which they can explore and do in further films.

A small problem with the movie, is the magical appearance of the suit, with the crest of the house of El on it, that just happened to be on a spaceship that crashed on Earth 18 000 years ago, while also having one of the passengers on that ship survive and get out of their sleeping pod. Where are they? I don’t think we’ll ever find out.

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One of the most amazing things in the whole movie was that they were so casual with the destruction of Metropolis, and causing so much damage to the city, and they cry out that Superman is a hero. Yes, it wasn’t entirely his fault, but from the look of it, he did very little to save anyone, going as far as throwing Zod towards buildings full of people.

I enjoyed the nice touches of the greater plans that they might or might not have been planning towards the DCEU. Including the Wayne satellites, and the LuthorCorp trucks.\

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The most controversial part of the movie – the death of General Zod, is one of the most hated things about this movie, and I’m still upset about this to this day. Superman does not kill, yes, he’s killed Zod once in the comics, but that was one story that they had out of thousands of different stories. I feel like the circumstances of the death was stupid as well, I would have much prefered if Zod had gone into the Phantom Zone with everyone else when the ship collided with the World Engine. It would have been a much satisfying ending, rather than the whole air punching fight scene that caused so much damage to the city and to the Superman character as a whole.

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Overall, I feel like this was a solid film that had amazing music and cinematography, a little shaky on the characters and the acting, with an ending that is extremely divisive amongst the fans. I love Cavill’s performance as Superman, but there’s still a lot of room to grow. At the end of the day, I don’t have much more to say about this film, and I would end up giving this movie a final score of 7.5/10.

What did you think of Man of Steel? Are you excited for Justice League? Let me know in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading,

Alex Martens

Man of Steel Review Release Date: June 14, 2013 Running Time: 2 hours 23 minutes "With the imminent destruction of Krypton, their home planet, Jor-El and his wife seek to preserve their race by sending their infant son to Earth.

#Comic Book Movie #DCEU #Movie Review

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bryanclaesch · 8 years ago

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Hey, everyone.

Continuing with my series of Top 10 Reasons Why (this-character) Should Be Your Favorite, this time, we'll be looking at everyone's favorite emo kitty-cat Batman, Blake Belladonna. I'd also like to thank my friend Michaela Roan and RWBY Wonderland admin Blake Belladonna for their help in making this list.

And if you guys want to make sure you don't miss the next Top 10 RWBY post, subscribe to my RWBY mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cWX8Fj. And if you really want to show me the love, support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.con/bryanclaesch.

Let's get to it!

"Blake..."

So, Blake... so... Blake-y. I'll be honest, before I started writing the Novelization and before Volume 4, I really didn't like Blake. I didn't get the hype. She felt more like a stock character than the other members of RWBY and it still feels like she has the least characterization of them all. So it can be difficult for me to get into that Blake-mindset, but I'll do my best to explain why people like her so much.

1. "And what about you, Blake?! You seem to carry yourself with a sense of purpose."

"There's too much wrong in this world to just stand by and do nothing. Inequality. Corruption. Someone has to stop it."

Perhaps Blake's strongest asset is her strong sense of justice. Having lived through injustice and even committing unjust acts, Blake knows how far the crimes of others reach and how deeply ingrained they are in the world. Desiring real equality through real change, Blake left the White Fang and became a huntress all for the sake of rooting out the corruption. And even though she isn't quite clear on how to go about it, she's still fighting which is more than most people can say.

2. "There's no such thing as pure evil!"

This one confuses me a little, especially because I do believe in pure evil. (His name is Satan.) I got this from Michaela, so if it confuses you too, blame her.

Anyway, the argument here is that since Blake has been from both the right side and wrong side of the tracks, she can see the motivations behind every action and doesn't actually see people as necessarily evil. At the worst, they're just misguided. Who knows? Perhaps one of the reasons why Blake left the White Fang is because she pitied the White Fang and Adam. Blinded by their prejudices, she sees them not as evil, but handicapped, and so they can't objectively see the harm they're doing.

3. Psychomachia

I'm sure that's a new word for a lot of ya! But I bet Blake knows its meaning.

Anyway, psychomachia is a fancy word for the phenomenon of the angel and devil that sit on either of your shoulders and tell you what to do. Nearly all of Blake's existence has been tied to a battle between good and evil. She is that battle, and she constantly struggles with how to live a normal, virtuous life when her life has been darkened by everything she's done. We even get to see this battle play out as she struggles with the decision to just kill Torchwick or let him live in No Brakes. Her sense of morality and the struggle she faces reflects how others also struggle with the fight between good and evil.

Luckily though, Blake has her own sun who'll never stop brightening her world just like how morning always follows night.

Suck on that Bumblebee shippers! Blake's light is a sun, not a firecracker.

4. Redemptive

Blake fell in with a very bad crowd. She stole, she hurt, and quite possibly maimed or even murdered. (We don't know.) But Blake had the perspective to see what she was doing and what she was becoming, and she was repulsed by it. So, she left and got back on the right path. And as her father points out, she faced the White Fang, her demons, again and again, and she always came out on top rather than running away or changing her stripes for the sake of survival. Her story is one of redemption, and the audience always loves a good redemption story.

"I should have left the White Fang with you and Mom."

5. "I've heard students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today. And as a representative of Beacon, I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom."

"She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament."

Not much gets past Blake. Is it the Faunus eyes? The life of a criminal? Or is she just naturally sharp? (Ow! I cut myself!)

Whatever it is, Blake can see through the BS whatever the situation, whether it be Weiss' feigned diplomacy, the goodwill gift of Menagerie, or that there's no good reason for the White Fang to be working with Torchwick. Blake's got the eyes of a hawk.

6. "General Lagoon was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to ambush the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure."

Besides being perceptive, Blake studies. The girl knows her history, and although it's easy to assume she would've known that since she's a Faunus, we must also remember that in Volume 2 when she becomes obsessed with finding Torchwick and the White Fang, one of her problems that Weiss mentions is that her grades started to slip meaning she had grades that could slip. (I can't even claim that! But I don't go to school anymore.) And! The way Blake went searching for the White Fang and Torchwick suggests a studious, researcher mentality what with checking out books and searching the web. Blake's not your stereotypical cat-furry--she's got brains.

7. "Plus she likes books!"

If you were asked to name two things that Blake likes, what would you say? Adam? No! Yang? Maybe. Sun? Depends on the situation. But two things that you'll never go wrong with are books and tea. This may sound a little strange, but for those of us who like books and tea, it's great to see a character with these traits. Especially tea--there's too much coffee in the world! And books and tea go together perfectly. What's the perfect drink to have when you're reading? Tea! What's the best thing to do while drinking a cup of tea? Reading! See? It works splendidly.

8. Mmm, mmm. Yeah, yeah.

Have you guys ever been on YouTube and seen those RWBY Crack videos? Most of them suck, but some are genius. One I saw played that crappy song "Mmm mmm yeah yeah" by Austin Mahone over the footage of Blake walking away from Ruby after helping her with Weiss, and for the first time ever, I had to recognize the fact that Blake has a great booty. It's shallow, I know. But I mentioned Ruby being cute and guess what I'm going to say about Yang. That's right. Steel yourselves. But my point here is that while Blake is overshadowed by Yang, she's no slouch herself in terms of physical beauty. And I think all our hearts melted when we saw her in her prom dress.

9. "Now that's a katana!"

The Gambol Shroud is an interesting weapon. It's a sword, it's a gun, it's sheathe is a sword, and it's got a ribbon and can be thrown like a kunai. While I never would've thought of this as a viable weapon design because there's too much going on and there are better gunblade designs, Blake's weapon is effective and adaptable. In fact, there are times when it's more of a tool than a weapon. And if the Samurai or Ninja could've gotten their hands on the Gambol Shroud, they would have definitely used it. It's a pretty cool katana. (But admittedly Jetsteam Sam's is cooler.)

His sword is also a gun!

Can Blake's sword do that?

Hmm... not bad, actually.

10. "Here. This should help you."

On the surface, Blake's shadow clones don't seem to be anything special. She dodges and leaves a copy of herself to take the hit--what's so great about that? Well, Blake's semblance has a few extra advantages. For instance, she doesn't just dodge, she can use the clones to change the direction of her movement on a dime. She can go from flying right at Torchwick to the train car floor a safe distance away. Or, she can be flying through the air and then use her shadow clones to move her into attack position to take on a giant Nevermore.

Add dust charges to her Gambol Shroud and she can show you a whole range of new tricks from freezing an enemy's weapon in place to blowing them up. And if Weiss' semblance can evolve, I wonder what will happen when Blake's also evolves. Because lets face it, no one predicted Weiss being able to summon her fallen foes or how dust could help Blake. Just goes to show that Miles and Kerry still have a few tricks up their sleeves, and that we still don't know everything there is to know about Blake. How exciting.

And there you have it. The Top 10 Reasons why Blake should be your favorite character.

Ugh!

If you guys think I missed any, go ahead and put them in the comments below.

Keep writing, my friends.

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