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attorneys-against-court-violence · 7 months

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Spoilers under the cutoff because there is no way I'm jumpscaring ya'll with the biggest gut-punch in the game. Also I'm pretty sure it'd be taller than me if printed out so bare with me!

I'm going to be talking about a very important section in Case 5-5: Turnabout for Tomorrow...

...because good god almighty, can we talk about how GOOD Simon's Mood Matrix segment is?!

Pretense: Facing Your Fears

Let's set the stage for Simon and Athena before we build to what I want to talk about. Context is important and in this case it helps make the following revelations that much more effective.

Both characters at this point have gone through hell and high water to save the other from a dreadful fate; Simon enduring 7 years on death-row to protect Athena from punishment for Metis' death, Athena studying law in spite of her intense fear and trauma to undo the damage done by his false confession. By the time we get here we've seen how deeply Athena is affected by her trauma. We've seen how far Simon is willing to go in the name of protecting Athena, going so far as to disregard his own sister's concern for his safety.

By the time of Turnabout for Tomorrow's trial, they have practically been pushed to their breaking points; Athena is indicted for Clay's murder and is confronted with the idea that she herself is responsible for the death of her mother - her memories of UR-1 resurfacing and being pushed back at the same time as the worst-case scenario becomes apparent. Simon's efforts to save Athena from this punishment have been rendered practically useless with her incarceration, the phantom slipping from his grasp, the guilt Athena would bear being the only thing he stands to protect her from.

At the end of Phoenix and Edgeworth's initial skirmish and seeming Guilty verdict, Simon steps in with one last effort to protect Athena's innocence in this matter. Even though she's set to be convicted for Clay's murder, this carries a lot more weight if ever she realised what he saw that day would prove her guilty of killing Metis Cykes.

Athena - despite a practical mental breakdown earlier that day - pushes herself to stand at the Defense's bench to achieve what she has been working towards from the day Phoenix inspired her to persue this career. She's very much still afraid, still rattled by the accusation Aura had made, stating that she wants to run out of the courtroom as she speaks. Despite this she pushes herself to stand there and ask Simon for the chance to face her worst fears - that of the UR-1 trial and the horrible idea that she could be guilty herself - by letting her reveal his true emotions.

Simon accepts, confident that his prowess in psychology can deflect her efforts, though nevertheless wary of the emotions he has kept under wraps for 7 years. Athena (& Phoenix I guess...) slowly dismantle his testimony in full-knowledge that he is lying for a reason - one that could potentially destroy her if proven true. Both of them are staring down the worst-case scenario for each other and trying desperately to keep the other away from that event.

Let's go over that testimony then, shall we? I'll go through it section by section.

Part 1: The False Confession

Simon's lie relies on people seeing him as a heartless killer. We see him build and reinforce that image in his trials, acting as beligerently and violently as he can muster without causing any real damage. By this point he's already slashed at & sicked his bird on just about everyone who's ever stood in court, save for Bobby Fulbright. He's had to be shocked by him just to stop.

Suffice to say it was pretty effective since it took a hostage situation to convince officials to give UR-1 a re-trial (even after the HAT-2 bombing implied that the crimes that day were purpetrated by another party).

To this end, he brought out every trick in the book to keep his true memories on the event at bay from prying eyes; his closed-off nature, his mastery of psychology, his training with blade and hawk alike, his time in prison exposed to the worst humanity had to offer. All of these were ample tools in ensuring that his image is not broken.

His anger and joy regarding his false murder are almost complete lies. At best, he's enraged that such a thing happened at all and glad that his scheme had worked to protect Athena. The phantom later on demonstrates that people can indeed fake their emotions, though some genuine feeling will slip through the cracks if you try.

Enter Athena. Not only does she have a keen ear for one's tone, she has studied psychology and put her mind towards applying her talent to the coutroom. Her Mood Matrix program makes what she hears apparent to even the least informed person and she's already cracked a good number of testimonies with this power (well, two in 5-3 since Apollo and Phoenix did all the others, though they couldn't have without her explaining things).

For most people, Simon's anger would overshadow the relief he felt when he found Athena in the laboratory. Just enough to keep his lie sound for the untrained ear. That same relief for Athena's safety is weaponised in the next two lines as he talks about how cathartic the act was, cementing his intentions to others.

His relief at Athena's safety did need some explaination - leaning on people's poor perceptions of Metis to help his story along - though aside from that? This testimony is practically impenetrable with only one easily explained oddity that only Athena could have ever picked up on.

As I said however, one's true emotions can't help but leak out. Even the best liars like Simon and the phantom can't help that.

Part 2: A Ronin's Remorse

Only two statements change at this point so those are the only ones I'll show here.

One, he's dropped the anger in the second line to focus on his relief. Before he only mentioned that he found her instead of Metis, using his anger to mask his thoughts as frustration that he had to wait for his plans to go through.

Two, his joy is replaced with intense sadness towards the act of plunging the katana into Metis. There's no mention of catharsis here; only describing what had happened to her. To that, he would feel a great sadness.

Naturally he would grieve Metis, though that would not track with his prior satisfaction with the act. So he leaned on Athena again to explain his emotions, and that does explain things rather cleanly.

Note that this is the only time his Noise Level drops, too. It goes from 100% to 40% here - it's the closest he's willing to get to how he truly felt about the event without giving the game away. Any closer and he would start revealing emotions that do not match his words in the slightest.

Part 3: Brief Shock

His noise level rises to 60% here, so the emotions displayed are less accurate to how he truly felt. Although his tale of grand homicide has shifted somewhat...

Now, his concern at the beginning wasn't killing Dr Cykes to rescue Athena; he entered the room because he heard that Athena was upset in the other room while looking for her in the Psychology Lab.

How true it is that Athena was crying at that moment is debatable given future revelations, though nothing's contradictary about this section. Perhaps at this point she hadn't thought to put Metis on the repair table having only just woken up, reacting much like any child would at the sight of her mother's body before the idea crossed her mind. We do have an hour's gap between Metis' death and Simon leaving the lab, after all.

In any case, Simon's relief has turned to shock in the moment he finds Athena in the Robotics Lab. Any mention of Athena at this stage is long gone - he only talks about his hurry to the Robotics Lab. It isn't clear what he would be so shocked by at this stage. Most anyone would know, not much was out of the ordinary when he walked into the room.

Look at how he hesitates before arriving at this explaination. His words are a lot shakier than they were for prior testimony, the excuse he gives a blatant lie to cover his tracks. The noise level goes up again with this as well, from 60% to a full 100%; Simon has completely obscured the events he witnessed once again.

This was the closest Athena and Phoenix got to poking at what he really saw in the lab and it clearly rattled him. Before, his reasoning was sound. Now, we're left wondering what he actually saw in there to result in that much shock...

Part 4: The Blade of Evidence

Unfortunately, this is where the Mood Matrix becomes useless. Simon has explained his contradictory emotions deftly up to this point; his relief at Athena's wellbeing, his grief at the loss of Metis Cykes, his surprise upon entering the lab. In stark contrast to a good few people subjected to Athena's therapy, Simon is the only one in the game that completely evades her attack. He knows how she operates & is well-versed in analytical psychology himself which shows in just how reasonable his explainations are up to this point.

But stacking lies upon lies only gets you so far until it begins to contradict the one thing he can't re-interpret; evidence.

This is the only time he takes damage during his entire time on the stand. When his words no longer match what is physically verifiable, there is no recourse - his psychological prowess cannot disprove cold, hard facts. Just as Athena's abilities cannot be used as hard proof, rather requiring proof in and of itself (usually in the form of a confession from the witness).

Simon can no longer lie about what it is he saw in the lab that day. There are no avenues through which he can explain his shock and by now Athena & Phoenix have dug through his thoughts quite extensively. With that decisive cut they've managed to open Simon to one last attack...

...saldy, by opening one of his deepest, most painful wounds.

Part 5: That Terrible Scene

By this point it's clear everyone is getting much more than they bargained for. Simon's shock was only the tip of the iceberg; a raging storm of emotions had been hidden from earshot for 7 long years, far away from even Athena's keen ears.

The fact she's surprised that Simon has been carrying this for so long shows just how early he's managed to keep this under a lid, that he's had to hide it from young Athena as well (who's hearing was much more sensitive than now).

Athena herself has managed to endure the sound of people's hearts this entire time, in stark contrast to when being around people too long made her dizzy to the point of needing headphones. We've only seen two emotions at most go overboard at once with Marlon Rimes and she managed just fine with that noise - the grief and anger associated with the loss of his lover Azura Summers (at that point her empathy is the only thing that really shows). Simon is different. He feels everything all at once with such intensity that it pains Athena to hear for the first time since her debut. It changes the Mood Matrix screen we see here to purple for the first time that wasn't her demonstrating something to her co-workers (see Yuri Cosmos' MM sequence). Beyond volume and intensity of emotion, the fact that the person she cared so much for as to practice law to save from death row is experiencing so much mental anguish himself is distressing. Something terrible happened that day. It shook the ever-stoic Simon into a state not seen in even the most wild witness so far. He's hidden it for Athena's sake this entire time, but... why?

He's intentionally vague about it this time, compared to his more detailed accounts of the events. "That terrible scene!" leaves a lot to the imagination and nothing that comes to mind is comforting.

We all know why Athena's the defendant in this trial; Aura thinks she killed Metis Cykes that day. Edgeworth supports her theory through evidence that even Phoenix can't counter up to this point. Simon intervened in order to stop their efforts to indict her by lying about what happened that day.

Lying about... what, exactly, is the most concerning question. At this point the only two plausible explainations are that either Simon or Athena had done it. Savvier players might remember that Clonco stops by for a recharge at 2PM, same time as the crime, though Simon and Athena left the room at 3PM. There's a SMALL chance that what he saw could contradict what's been posited so far, though chances aren't looking great.

Also note that his line "I had no choice but to kill my mentor!" has gotten shorter. No mention of not wanting to hand Athena over. Just declaring in sheer hysteria that he did it and had no choice but to do it.

Simon is in a panic. Athena is reeling from her old friend's inner turmoil. No one is quite sure if what's about to be revealed will be in their favour.

He's very obviously concerned with Athena first and foremost; this entire act goes against even his own sister's wants, after all. That's where the centre of his most complex emotions lie.

And what do we find at the eye of the storm?

Part 6: Fixing Her Mother

Dr Cykes was already dead. Athena stood before her body on the repair table, bloody katana not too far away from her. She's covered in blood and no doubt in shock, but otherwise safe and sound.

Then Simon drops the bombshell; Athena looked at him with this look on her face and told him the following:

So.

Allow me to impart how gut-wrenching this entire sequence is.

On its own, it's already dark as dark can be. A smiling, dead-eyed little girl covered in blood is a sight to shake the hardiest to their core (the suspension of disbelief not withstanding - this is a cartoon depiction). I'm not the biggest fan of how Dual Destinies tends to jump between 3D and 2D anime but it can work. And boy does this work.

In context, this is Athena looking at Simon when he finds her mother Metis dead on the repair table. There's a bloody katana right by her and a stab wound on Metis. Athena has her mothers blood on her. She's smiling. Completely detatched from what is going on around her while looking Simon dead in the eye, telling him that she's about to take her mother apart to "fix" her.

Simon is in a whirlwind of emotions over this; grief at his mentor's death and for Athena's loss, relief that she's alive and well, furious that Metis had been murdered, and shocked that not only that this happened, not only that it seemingly happened because of her daughter... but that she's smiling as she's telling him the most horrific thing he could hear after seeing all of this.

Although. Simon isn't the only one Athena is looking at in this image.

She's also looking at herself. Her older self, the one that's just been told she killed her mother and how she intended to "fix" the situation.

Athena has not processed what happened that day by this point - her memories are still tucked away behind 5 Black Psyche Locks as a truth even she isn't aware of. Some parts of that memory come back to her here; the memory of stabbing someone with a blade, telling Simon she's going to "fix" Metis... but nothing more. The phantom is still hidden away from view. So the only logical conclusion she can come to at this point is that she did kill her mother that day.

She processes all of that while looking at herself, dead in the eye, covered in her mother's blood and smiling as if nothing's wrong.

She's looking back at the most innocent form of herself during the single worst event in her life. And she's smiling back at her.

Even better, she's looking at YOU. The player. Taking all of these dreadful things in while you and Athena are forced to witness something that shook SIMON SODDING BLACKQUILL to his core, before Athena finally breaks and screams in a combination of denial and anguish that her worst fear had come to light.

It's only worse when Simon explains that Metis Cykes truly did love Athena. Everything that she had done - especially the headphones Athena hated oh so much - was done to help her lead a normal life in spite of her condition. Simon, being well attuned to the needs and motivations of others, picked up on this and saw the Cykes for more than what they appeared. He did not want to believe that Athena would so callously kill her mother and rip her apart on her own machine. Without any evidence to prove the contrary, he took the fall to save her from guilt he saw as unjust. It had to be some kind of mistake... right?

Athena, on top of reliving UR-1 under the worst possible context, is practically frozen in her shivering pose the entire time. Without any evidence to the contrary, she has no reason to believe it wasn't her. Her faith in herself has completely shattered at this point. She was brave in wanting to confront the truth Simon had hidden all these years - especially after what Aura said while she was in the Detention Centre. Unfortunately it only revealed the worst for both characters; Simon's drive to protect Metis' daughter had been for naught, and Athena now has to live with the knowledge that in the abscence of decisive evidence, she had set every terrible thing that happened to the her, Simon, and Aura in motion 7 years ago.

I could nark about Phoenix's involvement here. How he steals much of Athena's thunder and how she would have been more fitting to point out the flaws in Simon's testimony, perhaps even showing some growth as a standard evidence-presenting lawyer through disproving the Ponco explaination. I do wish he was written and utilised better, though I completely understand why Athena specifically is out of commission for this part of the re-trial, especially immediately after Aura and Simon's revelations about her part in UR-1.

The trauma Athena experienced has a significant affect on her throughout DD and she's shown that enough pressure being built on her is enough to shut her down completely. UR-1 itself is horrific enough to warrent such a total shutdown in the times it occurs - specifically in regards to not being able to save a friend from a false conviction. The game does a good job in building up to and justifying her reactions. Having her truck on in spite of this is very much in the Athena spirit but there's a clear breaking point; going past that would reduce the impact significantly.

I do still think it would have been more effective for her to pick apart Simon's testimony though. You can't have your faux-protagonist make a big hoo-ha about being given a chance and then hand the steering-wheel to the guy who only learned of Simon's situation THAT SAME DAY-

Ahem. Sorry about that.

My gripes aside, this is a very effective and powerful sequence that makes the triumph later on all the more impactful. This struggle between two people trying to save the other, briefly falling into the darkest moment of both their lives, then somehow coming back from it is the main reason I cried over Simon thanking Athena while she finally let loose those tears of joy.

Dual Destinies can be amazing when it isn't being stupid, you know?

#ace attorney #dual destinies #aa5 #ace attorney spoilers #dual destinies spoilers #aa5 spoilers #dual destinies analysis #athena cykes #simon blackquill #metis cykes #ur-1 #ur 1 #turnabout for tomorrow #thena thoughts #simon soliloquys #psych siblings #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH so glad to have this one off my chest!

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le-velo-pour-dru · 5 months

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JUMPING UP AND DOWN YELLING SCREAMING I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED :D

I'M SCREAMING I'M SCREAMING I'M SCREAMING I'M SCREAMING OH MY GOSH I'M. I KNEW MUSIC WAS COMING OUT SOON BUT I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I CAN'T WAIT THIS IS GONNA BE SO COOL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D 💖

#dru speaks #OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH MAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WE'RE GETTING NEW MUSIC 😁💖#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH I CAN'T WAIT THIS IS GONNA BE AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG 🤩❤️#asks #mayathexpsychic

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khaoscontrol · 1 year

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Oooh okay reading the Archie comics and I skipped to the like. Reboot part of it because frankly I keep trying to read it and just Not Enjoying it. But at this point. I GET IT NOW I GET IT I GET IT.

#Shadow’s characterization… AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH #WE COULD’VE HAT IT ALLLLLLLLL #ophidian lore #comic liveblog

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brain-empty · 1 year

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islandreamforbattle your username is so weird and it has broke my reading

#i thought it was islandfordreambattle for ages also ITS SUPPOSED TO BE ISLANDDREAMFORBATTLE WITH 2 D'S AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH #-👁

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howlingday · 1 month

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Doctor: Okay, Mrs. Ironwood! Just one more big push!

Baby Ironwood: (Pop!)

Doctor: Congratulations, Mrs. Ironwood! It's a general! Now, here comes the rest of the army.

Mrs. Ironwood: Wait. What do you mean the rest of arm- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

#rwby #oversimplified #james ironwood

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tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang · 18 days

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hey- the new cover for the NEXT chapter of tr full color is out right?? PLEASE- LITERALLY THE FIRST THING YOU POST ABOUT IT BE THE EYE COLOR OF SMILEY PLEEEAAAAAAASSEE!!! BRO- PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAASEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!! I'M BEGGING YOU!!!!

Yep it's Takemichi! But we still have 10 more days until the last volume is released. I'll have to grab the manga first then screenshot everything but the first post will be Smiley's eye colour!

#i think it normally takes somewhere between 20-30 minutes after it's realised for me to grab everything and start posting #tokyo revengers

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c00kietin · 11 days

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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

I WANT TO DRAW MY OCS BUT I HAVE ART BLOCKKK AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

#I want to cry #not art

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genshingorlsrevengeance · 2 years

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Ayaka with a Majima-esque S/O

Love these character asks! I'm throwing in Ayaka, because like Eula and Belmont, Lumine and Dracula, she's getting the all star treatment!

Though unlike them, I'll be giving you what Yakuza 0 gave Majima fans. PAIN.

This will be Part 1 of 2 since i only have the energy to write Ayaka tonight.

Post edit note: THIS TOOK 3 AND HALF HOURS HOLY SHIT

Honestly, dealing with the insane antics of her S/O is something she's grown accustomed to.

S/O causes all sorts of talk around the city due to their eccentric personality, becoming known as "The Mad Dog of Inazuma".

For example, always wanting to pick a fight with Itto in the most absurd way possible.

They have, to her knowledge, popped out of a barrel, dropped from a roof, used the Traveler's glider, and jumped out of alleys.

And whenever they sang the entire estate could hear their screeching, they weren't good at singing and they couldn't care at all.

And Archons help any Treasure Hoarder or anyone foolish enough to fight them.

The speeds of how fast they dashed past people with their knife was startling for a Visionless fighter. She wasn't even sure her vision could stand a chance if they took fights seriously.

One of the most memorable encounters in recent memory was Yae hiring S/O to ambush the Traveler and Paimon for a joke.

Ayaka could hear their voice only, which she couldn't deny was pretty funny.

(S/O) "AETHER-CHAN!"

(Aether) "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH-"

Yet despite all of this, that wasn't what Ayaka knew S/O as. It was who they were before that she remembered the most.

===

S/O first met Ayaka when they were on the run from the authorities and bandits alike.

They had stolen supplies, though the purpose was unknown.

Ayaka had pursued after the thief in order to bring them to justice, and found them entering some ruins in the middle of nowhere.

She walked in with her katana drawn, ready to arrest them before seeing a woman alongside them, huddled in a corner.

(Ayaka) "You there, what are you doing with that woman?"

(S/O) "Oh, I do not have time for this shit!"

Immediately getting into stance, they were completely unarmed and got in front of the girl as she backed up as far as she could.

Ayaka frowned and reached for her sword before the first swing was made.

Their punch was sloppy, going in a straight line for the head.

(Ayaka) Too easy.

Ayaka stepped to the side and reached for her sword before they suddenly pulled away and their foot hit the top of her chest.

She flew back a short distance and out of the ruins, completely caught off guard by their feint.

When Ayaka stood back up, she realized how hyper-focused their eyes seemed to be. Clearly they were no stranger to fighting.

She kept her distance and reached for her hilt again, ready to strike before they ran in.

As she drew it out, they slid underneath her swipe and struck with an open palm under her chin.

They spun around and struck with their hind leg as it shot straight up, kicking her into the ground again.

Quickly recovering from the fall, she disappeared into an icy mist and moved behind them.

Ayaka reappeared as her sword struck their back, staggering them as they fell onto the ground.

(Ayaka) "You are a skilled fighter, that much I will admit. But there should be no further need of violence, please surre-"

(S/O) "Shut...up!"

They got up, albeit slowly and tried their best to ignore their wounds.

(S/O) "You're not taking her, so tell the Treasure Hoarders to FUCK OFF!"

(Ayaka) "...Wait, what? Treasure Hoarders?"

(S/O) "You're...not with them?"

(Ayaka) "Of course not! I am Kamisato Ayaka, and I am taking you in for theft of my family's-"

(Woman) "S/O!"

The woman stumbled out the ruins and turned to Ayaka.

(Woman) "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to steal from you!"

(S/O) "Eh? The hell you mean you? You weren't even there!"

(Woman) "B-But you went there because of me...I-If you're with the authorities, then please!-"

(S/O) "Makoto, they can't help us! We can't trust any-"

An arrow hit the side of the wall, making all three of them look up in surprise, S/O immediately jumping in front of the woman named Makoto.

(Treasure Hoarder) "S/O! Hand over the girl. You don't want to betray the boss-"

(S/O) "Boss can kiss my ass! Hey, Kamisato!"

Ayaka turned to face them.

(S/O) "If you're a good cop, then help me out here! I can explain later!"

(Ayaka) "Ready."

Deciding to help out these two then ask questions, they both quickly dispatched of every bandit after them.

Getting them to rout, S/O took a deep breath.

(S/O) "Thanks."

Makoto came out the door and began patching S/O up, making her confused.

(Ayaka) "What in the world is happening here?"

(S/O) "Mind if we go somewhere safer? This place got compromised cause of you...No offense."

(Ayaka) "Yes, I do suppose that is my fault...Makoto, is this man/woman holding you against your will?"

Makoto shook her head.

(Makoto) "No, they're the reason I'm still alive...!"

(Ayaka) "Very well, let us return to the Kamisato Estate. I would like to hear your full story.

And so, Ayaka was told a full explanation of what had happened with these two.

S/O was part of a crime group in Inazuma, though they made a deal with Treasure Hoarders.

Both groups collaborated to seek out a girl by the name of "Makimura Makoto" due to her supposed knowledge of an empty lot in Inazuma City with billions of mora hid there. They had been working undercover for years and now came close to reaching it.

Though when it was revealed that was in fact a lie, the Treasure Hoarders wanted revenge on the woman for wasting years of their lives on a wild goose chase.

As a gesture of good faith, the crime group S/O had been part of sent them to kill Makoto.

But they went against their orders, and went on the run with Makoto.

Their first approach was go to Inazuman authorities, but their group had corrupted officers working in the Tenryou Commission, and so they couldn't trust anyone.

Which led to S/O stealing supplies so they could survive, which now brought them here.

(Ayaka) "That would explain why some of the officers wanted you desperately..."

(S/O) "Yeah. Gotta say even though we roughed each other up, you're the first person I've met that's actually not an asshole."

Ayaka was slightly taken aback by their cursing, but she couldn't exactly blame them, considering their background and the circumstances.

They turned to Makoto, who was sleeping in a futon nearby.

(S/O) "...Poor girl's been exhausted. We've barely caught a wink of sleep since we had to keep moving."

(Ayaka) "How long have you two been on the run?"

(S/O) "Two weeks now. Though we gotta keep moving, they'll find out we're here eventually."

Ayaka now had gotten a better look at them.

They were dressed in a rather fancy-looking black suit with a white shirt.

It looked a bit too formal, considering they're a career criminal.

(S/O) "You keep staring at me. What is it?"

(Ayaka) "O-Oh. Nothing. By the way, if I may ask, where did you learn how to fight?"

(S/O) "...Just picked it up on the street. Came naturally."

Noting their reluctance to speak, she stopped pressing them.

(Ayaka) "Then I should let you rest. We can talk more in the morning."

S/O bowed before standing up, taking another look at Makoto, then leaving the room.

The next morning, Ayaka woke up early to check in on the two.

Makoto was still sleeping soundly, and managed to catch S/O on the way out.

(Ayaka) "S/O? Where are you going?"

(S/O) "I need to find a way for Makoto to get the hell out of Inazuma. They won't stop until they have her head."

(Ayaka) "What about the corrupt officers? The Hoarders and the-"

(S/O) "The hell makes you think I can do anything about that? Listen, I appreciate your help, but-"

(Ayaka) "I am the daughter of the Yashiro Commission, I'm sure that I can get the right people to help."

(S/O) "...Sure. But as long as I'm here, Makoto will never be safe. The moment she's out of here, I don't gotta hold back."

Ayaka was shocked by the man/woman's determination to get Makoto out of harm's way.

(Ayaka) "Is...Makoto someone important to you?"

(S/O) "Nah, it ain't nothing like that. Just isn't right to get a civilian mixed up in our shit."

(Ayaka) "That is surprisingly honorable, coming from a criminal."

S/O raised an eyebrow.

(Ayaka) "O-Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to-"

(S/O) "Ah, just shut yer yap, I know what you mean."

Now it was Ayaka's turn to raise an eyebrow.

(S/O) "Alright, fine. Come along if you want to. You're sure she's safe here, though?"

(Ayaka) "Of course, I have my best man on the job, Thoma."

(S/O) "Guess I'll take your lead then."

Throughout the next few weeks, the two had begun an investigation looking into S/O's group, the Treasure Hoarders, and the corrupt officers.

It was a long, painful process with fights breaking out left and right, but the two had each other's back.

And every night, they came back to the estate with Makoto waiting for them.

(Makoto) "Are you two alright?!"

(Ayaka) "Nothing but a few scrapes and bruises, but we're okay."

(S/O) "Psh, speak for yourself! I got that guy's pole practically up my ass!"

Makoto laughed, putting the two at ease.

(Makoto) "Miss Kamisato, thank you so much for helping us again."

(Ayaka) "Please, just call me Ayaka."

(S/O) "Eh? Why the hell do I gotta keep calling you Miss Kamisato for?"

Ayaka simply gave them a smile, making S/O roll their eyes.

Over the course of the next week, S/O and Ayaka went through hell and high water to bring those responsible for the attacks on Makoto to justice.

S/O especially had endured beratings from all sides, from the officers, to their former gang members, to even citizens when the two strolled through the city.

Getting called things like 'Thug' and 'Degenerate', everyone scouring them due to bringing misfortune and misery to Ayaka.

But they let the insults and injuries roll off, they didn't care as long as Makoto was safe.

Ayaka had grown increasingly concerned for their well being. Sure, Makoto's safety was important, but S/O's was just as important as everyone else's.

Why didn't they see that too?

...

(Makoto) "Is S/O alright?"

(Ayaka) "They're sleeping in the other room. As far as I know, yes."

(Makoto) "It's just...over the time I've gotten to know them, they didn't seem to care much for themselves. They prioritized taking care of me before anyone else."

(Ayaka) "Hm, that seems to be right."

(Makoto) "Lately, that's changed."

(Ayaka) "Huh?"

(Makoto) "Actually, I think it's because of you. S/O comes in to speak with me when you aren't here, and complains how you're always nagging them when you're in the city."

Ayaka and Makoto giggled.

(Ayaka) "That sounds like them. Though, what do you mean by change?"

(Makoto) "Well they've actually been taking care of themselves. They're a lot more calm than angry, they've ate properly and got good enough rest! Well as much as you can in a situation like this anyway."

(Ayaka) "I'm glad to have had a positive influence then."

(Makoto) "I was worried they felt responsible for what happened to me, and they were gonna get themselves killed. But now, I don't have to worry. They've gotten better because of you."

(Ayaka) "I...I did that?"

...

On night they managed to catch a break with nothing to do, so S/O and Ayaka strolled by a Takiyoki stand.

The exhaustion had taken its toll on her, S/O noticing that, they decided to grab a treat before heading back to the Estate.

An older woman was behind the stand, giving the two a nod of acknowledgement.

(Woman) "Ah, Miss Kamisato! And the so called troublemaker for said lady."

(S/O) "Can't deny that I guess. Three please."

(Woman) "Coming right up."

S/O noticed Ayaka hadn't said anything yet, and realized her eyes looked heavy.

They turned back to the woman and shrugged.

(S/O) "Quick, yeah?"

(Woman) "Okay, okay."

A sakura petal had drifted onto her hair, and yet she hadn't noticed.

(S/O) "Hey, hold still."

Ayaka froze when she felt their hand run through her head.

They took out the petal gently and put a hand on her shoulder.

(S/O) "You alright?"

(Ayaka) "Fine. Thank you."

S/O smiled when she saw her relax, even if it was just a little.

(Woman) "Such a gentleman!"

S/O grumbled, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear.

(S/O) "Yeah right..."

(Woman) "He/She's a keeper, huh?"

S/O's eyes widened as they turned to the woman. Their voice sounded more panicked than they would've liked.

(S/O) "Less talk, more cookin', lady!"

(Ayaka) "They are a keeper."

They turned surprised to Ayaka, who smiled as she spoke about them.

(Ayaka) "They've gone through terrible things for the sake of a friend, yet he/she's still trying to help. If not for them, they would've never made it this far...and neither would I."

S/O was left speechless, both of them remaining silent for just a moment before Ayaka interrupted herself.

(Ayaka) "A-Ah, I bet they're delicious! They smell amazing!"

(Woman) "Don't they? I tell you what sweetheart, I'll throw an extra one for free!"

(Ayaka) "Really, are you sure?!"

S/O said nothing else, as a smile slowly crept onto their lips, looking at Ayaka.

...

The next night, tragedy struck.

After growing desperate enough due to the efforts of S/O and Ayaka bearing fruit, the Treasure Hoarders and S/O's former group raided the Estate.

Makoto was found bleeding out on the floor, and was taken by those still standing to find medical attention immediately.

Thoma and the others were left injured, leaving Ayaka and S/O the only ones to pursue.

S/O fuming with rage grabbed a dagger on the floor and marched out, Ayaka trying to stop them.

(Ayaka) "S/O stop, we need to come up with a plan!"

(S/O) "Yeah, I got one: KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE FUCKERS!"

Pushing her to the side they kept walking as Ayaka tried to stop them one more time.

(Ayaka) "Please, just listen to me!"

(S/O) "Everyone here got hurt because of me! They only want Makoto and I, they don't care about you all!"

(Ayaka) "What, am I supposed to leave you by yourself to fight all of them?!"

(S/O) "YES! I always have been by myself because of exactly this shit! Makoto might be dead because of me, and I'll be damned if you get killed cause of me too!"

Seeing the anger and sadness in their eyes, Ayaka said nothing.

But her worried expression is what somewhat calmed S/O down.

(S/O) "...Besides. Someone needs to make sure if I fail, they're brought down. If I'm not back by sunrise, send in the cavalry."

Ayaka would never forget the expression in their eyes as they left for their last holdout.

It was the look of a mad dog, ready to be unleashed.

...

The gates of the fort swung wide open as several bodies came flying through it.

The guards came rushing down to see what had happened. Though no one was dead, they were heavily injured with gashes and cuts all over.

And at almost blinding speeds, they saw a dark-dressed figure leap past them, tackling one of them to the floor as a boot was planted firmly into their face.

(S/O) "Like roaches to the slaughter...IT'LL TAKE MORE THAN FEW BUGS TO STOP ME!"

(Guard) "T-The hell's wrong with them?!"

(Guard 2) "They've got a screw loose!"

(Guard 3) "Shut up, there's over twenty of us and one of them! KILL HIM/HER!"

(S/O) "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

...

The sun had begun to rise, Ayaka was ready to leave after S/O.

Until she saw a distant figure come walking back.

She held a hand to her mouth as they were covered in blood.

Whether or not it was all theirs or other's, she wasn't sure.

(S/O) "...They won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Make sure, they pay..."

Finally collapsing onto the floor, several guards from both the Yashiro and Tenyrou Commission were dispatched to arrest the attackers.

The news of what S/O had done singlehandedly spread like wildfire throughout Inazuma.

One of the most well known crime syndicates and Treasure Hoarders operating in the area was brought down to its knees by a single maniac.

The credit went all to Ayaka and her estate for bravely repelling the invaders, with S/O not mentioned once, though everyone knew the real story.

It wasn't fair to Ayaka in the slightest, but she couldn't say anything. Not without endangering S/O and hurting her family.

So in the end, she chose to remain silent about the truth everybody knew, and had to make S/O's reputation suffer further.

Luckily, S/O and Ayaka received news that Makoto had regained consciousness, and the two went to visit her.

(Doctor) "While she will make a full recovery-"

(S/O) "That's all I need to hear, hey, Makoto!"

S/O slightly pushing the doctor aside, Ayaka bowed as an apology and joined S/O.

Makoto was on a bed and her eyes widened seeing the two approaching her.

(S/O) "Makoto, are you alright? Thank the Archons you're up and awake now!"

(Makoto) "..."

(Ayaka) "...Makoto?"

(Makoto) "I-I'm sorry...who are you?"

(S/O) "...W-What? S/O and Ayaka. You...y-you don't-"

(Makoto) "I'm very sorry, I don't recognize those names."

S/O and Ayaka's hearts dropped when they realized the eyes that looked at them was that of a stranger's.

She had no idea who they were.

(Doctor) "If I can borrow you for a moment? Sorry, we'll be right back."

Makoto nodded, but looked worried at S/O, the color leaving their skin.

Exiting the room, the doctor continued.

(Doctor) "She appears to have suffered trauma based amnesia from the shock of the attack. I...I do not know if she will recover."

Ayaka turned to S/O who's mouth was nearly wide open, not sure what to say.

After a moment of silence, S/O spoke up.

(S/O) "Will they make a full recovery? Physically, I mean."

(Doctor) "Yes. Within a few months I should say."

(S/O) "...Good. I gotta do something, so see her to the estate for me, Ayaka."

S/O walked away before Ayaka chased after them.

(Ayaka) "S/O."

(S/O) "Don't...Don't say anything right now Ayaka. I just need to be alone for a bit.-"

Ayaka ignored them and pulled them into a hug.

S/O stood still before accepting her hug, both of them not saying a word.

Ayaka let go and was beginning to tear up, while S/O tried their best to remain stoic, though the sadness was clear to see in their eyes.

(S/O) "...I'm still going through with my plan. Makoto can't stay in Inazuma. There's nothing left for her here but pain. And if she does stay, there's no telling if anyone else will go after her. The official report says Makoto dies, and we can get her out in peace."

(Ayaka) "But, what about you?"

(S/O) "...I've done my part. Let me see this to the end, please."

S/O wiped away the tears on Ayaka's face before walking to Tatsumi Island.

...

A week had passed and they managed to secure travel documents for her to travel to Liyue Harbor.

Ayaka, S/O, and a woman named "Haruka" walked to the docks as the boat prepared to take passengers.

(Ayaka) "Once again, I'd like to sincerely apologize for mistaking you for someone else."

(Haruka) "Oh, it's no trouble! But thank you so much for helping me get back on my feet!"

(Ayaka) "Anytime. It was a mistake on my part after all."

Haruka looked at S/O, but noticed they weren't looking at her.

(Haruka) "Um...will they be alright? I've noticed they haven't said anything this entire time."

(S/O) "..."

S/O shut their eyes when they heard her speak. Ayaka tried her best not to tear up.

(Ayaka) "Ah, don't worry. They're always like that. Have safe travels, alright?"

Haruka nodded and walked up to S/O, bowing.

(Haruka) "Ayaka said that you helped me a lot too. Thank you so much as well!"

(S/O) "...No problem."

Their voice was low as they turned away, making her giggle.

(Haruka) "No need to be shy."

(Captain) "We're taking off!"

(Haruka) "Oh, I have to go. Goodbye Ayaka, and S/O!"

Ayaka waved a sad goodbye as S/O walked away from the docks quietly without looking back.

As Haruka waved goodbye to S/O and Ayaka, she couldn't help but notice a pain in her chest.

...She must've been nervous from travelling overseas to live a new life.

...Right?

...

Ayaka walked up to S/O and she grabbed their hand.

(Ayaka) "Will you take a walk with me back to the Estate?"

(S/O) "...Sure."

Truth be told, she just didn't want to leave S/O alone.

At a time like this, being by yourself is the last thing anyone needs she thought.

She held onto their hand tightly as they walked to the Estate.

After a long duration of silence, S/O spoke up.

(S/O) "You don't gotta worry about me. As long as you and Makoto are safe and happy, then I've done my part."

(Ayaka) "And what about you? Don't you deserve to be happy too?"

(S/O) "...If it means getting others hurt, then no."

S/O let go of her hand and smiled wrly.

(S/O) "Besides, last thing we want is Miss Kamisato dating the "Mad Dog" right?"

Ayaka's eyes widened as tears began to well up.

(Ayaka) "...How long have you-"

(S/O) "About a month-ish ago. When we stayed up long in the night discussing our future. You kept mentioning me there with ya...Not exactly slick."

Ayaka laughed at herself as she put her head against their chest.

S/O raised her chin up and gently wiped away the tears with one hand.

(Ayaka) "At least let me do something about that nickname, I'll be sure to-"

S/O raised a hand and chuckled.

(S/O) "No. If they think I'm a mad dog, then let them. Besides..."

They looked up into the air.

(S/O) "Like I said before, now that Makoto's out of here, my job is done. I can now be whoever I want to be without fear of getting anyone hurt."

They turned to face her, sighing.

(S/O) "And that means you too."

(Ayaka) "Then...may I be selfish for just a few more moments? I'd like to show you something."

Ayaka took them to Chinju forest and performed a dance in the waters, S/O watching with a small smile.

It was probably the most beautiful thing they've seen...besides Ayaka, anyways.

When she finished her dance, her cryo vision shot small snowflakes into the air as the water formed into ice.

Ayaka gracefully stepped over to S/O and grabbed their shoulders gently.

The two looked at each other before pulling into a kiss, both of them staying connected for a long time.

S/O pushed Ayaka slowly away as the tears came rushing back.

(Ayaka) "...I don't want you to go, S/O."

(S/O) "It's for the best. If things settle down...I'll come back. I promise."

S/O held Ayaka's cheek with their hand for one last moment before walking away out of the forest, turning back only once.

(S/O) "See ya later, Ayaka."

Ayaka stood still as she watched them disappear into the horizon.

All of the pain they suffered, finally getting Makoto safe, and finding someone they loved.

S/O was rewarded with this?

Ayaka didn't move for another hour before returning to the Kamisato Estate by herself.

====

A month later, Ayaka began receiving news about the Mad Dog showing up on the streets, being a general nuisance but never causing any real trouble.

The most they ever got was fighting Itto for the hell of it, dressed like a weirdo with a leopard-pattern jacket and tacky pants.

The dagger they carried said to carry the souls of all who had wronged them in the assault prior, and now yearned to bathe in the blood of its enemies.

When Ayaka walked past them, a loud screech could be heard.

(S/O) "AYAKA-CHAN!"

Many of the guards surrounded her, fearing what this lunatic would do.

Meanwhile, Ayaka tried not to burst out laughing at their jokes.

But beneath the facade of a madman/woman, she knew how badly they were hurting.

And she was the only one who did.

#genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x reader #ayaka kamisato x reader #ayaka kamisato #ayaka kamisato x y/n #ayaka x y/n

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pcwpatrol · 2 months

Text

Facing Fears!

This drabble is for @self-indulgent-paw-patrol’s Paw Patrol Appreciation Week! It will be about Chase confronting his fears surrounding Adventure City, saving Ryder in the process!

This is a drabble of a scene in Paw Patrol: The Movie. Spoilers ahead!

“Ryder!” Chase called over the pounding rain and howling wind, “Ryder?! Where are you?”

He spotted a blinking red light in the distance, telling him that Ryder was over there somewhere- and that he needed to be saved.

“Ryder, I can see your light! Hang on!”

Chase began to run towards the source of the blinking red light, through a tunnel of metal caused by the falling of a tower extension to the top of the building he was on, but suddenly slid to a stop just in time to avoid careening over the edge of the split in the tower with a sharp gasp.

Peering down over the edge in horror, Chase saw a long drop into the street below him. If he were to fall, there would be no chance of survival.

Breathing hard and fast, he slowly backed away from the edge, heart racing, legs shaking.

Chase stopped backing up a couple feet from the edge, taking a deeper breath and shutting his eyes. “I can do this,” he murmured, then repeated, more firmly, “I can do this.”

Then he puffed out his chest, sitting down momentarily. “I can do this!”

He hopped to his feet. “Arf, grappling hook!”

The tool was deployed, shooting out across the large gap. But the wind was too strong, and it swept the hook sideways.

The police pup gasped. “Oh no!”

As he watched it fall, the sound of the grappling hook’s line running out reached his ears; the hook had gotten caught on something!

Chase was thrown onto his side, crying out in terror. “Ah!!”

It pulled him closer and closer to the edge on his belly, and try as he might to get a grip on something, anything, he kept sliding, and fast.

“Ahhhhh-!”

Then Chase was tugged down over the edge.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

But he was still hanging on by his paws!

“Disconnect pup-pack!!” he yelped as his hat blew away in the roaring wind.

The pup-pack was promptly detached from Chase’s back. He watched it fall, breathing heavily in fear and shock, but he did heave himself up and onto the fallen tower’s wall again.

Facing the blinking red light, Chase felt a horrible sense of impending doom for his owner crash over him. He backed away more, cowering further and further away.

“Ryder…”

The shepherd lowered his head, closing his eyes.

Then his master’s words echoed through his ears as he lifted his head once more.

“I chose you because you were the bravest pup I’d ever seen.”

Chase’s fear rapidly began to fade, and, as courage started to rise inside of him, he let out an intense scream, filled to the brim with emotion.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

As he screamed at the top of his lungs, he raced towards the edge, gathered all the energy and strength he had, and leapt.

Time slowed down, but the look of sheer determination and bravery on his face didn’t waver.

When time flashed back to normal, Chase found himself crashing into the other edge, over the gap, and onto the other end of the tower’s split.

He grunted in pain as he did, as he’d landed on his ribs, back legs dangling beneath him.

Chase strained hard for a moment, pulling himself to his paws on solid metal.

“Ryder…?”

Hopefully it wasn’t too late…

Chase rushed towards the light until, jumping onto a big block of broken concrete, he spotted Ryder. The boy was pinned by his legs under a large slab of concrete, but Chase didn’t take note of that right away.

Ryder coughed due to the dust and debris in the air. Chase started towards him. “Ryder?”

Ryder looked up, and a wave of relief came into his eyes. “Chase!” he exclaimed, “I can’t believe you found me!” He pressed the button on his suit to make the flashing light stop.

Chase smiled proudly. “You can always count on me, Ryder.”

There was a meaningful pause between the two, but then a few electrical cords behind Chase sparked, and he gasped, looking back. “C’mon!” he told Ryder, “we gotta get outta here!”

“I can’t, I’m stuck!” Ryder answered, pushing on the slab pinning his legs down. It caused more dust to fall onto him, and he coughed more.

Chase, realizing that Ryder was indeed trapped, jumped up onto the concrete block behind him. “On three, pull as hard as you can!” He readied himself, as did his owner. “One… two… three!”

The police pup gripped Ryder’s shoulder pad in his teeth, tugging as hard as he could; Ryder pushed against the slab with all his strength, too, but Chase fell backwards.

“Agh, it won’t budge!”

Ryder gave him a resigned, sad look.

Chase, in turn, looked at him in desperation.

Then his gaze hardened. “One more try!”

Ryder put his hands on the slab, pushing with everything he had; Chase leapt down beside him and squeezed under the heavy concrete trap. He squared his shoulders and struggled to lift it with his back. “Rrrrrgh-!”

With Ryder’s and Chase’s might combined, Ryder was able to pull his foot free after a few seconds, and Chase jumped out from under the slab just afterwards. It crashed against the ground with a thud.

Both of them were panting, tired, and dirty, but as Chase regained his breath, he heard Ryder say, “you did it!”

Chase smiled. “We did it.”

Ryder knelt down, and Chase accepted his embrace.

“I told you you were a hero,” Ryder said, arms wrapping around his beloved pup. When Chase pulled away, Ryder stood.

“Come on, let’s get out of here.”

#do not reblog unless you’re the person tagged!#Drabbles- Chase #spoilers #pawpatrolweek24

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retphienix · 4 months

Text

Anyways, since I'm rambling payday 3, some thoughts.

Does anyone else feel like Payday 3, in terms of replay value, is EXACTLY the game people who don't understand Payday 2 think Payday 2 was?

Because I remember the naive opinions I heard when Rock city or whatever came out from youtubers who never played Payday.

I remember hearing repeatedly "The game is repetitious, but I guess Payday fans who replay the same missions over and over and over again won't mind" because these dolts don't understand the randomization / pre-planning / alternate conditions etc that added together to give Payday 2 INSANE replay value on nearly every heist BEFORE you consider the decade of content shoved into that game or the plethora of ways you could build your character to play.

Anyways, playing a good amount of Payday 3 feels like playing the "assumption" version of Payday 2 those youtubers spoke into existence.

There's nothing meaningful that changes on repeat plays- and this feels minorly exasperated by the fact you can't get new seeds unless you quit to the main menu entirely. And majorly exasperated by how gutted pre-planning is with all the insane combinations and alternative heist experiences of Payday 2's system cut to shreds and replaced with.... do you want a shitty alternative entrance? How about a keycard? What about a dumpster to loot into? Pick ONE.

Funny fact on that- why the FUCK can a solo player only pick one? You SHREDDED fucking pre-planning to the most soulless shitty thing it could possibly be- and then punished solo players with the new system too???? why??? Fuck off

Also god fucking damn it do I miss multi-day heists.

Pre-release I said I wanted more "small scale" heists like 4 stores and I was not gifted a single interesting mission like that one (Give me my silly shoplifting missions!!)

And I said I wanted them to further explore multi-day heists that divert based on your actions- like fucking up the election heist and having to "fake" a bank robbery- that's an entire heist track a ton of people never experienced!!!!!!! THAT FORMULA RULES!!!!

WHERE IS IT~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are a ton of problems with this fucking game, there really are.

Progression is shit on MULTIPLE levels

Weapon xp is tied to mission objectives and not anything to do with using the weapon???

XP is 90% weighted towards challenges which are not interesting in the slightest- with highlights like "Do each heist 150 times, kill 1000 enemies with every weapon, and slide 5000 meters (all 3 of these are real and for every weapon and heist btw)" WHERE IS THE CREATIVITY OF THE PAYDAY 2 ACHIEVEMENTS??>????

IF YOU WANT TO UNLOCK ALL THE SKILLS TO ACTUALLY MAKE A FUCKING BUILD YOU WILL SPEND YOUR FIRST 50 INFAMY LEVELS JUST RUNNING A SKILL POINT IN EVERY SKILL TREE- MEANING YOU WILL HAVE NO BUILD AND NO IDENTITY BECAUSE YOU'RE JUST TRYING TO GET XP FILLED OUT SO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE ENTIRE LIST OF SKILLS. WTF IS THAT STUPID NONSENSE.

Also, the feedback loop of this game is non-existent. You do things over here to get progress over there, you play your heart out and get pennies, you fumble with your belt buckle and level up 9 times and unlock 50 challenges. The game has like no weight to what you're doing and "trying" to progress feels... bad!

Like, you figure it out, sure, but the feedback of "do thing get reward" is just fucking JANK!! The fact the fastest way to level weapons is to speedrun heists ASAP because objectives > everything else is ????? what????

The fastest way to level up your infamy is to camp in a corner spamming deployables and kill grinding???? what????? Not weapon xp???

Hell, what else. C-stacks are bugged to fuck in the most mind-boggling way- the way in question is that they Don't List The Correct Price for some fucking reason.

$1,800,000 for 10 C-stacks is actually $2,700,000. Why? Because managing a simple table of data is really hard :(

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

Cosmetics are fucking dog shit across the board- the first paid DLC has some cool stuff coming that was sourced from amazing fan-artists who have been commissioned to help (what a surprise! The talent is coming from OUR side of the table!)

Builds in 3 can be fun! But are not in any way interesting. Like, that's maybe the worst part of it. You can make something "fun" but it's also just.... soulless more often than not. A shotgun build. A throw build. A rifle headshot build. A hipfire build.

The MOST interesting builds are just "I refresh my throwables so I throw a bunch of grenades" and "I use grit and edge to become stagger immune and then hold a hostage".

And again, those can be fun, but man do the list of "interesting" options feel.... nada.

They cowered away from the wacky stuff in 2 and it "works" but where is the new identity? Where's the new "payday"?

I'm being bitchy but look at this rant, I have things to bitch over and plenty more than what comes to mind here.

And all that comes to make the game mid! Just! Mid!

I WANT it to be great as fuck and I don't know if it can when the foundation is so... this! Add pre-planning, expand heist variety IN THEMSELVES (ONE HEIST DOING MORE THINGS ON DIFFERENT RUNS), Multi-days, skills, fucking anything man just give this damn game a chance but hey

that's the operative word ain't it.

There's a chance it's great in a bit of time.

I hope so.

At least Payday 2 is right there still.

#payday 3 #retplays

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