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attorneys-against-court-violence · 10 months

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The Magical Turnabout: Cleared!

Whoo! I haven't had a shot of the old AA charm in a while, but something about Case 6-2 clicked for me in that front! I suppose I should go through the old bullet points then, shall I? Let's do this!

(Cutting this off here because GOOD GRIEF are there a lot of thinks about this case)

TRUCYYYYYYYY! I'm so sorry for what DD has done to you, but I really liked her and Apollo here! Who knew that giving your character a stake in the plot and room to breathe actually makes them an interesting person to watch and root for? The legacy of the Gramaryes weighing on her shoulders, her dedication to her magic, her wonderful bond with Apollo... it all shines through, giving me a lot more to grab on to emotionally than in the prior game. In Trucy We Trust!

APOLLO JUSTICE IS DOING FINE! He's got something of a legacy to hold up himself, being the only one alongside Athena to hold the fort while Wright's away. And they were under serious attack, too - losing out on the office and a dear friend & daughter of Wright is a hefty thing to deal with. And yes, he's as jaded and snarky as he ever has been.

Athena's here. That's pretty cool. I'm not going to complain much about her not getting too much here, since this isn't really her story. She's still a god-damn riot and keeps up a charming dynamic with Apollo, and her righteous indignation at Retinz's shenanigans is pretty cathartic.

Ema gets a nice look here too! Showing her in a much happier tune after achieving her dream job - a little reminiscent of her younger years - while still keeping the snide built up from AJ. I do like the conflict of interest her with Trucy on the line. Seems detectives can't go a trilogy without someone they actually like being put in the slammer, but it's a nice crumb.

Case 2-3 was pretty fun in how it faked a magic trick to hide the real murder, but a lot problems got in the way of fully appreciating it. This doesn't have nearly the same issues and manages to make use of the inherent mysteries and mechanics of the magic tricks performed to its advantage. Even the main villain had a grander illusion to unravel at the very end - that being the mystery of how the victim truly perished. It was fun following along & seeing the show behind-the-scenes!

Bonny & Betty are fine. Both are sympathetic enough being admirers tricked into being accomplices in muder. Betty in particular seems scorned to all get-out, having to pretend to be the other for so long. Bonny has to deal with self-esteem issues and a slightly controlling twin sister. I liked them!

Roger. Motherfucking. Retinz. The man's got intelligence up the wazoo but that's about the only admirable trait I can assign to him. This man is easily the most despisable AA villain I've seen in a long time - not counting ones that are hateable due to bad writing, Dual Destinies - who almost managed to get one last cut in on Trucy before he vanished for good. He doesn't make his grudge a secret and his actions - both in setting up his schemes and his general behaviour - make him one awful son of a bitch. A mistrusting, dishonest, egocentric magician who stands in stark contrast to Trucy. Pretty dang good for a one-off villain!

Now then... you're probably wondering what I think of Nahyuta Sahdmadhi. While I'm not going to make sweeping judgements until I see the whole story, I do have some thoughts. Just bare with me.

Khura'in is a country that hasn't seen a Not Guilty verdict in over 20 years. Nahyuta didn't oversee Phoenix's first trial there and the next has yet to come. They have a poor opinion of defense attorneys and a deeply religious reason to want justice for the victim in order to bring them peace. Nahyuta is an asshole. I will make no illusions to the contrary. He is the product of a country that has - at this point - not had any reason to believe the accused isn't the culprit. It's probably not a fair system at all; Manfred's perfect record didn't come about by playing fair, after all. But that's the environment Nahyuta practices and was likely raised in as well. He's got good reason to be an insufferable prat at this point and it's clear we haven't seen the full extent of his character. His cultrue may have largely informed this side of him, but I do enjoy him being in conflict with Ema over indicting someone she knows and cares about. Ones duty taking priority over ones emotions seems like a hint at something... tragic. This is a man who's probably had to push similar feelings down and is well practiced in that, to the point where he's completely shut-off from someone he used to know. We have seen, however, that he is very open to learning about different cultures when the need arises. He went so far as to wait an hour to sample something as simple to L.A. as a burger - enough to be able to recommend a particular flavour. He's researched television programs, social customs, and is even willing to admit that cultrual differences means he might not carry things out as expected. It's one of the more charming parts of his character and I really do enjoy it.

His connection to Apollo... I don't really know what to say at this point. It feels like he occupies an odd middle-ground between Edgeworth and Simon in their debuts. Edgeworth because he actually bothers to talk with Apollo in the lobby, Simon because he's so closed-off that nothing really comes of that. I get what they're doing here - telling us that the prosecutor is someone from the attorney's past and telling us they used to be different - though it's missing something from Phoenix's and Edgeworth's spat in Case 1-2 that gave that scene more to chew on.

Frankly, I think I'll have to check out the rest of SoJ just to figure out if I like the guy or not. Dual Destinies - for as many mistakes it made at the end - did manage to get me to give a hoot about Simon, so maybe SoJ can do something nice with this guy. I've heard the contrary enough times to be cautious but I can't let outside opinion and heresay sway me on these things. Not anymore, at any rate. As before, I want to be damn sure my feelings are my own.

But first! Case 6-4. I've heard many a divisive thing about it - from the wonderful cast to the unfortunate treatment of its leading lady. I'll let you know what side of the coin I land on when I get to the end there.

Until next time! In justice we trust!

#case 6 2 watchthrough #spirit of justice spoilers #ace attorney spoilers

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princess-of-the-corner · 5 months

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I know nothing about AA, but I love murder mysteries and I'm a bit too invested in the hotel frame job idea, so questions for that if they're actually relevant to the au

Have you thought of like, if the murder is accidental or intentional? If it matters

Like, Andre gets in an argument with new wife once she catches wind of the Chloe situation and she gets knocked down the stairs and then Andre panics and frames Chloe type accident

Or if like, Andre panics bc the daughter he disowned, who is now a full blown lawyer, is in his hotel, while he is (as per Darkblade) a very corrupt politician (or retired corrupt politician who could probably still be screwed over if that all came to light) and he gets the bright idea that 'Chloe can't get me busted for my crimes if I frame her for murder! Besides, it's Chloe, everyone will buy it!' since this is S5 Andre and he intentionally kills the new wife to set Chloe up

Or like, things like that

Again, idk if stuff like this is really relevant to an Ace Attorney au, but I've love murder mysteries since I was a kid, so I have thoughts

mm!

Yeah no I'm planning to have the death be accidental during an argument and then just the scramble to frame Chloé for it.

#miraculous justice

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planeoftheeclectic · 8 months

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Oh boy, this is about to be a blast from the past. Thanks @skarabrae-stone for the tag!

Rules: Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass this onto other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

So I only recently started writing again, meaning I've only got 2 works that are from the last decade, but honestly I'm still very fond of those older ones; they do an excellent job at being what they are.

Doing the no pressure tags above the cut because I don't know if that messes them up: @stonemaskedtaliesin, @zyrafowe-sny, and @firecoloredwater, plus anyone else who sees this and has written something! Hyping yourself up is good practice!

Columbo: Turnabout's Fair Play | 19k (Incomplete) | T | Columbo x Ace Attorney set between AA3 and AA4

Summary:

Technically speaking, Mr. Wright, this isn't my usual beat. But Detective Gumshoe - you know Dick, right? - I owed him a favor, see? And it had been a slow week, so I figured I'd look around, see if I could give the guy a hand. Real stand-up guy, he is, we could use more like him. And anyway, I know you're a real busy guy Mr. Wright, so I'll make this real quick, get out of your hair. I know you and he were real good friends, so I'm sure this is a difficult time for you. Oh, uh, just one more thing Mr. Wright. Why were the two of you such good friends again?

As I say in the dedication, this is the idea that helped me break a very, very long dry spell, so it has to take the top spot for that if nothing else. @stonemaskedtaliesin had introduced me to Ace Attorney, I had introduced them to Columbo, and at some point they went looking to see if there were any crossovers and were disappointed to find none. They come tell me this in discord and I, like a fool, say:

"Well, actually, it makes sense there aren't any. I mean, they're kind of contradictory worldviews. The whole point of Columbo is that he always gets the right guy, and the whole point of Ace Attorney is that the police never get the right guy."

Fortunately for all of us, I continued:

"I mean, for it to even work you'd need some kind of convoluted setup - maybe that would stop the AA police from just arresting someone immediately. And who would be the killer anyway? Well, ok, there's an option there, but who should they murder? Maya? That'd be mean, but that's the obvious choice. Hmm...nobody likes him, I could murder him, but how--oh."

And at that point I stopped talking because the end of this story materialized in my brain and I wanted to make sure it was a surprise. Spoiler culture may be overblown, but murder mysteries are an exception, I feel.

Anyways, if you're a fan of either series, enjoy gen fic, like seeing characters get what they deserve, or just want to see Columbo at an anime convention, this is the fic for you! From a writing standpoint, it's been really fun to experiment with a very limited POV, to try to mimic the feel of a television camera. And of course, Columbo's dialogue is a joy to write. (As you'll see later, dialogue is one of my strengths)

Song of the Peregrine [Podfic] | OG fic is 39k (Incomplete) | T | Chrom/F!Robin but honestly it's mostly gen | Kid Icarus Uprising x Fire Emblem Awakening

Summary:

There were reports of something in the skies of eastern Ylisse. Something with wings as black as pitch and eyes as red as rubies. Dark Pit has no clue where he's managed to land himself, but it turns out that Pit and Palutena don't have a monopoly on annoying. He can leave these humans anytime he wants, and he will. Soon. Any day now. If the Shepherds have it their way, that day won't come any time soon. (In which Dark Pit ends up joining the Shepherds, and the world tilts.)

The original fic is @stonemaskedtaliesin's, but I like to consider myself its honorary godparent. We've spent a lot of time worldbuilding for it, and it's so good you guys. It's going to be amazing. There are long term plans.

I started the podfic because I wanted to listen to it as I fell asleep. The audio quality is definitely shakier in the first couple chapters as I figure things out, but it's been really fun learning new skills and doing lots of fun silly voices.

...still need to finish editing chapter 5.

Anyway, blanket recommendation to go read this if you know anything about Kid Icarus (Fire Emblem is a bonus but not necessary, iit's pretty well-explained in-story) and if you like podfic, hey! You're in luck! Fun fact: this is the only Awakening podfic as of right now. Yes I'm also surprised. Maybe if I ever finish this one I'll set out to try and change that. goat milk and oats Grima would be so much fun to voice.

Warrior Cats Smoofs | 8.5k | G | Gen | Warrior Cats

Okay I'm kind of cheating here but that's going to be a theme for these last few answers. I wrote these over a decade ago with my best friend at the time. She had internet, I didn't, so we had a joint account on the Warrior Cats Wiki and the Warriors Fanfiction Wiki, which are both Fandom now I believe. I archived them to AO3 because of that, and because even years later they would occasionally get a new comment from someone who really enjoyed reading them. And, as I said, I'm still very fond of them. My handle on most of the internet still comes from these stories and that account. They are simple, silly, dialogue and stage directions only parodies, and they were a blast to write. I still remember the melody we came up with for the ending jingle. I'm pretty sure these guys (plus the playwriting class I took) are a big part of why I tend to be very dialogue-heavy. I like fun purple-prosy descriptions, but sometimes a few spoken words can convey a whole lot of actions. Show Don't Tell taken to the extreme, I guess.

I'm pretty sure The Library was our most popular one back in the day (to the point we made a sequel)! The Auction was the first (though doesn't hold up quite as well...lol they're all 15 years old anyway). I'm very fond of Christmas Caroling because all the lyrics are singable and that is my PET PEEVE IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT THE METER HAD BETTER BE RIGHT OR AT LEAST CLOSER THAN A CATHOLIC HYMN. Most of all though, I'm fond of all the memories these have. I don't know where Moss is now, but I hope they're doing well. It is also fun to see where I've come from over the years - like I said, upon reflection it makes sense that I tend to default to pretty dialogue-heavy.

The Palutena Trap | 4.7k (Incomplete) | T | Gen (past Palutena/Medusa | Kid Icarus Uprising

Summary:

Kid Icarus meets the Parent Trap.

That's it, that's all I've got.

Ok now this one is cheating because it's not published anywhere yet except in snippets on tumblr. This was actually conceived at almost the same time as Turnabout's Fair Play, but I'm trying to only focus at one at a time, so this one won't properly see the light of day until TFP is finished. (We're getting there! We're almost at the end of Act 2 out of 3!!) That does mean that I'm going about writing it in a very different way - there's going to be lots and lots of editing once I finally set down to publish this. Which is probably for the best - I'm sure there are bits of tfp that would be better if I wrote the whole thing and then went back to edit.

My favorite part of this story is still the normal-people jobs I've given everyone, since this is technically a modern AU. We have an investigative journalist who lives on a yacht, mob boss, butler who's retired MI6, and front woman for a punk band which is actually a front for an eco-terrorist group, for example. I talk more about this story here and here. Aside from that, my favorite thing is exploring the relationship between Dark Pit and Lady Palutena, and between Lady Palutena and Medusa.

The former gets off on the worst possible foot in canon, and it's only ever obliquely addressed, so it's a lot of fun to play with and extrapolate from. In this version, Dark Pit is a child whose mother gave up everything to do with him (and said some pretty nasty things in the court record). So that's where we stand: how do you reckon with that? What does it mean that you still want some kind of relationship, or at least answers? What is family and blood, in the end?

The latter relationship is one that's...well, I wouldn't say it's canon, but it's definitely canon-compliant. It's rather like Narumitsu, in that I look at it and go "hm. whatever is going on between those two, they're not normal about each other." This is true in canon, and if anything it's less true in The Palutena Trap, since despite the name the story is not about getting the parents back together so much as reconciling a mother and son. But the more this idea ferments in my brain the more I want to have some kind of meeting at the end. Maybe it goes badly, maybe it goes less badly, but I have this mental image in my head: Imagine the messiest divorce you've ever seen. Ugly, dragged through the papers, all kinds of legal issues, you part ways never to speak again. You hate her guts, and you can't go a month without thinking about her because she's always got Yet Another Stupid News Article coming out. You find out your kids have been playing some switcheroo on you, and when you meet her again you're coldly civil, both of you clearly holding yourselves back from starting a slugfest in the local forum, and then you see: she's still wearing your wedding ring. The one you picked out, the one you put on her finger 14 years ago. I just. IDK they're not normal about each other and the complexity and ambiguity of it compels me.

Vaguely Remembered 2nd Grade Writing Assignment | like 2 pages maybe | G | Gen | The Land Before Time

Alright this one's definitely cheating but this has already been a lot of reminiscing about the past, so here's a toast to the very first thing I ever wrote: an adventure story starring the main cast of The Land Before Time. All I remember about it is it absolutely sucked to get started but once I did it was longer than it needed to be and I used the word Petrie-ball™. Yes, including the ™. The Petrie-ball™ was how they solved the big obstacle, I think. Like I said, I don't remember much of it, but I remember how proud and happy I felt when it was done. So here's to you, long-forgotten fanfiction adventure story. Here's to the first of many, with many more to follow after.

(Also, if you want to see more of TFP, Palutena Trap, or Peregrine Podfic, you can bother me in a few hours for WIP Wednesday! If you want more OG Peregrine you have to bother @stonemaskedtaliesin instead. Actually, make sure you do that, I know they've got chapter 8 waiting in the wings and I NEED to see how that scene with Pip and Lissa plays out)

#If you made it to the end I love you WOW I wrote a lot for only having two fics posted in the last 10 years #but this was a lot of fun #very nostalgic #writing #WIP Wednesdays #<- the tag I use so you can bother me #other tags:#tfp #palutena trap #song of the peregrine #my writing

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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Watch the 2024 American Climate Leadership Awards for High School Students now: https://youtu.be/5C-bb9PoRLc

The recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by student climate leaders! Join Aishah-Nyeta Brown & Jerome Foster II and be inspired by student climate leaders as we recognize the High School Student finalists. Watch now to find out which student received the $25,000 grand prize and top recognition!

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hychlorions · 1 year

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If you had to rank each Apollo Justice case on a 10-point scale, what would your ratings be?

honestly i like them all so much and it's been a while since i've last played AA4 so it's hard to give an answer without having to sit down and think about it :"D but assuming you wanna sit down for something long-ish, i'll start them all off on a perfect 10 and here's what i'd give deductions for:

Turnabout Trump (4-1) - i'd leave it at a 10 tbh. absolutely banger case for setting the tone for the rest of the game. i don't recall anything i disliked about it atm so i'm assuming there's nothing at all :>

Turnabout Corner (4-2) - hickfield/hotti existence. get him outta here! but on the other hand there's an exchange about klavier pausing a world tour to see the little boy that bested his brother that can mean different things depending on if you're playing the game for the first time or if you're replaying it. on first playthrough i assumed the judge's shock at klavier returning meant he hasn't taken another case since kristoph's arrest in 4-1, which. fair i guess bc prosecutors probably take cases more regularly than the waa in-universe but it's nothing to blink twice about yknow. HOWEVER replaying it after having gone through 4-4 (esp given how he mentions the gavinners to the judge) it starts to seem as if klavier ran off with his band for seven years and didn't come back until after his brother was arrested. which. >:3 hehe

-3 points for creep factor. +1 however for the simple joy of making me tear my hair out over klavier's mystery hiatus length

Turnabout Serenade (4-3) - people give this case too much shit tbh. it's the funniest case in the game and you guys just have no sense of humor 😭 me, lover of comedy, however, can appreciate it for what it is, and it's that 4-3 is the best demonstration of aa's sense of humor. my only gripe with it is that daryan's mentioned to be the first detective klavier's ever worked with. however in turnabout succession the detective shown in the flashback for the gramarye trial (klavier's courtroom debut) isn't daryan, but gumshoe. this isn't elaborated upon any further, so i am sitting here. wondering what mystery case klavier worked on that got resolved without going to court wherein daryan is the detective AND happened before the gramarye trial. i understand prosecutors but WHY pray tell are they shoving 17 year-olds into a detective position on the police force. god.

-2 for in-universe labor laws implications. +2 for klavier's weird forehead obsession (he has about three lines about apollo's forehead) and also the fact that this case has the most canonical uses of herr forehead out of all the cases in the entire ace attorney series at ~61 uses out of the total 129 (including DD). +1 more for being so rife with lines you could use as basis for headcanons ("straight except when he's depressed" "i should've learned to play guitar" "her quiet, deep song glides through the air... lilting above a sparse, but elegant piano accompaniment" i'm so sorry as a klapollo enthusiast this is the case of all time to me)

Turnabout Succession (4-4) - gorl you know the last case of the series has to be the most nailbiting one. such is the case for turnabout succession... if only the mason system didn't royally succ. do you know how hard it is to piece together the timeline for post- and pre-gramarye trial for someone like me?!?! (is forgetful) not to mention the fact that kristoph has apparently only met vera once but already knew she bites her nails when she's nervous? did you put a camera in their house or something? weirdo. however only in burning piles of rubble will real gems reveal themselves. *holding up the scene where zak explains the gramarye powers to phoenix, subsequently revealing the trucy-apollo siblingisms all along* isn't she beautiful?

-4 for being an inconvenient pain in the ass and kristoph's nail polish murder plot that crumbles under a magnifying glass and kristoph's stalking extent implications. +1 for bracelet lore you know i love me some bracelet mechanics (taps my homemade "THE BRACELET DOESN'T TIGHTEN" sign like a proud father)

Final answer:

4-3: 11/10

4-1: 10/10

4-2: 8/10

4-4: 7/10

#ask #anonymous #sorry if you expected a short answer of rankings. i don't do that here i love explaining #AND SORRY I'M A TURNABOUT SERENADE LIKER OKAY JUST LISTEN TO MY RINGTONE. (guitar's serenade ringtone version plays)

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adolin-is-best-boy · 2 years

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Hello! I’m participating in @ficwritersforreproductiverights to help raise money for organizations that protect reproductive rights! Send me a screenshot of your donation (AFTER removing sensitive personal info) and tell me which idea you would like to see me write! Which ever option has the most votes after Aug 7th will be the one I will do.

The voting options consist of one Ace Attorney oneshot idea, one Julie and The Phantoms oneshot idea, and three multichap ideas for a crossover between the two fandoms! Here are all the options:

1. Edgeworth Goes to Walmart (GONE WRONG!)

Yeah, that’s it. Crack taken seriously, background Narumitsu. I don’t have much else to say.

2. Carlos and Reggie Fantasy AU

Carlos and Reggie being brothers in a fantasy setting! Very fluffy, includes some fun worldbuilding and magic if that’s your thing! Might end up using this setting for something later...

3. Flynn Taylor: Ace Attorney

Rookie defense lawyer, Flynn Taylor meets three ghosts from the old band Sunset Curve that only she can see. With their help on investigations and in the courtroom, can Flynn figure out the mystery of the boy’s death while defending her innocent clients from demon prosecutor and old friend, Julie Molina?

JATP in the AA setting! Flynn as the protag, the sunset curve boys as her co-counsel, and Julie as the rival prosecutor! Will include Julie x Flynn, and probably some other gay ships.

4. Trucy and The Phantoms

After the death of her mother, Trucy has been unable to play or sing. But after looking through some of her mother’s things, three ghosts appear, one looking shockingly similar to a famous musician that died over 20 years ago. Little do they know, these ghosts are not only the spark that will reignite Trucy’s love for music, but also the key to several long lost mysteries...

Ft. Klapollo, bg Narumitsu, and possibly Franmaya. Will include Clay Terran somehow. Other than Apollo, I’m not sure who the other main ghosts will be yet, or even if I should include more ghosts in the main group or not (I’d love to hear some ideas). Klavier will not be part of the ghost band, but he is relevant.

5. Sunset Turnabout

Nick(JATP) is accused of murder! With the help of Wright Anything Agency, Julie’s ghost band, and her friends, proving his innocence should be easy, right? But there is far more to the case than meets the eye, including a link to the death of 3 Sunset Curve members, and much, much more...

A true Ace Attorney and Julie and The Phantoms crossover! A case fic including the entire JATP cast and as many AA characters as I can fit without it getting bloated. Takes place post JATP S1, and vaguely post AA6 after I match up the timelines. Got lots of cool ideas for this one.

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Whether you’re planning on donating or not, feel free to ask me questions about any of these prompts (or any questions about how the voting works and such) !

(Votes are counted by quantity, not value.)

#ace attorney #ace attorney fic #julie and the phantoms #miles edgeworth #klapollo #Trucy Wright #apollo justice #flynn taylor #julie molina #nick julie and the phantoms #case fic #reproductive rights #reproductive freedom #julie and the phantoms fic

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turnabout-sunflowers · 1 year

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I’m late as FUCK but I also took a look through your dgs liveblog tag and WHOOH. Congrats on finishing such a life altering game 🥺

What did you think of the game? Any favorite characters? Any ships? And I also happen to talk wayyy too much about this game so if you ever need to yell or scream incoherently my dms are always open! I WILL yell back

Also I am legally obligated to ask what you think of susato. Thank you, and have a nice day/night :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Hope you enjoyed <3 YEAH IT SURE IS LIFE ALTERING OUOUUGGHHH

I'm tentative about talking one on one with people before i really know them just because I am a very awkward and socially anxious person and tend to warm up to people easier in group settings-- however!! i'd love to chat with you! you seem cool i'm just a lil guy who needs to be approached slowly like one would approach a wild cat therefore if you ever wanna chat at me through asks and stuff i love talking to people that way so i'm always down to hear your thoughts or if you ever wanna ask me more stuff <3

WHICH. THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME QUESTIONS BTW. I LOVE QUESTIONS. I LOVE ANSWERING THINGS AND GIVING LONG RAMBLING ANSWERS. IM GONNA GIVE YOU LONG RAMBLING ANSWERS NOW

1] What did you think of the game? I LOVE IT IT'S ONE OF MY TOP TOP FAVOURITE GAMES OF ALL TIME???? IT'S. IT'S. Okay what you need to know about me is 1) I LOVE extremely linear plot-heavy games. I have somehow never played a visual novel before ace attorney despite the type of game I would most enjoy being the ones you're basically just reading instead of playing. 2) I have been super interested in murder mysteries ever since I was very young but NEVER found anything that I felt I could get into before finding ace attorney. mainline AA already filled so many niches there but DGS just completes something in my soul. that's my house. that's my home. i live there. I love it SO much it's so perfect it's everything I've ever wanted in a game, being able to put things together and figure things out as I was playing was SOOOO fun and it was SOOOO . just. GOOD. HJOUOUOUUOGGHH.

2] Any favourite characters? IS IT . CAN I SAY ALL OF THEM??? HFJDKFKD. I have several friends who are still playing DGS and every time they get to literally any character I'm like "that's my blorbo ":3" every time. to all of them. I love all of them they're all my beloved family you couldn't possibly make me choose. Anyway it's Kazuma my favourite is kazuma. JKFDHDFKJKGJFE. Like yes I love all of them completely equally and this is the complete and utter truth however I have been so emotionally attached to Kazuma since several months before I ever even touched the game. I have openly cried on the couch in the dead of night over Kazuma several times. Before I touched the game. I'm dead serious. He means a lot to me <3 However everyone else is an honorable mention and by everyone else i DO mean everyone else. EVERYONE in the main cast + my obscure side character blorbos (haori and inspector hosonaga i love you)

3] Any ships? eehh?? Kind of? I don't really do shipping in the way that fandom does? Usually I'm not as invested in ships much because I care way more about the platonic relationships. so there's a lot of ships that i just kind of shrug and go "yeah, sure! i'll take that as headcanon" and accept it without being invested, and otherwise most other ships i'm just neutral on. when I AM invested in romantic pairs i still am like. completely chill with them not being romantic it's more of just an investment in that pair and their dynamic lol

THAT BEING SAID. Asoryuu. Susahao. Ginasusa. Uhhhh. whatever the ship name for holmes & yuujin is. Those are the ones you'll see me reblogging. I'm either very invested in them or at least have them as my headcanon depending on which it is but! those are them <3 susato polyamory real. everything else is generally just a "eh not for me" or "yea sure why not"

4] Thoughts on Susato My thoughts are uuummm she's me! HSDJKHF. I'm usually pretty quiet about kin stuff on tumblr but. [gestures to my tag masterlist with one of them labelled "kin tag" pretty openly] not necessarily hiding it either lol lol. Hi! She's me <3 I'm her <3 i am incapable of pretending to be a normal average person about dgs. those little guys in there are my family. I mean this so genuinely

That fact that I'm kin with her aside though I think she's a really good character I'm just like. kinnie lens makes character analysis interesting lol. To an outsider's perspective though I suppose she'd technically be my favourite character? I'm gonna write a whole ass fic going over the entirety of the events of the game from susato's point of view just to put all my thoughts somewhere so. FKJDFDLK if that gives you any idea of how frequently i am thinking about her.

Come talk to me about her introductory line in 1-1 that is just "in my darkest hour, with nowhere left to go, she appeared like a bolt of lightning." i'm SUPER fucking normal about it i'll wax poetic about it for hours. honestly i'll wax poetic about ANYTHING re: susato for HOURS because listen. listen. i have the insider knowledge. i have so many thoughts all the time i'm bark bark bark

#spirit channeling #prringlecan

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dnallohleoj · 11 months

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(This is a review of Rain Code)

So I have been a Danganronpa fan for a while. I started playing them when I ran out of Ace Attorney games and just wanted to scratch that itch (this was before the re-releases on modern devices, so replays of actual AA games could be tedious). I always thought they were just kind of okay in comparison, but D1 and D2 interested me enough that I bought V3 the week it released. V3 convinced me that this design team not only hated their own fanbase, but was incapable of genuinely good storytelling with real intention behind it.

Rain Code proved that to be false. The mysteries were all way less complex - I was able to figure out each case before the investigation was over - but that may be a plus for some people. But in the simplicity, they found time to actually build to a meaningful plot twist at the end of the game - and then DO something with it. Danganronpa games all relied on shock and awe to sell their plot, and I can't say Rain Code NEVER does that, especially in Chapters 4 and 5, but again, the thing that sets it apart is that they DO something with it. Without spoiling anything, the game creates a central theme around the idea of a "perfect" solution, and then declares that no such thing can exist when the people affected most are left out of creating it. There was an actual point.

About the gameplay, I hate just comparing this game to the studio's previous work. However, it's hard not to when there are so many gameplay elements that were copied or repurposed. We don't have the Ace Attorney-inspired Trial system, but we do have the Mystery Labyrinth, where the mascot turns into a cute girl, vomits up some keys and a sword, and then takes you to an alternate reality built on the mystery you're trying to solve. there, you explore branching paths, complete quicktime events, and play the occasional minigame to put the pieces of the puzzle together. One of these minigames is a pseudo-combat sequence that works almost exactly like the Trial sequence, where you avoid irrelevant statements, then attack incorrect ones with your evidence. Unfortunately, the tutorial was the best Labyrinth. It was a little longer due to... well, being a tutorial, and also had some additional elements - such as a false exit - which never had the opportunity to make a comeback because once you knew what the actual end sequence was supposed to look like, you'd know better than to fall for them. The game also introduced some new elements, such as side quests, which weren't really worth doing - all of them were simple fetch quests with no fun side mysteries to solve.

Overall, I'd say the game is imperfect, but it was a worthwhile murder mystery, and if you were disappointed by Danganronpa V3, it might restore your faith in the studio. It did mine.

#rain code

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soaptaculart · 3 years

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HIII hi hlloooo i love ur ideas for aa7... do you have any ideas of what the plot/cases that would make up the game would be yet? im so curious, i love constanze and klaus already

WAUGH THANK YOU SM!!!! It makes me so happy that people like our silly little idea ;;w;;

I've got a couple questions like this, the plot is much more of a question mark than the character arcs etc at the moment lol but a brief little synopsis of what we have atm! Under a cut because even if it's brief it's. Still long hrhgsdjf

- Case 1: Athena defends Phoenix in a very lighthearted wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time situation he ended up in. Our excuse for the compulsory "attorney has no idea what they're doing in the first case" is just that she's nervous as hell about defending her boss bc it feels like a performance review except if she doesn't pass he goes to prison, so her mind keeps blanking lol

- Case 2: Introduces Klaus, Constanze and Franziska. Set in an art gallery, which Klaus is understandably excited to visit after he joins the party at the start of the case. The case revolves around a victim who was inexplicably seen alive by several witnesses after they were supposed to have died - just the kind of nonsense Constanze struggles to deal with, but Athena thrives on. This case also introduces a forensic scientist character, senior to Ema, who will be recurring throughout the game

- Case 3: Set on a train because I cannot BELIEVE we haven't had an AA murder on a train yet. Blackquill was a passenger on it at the time and hangs around for the investigation in a Klavier-in-AA5-esque way. Klaus is really rude to him bc he thinks he's being mean to Athena and Blackquill is uncharacteristically thrown off by this, which Athena finds hilarious. A twist halfway through reveals that the train was at a different point when the murder occurred than was initially thought, necessitating a new station being opened on the second investigation day. Athena and Constanze have a heart to heart at the end of it as Constanze is getting very frustrated that she keeps losing, but they come out of it understanding each other better

- Case 4: We haven't found a setting we're satisfied with for this one yet, but this is where shit starts getting real. The case seems simple initially, but it becomes apparent that there are connections to a case Franziska worked on 9 years ago - the GS-4 incident (lmao). During this case, the then 10 and 7 year old Constanze and Klaus were kidnapped to blackmail Franziska into releasing her suspect. She was able to find and rescue them, but while she was doing so, her suspect was murdered, and even though a combination of some evidence young Connie smuggled from the scene and drawings Klaus did of what he remembered allowed their kidnapper to be caught, he also died mysteriously shortly afterwards, and the culprit behind both murders was never found. Over the course of the present day trial, suspicion falls on the forensic scientist for fabricating evidence, but when they go to visit him during the second investigation day, he is found dead, and the case ends on a cliffhanger

- Case 5: A continuation of case 4, now with the death of the scientist being investigated simultaneously as he was believed to be an accomplice to it all. Apollo also comes back to visit and have a nice talk with Athena about how much she's grown already. But as the trial is about to start again, Klaus is kidnapped Again to pressure Athena and Constanze to secure a guilty verdict for Athena's client. The result is a desperate courtroom scramble where Athena (with Apollo bench buddying for moral support) and Constanze have to stall for time by any means necessary, which even the defendant gets in on, while an intermission takes place with Phoenix, Trucy and Franziska searching for Klaus. They find him and bring him home, armed with a drawing he made which contains a clue that will lead them to the real mastermind behind everything, stretching from 9 years ago to the present, with a trail of deceased accomplices behind them... we'll have to keep that last twist a secret though, lol

But at the end of it all, Constanze has found a new sense of freedom and belief in her own unique strengths and is ready to truly consider her own path and what she wants for herself, Klaus is allowed to stay at the WAA permanently and has his family's blessings to be an artist, Franziska can put to rest an old case that has followed her for all this time, and Athena is just feeling generally on top of the world. Good for her

There's also Two DLC cases, one starring Phoenix as an OG trilogy gang reunion case in Kurain village with Franziska prosecuting, which ends up in a crazy double-victim situation with Maya channelling one and Pearl channelling the other on the stand. The other is starring Apollo as an AJ gang reunion (so yes - Klavier prosecuting, finally, and Trucy and Apollo being investigation partners again at Last). That one takes place at a drag race, the car kind not the R*P**l kind, just because we thought that would be fun lol. I swear when capcom learns that the right way to use DLC cases is pure fanservice with reappearances from beloved characters who it was difficult to fit into the main game >>>>>>>>>>>>>>

EDIT: More details on the overarching plot, big bad and case 4 + 5 here!

#brief little #ask #soapspeak #karmic conviction #i say and then go off for ages #is it obvious i love this thing and love talking about this thing hrhgjds #i'm normal. i'm normal #THANK U SM FOR THE ASK WAUGH #also #aa6 spoilers #tagging jic hrgfhdsjg

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characteroulette · 3 years

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well all rightie then, it’s time to analyse how DGS1 handles grief really well in my opinion

(once again, spoilers for all of DGS1)

(also some spoilers for the original trilogy games) (and a little of DGS2)

okay So my thesis statement here is that Asougi’s character in DGS1 is the vessel through which Ryuunosuke and Susato’s grief is explained. Everything about how they relate to Asougi is their dealing with their grief in a simple message: Loss hits hard, but you have to continue to live and love. Life Goes On, shaping that grief into yourself if you allow it.

We start off with Case 1 as our baseline. The set-up. It’s a routine to show what life is like for Ryuunosuke before tragedy. (Fitting for an AA protagonist to have their baseline of normal being accused of murder.) This case does a really, really good job of setting up Asougi as our friend, our partner, whom we might spend the rest of the game with.

(I mean, the death flag’s kinda obvious if you’re genre-savvy; the mentor must die so that the student may grow into their own. But Asougi’s so likeable! He’s confident, genuine with Ryuunosuke, comfortably teasing, and looks at you with the same eyes as Klavier. What’s not to love? Also that small hint of something deeper is so tantalising that for it to go unresolved is pretty unthinkable.)

It’s important for us to see how much Asougi means to Ryuunosuke, how much the two really are best friends. This set-up is pivotal to what happens next in Case 2: the drop.

The way Ryuunosuke reacts to learning about Asougi’s death is real. He tries to deny it at first, can’t bring himself to believe it. Especially since he’s been accused of the crime! But the moment he sees that photo of Asougi that Sherlock took, that’s where the truth of it hits and he can’t run from it anymore. All he can do is try to push past that biting grief to at least solve his friend’s murder and set things right.

Susato’s own grief is portrayed really well here, too. She’s so angered and clouded by it that she totally ignores the fact that Asougi and Ryuunosuke are best friends and believes Ryuunosuke to be the murderer. Really, she just blames Ryuunosuke because it’s easier that way, since the wound cuts just as deep for her.

What really strikes me, though, is how the whole case isn’t just a one-note misery. Like real life, the two slip into sadness when they remember their dear friend, but they’re still able to joke around. They still get upset or sarcastic or excited. Because, though their grief affects them immensely, the message is that life continues. It can’t just stop for them like it did for their friend; life goes on. Not out of malice, but out of necessity.

Also, the way Sherlock acknowledges their grief is pretty great. That felt hugely validating to me, how he tells them that their mourning is important and how his jovial, joking tone was never properly taking that into account. The way he continues breaking in at the end to lighten the mood, too, is his own genuine way of trying to help, exhausting though he may be. It’s appreciated, at the least, to keep us the players from breaking down into tears as the conclusion rolls with no real satisfaction at the mystery being solved.

That final conversation between Susato and Ryuunosuke, at least, is hugely cathartic to make up for that. It sounds like it should feel rushed, honestly, dealing with the majority of the grieving process in just Case 2, but it doesn’t at all. It seems properly healthy, like the two are doing their best by confiding and taking comfort in one another in order to celebrate Asougi’s goals, to keep going where he can’t. Ryuunosuke and Susato both form their resolve here to continue to live, not just for Asougi, but for themselves as well. For life’s sake.

Because, again, life goes on.

(A brief tangent: Seeing the contrast of this story versus the original trilogy is also a really neat sort of view into Shu Takumi’s growth as a writer. Or the AA series’ growth as a whole. How Edgeworth handled his grief by never really acknowledging it in AA1, how he basically ran away from it by refusing to live as a sort of punishment against himself, is really sad. Then Phoenix handling his grief in JFA by turning to anger and resentment is just as heartbreaking. Phoenix disavows himself from it, trying to spare himself the pain by denying it, which only hurt him more and he had to have everyone around him break him out of that awful mindset. Then in T&T it’s Godot’s grief which drives the plot, as he turns his anger on Phoenix unjustly. He blames Phoenix for Mia’s death and lashes out at everyone instead of allowing himself the time to properly grieve.

And then DGS1 comes along to say that maybe the answer is just that life goes on and we have healthier ways to reconcile with our grief and it’s just real neat to see!)

In Case 3 and 4, we can see through Ryuunosuke’s discussion with Lord Vortex (/Stronghart) the continuation of his handling this grief. It’s a burden, one Ryuunosuke doesn’t fully understand, but he fervently takes upon himself because we want to live for those we’ve lost. (It is the Wright way, the Naruhodou way, to take on the aspirations of the friends you’ve lost. To mimic their mannerisms, their ambitions, in order to keep them close to your heart.)

(That’s a whole other can of worms I could dive into, honestly, how their decision to give Ryuunosuke all of Phoenix’s poses for the whole ancestor vibe while ALSO making it clear that Ryuunosuke took them from Asougi to begin with, it’s just. It’s good, it’s perfect, it’s the same brand of gay the series is known for and I’m love it.)

You also see, as the trial of Case 3 progresses, how Ryuunosuke is basically just living off of ‘what would Asougi do?’ as Susato coaches him along and it’s fun and bittersweet all the way through. Case 4 is where he gains more confidence in himself, but he still defaults to thinking of Asougi’s unwavering trust in him to help him and every time it’s handled with tenderness and shows just how much Ryuunosuke loved his friend.

And, if you’re like me and take every opportunity to examine Asougi’s badge and present it to Susato (/others), you see how they continue to grow with their grief. It starts off with both of them being unable to say much, still weighed down heavily by Asougi’s loss. Though they are continuing and life goes on, it’s still a wound too fresh to approach and hard for them to properly explain.

By Case 5, though, the two of them are more conversational. They’ve found their words, they’ve mended that wound as much as possible so that life won’t leave without them. It still hurts, of course, but it’s easier to think about. It’s easier to reconcile when they’ve been working hard and making friends and continuing to live. It’s small, but the progression is there and I really appreciate it.

Speaking of Case 5, though, everything about this one, in regards to Asougi, is pure catharsis. It really is like they’re looking their grief right in the face and accepting it as a part of themselves. Ryuunosuke looks back on his friend not just with fondness, but with gratefulness that Asougi could make such a big impact on his life.

(This is similar to the whole Phoenix and Mia thing, I feel, since Phoenix often thought of his mentor with the same sort of tone. At least, I think so. Remarkable how Phoenix’s grief can mirror the finalised version of Ryuunosuke’s with the help of spirit channeling! /joke)

Ryuunosuke and Susato have etched Asougi into their hearts and their persons and it’s just really, very good I like it a lot.

(okay time for a few paragraphs on DGS2 and Asougi)

Case 1 one DGS2 is a neat look into Susato’s mind and thought process. You can definitely tell she’s still just a 16-year-old with the mistakes she makes and how she tries to handle her own arguments, which is very cute. We also get to see her actually talking to Asougi’s grave and then see how her own relationship with Asougi has influenced her style (/poses) and aspirations. (Ryuunosuke, too. It’s cute to see how she’s ended up a mixture of both of them.) And it’s a great rug pull moment for the player, since the way that the grief is handled in DGS1 is so good and (almost) final that hearing Asougi might not actually be dead is a bit like digging up old wounds. I mean, we went the entirety of the first game coming to terms with his death, what do you mean his body went missing??

(Case 2 serves as a reminder. Like haha remember how Susato and Ryuunosuke both love Asougi and are sad about his death? Here’s the baseline again, get ready to have it wrecked!)

And Case 3 is phenomenal, too. The way Van Zieks is so understanding in his response to showing him Asougi’s badge is just. It’s perfect, he’s so gentle and empathetic that it shocks Ryuunosuke (even though Ryuunosuke did the same understanding and concern for Van Ziek’s situation Ryuunosuke please). Then the way that Ryuunosuke sees Asougi, disguised in a cloak and mask, and immediately recognises him. To me, that really shows how much he loved his friend. He knew Asougi for about a year and it’s been about nine months since Asougi’s death, yet Ryuunosuke recognises him just by the way he carries himself.

But, to him, Asougi is dead. He’s made peace with that. So, even if it plays on his mind, he can’t allow himself to think that. He puts it out of his mind completely and doesn’t think on it again.

At least, until Susato (who reacted very realistically by shutting down the possibility that Asougi might still be alive because that means Sherlock lied and she couldn’t take having that hope break her worse than before) sees the exact same thing just as immediately and shouts after him. The fact that they both see this disguised man and know it can be no one besides Asougi is insane. It’s love. It makes me cry, I wish they could’ve hugged him during the big reveal (though I know Japanese culture’s just not like that).

Anyway, DGS2 diatribe over. Back to the conclusion.

The whole of DGS1 is just a masterful example of how grief doesn’t have to destroy you, of how life can go on and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and how channeling that grief into motivation to keep their memories alive can be powerful. That it’s okay to still feel grief even as you heal, that it’s okay to have fun and keep living even as you mourn. Life is a mixture of levity and tragedy and, to me, DGS1 nails that mixture with perfection.

Absolutely legendary. Join me next time when I dive into the main theme of DGS2, which is literally ‘the dead will come back to life to haunt you’ thanks for coming to my essay talk

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cloverthirteen · 3 years

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Was Ace Attorney made as a satire on Japan’s legal system? -- An analysis

I wouldn’t really call myself an Ace Attorney fan--I’ve never played any of the games, the closest I’ve come being watching other people’s let’s plays. I do like reading about the series on wikis and interacting with fan content for it, though, so I do know a fair amount about it.

One thing I see being said pretty often by fans is that the series was intended as a satire/parody of the Japanese legal system, which is why the courts are ridiculously biased towards the prosecution, prosecutors often care more about perfect win records more than putting actual guilty people behind bars, etc. If you’re familiar with this, you’ve probably heard of Japan’s 99% conviction rate. This interpretation of the games and the way they work definitely makes sense.

But after hearing this many times I eventually noticed something. There isn’t a single actual source (creator statement, interview, etc.) that backs up this claim. Every time I see someone online say “the series creator made Ace Attorney to parody Japan’s actual legal system” there is never a link to an interview or anything that proves their statement correct. If someone has an actual, verified source from Shu Takumi or someone else who had significant involvement with the series, please prove me wrong and show it to me. But according to all of the creator’s statement’s I’ve read, there’s no evidence of the series being an intentional parody.

So, what do we know about the creation of the Ace Attorney series? Well, it was created by Shu Takumi, who wrote and directed the first three games. After working on the dinosaur survival horror game Dino Crisis for Capcom, he was given the opportunity to make any kind of game he wanted. He really wanted to make mystery and adventure games, and from that came Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney.

MC: Before developing Ace Attorney you worked on Dino Crisis. How does one go from dinosaur survival horror to virtual courtrooms?

ST: Dino Crisis was the brainchild of my then boss, Resident Evil creator, Shinji Mikami. Working on his projects taught me not only how to make games, but also how to think about them. After Dino Crisis 2 wrapped, Mr Mikami gave me six months in which to create any kind of game I wanted.

I was still pretty wet behind the ears, but as I'd originally joined Capcom with a desire to create mystery and adventure games, this was a huge chance for me to make my mark as a creator. In the end it took a team of seven 10 months to produce the first GBA Ace Attorney title. Having the freedom to create exactly the kind of game I wanted was amazing and it was a real pleasure to work on that project.

MC: Can you remember when the idea of Ace Attorney first came to you? How did your bosses respond to the idea of a lawyer-based adventure game when you first described it to them?

ST: It was in 2000 when Mr Mikami said I could make my own game and my original idea was a fairly typical adventure with a detective as the main character. Most mystery adventures have the player choose from a number of different dialogue options for their character in order to progress the story, but I wanted a new gameplay style that enabled players to deduce for themselves what was happening, rather than just selecting canned responses. I developed this into the concept of facing off against the suspect in a crime and exposing the contradictions in their statements.

I was sure my new idea would be a fun and original take on the genre, so I started to revise the main character, since a detective would be too traditional for such an original concept. I asked myself, "What kind of professional would face off against a suspect and expose their contradictory statements?" The answer, of course, was a lawyer and so the Ace Attorney concept was born.

(source, from an interview on the making of the series)

Takumi’s original concept for the game involved Phoenix as not a defense lawyer, but as a detective. The gameplay was to consist of “facing off against the suspect of a crime and finding the contradictions in their statements.” However, Takumi eventually realized that taking apart contradictions wasn’t really a detective’s job, and decided to change the protagonist to a lawyer and the setting to a courtroom instead. And thus, the game’s concept was finalized.

Janet: As you know, “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy” is coming out world-wide this winter, and as I was brainstorming what to write about for this week’s blog, I remembered your tweets from 2010.

Takumi: Tweets from 2010?

Janet: …Well, it was a long time ago…

Takumi: ???

Janet: I-It’s OK if you don’t remember…

Takumi: …Oh, THOSE! Yes!

Janet: I remember reading them and being shocked by how different the original draft of the game’s story was – how Phoenix wasn’t even a lawyer, but a private eye!

Takumi: Yes, AA was originally supposed to be a detective game, so naturally, Phoenix was to be a private eye. But then, one day, I made a startling realization: the gameplay concept I was going for was for players to enjoy finding and taking contradictions apart, but that was hardly related to investigating or detective work at all. In that moment, I had it – I realized that the main setting for the game should be the courtroom.

Janet: That’s quite the jump, but you know, I can’t imagine this series being anything else at this point.

(source, from an interview by Janet Hsu about the game’s early development)

During the development for the game, Takumi actually knew very little about the intricacies of the legal system--and in fact, he’s been very transparent about that fact in interviews. There’s even a story he talks about in a blog post where he was asked “shouldn’t we do some research on law before we make this game?” and agonized over it for a bit before deciding that being accurate about courtroom processes wasn’t important--what was important was that the game made the trials exciting and fun.

November, 2000. The characters were coming together, and I was working desperately on my first scenario (the current Turnabout Sisters). One day, I was asked about the one thing I didn’t want to be asked about.

“Mr. Takumi. Don’t we need to do some research on law?”

The knowledge I have about the law, pretty amounts to the one fact that in Japan we have the Roppō Zensho ('Complete Book of The Six Major Legal Codes').

“Don’t bother with that. This is a detective game. “

It should have been over with this one line, but…

“But this isn’t a detective game, it’s a lawyer game!”

“If it’s not going to be realistic, I don’t see why this should be about trials.”

“People who play this might get wrong knowledge from the game!”

“We might get sued by the Bar Association!”

“They’ll start complaining!”

…Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney GBA) is simply a “mystery game.”　“Being realistic” is not what is important. What’s important is emphasizing, and recreating the unique “atmosphere” and “tension” of the courtroom. That is why the judge uses a gavel, even though no judge uses that, and why Naruhodō shouts "Objection!" even though nobody does that either.　This game does not need a “realistic courtroom”!

Chasing the true murderer down to the end, and then getting applauded for that in the courtroom. That feeling of thrill and excitement. It was only by February of the following year when we finally manage to recreate that in the game. The couple of months after this had happened, we looked around, got lost and troubled our minds in search for the answer of the big question of “How do we make a trial into a game?”. Fall was passing by, and the cold winter was close upon us.

(source, from an archived blog post by Takumi)

So, realism and knowledge of law wasn’t important to Takumi during the development of the series. But there’s also the fact that Takumi has actually personally denied that the Ace Attorney series was an intentional satire or criticism of the court system at any point. In fact, according to a blog post (done as if Phoenix and Maya were reading the column and commenting on it), he actually dislikes people seeing his work this way, as he never intended the games to have any big political statements.

A major prerequisite for Gyakuten Saiban is it’s so simple “even my mother could play it”. So there is only one point at the core of the game: “Seeing through lies”.

Naruhodō: It wasn’t even supposed to be a game about the trials at first. Mayoi: Eh! Really?! Naruhodō: “Simple” is basically all this game is about, according to TakuShū. Mayoi: What do you mean? Naruhodō: He didn’t want to add all kinds of elements for the player to think about, like alibis, tricks or about the culprit. It’d just confuse them. Mayoi: Really. Naruhodō: Basically, you can proceed in the game if you just think about where the contradiction is. He figured that with that, the controls of the game could also stay simple. Mayoi: But, but, why the trials then? Naruhodō: “A story about a detective seeing through lies” wouldn’t be any different from the other games out there. So that’s why he decided to have someone whose job is seeing through lies as the protagonist. Mayoi: So a defense attorney. Naruhodō: Occasionally TakuShū sees magazines introducing the game as “a work that dared to take on the theme of trials”, and that actually hurts him. Mayoi: He never meant to be something as big as that….

(source, from the mentioned blog post)

Ultimately I see how easy it is, if you know a good amount about both Ace Attorney and Japan’s legal system, to come to the conclusion that the games were made as a dig against the latter. However, somewhere along the line, people apparently stopped seeing this as merely a theory and instead as a definite fact. Now, that doesn’t mean that the theory is entirely unfounded--given that Takumi focused only on making trials interesting and fun in the games, you could say that the games work as an light, comedic parody, not meant to make any political statements. And hey, maybe there’s something I missed--maybe there were other people working on the series who did have significant knowledge of law and wrote some parts of the games as intentional satire of the system. Again, if anyone has evidence of this, don’t hesitate to provide it. But with what I know, I don’t think going “well actually” to people who point out the ridiculousness and unfairness of Ace Attorney’s court system is necessary. It’s simply that way to make the games more fun.

#ace attorney #phoenix wright #this was actually kind of fun to research and write!#kinda felt like i was making a statement in a courtroom...

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baubabble · 4 years

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“Subtle Differences” Part II - Hotch x F!Reader

PART I FINAL PART

Summary: As you continue working the case in Seattle, you begin to notice more and more that Hotch is staying close to you. With the occasional glance, you start to think that maybe his feelings are real, but doubts start to creep up. When another woman goes missing, you and the team must connect the dots faster to save her and find the unsub before it’s too late.

Word Count: 3743

Warning: Typical CM Violence

Song I Wrote To: “Honest Man” by Ben Platt

Note: Ooh, part 2! This one is the “filler” i guess. Part three is when we get the team in action and a little more hotch x reader moments that I love. That should be up later this week! Also, I have watched this show A LOT, but presenting profiles isnt easy so i did my best. Also, the painting i reference is not real.

-------

The two of you worked in silence for a while as you tried to wrap your heads around the beginnings of a workable profile.

As you both sat alone in the conference room, you could occasionally feel Hotch glancing over at you, but you were determined to keep your focus on the task at hand. This wasn’t like him to keep somewhat distracted while at work. Then again, he was never one to really show any kind of interest outside of work either. Something had changed, but you weren’t what it was yet.

Half an hour later and Spencer and Rossi arrived. “Well, doesn’t this look cozy,” Rossi said as he pushed into the conference room, the doctor following right after.

You didn’t bother in acknowledging his snide comment as you continued to focus on the photos spread out before you on the board. Perotta had brought the maps Hotch had requested and Spencer immediately grabbed his red marker and began his geographical profile.

“All three victims were taken outside of very public places,” Spencer said, gaining the attention of the team. “Mason from outside a church she visited weekly, Rayna from a parking lot across from a major shopping center, and Lisa from outside the public library. Whoever the unsub is, he’s not afraid to take risks in the abduction.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” you asked, glancing around at your colleagues.

“It can be either,” said Reid, tucking his hands into his pockets. “However, considering that no witnesses have come forward, he must be using a rather convincing ruse.”

“Or he’s threatening them with a weapon,” Hotch added. Spencer nodded in agreement.

“Something else isn’t sitting well with me,” you revealed. “This method of killing...it seems like you would need to practice it before, right? Maybe not the wax on the body, but at least using it as a method of asphyxiation.”

“You think he’s done it before?” Rossi inquired.

“It’s a possibility,” you said. Hotch nodded and hit the call button on the phone.

“Speak and be heard!” Garcia said.

“Garcia, I need to know if there have been any other murders in the past that resemble the unsub’s method,” Hotch said.

“As in just the wax in the throat or the whole enchilada?” she asked, causing Rossi to smile.

“I think we would have noticed the rest of the ritual, so focus on just the method of killing,” you added.

“I will dig and dig until I can dig no longer. Hit you back!” Garcia said as she hung up.

As everyone got back to work, you got up to get yourself some much-needed caffeine. As you waited for it to brew, you tapped the pen in your hand against the countertop, trying to organize your thoughts. There had to be more to the killings instead of just replicating a piece of art. The woman in the painting had no discernible features so he wasn’t trying to get her exactly right. There had to be another reason for picking three different women from three different places. The mystery was gnawing at the back of your brain.

“You look like you’re overthinking.” You turned to see Perotta leaning in the doorway of the break room.

“Just thinking, actually,” you said, grabbing a cup and pouring your coffee. “There are just a lot of things that are bothering me about this one.”

“Don’t all of them bother you?” he asked with a slight chuckle. You shrugged.

“Unfortunately, you get used to it,” you said, moving past him. Perotta kept close to you.

“Have you always been in the BAU, Agent (Y/L/N)?” he asked, halting you in your step with a hand on your arm. You took a step back, letting his arm slide off of yours.

“No, I used to be a part of an anti-terrorism task force for a while before I transferred,” you explained. Perotta nodded thoughtfully.

“Wanted to get less action?” he asked, with a half-smile.

“More, actually,” Hotch said as he interrupted the two of you. Perotta turned to your boss and you saw him swallow thickly as Aaron Hotchner stared him down.

“Huh, who would’ve thought,” Perotta said, glancing back at you, but you kept your arms close to you and didn’t bother smiling back.

“The others are back,” Hotch said, pulling your attention. You nodded and turned away from Perotta. Hotch followed you back to the crowded conference room. He walked behind you, keeping a hand on the small of your back.

“Thank you,” you whispered to him, acknowledging his perfect timing.

“You’re welcome,” he murmured to you as he held open the door and waited for you to walk through before following afterward, letting his hand fall away. As you joined the rest of the team, you instantly knew something was up. Based on JJ’s concerned face, it wasn’t good.

“What happened?” you asked, taking your seat between Morgan and Hotch.

“The unsub has taken another woman,” Spencer revealed.

“Already?” you asked, surprised. “Lisa wasn’t even missing two days. The others were taken a week apart.”

“He’s increasing his abduction time,” Rossi said, flicking through the file.

“Most likely because he thinks he’s running out of time to perfect his replication of the original painting,” Reid said, twirling a pen around in his slender hands. “Though, I am still not sure what connects all the victims together.”

“I may have an answer for you, Doctor,” Garcia’s voice lit up the room from the phone in the center of the round table.

“What did you find out, Mama?” Derek asked.

“Well, honey, I have unearthed something rather interesting. All three of the victims were what you would call art connoisseurs. They all belonged to the same club that focused on fundraising for the arts and preserving historical pieces.”

“Garcia, is the membership for this club exclusive?” Spencer asked.

“Not at all. In fact, the list of members and donators are both available on the club’s website.”

“Considering he didn’t abduct them from their homes, he has to be getting their routines elsewhere,” you said.

“Do we have any information on the newest victim?” Prentiss asked.

“Her name is Allison Wilson, she’s twenty-four-years old from Port Angeles, and she was taken outside of her gym,” said Garcia.

“Another public place,” Rossi realized. “In the middle of the day too while cops are out in higher numbers. And we thought he was being bold before.”

“Was Allison a part of this art club, too?” Hotch asked.

“Yes,” Garcia confirmed. “A newer member from the looks of it as she just moved to the area.”

“Okay, well if they’re not getting their addresses from the site, then the unsub knows when and where they’ll be,” Prentiss said with a sigh. “Garcia do we have any idea how he’s getting their information?”

“Not yet, but I am working on it,” Penelope said. “I will hit you back once I figure it out,” Garcia said in goodbye and there was a collective sigh within the group.

“Okay,” Hotch said, “I think we have enough to deliver the profile.”

------

Once Perotta had wrangled his officers, your team presented the profile.

“We’re looking for a white male in his early thirties,” Hotch began, pulling the whole room’s attention.

“We believe he has created a scenario in his mind based on a single work of art in which he sees himself as a sort of reaper type character,” Emily added.

“He is posing his victims in the same way as the woman depicted in the Italian painting. “Manto di cera” or “Shroud of Wax”,” Spence continued.

“The painting is set to be on full display at the Seattle Art Museum later this week,” you said, stepping forward. “We believe that the final victim he abducted, Allison Wilson, is going to be his final piece of art.”

“So, what was the point of the other three women?” An officer asked.

“Mason, Rayna, and Lisa can be considered his trial runs. All of it in order to perfect his masterpiece,” Rossi said.

“He is an unhinged individual and will not hesitate to do whatever it takes to make sure he gets what he wants,” Derek said. “You should consider him armed, dangerous, and not afraid to die by suicide or suicide by cop.”

“This unsub thinks of these women as less than human so there is a good chance that he has a negative history with one,” JJ added, “maybe a girlfriend or even his mother.”

“Whoever this man is, he is connected to the art community here in Seattle,” Hotch said, finishing up. “We’ve set up a tip line, but we are going to have to rely on his previous victims to locate him and Allison Wilson. Thank you.” Perotta then dispersed his officers and everyone got to work on trying to track down the unsub.

“(Y/N) was right, this guy has to have priors,” Morgan said once you and the rest of the team returned to the conference room. “There is no way that he just woke up one day and decided to kill. Not like this.”

“We should look for any non-lethal incidents,” Reid said, “he may have tried to strangle someone first.”

“I’ll get Garcia on it,” Hotch said as he hit the call button.

“Ready when you are,” Garcia answered.

“Garcia, I need you to look for any past police reports where female victims were strangled or suffocated. Not just crimes that seem similar to the wax," Hotch said, reading through the file again.

You watched as his brows pulled together and all you wanted to do was to reach out and smooth down the crease that had formed. You knew stress was all a part of the job, especially when it came to Aaron. He never got a break and when cases arose like this one where there were more questions than answers, it took its toll.

At that moment, you wished for a Hail Mary. You wanted to save Allison, of course, but a simple answer or even just a bit of good news would lessen the weight on Aaron's shoulders.

As if feeling your eyes on him, Hotch looked up. Your (Y/E/C) eyes met his dark ones and for a moment, it felt like you were the only two people in the room. His eyes glanced down your face for a fraction of a second before he looked away. You didn't even realize Penelope was speaking again.

"Okay, I've been running searches for both kinds of crimes that correlate with the profile, but so far, I got zilch," Garcia said.

"Great," JJ groaned, "another dead end."

“However, fear not, my friends, as I do have something else," added Garcia.

“You figured out where the wax came from?” Reid asked. You looked at him, unaware he had even asked her to look into that in the first place. You also realized that it was something you should have thought of yourself. Your frown didn’t go unnoticed by Morgan who lightly kicked your foot under the table. You nodded to him, assuring him you were alright.

“Not exactly,” Garcia said. “The wax itself is pretty generic. You can get it from multiple different suppliers, but the pigment used in it to make that blood-red color is not sold by the companies. It is an oxidized clay that is regulated and sold from a local artist and I have just sent his name and address to you...now!”

“Morgan, Prentiss,” Hotch addressed, “go pick up the owner and bring him back. JJ, Dave, get in touch with Allison Wilson’s family. Reid, (Y/L/N), keep working on trying to figure out how the unsub is finding his victims from the club.”

“What are you going to do?” Spencer asked.

“I’m going to call and get a warrant for the owners of the charity club,” Hotch said as he stood and exited the room, followed closely by the others.

You and Spencer sat in silence for a few minutes before he swiveled his chair in your direction. "Is there something going on with you?" Reid asked, peering at you over the knee he had propped up on his chair.

“What do you mean?” you asked, furrowing your brow.

“I don’t know, something just seems...different about you,” said Reid as he stared at you with that signature confused look of his.

“Don’t profile me, Spencer,” you said, leaning back in your chair.

“I’m not!” he said, “but I am your friend and I can tell there is something up.” You turned back towards, sighing. Spencer never missed anything.

“Hotch is keeping me under evaluation this case,” you said and he immediately understood.

“I know,” said Reid, “I had to do the same after getting shot. Emily had to do it too.”

“I feel like every move I make… I feel as if I am under a microscope.”

“It’s procedure, (Y/N). Look on the bright side, at least Strauss isn’t doing the evaluation,” Spencer said, trying to lighten the mood. That got you to smile and Reid brightened. “See, I knew I could make you do that,” he said, twirling his finger in front of your face. You playfully swatted his hand away.

“Thanks, Reid.”

“Anytime,” he said with a wink and got up to go stare at the board once again.

Looking out at the precinct through the glass walls, you could see Hotch in the Captain’s office. He paced while speaking on the phone. Spencer’s words resonated in your mind as you watched your boss. At first, you thought that maybe he had chosen to take on the responsibility of your evaluation to be closer to you, but now you weren’t so sure. What if it was just procedure after all and you were only reading into it? It wouldn’t be the first time that you read signals wrong. For being a profiler, when it came to your own love life, you could be pretty clueless.

Eventually, Hotch rejoined you and Reid. “Did you get the warrant?” Reid asked, looking over his shoulder as Hotch took a seat.

“Judge wouldn’t approve it,” Hotch sighed, “said because the website is public domain, anyone could have access and that it wasn’t enough probable cause to warrant a search and seizure.”

“Great,” you said, “so now we just have to hope the clay guy gives us something.”

“Do you think he’s a part of this?” Spencer asked. You shook your head.

“No, but he has to know something. Considering how much wax has been used, and not to mention Rossi believes the unsub had trial runs… He must have bought more pigment than the shop’s usual customers.”

“But why would he even leave a paper trail for something as easy as a red dye? You can practically make it out of anything?” Reid asked.

“Because not everyone is as smart as you, Reid,” you said and he smiled shyly, turning back to the board to start laying out the hunting grounds. You looked at Hotch and he was smiling at you, thankful for you praising the doctor. You quirked a brow in question but he just shook his head, returning to his work. You turned away before the blush that welled in your cheeks became more apparent.

“You guys need anything?” Perotta said as he pushed open the door and leaned in,

“We’re fine for now,” Hotch said, his tone filled with dismissal. Perotta pursed his lips, but nodded and left, letting the door swing shut behind him.

“I don’t like him,” Spencer said quietly, his back still turned to you and Hotch.

“I second that,” you muttered.

“You are both correct,” finished Hotch and Spencer slightly turned to look at you with amusement in your eyes. You couldn’t help the laugh that flew from your throat. Spencer chuckled quietly next to you as you tried to get yourself under control. Hotch watched you, completely enamored by the way your face lit up with a smile as you found him humorous. It was better than any drug he could think of, seeing that smile of yours.

------

It was a little less than an hour later that the others came back with the shop owner.

The man, Terry Owens, looked nervous as Morgan took him into the interrogation room. His demeanor alone as he walked into the station was enough for you to know immediately that this was not your unsub.

As JJ continued speaking with the Wilson family, you went to observe the interrogation. Spencer and Emily were going over new evidence while you stood next to Hotch on the other side of the two-way mirror. Morgan and Rossi entered the room, taking a seat across from Owens.

You watched closely as they asked their questions. You could tell that both Morgan and Rossi made the man nervous. He would flinch slightly any time Morgan raised his voice or Rossi shifted in his seat. You and Hotch didn’t say anything as you observed, but the closeness to him was tugging at your mind as you tried to stay focused.

You weren’t focusing on what your team members were asking the man, but rather how he responded to each question. Owens was sweating even though they chilled the room for him. He began slurring his words as he struggled to find answers for each inquiry thrown at him. When Rossi presented Owens with the crime scene photos, the shop owner nearly turned green. Pushing up his sleeves, he took slow breaths, trying to calm down. That is when you noticed the burn marks on his skin.

They were slight and faded, but from your time with anti-terrorism, you knew the signs of torture immediately. You turned to your boss. “Hotch, I think I know what’s going on,” you said.

“You saw something?” he asked softly.

“I think he’s been tortured by the unsub,” you explained. Hotch turned his attention back to the interrogation room for a moment before nodding at you. Sweeping past him, you entered the room. Morgan and Rossi looked at you and then got up and stood back, giving you room to work. “Hi, Terry,” you greeted with a warm smile. “I’m SSA (Y/L/N) and I think I know what happened to you.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked nervously.

“The marks on your arms,” you said, gesturing to the exposed skin. He looked down and his eyes closed as his jaw went rigid. “Terry, look at me.” He did. “Those burns are from hot wax, right?” Owens nodded. “He hurt you to get you to not talk to anyone. He poured the wax on you to make sure you knew that if you talked, you would end up like the women he was killing.”

“I didn’t know he was going to kill them,” Owens said. “Please, I just thought he was into something weird, you know? Like a fetish or some kind of performance art. I’ve seen things like that before. I never imagined…” he trailed off, his hands shaking. You reached out and placed your hands over his.

“You’re okay,” you promised him. “Terry, nobody is going to hurt you again. He is not going to be able to get to you anymore, but I need his name. He has another woman with him now. Her name is Allison and she’s only twenty-four-years old. She has a little sister named Cailey and a mom and dad who are worried sick about her. If we don’t find her, she’s going to end up like these women too.” You placed the other three photos before him again. “They didn’t deserve to die like this and neither does Allison Wilson.”

Owens met your eyes, nearly pleading. “I don’t know his name,” he said. “He always paid in cash and he threatened me anytime I asked any personal questions.”

“Is there anything you can tell me about him? The smallest thing can make a difference.” Owens thought for a moment before he straightened up.

“I once heard him on the phone,” he said. “I was preparing his new order and someone called him. He was talking to them on speaker and they didn’t say a name, but they called him by a nickname.”

“What was it?” you asked.

“Galahad,” Owens said.

“Like the Knights of the Roundtable?” you asked, turning over your shoulder to look at Morgan and Rossi, confused. Morgan, however, was shaking his head.

“That’s what Lisa Bracken’s neighbor called the delivery guy that delivered Lisa’s artwork,” Morgan said before he and Rossi were moving out the door. You turned back to Owens.

“You did great, Terry,” you said. “We’re gonna get him.” You didn’t wait for his response as you followed Morgan and Rossi back into the conference room.

“Hey, baby girl,” Morgan was already saying as you pushed through the door.

“Got something for me?” Garcia asked on the other line.

“The unsub is a delivery guy that delivers specialty art pieces. He works for Ground Express,” Morgan said.

“Okay that is a pretty big company, honey, you’re gonna have to give me a little bit more than that,” Penelope said.

“Garcia, look for drivers that are specifically assigned to the dumping zones. He may be dumping their bodies during a route,” Spencer said.

“Okay, one second…” she said as her hands flew over her keyboard. “Okay, I have four men that work that specific route. Two of them are way too young, the third is African American…” she paused for a second. “And the fourth fits our profile perfectly.”

“Garcia, I need a name,” you said.

“Alan Rhett,” Garcia announced. “He owned an apartment downtown but was evicted two months ago and now he rents a loft space in Belltown. Oh,” she said.

“What is it?” asked Rossi.

“He uses his own truck for deliveries and he hasn’t been to work in a few days.”

“Garcia, send us the address,” Hotch ordered.

“Already did,” she said. “Be safe, my friends, and go get him.”

“Will do, Mama,” Morgan said as he ended the call.

“Gear up,” Hotch said, “We’ll leave in five.” The team dispersed immediately. As you headed for the lockers to grab your vest, a phantom pain echoed through your injury site, but you took a deep breath and tried to center yourself. You were ready for the field, you had to be. Shutting out the echos of gunfire in your mind, you secured your sidearm and went to gear up. You weren’t going to let him kill another woman, not if you could help it.

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