#i got one person who was like oh hes the antagonist from the first ace attorney

[musashi]

i literally love irl foreshadowing so much but the white haired anime boy uquiz honestly takes the fucking cake it is by far the funniest thing that has ever fucking happened to me

[wordy-little-witch]

Nonbinary Buggy Hours lezzgo

• Fairly early on, Buggy got the whole "I don't fit in" vibe but chalked it up to Being On A Crew Of Monsters. It's only after Oden and later Toki join that things begin piecing together - I'm dropping some cultural blending here but Wano for whatever reason has WILD mixed bag energy as far as folk tales go. Roger has some flavor of UK Energy, Rayleigh has old English vibes, etc etc. Buggy and Shanks got old seamen's tales as bedtime stories, shanties as lullabies, but the crew also would share children's stories and folk tales from THEIR youths as well. Some of them had mystical aspects as well and there were some fun stories with the fair folk or spirits and shape-shifting. Buggy loved those the most.

• Toki joining the crew led to some quick acclimation, but Buggy was hesitant - she was New and Unknown and so a Danger. But Toki was just.... so sweet about it all. Buggy went from I Don't Trust You At All to That's My Auntie within maybe a month. Complete night and day.

• Bugs' First Forray Into Makeup was via Toki. They do silly Self Care Evenings and include the babies and Oden is SO SMITTEN and Roger is DYING for a camera. ((Shanks is dying for other reasons, much to nearly everyone's amusement, poor kid)).

• Buggy's first instance of being Not A Boy was a result of a silly trick/prank done by the crew on Fishman Island. Some really fancy restaurant had a Mermaids Eat Free event going on so they decide to dress the kids up as mermaids - Shanks is down for the funnies, and is laughing and bright eyed and finding humor in it. Buggy is prickly and snarky and sassy the whole time until he saw himself in the mirror. He went... alarmingly quiet.

- Buggy was frankly stunned because the mer-species they went with was a clownfish, something he was absolutely LIVID about, but the orange complemented his skin and hair so beautifully. The orange, white and black hair pin holding his hair was a wonderful pop of color. The black eye liner made his eyes pop, the bronze-peach lip gloss was stunning and....

They felt so wonderful. So beautiful. So Free.

• Buggy wears orange a lot after that.

• when Buggy hesitantly asks Rayleigh and Roger if genders can be different in real life, Rayleigh is confused, Roger cackles- Buggy's scared for a moment until Roger point blank says "oh, it can be whatever you want it to, baby blue! We're pirates - who cares for allowance?" Then the captain gives that smile, the soft one, the one only those deemed His got to see, the one that peeled back layers of a person and saw to their cores, and asks, "Is there something you want to tell us, squirt?"

"I'm... not a boy."

"Okay. Are you a girl, then?"

"I don't think so."

"Alright! Ye' still want to go by Buggy?"

"Mmhmm."

"Alrighty then! You just let me know if anything comes up that you want to tell me, alright, baby bug?"

"Okay. Thanks, Captain!"

• yes, when Buggy leaves, Roger wails. Yes, Rayleigh gives a long suffering sigh and pays his back. And yes, Roger is crying hecausr that happy smile of Buggy's was simply "too cute, my heart! It's melting!! I'm a pirate puddle!!!"

• Buggy, with the room to experiment safely and explore, finally settles on nonbinary, neither gender really all that interesting, but pronouns don't matter either. Presentation is all about Presentation (<MegaMind Voice)

• Shanks calls Buggy his Clown Wife and Buggy refuses to admit to blushing every time it happens. He also drops lines like "I miss my clown wife" while sipping a bottle of rum and staring forlorn at the sea.

• Shanks also has The Range and will unashamedly be like "I don't understand people who say their wife is a bitch and they hate them.... my wife is a bitch and I like him SO MUCH!!!!"

• Luffy and Buggy: Enby to enby communication. Autism to autism antagonist.

• Buggy's crew BTW knows that their captain is simply Their Captain, pronouns your/majesty (/j), and nobody cares beyond the mild worry that a femme presenting Buggy will accidentally seduce another high ranked naval officer because somehow that ALWAYS HAPPENS. And the Navy is the MILDER concern. They're so stressed.

• lowkey considered clowncore meets punk bc I feel like Buggy would be. Scrumptious. Like that. Colors and patterns and leather and lace and studs and smiles and just - hhhhhhhh niche interest leave me aloooone-

• speaking of niche, I really love the idea of the Buggy pirates all having a passing knowledge of both circus acts and management, leading to random bouts of.... really smart insight. Like. Some outsider or newcomer is like "damn this right here is a Problem" and some average joe lookin ass in harlequin diamond patterned tights somersaults over, drops a nugget of wisdom and fucking absconds. Let The Circus Bastards Be Weird, I Love Them They Deserve It.

• also the crew drinks Respect Women Juice no I don't make the rules but I DO enforce them. They drink Respect Everyone Juice but women are simply the biggest of the recipients of the regard. Sex, color, religion, abled-ness, gender, sexuality - none of that matters. Everyone us equal. The buggy pirates support equal rights and equals lefts.

• Crocodile and Mihawk did NOT receive the memo at the beginning which led to some very wild miscommunications but it was resolved when it was revealed that Mihawk is just Like That To Everyone and Crocodile didn't even realize Kimi-san from the marketing department was a girl when he went off on her. Mihawk, when asked about his treatment of others, just owl blinked and made a vaguely threatening comment on how women, men, he didn't care, they all get cut the same. Crocodile just took a puff of his cigar with a monumental 'what the fuck' face. "I would say the same things to a man, a person, a woman, both, neither, I literally could not be paid to care about someone's crotch configuration or identity what the hell."

• Buggy wears a dress for the first time in Cross Guild's creation, and Crocodile breaks a fountain pen while Mihawk carefully sets his wine glass down hopes nobody notices the hairline fractures. Buggy is oblivious, as they tend to be.

• after some awkward half assed roundabout questioning, Mihawk and Crocodile just..... casually drop some dresses into Buggy's care or room, wordless and embarrassed but also lowkey threatening. Buggy is terrified until he realizes that some math isn't mathing and just asks. He's pretty decent at reading between the lines (#weaponizing-the-anxiety), and the first conclusion is wayyyyy off but the second conclusion causes clown.exe to crash HARD, to Alvida's delight and Galdino's suffering, but at least the nail polish is dry and the wine is good.

• it becomes a bit of a THING once the polycule is running, a subtle display of possessiveness. Collars don't really Work on Buggy, though he lowkey wishes they did, so this is a very good followup alternative

• Crocodile really likes putting Buggy in coordinated colors with his outfit or crisscross patterns both because Possessive and Claim but also because Buggy looks mouthwatering in it. Mihawk has much the same response for deep jewel tones, black and lace. Buggy adores the attention and the heated gazes, the little minx.

• there's precious little that really irks Buggy all in all, and she really does play the "am I man,am I a woman? No I'm a PYROMANIAC BURN BABY BURNNN-" card very well, good for them.

Incorrect quotes time

Alvida: as the crew's lady-

Buggy: hAH-

Alvida: I said lady, Buggy, ladies have CLASS, smth you LACK-

Buggy: oh okay fair carry on.

<><><><>

Boa: why are you not STONE?!

Buggy: I mean... you're cute but I really don't do girls, miss ma'am.

Boa: what

Buggy: also any aesthetic appreciation is drowned by the gender envy

Boa: wHaT?

<><><><><>

Buggy: I'm gay

Mohji: oh em gee what a shocker

Buggy: >:o0 rude!!!!!

Mohji: how is that rude, it's an astute observation-!!!!

<><><><><>

Rando: what are you

Buggy: I'm captain Buggy

Rano: no, what are you

Buggy: oh uh the flashy fool, genius jester, Buggy the Clown-

Rando: ugh, no, I mean what's in your pants!!

Buggy: Ohhh! Knives.

Rando: wha- OHGOD-!

Buggy, now holding bloodied knives: :3 teehee

<><><><><><>

Mihawk: stop calling me transphobic, I just told you to brush your teeth before I kissed you.

Crocodile, incredibly, blackout, shitfaced drunk: sad reptile sounds

Buggy, across the room, removing her makeup: I dunno, Hawky, sounds pretty transphobic to me~

Mihawk: I'm going to kill everyone in this room and then myself.

<><><><><><>

Buggy: I identify as a THREAT.

Croc, patting his lap without looking up, settling his hook around Buggy's waist when he settles on his lap obediently, smirks: a threat to my peace, absolutely.

<><><><><><>

Buggy: sometimes I wish I was a big tittied goth girlfriend, you know?

Mihawk, holding the remains of his garden sheers that he just crushed bare handed: do you ever think before you speak

Buggy: no why

<><><><><><>

Iva: you want me to what

Buggy: put the gender juice in the jars so I can take em like shots.

Iva:

Buggy:

Iva: genius idea, darling, I like your style

<><><><><><><>

Rouge: Buggy, sweetie, quick question.

Buggy: what's up, mama?

Rouge, hand on her swollen belly: do you wanna be Buggy-nii, Buggy-nee, or something else?

Buggy:

Rouge:

Buggy:

Rouge: oh don't cry-

[vastunknownsea]

how I actually think (Mech Cadets) season two will go

keep in mind I have not read the comics at all.

Okay, so I’m going to assume we’re following three characters specifically—

Ava, Stanford, and Olivia.

Now, Ava’s gonna be a wildcard for season 2. The writers either have some elaborate conspiracy for her to uncover or nothing at all for her. I’m thinking she ends up transitioning to a different base, and getting an internship there instead of sticking around sky corps. Now the only base I can think of her ending up in is General Felix’s. General Felix is a character mentioned in the phone call of Dr. Miller (the scientist who died in episodes 3/4) She’s the one who gives him the order to go against General Park’s orders of killing the sharg eggs. According to the phone call, she seems to be interested in weaponizing shargs and their dna or whatever.

Now, I don’t know what this really means, but a part of me is doubting it’s anything good. And if anyone can uncover the secrets of a shady General, it’s Ava ‘doesn’t know what an L is’ Patel.

I also think we’re meeting the rest of the ‘First Five’ that is mentioned in the concept art for mech cadets. Tanaka is the ace pilot of the first five.

Now, Stan and the gang. I… honestly don’t know what their plan is to find Olivia. Maybe Buddy’s teleporting powers play a big part in it, I’m not sure. They seem a bit too confident that they can find Olivia… who got lost in space… which is like… infinite.

Olivia went offline the moment she disappeared through the black hole, so I’m doubting they have any means of tracking her. Why General Park, a freaking General who has to deal with a military base or whatever, left to go find her? Idk, maybe he left sky corps and all the other damage dealt by the shargs under Sargent Sanchie’s care or something.

anyway, it’s more likely than not that they’ll just bulldoze through space until they find a single clue as to where Olivia might be. Who, mind you, COULD BE DEAD. Just saying. I know she’s not but geez you guys, what on earth has she endured to make you think ‘yeah she def survived that’???

They’ll eventually find out whatever planet or whatever dimension she’s in, but then the rest of the search will involve them trying to find out where exactly she is in this new world. I’m sure there will be plenty of problems and mishaps along the way, if General Park being there means anything. Stanford will probably struggle with the guilt of the choice he had to ‘close the black hole or not.’ This will inevitably create some tension between him and Park. Tanaka and Park will also have their own problems with each other, I’m sure. Maybe, maybe not. Veritas is bound to be brought up again, tho, am I right?

I am not sure if they will actually find her within season 2. Assuming season 2 will have 10 episodes like season one, we have three episodes of run time to give each perspective, then one last one to wrap it all up. I honestly kind of doubt they’ll find her within this amount of time. Sure, time skips can and probably will happen, but I feel like they wouldn’t. Maybe at the very end, like at the end of episode 10 they’ll be like, “oh jeepers gang I think we might actually know where Olivia is at” and then roll credits.

Now, Olivia. There is so many possibilities as to who the person in the void was. Let’s call them ‘Silhouette’ because that’s literally all they are right now. Is it human? A robo? And if it’s a robo, are they friendly or not? Will they bond with Olivia? What about Hero Force? Bro just protected Olivia from dying in the black hole, refused to elaborate further and freaking evaporated. W hero force fr.

Silhouette is also a wildcard. They can be friendly. Straight up antagonistic. A mixture of both, where they try to trick Olivia into thinking they’re an ‘ally’ and then go SIKE. I’m guessing Olivia will end up sticking around this person/alien/robo/SHARG?!?!(whether willingly or not), until her inevitable escape or departure, being forced to survive in this strange world alone. (What the hell she gonna eat?? Shargs???)

now, I’m just going to put it out there and say that I think Olivia ended up wherever the Robos are from. I’m betting a lot of y’all are thinking the same. Who knows, maybe it’s not just where the Robos are from, but the Shargs too. And Robos sort of lose memory of where they’re from, because otherwise, humans would’ve already discovered the place that Robos are from, right?

who knows, maybe Silhouette is a long lost pilot who discovered where the Robos resided and either stuck around or got trapped there, either by circumstance or by the Robos themselves. And before anyone says anything, no, I do not think it’s Charlie (Olivia’s mom). My girl has a whole grave. Unless they buried an empty box, idk how that could be Charlie.

Anyway, I doubt that Olivia will have an easy time, whatever Silhouette’s intentions may be. Doubting this world she ended up in is ‘human friendly’ and I’m sure hoping it’s not. Give me the trauma. She’ll probably uncover not only the origins of the Shargs themselves, but also figure out the real reason the Robos went out of their way to ‘save humanity’.

Does anyone else find it just a little suspicious that an alien race is compatible and are able to bond on such a high psychological level with HUMANS of all things? Like that’s hella sus. I have no doubt this is one of the reasons that General Park justifies his murder of Veritas— he’s highly suspicious of Robos as a whole. Meanwhile, everyone else are ‘robo loyalists’ as he put it.

But by no means am I suggesting that Buddy and the other Robos are secretly evil. Just that they are pawns in a much larger game played by the creators of the robos themselves.

And shargs are hella smart for some reason. And have wings. Which isn’t terrifying at all.

ooooh maybe we’ll get some bonding between the sharg queen and Olivia 🥰🥰🥰 after all, if Liv survived that, surely did the queen as well, right? (Aka Olivia gets the mother she never asked for nor wanted)

now, to bonus stuff:

We’re getting new characters, obviously. Javi, Maya’s little brother, has to be one of them. But, I don’t think Maya will be around to see him join Sky Corps or whatever base he’ll end up in. Maybe he’ll join in Ava’s ‘taking down shady goofs in power’ plot. I think (hope) we’ll see more Adam Williams, Chief Max and even Chief Clark. I’m definitely hoping we see General Felix. I literally know nothing about her other than her interest in weaponizing shargs, but the mere idea of her has me hella hyped. Maybe she’s one of the ‘first five’ I mentioned earlier.

Hoping we expand the background cast and see more pilots, such as Claire Olivetti and the pilot of Veritas, Valle. I mean, can you imagine an interaction between him and Ava? She’ll be like, ‘yeah bro your General betrayed you and killed your robo’ and he’ll be like ‘damn.’ And, if we see him, we’ll see the real effects of being torn away from your robo like that. Hoping we get to see more of Max’s past too, since she also had a robo who died. (Mariposa)

And flashbacks. Idk if it will be like the 2d ones from seasons 1 or not, but the concept art shows a 3d model of a younger Tanaka so…. Anyway, we’ll probably get Charlie flashbacks, First Sharg War flashbacks (aka teenage Tanaka, Gen. Park and Charlie getting traumatized), and younger Stanford and/or Olivia.

Desperate for more skatergirl2000 and Moppington Jr pls 🙏🙏🙏

[missingmywing]

Okay: here's a few! Emet, ANY of the Foretellers, and Sephiroth.

Okay, take my essays on each of them XD

Emet, Foretellers, Sephiroth

First impression

Emet: Well I was a bit biased from the beginning because I had a pair of certain someones talking him up and blowing him air kisses, but even without that I adored him instantly. He’s was and is my favorite type of character - insanely complex and hiding it behind snarky over dramatic dramatic bastard. His entire scene with Varis was just me cackling gleefully because “holy shit he’s so fun”. Very Ardyn vibes, but with a much better written ending.

Aced: Okay you said any so you get all the Foretellers. My initial impression of Aced? “Oh he’s an ass, I hate him. Talk about an inflated ego and bad attitude.” KHX/UX did not give him any brownie points. Aaaand then Back Cover came out. But he had a very bad first impression and was the character I definitely considered to be the main antagonist of KHX/Chi.

Gula: I loved him. I didn’t trust him, but I loved him. Snarky sneaky catboi my beloved. He was doing his best, but I could already see that he was too smart for his own good and that it would get him in trouble (and I was right). But the sneaky ones running rings around everyone else to pull their strings are my favorite characters, so Gula had my heart almost immediately.

Invi: “Oh she seems cool, reminds me of Aqua.” And… that’s about it. She’s a lot like Aqua, and X/UX/BC did not change that impression in the least.

Ira: “Oh I’m going to like him, I mean he’s automatically my chosen Foreteller bc of the unicorn that matches Etheria’s lore too well, and he’s the type of stoic serious character I tend to like.” X/UX/BC didn’t really add much to that. There was a little, but not a ton.

Ava: “She’s adorable, and seems sweet. I wonder if she’s going to die or turn evil later.” My opinion didn’t really change much until UX started dropping its bombs, and then I got increasingly concerned about what exactly had happened to her - especially the KH3 epilogue.

Sephiroth: Okay so the thing is. My first FFVII experience was Crisis Core, bc I found it through Kingdom Hearts (technically my first impression was in KH2 but that was just WHY DID THEY PUT AN IMPOSSIBLE BOSS IN THIS GAME D: so it doesn’t count.) So my first impression of Sephiroth was “oh this is so unfair, he’s being so screwed over. I love him, he’s doing his best to help his friends despite being stuck in an impossible situation.” So he was a really tragic character right off the bat for me, since I didn’t have the impression of him starting out as an enemy in the OG game.

Impression now

Emet: He has remained one of my favorite characters and I still adore him, but I can really appreciate his depth now. Elpis gave me a lot of feelings because we got to see him before he had to endure the tragedy of technically being the only ancient to truly survive the Final Days/Sundering untouched - Lahabrea was half of himself even before that point, and Elidibus was… more of a primal than a person by that point, from what I can tell. So Emet-Selch was the sole remaining whole Ancient for twelve millenia, on top of having to deal with the world being reset back to the pre-stone age era. He’s tragic, and one of the most relatable and emotional characters in the whole game despite his attempts at convincing everyone that he has a solid arm’s length of distance between himself and the world at large. He absolutely does not, he’s just a tsundere. I can understand why did what he did - from the beginning to the end, I definitely understand his perspective

Aced: He’s probably my favorite now, thanks to Back Cover and the character analyses I’ve done on him. Because oh. look. he’s just scared and desperate and doing his best to save the world, despite everyone else making fun of him or accusing him of things. (The fact that he’s clearly spent his life as the too-serious one of the group who doesn’t quite get the jokes the others are making about him and just getting upset only to get made fun of more or told to chill out in a relatable way definitely has nothing to do with that. Definitely not.) His relationship with my main Keykid is honestly fascinating to me, because they kind of hate each other and it’s on sight, but that’s because they consider each other a threat to the world/her health, and they highly respect each other’s perspectives/intentions. They just don’t trust each other and would sooner stab each other than compromise to work together at the time of the Keyblade War.

Gula: Look he did his best and I will stand by that. He was a an idiot who got himself in over his head by his own designs, but he’s self aware enough to know and acknowledge that in canon to our Keykid, and he feels incredibly guilty about it. I’m excited to see where they’re going with him in future games and how he’ll grow, as well as what’s going to happen with Ava because he’s clearly worried about her.

Invi: My initial impression of "she's basically Aqua" has not changed, except Aqua has had character growth and Invi is still… “I believe in MoM, and believe he has the best of intentions and will do all I can to uphold his teachings.” Maybe (hopefully!) that’ll change in KH4 and beyond, but as of the end of X/UX my impression of her hasn’t changed.

Ira: I - Look. He’s still my chosen Foreteller, I’ve never switched from Unicornis, and Etheria still respects him, but. He’s… honestly kind of boring? His “rivalry” with Aced is the most characterization he gets, and while he does save our ass and acknowledges us, he’s more distant than anyone but Invi. I’m hoping we get more characterization for him because right now my impression is “*Shrug.* He’s there. I respect his attempts but they failed and he didn’t make me sympathize with him.”

Ava: I. I have so many questions. I’m so torn. I like her a lot, she’s sweet, but man oh man I don’t trust anything about her situation. While I don’t think she’s turned evil, I do think she’s become extremely complicated and whatever is going on with her is going to be a twist of some sort. My current theory is that she’s somehow tied to Namine. Not sure how, but questions and convenient hints are beginning to line up between them somehow.

Sephiroth: His dedication to chasing Cloud across the whole universe and every single game he’s in and now TIME TRAVEL LIKE THE MANY FICS I’VE READ is hilarious and that’s always going to be his defining feature to me now. I still find him incredibly tragic because his insanity was cultivated and purposeful by Hojo and Jenova, so if the situation in Nibelheim - and Genesis’ own insanity making him be an ass - hadn’t happened as it had, things wouldn’t have snowballed as they did. The whole thing could have been avoided if he’d had proper support and a bit of interference from someone who wasn’t as cut out of the loop as Zack.

Favorite moment

Emet: “Do no squander it, the legacy I leave you.” Honestly all of Elpis was gold and one joy after the next, but that line is what really really stuck with me. His little monologue at the end of Ultima Thule also got to me, the list of places left to visit and then his final “I certainly did.” was just- *chef’s kiss* I also loved him throughout SHB, all his sarcastic drama was amazing and I loved it all. Amaurot tore me apart as was intended. Every time this man smiles That Smile at us I die of pain and joy.

Aced: His moment of vulnerability with Ira in Back Cover was wonderful, and was the moment that made him click for me. His tired resignation, from his posture to his words were “I did my best. I did all I could, and everything I did was to protect the world and stop this war. If I failed then I will accept my end.” AND IF THAT’S NOT A CHARACTER TYPE THAT INSTANTLY WINS MY HEART. One scene made me go from disliking him to taking him on as one of my favorites.

Gula: His scene with the Master, probably, because it - more than anything else - was what set the tone for both Back Cover and the entirety of KHUX. THAT was the moment when it clicked exactly what kind of story this was, and exactly what kind of long game MoM was playing. The complete breakdown of Gula’s role combined with MoM’s sudden personality switch was top tier, and made all of Gula’s actions make complete sense - tragic and stupidly reckless though they were.

Invi: Hmm probably that fight with Aced? She had some good moments there, and they were the most definitive of her character across the whole series so far. Although her scene in the Keyblade War to the Player was pretty good too.

Ira: His scene with Aced in Back Cover was great - his response of “No I’m not going to kill you, we need everyone we can and I still trust you and believe that you were trying to help.” was FANTASTIC and exactly what I love in a character, and validated me for choosing him as my leader. He may be among the least interesting/utilized, but he has his moments.

Ava: Hmmm it’s hard to pick one, but probably either the scene where she gave Brain the book and keyblade or the fountain scene where she was talking to Ephemera. I enjoyed the complexity of the first, and the genuine warmth and sweetness of the second.

Sephiroth: He’s so tragic. Nibelheim could have been avoided so easily if he’d just BEEN GIVEN SUPPORT. AND HIS TWO BEST FRIENDS NOT ABANDONED HIM AND THEN ONE OF THEM SHOWED UP AND CALLED HIM A MONSTER THEN DEMANDED HIS HELP. I like Genesis and his potential but the blame for Nibelheim and everything after is at least 20% on his shoulders. The other 80% is divided between Hojo and Jenova. I love him, I love his potential, and I think his insanity was something cultivated and triggered purposefully and could have been avoided.

Idea for a story

Emet: I have fucking lists. One of my current favorites is either Etheria (my WoL) being trapped back in time and Emet having to vouch for her/work with her, or Elpis!Emet being dragged forward with a couple of others and having to deal with modern Etheirys and just reacting to everything. Otherwise though give me young Solus, show me Emet building up the Garlean empire with Gaius and the others, and what that looked like from the Garlean side.

Foretellers: Combining all of these into one, I want to write an au “nothing goes wrong, the war never breaks out” story series, consisting purely of Daybreak Town shenanigans and the Foretellers dealing with the would-be main Dandelion group causing trouble. Aced says if Ephemera, Skuld, and Etheria break into the tower one more time he’s locking their Keyblades away and trapping them in Agrabah. MoM and Luxu are too busy laughing and enabling them to offer the Foretellers any help. Lauriam and Brain are trying to act as the group brain cells and keep them out of trouble. Poor Strel, Elrena, and Ven have no idea how they got here but they’re stuck within the madness now.

Sephiroth: Time Travel is and will always be my favorite story trope, give me the good old FFVII classic fic of Seph and Cloud travelling back in time to when Cloud was a cadet and both of them just completely dismantling ShinRa.

Unpopular opinion

Emet: Hmmm not sure I’m familiar enough with fandom opinion to give an unpopular one? I know I’ve seen some people say he’s overrated, which I strongly disagree with but can understand for the people who don’t like him. Hmm, probably the closest I can give is that I disagree with the idea that he hates/resents the WoL for not being Azem and didn’t care at all about Garlemald - what he says and what he does are two very different things, and he offered WoL too much support to hate them (and that smile is a story of its own), plus he was beloved in Garlemald and canonically considered a kind and caring leader for a reason (until his son died maybe, but that’s a whole analysis of its own).

Aced: He’s not an idiot, he doesn’t try to kill our Keykid for the lulz, and despite what he says in UX I don’t actually think he ever wanted to “rule the world” - he was scared and desperate and trying to save the world from something that he’d been told and convinced was an inevitability so he got angry and frustrated and lashed out. Something he (and the others) was manipulated into by MoM, so… he handle the situation badly - exactly how he was supposed to. Tragically.

Gula: Same with above - he had good reasons for doing what he did, and he was scared and angry and not thinking clearly. It was planned, and he did exactly what he was supposed to. Maybe it was stupid, but given the situation he didn’t believe he had other options.

Invi: Despite what I said above, Invi is not a blind follower. She makes comments that perhaps MoM wasn’t correct, or wasn’t the right path. Her faith in him wasn’t blind - it was a choice, one she thought through and acknowledged. It’s very possible that she’ll set aside that faith when she learns the whole story.

Ira: The same as above, though I haven’t really seen much fandom opinion on him. He… really doesn’t have much.

Ava: I don’t think she’s evil, but neither do I think she’s a pure cinnamon role who can do no wrong. She made mistakes as well, she had her moments of panic (see the fight with Luxu triggering the Keyblade War) and the jury’s out on how her switch of the BoP and Master’s Defender will play out - we still don’t know if that was planned as well (probably) or if she managed to pull one over on MoM. I don’t think she’ll turn out to be evil and malicious, though. She has the best intentions, I think - but then so do the others.

Sephiroth: He hasn’t been an irredeemable madman his whole life, and what happened at Nibelheim wasn’t some inevitable end for him. I don’t know if he can be pulled back at this point - as of ACC and who even knows what’s going on with Remake/Rebirth - but he wasn’t always a madman just waiting for the moment to snap.

Favorite relationship

Emet: Hythlodaeus and Azem for sure, but his relationship with various WoLs is always fascinating, and I really want to see how he interacts with the rest of the Convocation more. I also think it would have been interesting to see his relationship with his family in Garlemald, before Lucius died and everything started falling apart.

Aced: Probably his relationship with Ira - it’s so nuanced. There’s respect and resentment in equal measure, and that’s always fun to play around with. Second is with the Player because complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Gula: Hmm probably Ava? Either that or the Keykids, bc he has some very interesting dynamic moments with the Player.

Invi: I have to say MoM? We don’t see her a lot, but that’s the relationship that has the most potential to be interesting.

Ira: Aced, for the same as above. Aced is the only one who can get him riled up, so it’s interesting to see them bounce off of each other.

Ava: Either Ephemera or Brain, because there’s so much there. I’m actually going to have to say Brain? Because there’s a story there that we don’t know, especially how much she trusts him and how he seems reserved about trusting her. Ephemera trusts her more than Brain, and I want to know why Brain is so important and how they know each other. There’s nuance and complication there, much more so than Ava and Ephemera.

Sephiroth: Cloud. We’ve established that I like complicated relationships, and you can’t get much more complicated than this. There’s so much there, whether in canon or what-if aus, and it’s always fascinating to analyze and explore.

Favorite headcanon

Emet: WoL is not the first time in which Emet has taken a major role in the life of Azem’s shard - they’ve been at the center of every major conflict in history in one form or another, and Emet is very used to both fighting against them and alongside them. My WoL’s previous life was actually as a half-Dalmascan Garlean assassin who helped create Garlemald’s alchemist division during the very early days of Solus building his reign, and was his (secret) lover for a time - until she found out just a little too much about the Ascians and he killed her before she could become a threat (and she would have). There have been multiple times throughout history that he’s sought a shard out, though it always ends with them enemies and he’s never given any of them Azem’s crystal.

Aced: He loves his Union, and is really protective of his kids (unless Player is one of them. In which case oops). He bluffs and blusters loudly, but he’s a softy if you trick him into admitting it, and if an upset kid asks genuinely for help he’ll cave immediately.

Gula: He kind of hates himself for the specific role he plays in the Keyblade War, even once he finds out it was inevitable. His Union is the first to begin falling to darkness and is the most aggressive about the war, and he hates what it's done to them and that he has only himself to blame.

Invi: I… don’t really have any? I think she has a bit of a mischievous streak of her own, she just hides it really well. Make her angry though, and - well, you’ll never be able to prove it.

Ira: His attitude and “uptightness” is a very purposeful thing he projects and cultivates, because he thinks he has to. He was named leader, but even before that he… basically he and Invi the result of gifted child syndrome, and I’m sure MoM encouraged that. He has do be perfect and make the right choice every time, mistakes aren’t allowed. And when he can’t match it… well, he copes the best he can while bottling anything negative up because he can’t afford to think about it now.

Ava: She’s a prankster who’s the most vicious of all for Foretellers, and has very little respect for rules unless she can see a clear reason for them (if it’s not dangerous or potentially hurting anyone then it’s fine to break it). She’s really close to all her Union kids, and is perfectly willing to befriend kids from other Unions.

Sephiroth: He has a strong respect for Wutai’s culture, and believes that ShinRa’s actions were extreme and pointless and is a little resentful over them. He followed orders because… well, they were orders and it wasn’t until Angeal and Genesis deserted that he even realized that leaving was an option (although it really wasn’t, but he could’ve taken anything ShinRa threw at him). So he followed orders and fought, but he did it as cleanly as possible and earned at least some measure of respect from Wutai in turn.

[heliiumm]

nosy? maybe, maybe yes.

pairings: kokonoi hajime and f!reader, mentions of inui and f!reader

no romance, just pure friendship.

you weren't exactly a smart person to begin with. your perfect scores, perfect projects and perfect performance were all due to your perfectionist behavior. you had the talent to recall things easily or in other words, memorizing. school bores you but at least you have something to look forward to throughout the day. your social skills weren't exactly the best leading to you only having two friends who were both boys. one was the school's student council treasurer and the other one was pretty much in juvenile serving whatever sentence he had to serve in that shithole. and today was one of those days in which you and hajime drown yourselves in the knowledge of books. you swear hajime gets almost little to no sunlight at all. his skin's pale and he looks like those antagonists in horror movies for god's sake. sometimes, looking at him gave you the chills. as his only friend who was currently the only one there for him as of now, it was a given that you had to take care of him in the midst of his reckless brainstorming and unhealthy habits. sometimes you think of yourself as a charity work.

you enter his room like it was yours and carefully settled your borrowed books in a table which he specifically bought for you. i mean, it wasn't your fault his place was a place you could study your ass off in. you thank him for his kind gesture though. you grab a few books from your book pile that was related to money and handed them to the sleep-deprived boy. after he says his thanks, you open his window and went downstairs to make yourself a snack. hajime's eyes squint at the sight of sunlight entering his room, avoiding it like it was some kind of plague and tried to close it before remembering you were paying him a visit. he sighs and plops himself into your chair he again specifically bought for you and twirls around to catch himself a break. he closes his eyes and for a moment, he smells the scent of newly cooked bread and hears the sound of your voice saying thanks before closing the door of his home. he assumes you got him mcdonald's and hears your footsteps grow louder and louder until you entered his room with the scent his stomach was craving for. he gives you a tired smile and gestures you to put the paper bag in his desk while you enjoy your hot toast with chocolate as a filling.

"so like when are you getting out of my chair? you have your own." you rest your arms in his head, slowly making yourself heavier until he waivers and goes back to his own. it didn't last long and now he was eating together with you back in his seat while you in yours while chatting away about some issue about a girl giving a blowjob to the school's escort. you and him pop off a few laughs together until you two were finished with your meal and got on to making love with books. he had books plus a computer, just saying.

while it was true that you aced your tests and passed them in flying colors, your behavior did not. and while students who may not know much about you wonder why you are labeled as that, the school does and they are obviously not fine with it.

you are nosy. no not just nosy but really fucking nosy. it was like you knew everyone's problems and issues like a fucking rat sniffing the hell out of everybody in the student body. oh and one time when you were in first year middle school, you noticed your english teacher smelling like versace perfume who never wears perfume. how you knew it was versace? you, seishu and hajime occasionally go to the store and steal the free samples without anybody else knowing. yes, you committed not actually shop lifting if you think about with two other people but who cares and then the perfume you stole coincidentally smelled like your married english teacher whose significant other you've met once before on an unfortunate event smell exactly the opposite. they do not wear perfume and had a very obvious dislike to it. and after a few words of advice from hajime not to meddle in that kind of business, you connected the dots and found out that your english teacher was cheating on their significant other. oh god poor them. you told them immediately because who wouldn't feel aggravated to hold that kind of information to someone who needs to hear it. they got divorced and you got suspended for three days for "stalking" and "invasion of privacy". your teacher resigned out of embarrassment and you never heard of them again. it was all worth the trouble though, you were like the hot topic in the school for at least 4 months but you didn't really pay no mind since who actually cares?

there were more times but it would be lengthy to explain.

you were now on your third book and on your first cup of instant coffee when hajime's phone rings. you direct your attention to his phone and move your chair to pay close attention to the caller. hajime speaks little to no words, just sounds of affirmation. after the call ended, he looks at you in sheer disapointment and aggressively shoos you away. you chuckle at his behavior, "yeah yeah hajime got it dude." he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose like he was some old grandfather and unexpectedly said the things you never thought he would actually say.

"..a break..?" words couldn't explain how fucking flabbergasted you were right now.

"yeah, let's take a break." he reassures.

"no way.." your eyes open wide and jaw dropped straight to the fucking floor.

"go home and get changed. your tests can wait, let's go on a date." he proudly smiles at you with those large eyebags and you swore you had the biggest smile on your face as of this moment. i mean, kokonoi hajime actually wanting to go out?! you felt like you were dreaming.

"sure thing bro."

"yeah, i think dude is better."

"no one asked...?"

"whatever."

——·——·——

"kokonoi.. mind explaining what needs to be explained." your frown did not go unnoticed by the black haired boy who was trying to find the best moment to explain to you on why you were holding a five year old child with a lollipop on his hand. the child's eyes were gleaming like crazy and never in your life did you want to stab someone in the neck so badly.

"i couldn't just skip a whole ass cheque okay? plus were in an amusement park and we could enjoy ourselves while putting up with that... brat— yeah." this time, it was your turn to pinch the bridge of your nose. yes you understand how his unstable mind works but this was really unacceptable. seishu did better dates than this.. but it would be for the best if you just accept what situation you were put in right now at this moment. you wouldn't want a child trying to stop two thirteen year olds brawling with each other in the middle of the amusement park. haha, you really wanted to though.

"c'mon don't sulk. at least I took you out right? it's the thought that counts." you roll your eyes and ruffle the kid's hair, sighing for god knows how many times. kokonoi's face beams with his signature smirk and takes your hand while guiding you to your first destination. you sigh once more and finally completed the stages of grief, putting on a smile that hajime earned to see.

yes, hajime really is very lucky to have you.

"oh my god is that the BJ girl?! damn, another customer... IS THAT MATSUNO'S DAD?!"

"oh god not this again.."

sometimes yes, sometimes not.

[commander-diomika]

[Image ID: Screenshot of a tumblr reply from user @weareallfromearth ​​ saying “Holy shit I would V much like to know what you’d do with ZolfWilde.” End ID]

This was in response to me tag rambling that if Alex “I don’t Actually Have That Much Experience in Courtship” Newall and Ben “I just Realised I’m Too Straight For This” Meredith don’t know what to do with Zolf/Wilde, they should hand the ship over to me. 

*rubs my gay little hands together.*

I initially characterized them offhandedly as Enemies-to-Lovers but that’s not quite it, is it? On reflection I would say it’s more of an Opposites Attract situation.

Oscar Wilde, as re-imagined in the RQG universe, is a homme fatale; a dangerous, attractive man, skilled in encouraging people to underestimate him, wearing different masks, never quite being able to trust or be trusted by anyone.

There is NO personal/professional line for Wilde. He lives his work, and his work is subterfuge and interpersonal manipulation. (whether or not he started this way in his field as a journalist, or was forced to become this way by the changes in his world, is another post.) He is a person who either cares very deeply what people think of him, or is has decided that manipulating what people think of him is the way to get what he wants, and from the outside it makes no difference.

Zolf Smith does not care what people think of him. He isn’t even skilled at being kind and empathetic to people he cares about; he has no time for emotional manipulation or genuine charm. He doesn’t even have a fantastic grasp on his OWN feelings, let alone other people’s. He’s grounded, disinterested in frippery or appearances. Which is why Zolf and Wilde started out so deeply at odds with one another.

Despite the differences in the interpersonal approaches, they have plenty of common ground.

They are both deeply dedicated to a cause. They care about their work to the exclusion of all else. They are both pragmatists who have their own internal moral code, and are willing to bend or break other people’s rules in order to get the job done. They are fundamentally good people. Despite their rocky beginnings, they can respect each other because of these things.

And they might have maintained their mutually disdainful, begrudgingly respectful working relationship and that could have been the sum total... Except then the world fell apart. The Meritocratic organisation was initially compromised, then disintegrated. The blue vein plague isolated everyone and made it even harder to trust supposed allies. The Cult of Hades was on everyone’s ass making their life difficult, the other PCs disappeared off the face of the planet. Zolf and Wilde ended up in a situation where they had no one else they could trust.

Familiarity breeds contempt, but maybe if the contempt is already there, it builds Something Else. Wilde was stripped of his magic in a way that made it much harder for him to keep people at a distance and (pardon the pun) project the illusion of the debonair playboy. Zolf would have had the chance to see through Wilde’s masks, and get a better understanding of what parts of Wilde were a calculated tactic, and what was his genuine self.

Whatever betrayal transpired that gave Wilde his scar and hardened him, Zolf was privy to. He was either there and saw it happen, or he was close enough in the aftermath to see Wilde properly vulnerable for the first time in their friendship. Hell, maybe Zolf was the one who rescued him and patched him up. That was a chance for Zolf to realise that this insufferable man is a friend who he cares about deeply. At this point, he’s cared for awhile, but has been too wrapped up with his own spiritual difficulties to have space to admit that to himself.

And Wilde, oh Wilde, he’s desperate to be seen and known and loved, but he’s never allowed himself. He’s never felt SAFE to. He doesn’t let people get close, treats every conversation as a battle to be won. His safety and his power lies in being admired, but never loved. So even as trust and fondness for Zolf blossoms within him, he won’t for a second allow himself to hope that the fondness is reciprocated

With all that out of the way, this is my version of events.  

Wilde is a slut (affectionate), and Zolf is gray-ace, so if there’s any bridging of that gap in terms of physical intimacy, it has to be from Zolf’s side. Giving canon a tender massage into place, that first instance of Zolf grabbing Wilde by the collar changes. (This happens on the Vengeance after Zolf has taught Wilde to steer the ship). Zolf drags Wilde down to say “I’m glad to see you perked up.” That moment now involves a whiskery kiss on Wilde’s cheek, and the man would be absolutely FLOORED by it.

I’m talking slow-mo glittering lights as Zolf stomps off blushing, unsure what just came over him; Wilde touches his cheek in bewilderment for a stretched moment before realising he’s completely agog, and he let go of the wheel for a dangerous length of time. Every interaction, every moment they’ve spent together over the last two years is flashing before Wilde’s eyes and a new context is being applied rapid fire. I’m talking the italacised oh kind of moment.

(on top of Zolf being witness to The Betrayal, throw some other moments of almost-intimacy into said flashbacks. I’m talking late nights, Zolf doing his gruff-yet-kind caretaker thing, cooking for Wilde, maybe sharing quiet and rare downtime with Zolf reading a Campbell novel on a couch in Wilde’s office)

Wilde is realising, “Oh this is allowed, oh this is reciprocated, this is possible.”

And of course they don’t talk about it, because what’s a slowburn if they immediately go and TALK about their feelings? No, the kiss goes completely unremarked upon, and Wilde continues to needle and tease and get under Zolf’s skin, except now with an added warmth in his eyes because he finally gets it. He finally understands that Zolf cares, that Zolf loves him, he’s just not the kind of dwarf that knows how to express it.

And Zolf, frustrated by feelings he can’t express but is beginning to understand, can hear the undertone of “haha, you looooove me,” shining through Wilde’s deliberate antagonism. They continue their time on the Vengeance just a little easier and closer to one another.

And we continue on to the death/resurrection arc, and Wilde’s spirit pushes for Zolf to open up about his feelings, because if not when he’s literally past death’s door, then when? When Zolf finally manages his “I need you,” it’s like a dam has broken for both of them. The second collar-grab and “We’ll go on a holiday or somethin’,” is now followed by a full kiss on the lips, not particularly erotic but passionate, (it’s the epitome of kissing someone to shut them up) and Wilde makes a surprised and delighted squeak that he would be glad he can’t quite remember when he returns to land of the living.

Once returned, Wilde might not remember everything that his spirit said or did, but he remembers the kiss. The comfort and ease that the two of them share in 179 (Eat Drink and Be Merry) is there, only instead of the two characters still being in a place of questioning their feelings for one another, it’s been answered.

Whether or not this relationship is sexual in nature is kind of up to you and what kind of fan works you like to read/write. I think there are wonderful scenes to be written an explored in many directions.

Wilde allowing himself to enjoy sex for intimacy and closeness instead of using it as a tool/ Zolf not being one for sex but Wilde’s never slept more soundly than when he’s being held in Zolf’s arms/ Zolf realising that the unfamiliar feeling he’s been struggling to express is the desire to rail Wilde til he cries/ Wilde realising that if his partner doesn’t want it from him, he’s actually quite content without sex/ The two of them being mean, antagonistic bastards to each other while fucking but Make It Kink (of the trusting and RACK kind). There really isn’t a single bad interpretation.  

So really, I’m not doing anything different with them other than reading between the lines, giving canon a little nudge, and sticking the landing. This isn’t to disparage the concept of queer platonic partners. (I’ve got one!) or to talk shit about Ben or Alex (I DO respect their craft).

It’s just to say I find these two characters , and everything they’ve been through, PAINFULLY romantic, tropey, and delightful. I’m looking forward both to how Ben and Alex play the QPP, the fanworks I’m gonna read and hopefully write, and the inevitable tragedy that you KNOW Alex is gearing up for.

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 9

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

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

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

How the turnabouts have turned! It's time for Twisted Karma and His Last Bow!

Episode 2-4: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow

With Van Zieks's tragic backstory (…) exposed, it's time to head on into waters we've charted before, waaay back in the very first Ace Attorney game: The Prosecutor becomes the Defendant. It all starts off with some shenanigans which appear to have very little to do with Van Zieks (the arrival of Mikotoba and Jigoku, the Red-headed League, a missing prison warder, etc.).. Ryu does still run into Van Zieks very briefly in Stronghart's office, with Susato noting that there appears to be an awful lot of tension in the air. I expect Van Zieks is questioning that decision to leave Genshin Asogi's son in his care, but even so, he's very civil towards Stronghart. Susato also notes that Van Zieks gives Ryu a cold stare as he leaves, with Ryu wondering what he's done to earn that. This may also be a result of him being besties with Kazuma, since Van Zieks had already buried the hatchet towards Ryu for the most part. When Ryu asks about the decision to leave Kazuma in Van Zieks's care, Stronghart explains it was to best keep an eye on this 'mysterious amnesiac with no identifying papers'. Well OK then. Stronghart also explains he made Kazuma wear a mask because he didn't want to “burden Van Zieks with tiresome explanations about why he had an Eastern appearance.” … I would assume the very simple explanation is that it's because he's of Eastern descent, Stronghart. Regardless, the Lord Chief Justice has high hopes for Kazuma's future and isn't at all bothered by the fact that the guy has gone missing for a little bit.

Things take a turn later when Gina Lestrade comes barging into 221B with some pretty shocking news. Inspector Gregson was murdered. Yes, THAT Inspector Gregson. The suspect has already been arrested:

It's true that to the average civilian like Gina, Van Zieks's name is pretty much synonymous to the Reaper (of the Old Bailey). Even so, to have her outright calling him by that title adds a sort of emotional distance that's really striking. Gina explains they caught him at the scene and there were several witnesses, but Ryu thinks to himself that there's no way Van Zieks would have taken Gregson's life. So naturally, we owe it to our good pal Gregson (who actually was just coming around and being nicer to Ryu) to find the truth. Time to go have a talk with Van Zieks in prison!

… Okay that's funny. Don't worry, Barok, one day we'll all look back on this and laugh. Anyway, Van Zieks says he's in the last place on earth he'd want to be, with the last person on earth he'd want to see. And this line can easily be misinterpreted as Van Zieks saying he hates Ryu more than anyone else in the world, but what he's actually saying is that Ryu is the last person he wishes would see him in this troublesome situation. Ryu says he couldn't very well not come, but Van Zieks tells him to go home since it has nothing to do with him. Susato interjects, pointing out that Gregson has helped them out on numerous occasions and so, they're indebted to him. She pleads for Van Zieks's help with the investigation and he's silent for a moment, only to say: “There's really nothing I can tell you.” Which I suppose means he doesn't think he has anything helpful to say. Ryu asks about what Van Zieks was reading when they came in and assumes it to be a case report. Van Zieks says the Yard wouldn't share case details with a suspect (keep that one in mind) and explains it's a letter from Albert. Dear Professor Harebrayne has arrived in Germany safely! Ryu notes that Van Zieks usually never minces his words, but they seem to have less bite than usual now. No wonder, really, since he's in prison for the murder of an old friend. Van Zieks asks how much they already know about the case, so the two of them go through the facts and Van Zieks says they're well-informed. He's got nothing to add, because... Well.

Oh, this is going to be another one of those cases, huh. Susato asks what Van Zieks was doing at the crime scene in the first place, but Van Zieks points out he doesn't need to answer that, as they aren't representing him. When asked who is representing him in court, he says it'd be anyone other than Ryu. That said, he doesn't actually have any representation because of his reputation as the Reaper. Sixteen people he's prosecuted have mysteriously died and now that he's actually been apprehended for a murder, that whole Reaper ordeal is sure to be thoroughly examined.

BOY, have we got news for you! When it's pointed out that Van Zieks didn't actually have anything to do with those mysterious deaths (right???), he replies that no one wants to know the true identity of that killer more than he does, but it seems things may come to a head before he can uncover the truth. Van Zieks basically tells Ryu to leave, but being the kind-hearted gentleman that he is, Ryu offers to advocate for him in court. Van Zieks asks whether Ryu trusts him, which is a pretty fair question to ask. He's built up so many racist scumbag points and has such a bad reputation in town, it would be weird for Ryu to trust him unconditionally. Luckily, Ryu has been paying attention just as much as I have; he's heard Van Zieks speak in court and seen the way he treats people (uhh, English citizens, anyway), so he doesn't believe this 'Reaper' has it in him to take a life. Unfortunately, Ryu also has to acknowledge that feelings can't be used as evidence in court. Van Zieks considers the offer gracious, but...

“Not the police, not the judiciary... And not you Nipponese.”

One more scumbag point for putting “you Nipponese” in its own category for no reason. Either way, this man has built up such high defensive walls, you could see them from three galaxies away. Trusting no one is a pretty drastic way of living. Ryu thinks to himself that there's a chasm between the two of them that's 'just too wide and too deep'.

As a sidenote, presenting the attorney armband doesn't lead to any interesting conversation this time, but we can also present the Red-headed League advertisement! Van Zieks surmises that if it were a Black-headed League, Ryu would join without delay, which Ryu then confirms. Van Zieks says that sadly, his hair is neither black nor red. He goes into a most curious identity crisis of sorts, where he looks quite anguished as he wonders which coloured league he should join instead. There have been several debates over his hair color, actually, from lavender to purple to grey. Regardless, Susato points out that “people are troubled by the most unexpected problems at times.” It is unexpected, since Van Zieks needs neither the money nor the company that he would get from joining any such league. It's just the principle of the matter, I suppose.

Over by the crime scene in Fresno Street, Gina gets a little razzled when she suspects Ryu is thinking of defending “that Reaper bloke”. Susato points out that if “Lord van Zieks” really is responsible for the crime, he'll be judged fairly in court. This gets Gina to calm down again, because she really wants to know the truth of what happened and much like Van Zieks, she must know that getting the truth is what Ryu does best. A bit of conversation later, Gina points out one more interesting thing; Gregson apparently held a lot of respect for 'the Reaper'. “I take my hat off to that fella,” were his exact words, apparently. Ryu is skeptical, as am I, because I've seen the way Gregson talks about Van Zieks behind his back.

Gina explains that's exactly why he respected Van Zieks. That's... a little weird and ambiguous. So either he respected Van Zieks's ability to stand tall despite all the public scorn, or he respected the fear he struck into people's hearts. There's one more option; Gina keeps talking about the Reaper instead of Van Zieks, so it's possible that Gregson was talking about the actual Reaper. This seems unlikely, though, since he didn't seem to enjoy being part of the Reaper organization.

And now that we know Van Zieks is the defendant, one might be wondering: Who is the prosecutor? Who is the antagonistic force who will try to stop Ryu from uncovering the truth? Well, we find him over in Stronghart's office. Apparently he took an express train back to London from wherever it was he's been these past few days.

YOOOOUUUU!!! Though before we can address his presence properly, we need to discuss the new case. Stronghart wastes no time asking Ryu and Susato whether they've heard “the sickening news about the Reaper's latest devilry.” Which stands out, to say the least, since Stronghart has always been a strong supporter of Van Zieks up until this point. When Susato points out that surely he doesn't believe it, Stronghart says he believes only in facts, which all point to the unavoidable accusal of Lord van Zieks. Someone sure had a quick turnaround when it comes to his number one prosecutor, geez... Stronghart points out the irony that there's no salvation for anyone prosecuted by the Reaper of the Bailey, and now the Reaper himself must stand in the dock. Just as Van Zieks had already alluded to, Stronghart now claims the public will want answers about those mysterious deaths. Ryu and Susato both point out that which had been rubbed into our faces several times already; Van Zieks denies any involvement, and also there have been several investigations into whether he had anything to do with it. Stronghart kind of brushes this off, though. Turns out, Van Zieks is being traded in for a newer model number one prosecutor: Kazuma Asogi! Which seems weird at first glance, since Kazuma is a defense attorney, but Stronghart considers that a bonus:

“A devastation combination, wouldn't you agree?”

I do agree. Granted, it seems Van Zieks had already figured out the defense's strategies too, he just never actively used them to his own advantage. It also turns out that Kazuma personally requested the prosecutor position for this trial. Susato thinks it's pretty unprecedented to grant a newcomer exchange student such a request, but Stronghart offers some petty excuse about how this way, it won't look like the judiciary are closing ranks. Kazuma, who assumes his friend will take on the defense, says he'll see how Ryu's skills have been honed after practicing law in England for so many months. (Uhh. Actually, bestie, it was only about two months of being a defense attorney and six months of disbarment.) Ryu notes that Kazuma is being hostile towards him and wonders why. On a final note, when asking Stronghart about the gun found at the crime scene, we're told that it's issued to all members of law enforcement, including prosecutors. Van Zieks claims to have lost his. That's a troubling claim indeed, because it's difficult to prove or disprove. GOSH, if only fingerprints were allowed in court.

As Ryu and Susato turn to leave, Kazuma stops them. He once again states he wants Ryu to witness this trial as the defense counsel, to “see how it ends”. Since Kazuma has a very distinct vision for how he wants it to end, I guess this means he intends to confront Ryu with Van Zieks's guilt and have his bestie see that a man like him is unworthy of his trust. Either that, or he expects Ryu to use this trial to find the truth of what really happened with the Professor ten years ago, just as he used Albert's trial to dig into that incident. Still though, this reads as pretty scummy to me, because it means he wants Ryu to lose a trial and lose some of his belief in his clients. In the trial itself, it seems to me that Kazuma desperately believes Van Zieks to be a horrible person deserving of the guilty verdict. Therefore, he in no way can hold hope that Ryu will prove him wrong (unlike what went down in case 2-3 with Albert). Anyway, Ryu says that Van Zieks would never put his fate in his hands.

“... It's not easy to see behind the facade sometimes.”

Case 2-3 already told us this, but it's nice to have it confirmed by someone who was closer to Van Zieks. Because remember, Kazuma spent three months by Van Zieks's side (and even fighting by his side), so of course he would know more about his personality than we do. Kazuma hands over a photograph of Barok when he was younger and

GOOD LORD, HE CAN SMILE. Or he could when he was younger, anyway. Kazuma states the picture was displayed in Gregson's office. What he's 'trying to say' is that if Ryu really thinks he can trust “the Reaper” (distancing choice of words again), he might find that some straight talking will change his view. I got the impression we've been straight talking Van Zieks ever since we first met him, but okay. Let's take the picture and back to the gaol we go! Van Zieks is once again reading from some paper and Ryu points out that either he's an incredibly slow reader or it's an incredibly long letter, but either way, Ryu might even be able to read English faster than him. Naturally, this was said loud enough for Van Zieks to overhear.

Scumbag point for hypocrisy, but also a scumbag point for “Nipponese”. When Ryu asks whether it's still Albert's letter he's reading, Van Zieks says he had the case report brought to him in secret. So wait, the Yard does share case details with its suspect? Hilarious. Once again, Van Zieks insists the situation has nothing to do with Ryu, up until the prosecutor's name is revealed to him. And so, the masked cardboard cutout student has become the master! Ryu notes that all the color drained from Van Zieks's face, which is pretty impressive when there's barely any color there to begin with. Ryu has the opportunity now to thrust the photograph into his face, so let's do that. He's immediately alarmed, since he assumed it to be lost and would never have expected Gregson to have it. When Ryu says that Gregson had a deep respect for him, he dismisses that as nonsense, only to correct himself. “There was a time things were like that.”

Van Zieks thanks Ryu for that nice glimpse into the past, and Ryu thinks to himself that there was a glimmer in Van Zieks's eyes- a brief twinkle. He considers that “an insight into the true nature of this man known to all as the stone-cold Reaper of the Bailey”, with “the true nature” being highlighted as orange. So this right here is undeniable; this is what the narrative is illustrating to us now. The true nature of Barok van Zieks is that of someone who was hopeful and jovial; kind-hearted, as Albert knew him. What we see now, that harsh exterior full of harsh words, is not his nature at all.

Van Zieks is more willing to talk now. He once again speaks of Klint, rehashing the same story we've heard several times already. Van Zieks claims there's not a single day where he doesn't curse the name Asogi. He considers it a cruel twist of fate that the man's son intends to crucify him in 'some kangaroo court'. Clearly, he doesn't think highly of the upcoming trial if he refers to it as a kangaroo court, but that's likely because he knows he isn't the real killer. When Ryu points out that he still doesn't understand why Stronghart apprenticed Kazuma to Van Zieks, the explanation is that “it's what he does”. Van Zieks believes that Stronghart knew Kazuma's true identity from the outset, but still provides no real explanation as to why Stronghart 'did what he did' and even assigned Kazuma as the prosecutor this time. Van Zieks goes on to contemplate the name Asogi some more and calls it 'the epitome of his bane'.

I've talked before about how utterly flawed it is that Van Zieks attributes Genshin's crime to his race and/or cultural upbringing and proceeds to tar every single Japanese person with the same brush. There's no need to go into this again; we all know it's wrong. Turns out, even Van Zieks knows it's wrong, but we'll get back to that momentarily. First, Van Zieks needs to talk about Klint even more. (good lord...) He explains that Klint van Zieks was hunting down a mass murderer and “assigned to the investigation as his partner was a certain visiting student dispatched by the Yard.” This was Genshin, of course, and I believe this is the first time it's said that he too was looking into the Professor case. So Van Zieks already mentioned in the previous case that the Japanese students had left a deep impact on him, and also that he once toasted friendship with a Japanese person, but now we have this:

“But none of us saw the true nature of the man.”

True nature is once again in orange here, but this time as a red herring. Van Zieks believes that the Professor murders were Genshin's true nature, when it isn't quite true at all. Regardless, since Van Zieks was still in university at the time the exchange students were in the country, I don't think he would've had that much contact with Genshin. I expect he encountered the man on rare occasion while Klint associated most with him. Every meeting was enough to foster this respect and friendship, though, so it's clear that young Van Zieks was easily influenced and had a very open mind towards a foreign exchange student. But then, that's what makes the next portion of the story all the more damaging.

“My esteemed brother... The people I believed in... And any semblance of right prevailing over wrong!”

As Van Zieks also already alluded to in the previous case, he found himself in a very dark place. That isn't surprising. Every positive thing Van Zieks knew in his life, from his family to his closest friends, was ripped away from him in extremely close succession. What must've been the final nail in the coffin was Genshin outright admitting to his crimes. It erased all doubt that perhaps there was some sort of misunderstanding or a frame job. Going over everything Van Zieks has said so far, it seems he didn't just blame Genshin for the tremendous loss he suffered; he blamed himself. He must believe that his trust in Genshin blinded him to this supposed 'true nature', just as it must've also blinded Klint, and that the whole tragedy could've been prevented if only he'd been more cautious. So now, in present day, he no longer trusts anyone. He outright says so.

Van Zieks goes on to talk about how he was the one who prosecuted the Professor. Since he'd only just graduated, such a thing usually wouldn't be allowed, but he “beleaguered the ascribed prosecutor until he consented.” This person was Mael Stronghart, who back then was apparently still no more than a prosecutor. A highly accomplished one, but a prosecutor nonetheless. Since Klint was the Director of Prosecutions (or Chief Prosecutor???) at the time, that means he actually ranked above Stronghart. Interesting. Regardless, since Stronghart agreed to let Van Zieks lead the prosecution and instead only acted as an advisor, Van Zieks now feels indebted to him. That certainly explains why he's usually so good about following Stronghart's orders and not asking questions.

“And, of all things, as a lawyer.”

Ahhh, this is the part where Ryu enters the chronology. Our protagonist points out that he's felt Van Zieks's animosity since the first time he faced him in the courtroom; his obvious deep loathing of Japanese people. And here comes perhaps one of the most important, yet most overlooked lines Van Zieks will ever utter in these games:

“But for so many years, that hatred had festered inside me, I could no longer control it.”

So here, Van Zieks admits to two things. First of all, he admits that he was wrong to hold such deep loathing and by extension, to give that loathing a voice. He's a man of logic, after all. To cling to something which he refers to as illogical is about as wrong as one could get. Not only that, he admits that this was an unstoppable force he should have controlled, but was too weak to do so. The hatred overpowered him and did away with common sense. He behaved stupidly and irrationally because for ten years, hatred and negativity was all he knew. But what's even more striking here is Ryu's answer, which is also often overlooked:

Ryu, bless his heart, doesn't blame Van Zieks for succumbing to this weakness. Bear in mind, he's the victim here. Van Zieks wouldn't have encountered many other Japanese people in those ten years, if at all. This means the first person he lashed out against was Ryu. Naturally, Ryu can't speak for Susato or Soseki, who received their own verbal assaults and might have different opinions on the matter. Ryu is just one man, but in our narrative, he's the main protagonist and the main target of these outbursts. Is it misleading and perhaps even problematic in the grand scheme of things to have the protagonist sympathize with such motivation? Well, that depends on many different factors. There's no easy answer for this because it's a nuanced, cultural sort of thing. Personally, I was a bit bothered by it, but not to the point that it ruined the experience for me.

Van Zieks admits that just as the Japanese were the bane of his life, Kazuma Asogi must believe Van Zieks to be the bane of his. He is, after all, the Reaper who sent his father to the gallows. Van Zieks thinks that Kazuma intends to take revenge in court and... Really, this is true.

There's a quick bit of conversation about Gregson now. Turns out, the only reason the Professor was caught at all was because Gregson forced an autopsy on Klint despite it being considered the highest taboo at the time. Van Zieks says that as a result of Gregson's powerful conviction, he could avenge his brother's death. He looks quite torn, a bit pained. He must believe he owes Gregson something for this. The conversation then moves on to Van Zieks's revolver, which he claims to have misplaced an undetermined amount of time ago. “I must have stowed it somewhere, I suppose. Or left it somewhere, perhaps.” Van Zieks clearly doesn't think highly of firearms as a weapon, since he's constantly carrying a sword around instead. Susato points out that Ryu has a talent for misplacing things in common with Van Zieks, which leads to one more scumbag outburst.

… Dude. Come on. You just admitted it was illogical. You came so far! Scumbag point for you. Still, as the conversation rounds to a close, Van Zieks utters the words “Mister... Naruhodo”, much to Ryu's surprise. This is the first time he's actually said Ryu's name! Van Zieks once again reiterates that he's lost all confidence in England's judiciary system. He doesn't trust the police, the judiciary or lawyers. Even so, there's still one thing he's willing to believe in.

“That which you see in the eyes of another across the courtroom: a simple determination to know the truth. From the very first time we clashed in the Bailey almost a year ago now... I couldn't deny it, even though I dearly wished I could. 'Here is a loathsome Japanese... who has absolute integrity as a lawyer.' There are only two other men I've known with that same look in their eyes: my brother, Klint. … And Genshin Asogi.”

This is interesting. So at first when he saw that look in Ryu's eyes, he must've been reminded of Genshin. And again, this is why he directed such hatred towards Ryu; he saw someone who wasn't alive anymore. But now he recalls that Klint also had that same gaze, and so he wants to believe that Ryu is not similar to a deceitful murderer, he's instead similar to his beloved brother. (Boy is he going to have to reevaluate how he judges people when he finds out that his beloved brother was the deceitful murderer.) Van Zieks says that when he saw the photograph, he was reminded of a time when he could laugh, free of the shackles of mistrust which plague him now. This is very relevant since Van Zieks indeed can't laugh anymore. We never see him do it. He can't even smile.

“But at times the mire into which I've sunk makes it almost impossible to breathe.”

Someone please get this man to a professional therapist. If he means that in a more literal sense and he does occasionally feel like he can't breathe, that's telltale signs of panic attacks. It could just be, of course, that he's being overdramatic and the “impossible to breathe” bit is just fanciful wordplay to go with the mire analogy. Still though, considering he's also mentioned being in a dark place and that he's willing to die so long as it serves a useful purpose, and that he drinks his wine to stave off tedium... He's clearly depressed. But then, he seems to know it. He acknowledges that the way he is now is not the way things should be, and that he needs to fight to overcome it. And so:

“... In tomorrow's trial... Will you advocate for me?”

Boom. Swallowed his pride and turned to Ryu for help because he knows it's what's best for him. He no longer trusts anyone, but he's willing to trust Ryu because once he starts opening up again and has that trust repaid, then perhaps things can gradually go back to the way things were when he was younger. Mind, he still hasn't apologized for his actions, but that doesn't change that Ryu at least is willing to extend a hand to Van Zieks. It's a little sad that Susato doesn't properly form her own opinion on this and instead just goes along with whatever Ryu says. I would've liked to know just how she feels about Van Zieks's attitude and whether or not he deserves to be helped. She doesn't object to it, at least, and since Susato usually always speaks her mind, I can only assume she genuinely agrees with Ryu's sentiments.

The next day, in the defendant's lobby, it's remarked there's a 'menacing tension' in the air and Ryu surmises out loud it's the result of the menacing appearance of the defendant. Well-deserved, that remark. Touché. Van Zieks asks him for a little more courtesy in a polite enough manner, but considering the lack of courtesy he's shown Ryu over the past 8 months, that's hypocritical. He informs Ryu that this is a closed trial without a jury, which bums me out because it means no more Summation Examination. I would've liked to see Asogi react to that. (S)Holmes comes in and has the weirdest little banter with Van Zieks that I honestly can't... really decipher. There's several things about it that really strike me as being off:

- “And I you. I see London's celebrated great detective is as active as ever.”

- “Oh, you exaggerate, my dear fellow. Compared to my paltry engagements with a few trivial cases... The Reaper's overbearing presence is a far greater deterrent to the black roots of crime in our capital. And whilst I may not agree with your methods... There is at least one point on which I would readily commend you.”

- “What an honour. And that would be...?”

- “Your eye for a good lawyer, sir. […] Behind this lawyer there is a very great mind. My own.”

Alright, so... First of all, we know (S)Holmes is super arrogant and would never refer to his past cases as “trivial” in all sincerity. Plus, it's established that he's very weird with compliments, such as referring to Gregson as “the best of those blunderers of the Yard”, so complimenting Van Zieks directly on the effect he has on crime feels off. Aside from that, (S)Holmes addresses Van Zieks as the Reaper and continues to talk about 'his methods', when it's already been established (S)Holmes doesn't believe Van Zieks has anything to do with the Reaper killings. Taking all that into account, I can only really assume that the first half of this above conversation is (S)Holmes being weirdly passive aggressive towards Van Zieks, with Van Zieks being passive aggressive in turn. It really, truly feels as if there was some sort of backstory between these two that they had to scrap at the last second. Regardless, the exchange ends with (S)Holmes warning Van Zieks that this will be “quite a trial”.

Gina Lestrade shows up with Yujin Mikotoba (….. when did they meet???), saying they intend to watch the trial, and I am very impressed with how (S)Holmes manages to disappear from the scene and not say a word when his old partner arrives. Anyway, Gina looks Ryu square in the eye and asks him why he agreed to take Van Zieks on. Everyone's saying it was him who killed Gregson. Considering everyone was saying it was her who killed Pop Windibank six months ago, you'd think she might want to tone down her attitude, but she's clearly in mourning and lashing out. See? People who are hurting can say insensitive things. Ryu insists he doesn't believe it to be true, but Gina demands to know that if it wasn't him, then who?

“An' if it turns out it was 'im wot killed the boss... Then God 'elp 'im!”

It's interesting to remember that during The Unspeakable Story, Gina wasn't afraid of Van Zieks for his Reaper reputation. She didn't believe in the curse and didn't think she would end up like the other defendants. Now, she absolutely no longer gives a damn whether Van Zieks is the mysterious Reaper or not. She only thinks he might be a murderer who took away her mentor and that's what has her judge him so fiercely. Van Zieks remarks on her fiery eyes and tells her that the culprit does indeed deserve every inch of her loathing. “At least that may be some solace to the deceased.” So here, in a roundabout way, it rather looks as if Van Zieks is sympathizing with Gina's anger. At the very least, he's condoning it, just not towards himself.

Entering the courtroom, it becomes clear very fast just how serious this trial will become. Just as was alluded to before, the judge confirms that the 'Reaper of the Old Bailey' has been undermining Her Majesty's justice system and therefore, the people will demand answers on this matter. Ryu thinks to himself the trial will be a lot more far-reaching than just Gregson's murder. Sure enough, Kazuma is at the prosecutor's bench and ready to get that vengeance Van Zieks referred to in jail. Shockingly, the first witness he summons is actually Van Zieks himself. The judge is surprised, but Kazuma explains that as a prosecutor, Van Zieks believes in the oath of office he's taken; he'll be compelled to tell the truth. Because contrary to what happened in Memoirs of the Clouded Kokoro, Van Zieks is against perjury! (I WILL NEVER GET OVER WHAT HAPPENED WITH SHAMSPEARE!) Sure enough, he takes the stand and Kazuma says the court would like to hear him explain some things away.

He really is just brutally honest, isn't he? Both in his courtroom methods and in how he shows his emotions. He doesn't sugarcoat, he doesn't beat around the bush, he definitely doesn't lie... At most, he may withhold some information. Unfortunately, his testimony is mostly useless. The judge remarks that he didn't want to imagine this day would come, but ever since Van Zieks became known as the Reaper, he's been dreading it. The judge, our neutral ground, seems to be convinced that Van Zieks may have actually done the deed. That's not good. Kazuma acts all smug, saying that Van Zieks indeed hasn't explained anything away and that his testimony barely qualifies as an excuse. Van Zieks notes that his 'mute apprentice' has a way with words. Meanwhile, Ryu thinks to himself that Kazuma isn't behaving like himself, which is a sentiment they'll keep repeating throughout the case. … I gotta be honest here, I didn't notice all that much of a difference between this Kazuma and the one from the very first case of the game. I mean, come on, he sliced a man's hair off and cursed his descendants just for insulting Ryu. He's slightly more arrogant here, maybe, but since he was only the assistant there and is a leading counsel here, it makes sense for him to be more proactive and confident in his methods. Then again, I'm not a Kazuma expert; maybe there's something I'm missing.

In his testimony, Van Zieks revealed that he was investigating Gregson, but when pressed on it he won't admit the exact reason for it. He only says he'd identified a distinct possibility Gregson was involved in a case he was investigating. When asked how he even knew where Gregson would be, he openly admits to having stolen into his office and consulted his diary. (“Dear Diary, today I dropped my fish 'n chips on the way to Fresno Street-”) When told that illegally entering Gregson's office would warrant serious consequences, Van Zieks says he was aware of that risk.

The rest of the testimony is pressed without further hitches, though what did strike me as interesting is that at one point, Ryu suggests the gunshot might've originated from outside the room, but Van Zieks immediately says it's out of the question. He shoots the possibility down with evidence only he could have experienced (the bang sounded inside the room and he could smell gunpowder), and in doing so, only implicates himself further. Detrimentally honest, this one. Not only that, but he picked the gun up.

NO KIDDING that was carelessness. Is he related to Miles Edgeworth after all? Kazuma talks about how three street peddlers overheard the bang and burst through the door with some force. Van Zieks states they almost gave him a heart attack in the process (omg) and Ryu thinks to himself: “(But you're supposed to be the Reaper...)” C'mon Ryu, haven't you seen enough of this man by now to know he gets jarred easily?

When the testimony rounds to a close, things get interesting. Kazuma uses his defense attorney skills, as promised. He uses evidence from the Court Record to point out contradictions in Van Zieks's testimony, thereby 'proving he's lying'. Hey, what happened to Van Zieks believing in the oath of office and being compelled to tell the truth? Did Kazuma call Van Zieks to the stand just to expose him as a liar? He wins the judge over quite easily by illustrating these contradictions and casting doubt on Van Zieks's integrity. Tragic, because as Van Zieks says:

Van Zieks steps down from the stand and disappears for the remainder of the trial day. He doesn't even show up during intermission in the defendant's lobby. Characters do still talk about him, though!

I mean... He ain't lyin'. At one point, Kazuma utters the words “the defence is fated to lose. And the prosecution to win,” which once again confirms that Kazuma basically asked Ryu to take part in an 'unwinnable' trial. Which, y'know, is technically fine. Losing a trial isn't the end of the world, especially when the defendant (in Kazuma's eyes) is actually guilty. Still though, personally asking Ryu to take on Van Zieks just so he can watch the man be exposed as a killer is kind of... Kazuma, sir, are you also unable to control your hatred and having it lash out in illogical ways? Is that a parallel with Van Zieks I spy?

The rest of the trial isn't directly related to Van Zieks. It's just a whole bunch of roundabout arguing with street peddlers, red-headed scammers and the revelation that one of those peddlers is actually Daley Vigil, the missing former prison warder. Despite knowing of the dangers, Kazuma asks Ryu to help him forcefully break some of the man's black psyche-locks (c'mon, we all know that's what's impeding his memories) and they send the man to the hospital as a result. Welp. Unveiling the truth is becoming increasingly dangerous in this game and that's really upping the stakes for us.

Into the next investigation day we go! Ryu surmises that it's clear now “Van Zieks definitely didn't do it.” Even so, there are some unanswered questions about the man. What was he even doing at the crime scene and what's with that investigation into Gregson he didn't want to talk about in court? Heading on over to the Chief Justice's office, we overhear him pressuring Kazuma into 'continuing the trial as instructed'. Once he takes note of Ryu and the others, he tells them that he wanted Van Zieks's trial concluded that day and blames 'Asogi's unwelcome inquiries' for it taking longer than necessary. Stronghart's becoming increasingly ominous, here... I don't know for certain why he doesn't just go the extra mile to have Van Zieks proven innocent so he can keep using his Reaper tool to intimidate the masses. I suppose it's because with Gregson dead, he's lost his most important strategist in the killings and the tool of the Reaper's curse can't be used as easily anymore. Assassins probably come a dime a dozen, so Shinn can be replaced, but Gregson... Not so much. Ryu asks Stronghart whether Kazuma truly believes Van Zieks to be the Reaper, but Stronghart says he wouldn't know. He once again talks about the history of the Reaper with its very long run of coincidental deaths and tells us nothing new or interesting.

To prison we go, to visit Van Zieks himself! He's reading a book now, but we're never told what it is. He tries to ignore the visitors, but just as always, eventually comes up to the bars to talk.

YOU FREAKIN- I CAN'T- WHY- How many more times must we teach you this lesson, old man?!!! Thankfully, even Ryu is fed up at this point.

Finally. He spoke up. I've seen a lot of people criticize the fact that Ryu never properly confronts Van Zieks with the damage he's been doing, and on the one hand I would agree. Calling people out on their bullshit is a very useful step in having them notice their mistakes. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that is also a very Western view. It's very easy for us to think that Ryu should stand up for himself and call Van Zieks a prejudiced little tosser who needs to think before he speaks, but that simply isn't part of his character. There may be several reasons to explain why he doesn't confront Van Zieks more firmly, but I'd like to focus on just two. The first is that Ryu is an exchange student who came to England as a 'guest' and is facing not just one racist. Not even five or ten. Everywhere he goes, he's surrounded by people just like Van Zieks. We've seen it in the judge, we've seen it in the jurors, we've seen it in Gregson and in witnesses... Ryu is a minority in a very literal sense, since there's only one other Japanese person (two if we count Soseki) we know of in this entire city. There's a very natural, very understandable defense mechanism which may kick in when surrounded by potentially dangerous individuals, and that is to withdraw; to be as quiet as possible and to attract as little trouble as possible, since 'they outnumber you'. Bonus points for the extreme difference in social standing between Ryu and Van Zieks.

There's one other thing which adds to the above. Ryu was written to be your everyday Japanese person, and their view on confrontation is quite different from our own. I remembered this from a job interview I once had with a Japanese company and looked into it again to refresh my memory: Japanese people are non-confrontational. It's very important for them to maintain a sort of harmony during conversation and therefore, they'll rarely utter negative sentiments, such as criticism, in a way that will cause embarrassment to the person they're addressing. Instead, they employ something often referred to as indirect communication. “The pattern of Japanese indirect communication uses far less words to convey intent in a more subtle manner. Indirect communication uses expression, posture, and tone of voice of the speaker to draw meaning from the actual conversation.” This is very deeply ingrained into the Japanese culture and, if the sources I reviewed are correct, it goes all the way back to the feudal days. Mind, this attitude isn't even limited to Japan. I've been told there's several other countries who adopt that very same attitude and if you cause someone else to lose face, it can have some very severe repercussions for you. Kazuma is a bit more outspoken than Ryu, for example when they face Jezail, but this makes sense also, since Asogi was written to be more progressive. It seems to me that Ryu has been using indirect communication quite often already and, since Van Zieks is woefully unequipped to read this type of communication, Ryu has now finally resorted to something more direct. It's still not a sharp call-out, but rather, the above line reads to me as something in-between direct and indirect communication. And it works.

HELL FROZE OVER! We've done it, lads! Or, as Iris puts it:

So even the rest of the cast is acknowledging this is a big deal and we've made tremendous progress. Could someone else have confronted Van Zieks in a more direct, more Western way before this point? Sure. But would he have listened? The judge has already snarked at him several times during trials and it's always been brushed off as nothing. The only person he might've listened to would've been Albert, but what is the narrative significance of having a side character confront Van Zieks? There isn't one. This was a very impactful moment where Ryu himself resorted to a more Western tactic to get his point across and Van Zieks, in turn, finally uttered an apology. So now we get to have an earnest conversation with the man at last. Van Zieks says he was impressed; not by Ryu but by Kazuma. On first glance, this seems like a mean thing to say, but... Van Zieks is already intimately familiar with Ryu's performance in the courtroom. Why would he still be impressed by that? Kazuma, however, he's never seen in action before. Van Zieks thinks it's all rather “sardonic”.

It's called a cruel irony, Barok. A common tool in storytelling. He himself considers it “retribution for having played the part of the Reaper all these years”. So once again it's discussed how the Reaper minimizes the amount of crime in the capital and since that's a goal Van Zieks is committed to, he never said anything to disprove the rumors. Ryu insists that someone else is profiting off Van Zieks's silence on the matter and is basically using him as a scapegoat. As it turns out, Van Zieks wasn't quite as passive about the matter as he's led us to believe.

Hm. Alright, so he thinks it's good the Reaper's curse is reducing crime in London, but clearly he wants the Reaper organization brought to justice. In a way, he's profiting off these 'accidental deaths' since the fear that comes from them aligns with his goal of crime reduction, but he doesn't actively condone the Reaper murders and wants them halted. Since there's so much accurate information about the accused used in the killings, Van Zieks surmised a while ago that someone from Scotland Yard must've been involved in the killings. It's taken him “many years” to identify the central figure in the organization: Tobias Gregson. Naturally, everyone is shocked. We knew Gregson! And sure, he wasn't exactly a kind person, but he certainly didn't appear to be a killer. He was very rough around the edges, but from what we'd been led to believe, he had a good heart. … A decent heart. Mediocre, one might say. Ryu asks whether the reason Van Zieks was investigating Gregson was to expose him as the Reaper, but Van Zieks repeats the notion that the Reaper is not a single person. He doesn't have a doubt, though, that Gregson was a key member of the organization who did all of the planning. Believe it or not, Gregson was the brains behind the killings; the tactician who investigated and plotted, then left the dirty work to an assassin by the name of Asa Shinn. (LOCALIZATION WHY)

So now that we have this information, we can come to a very interesting conclusion. Both Gregson and Shinn are dead now, so by Van Zieks's reasoning, the Reaper is dead. You'd think this is good, but it does in fact make it very difficult to find the truth. Rather, Van Zieks believes that the truth died with Gregson (he hinted as much twice already) and while the seasoned Ace Attorney player knows it won't be impossible to expose a dead person as a killer, it'd be a hectic ordeal. The seasoned Great Ace Attorney player will know the Reaper hierarchy extends just a bit higher and the two who died are only pawns, but... Y'know. Approaching this from a first-time-player point of view, you'll know things will get troublesome.

There's another topic of conversation where Van Zieks once again addresses how sharp Kazuma is in court. He didn't miss a thing.

OUCH. So when Ryu first arrived, Van Zieks saw Genshin whenever he looked at him, not only due to his roots but due to 'the look in his eyes when searching for the truth'. Now, he sees Genshin in Kazuma, which surely makes a lot more sense. Van Zieks goes on to say that it's true some of the aristocracy from 10 years ago were problematic and abusing their power. “In a way, Asogi was carving out a canker from society that we British couldn't deal with ourselves.” So here, he sounds almost complimentary of the Professor's actions- specifically Asogi's actions. As if it would've all been well and good, were it not for the Professor's final victim. “But that's precisely why it makes no sense. Klint van Zieks was a noble and upstanding man. He wasn't corrupt.”

Remember way back in The Unspeakable Story when I surmised that Van Zieks boiled Genshin's actions down to his race in order to avoid the belief that there might've been a reason his brother was killed? We see it here again. Van Zieks is in doubt. He may say vocally that “it makes no sense”, but that line in itself is already telling. The fact that he acknowledges it and draws it into question implies to us that he's skeptical of the story. Deep down, he knows something is amiss. He knows there's some sort of explanation he's missing, but if he were to dig too deeply into it, he'd have to acknowledge that perhaps his brother was corrupt. And this still isn't all of it. There's one more thing Van Zieks has to discuss before we can round this conversation to a close. Ten years ago, shortly after Klint died, Genshin saved his life.

There's that phrasing again. “True nature”. It's not in orange this time, but it's there all the same. Van Zieks is convinced that Genshin is the one who had a hidden true nature. In this story, we learn that 'the scum of London' had already targeted him several times even before he became known as the Reaper, simply because of who he was and who his brother was. JEESH. Harsh. So on the night in question, a couple of thugs also tried to kill him (allegedly) but Genshin stepped in to protect him. Genshin became lightly wounded as a result. This is the part where I would have expected them to explain Van Zieks's scars, but he never mentions being wounded himself, so we can't be sure this is when it happened. Curious. This was the perfect opportunity and they let it slide. So anyway, two days after that incident, Genshin was arrested.

Some more telling lines here. Van Zieks thinks he'd never recount the story to anyone; not because there's no need to tell it. It's because it must be difficult to talk about. On its own, that might be a farfetched conclusion I wouldn't make, but Ryu confirms it with his follow-up line: “Thank you... for confiding in me.” We can take this line to mean exactly what it says; Van Zieks confided something painful. He let down some more walls. Growth!

So with all this out of the way, there's a whole load more investigation to do before this case is over. Most of it has to do with Genshin's will, a mysterious trunk belonging to Gregson, the missing time of death on the autopsy report... Nothing too relevant to Van Zieks's character. However, if we go into the prosecutor's office and examine things while Kazuma is there, we do get some fun tidbits about how Van Zieks wouldn't trust anyone else to touch his things and would rearrange it all himself whenever needed. From the sound of it, Van Zieks is very meticulous and a loner, which aligns with what we know about him. Some more conversation later, we reach the topic of the Reaper with Kazuma. He agrees that Gregson was definitely involved in the Reaper organization, but there's one thing that's more important. “Who's been giving orders to the Inspector?” In my eyes, it's a bit of a stretch to assume with certainty anyone was giving orders; Gregson might've just taken up the vigilante justice by himself and found some way to pay Shinn enough money to get in on it. Kazuma insists, though, that Van Zieks is 'the real Reaper'. We as the audience already know that's nonsense, we know Kazuma is wrong. Or perhaps we might think that if somehow Van Zieks pulled the wool over our eyes and Kazuma is correct, that'd be one heck of a wild twist. Kazuma gives no real reason why he believes this, he only goes on to say that ten years ago, it was Van Zieks who 'decided his father must be a mass murderer'. Shockingly, Susato is the one to jump in here and outright say to Kazuma that he's wrong; that Van Zieks only saw that 'justice was done as the law dictates' and he wasn't to blame for Genshin's execution. Kazuma insists that people condemn people and the law is just a tool they use for it. So I suppose that's exactly what he's doing right now. He's condemning Van Zieks, just as Van Zieks once condemned Genshin. We're cycling! And my main question now is this: If Stronghart had been the prosecutor in the Professor's trial instead, would Kazuma be just as vengeful towards him? Because remember, it's people who condemn people. This implies that anyone who had taken on the job of prosecutor at that time is the one who 'decided that Genshin must've been a murderer' and would need to take responsibility in Kazuma's eyes. Kazuma's beef isn't with Van Zieks personally, it's with the prosecutor who used that tool of the law and also evidence.

HAHAHAAA! HAH! If you align this screenshot next to the “Klint van Zieks was a noble and upstanding man” line, you get a wonderful parallel. These two prosecutors are both dead wrong about their beloved family, and they're about to find out in the worst way possible.

One murder mystery spread out over two episodes? You bet! Stay tuned for the last case, The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo!

[readwritejayy]

The Name of the Minotaur

“So you’re sticking with that. You were out with Sammy Tuesday night?”

“I was.”

You would have liked Sammy. You would have liked reading me and Sammy meeting in 7th grade, when we were the only two not pretending to be horses or hanging out in the dugout by the baseball field during lunch. You would have liked reading me and Sammy sneaking out at 3am to kick rocks down Parks View Lane, sweating in the sticky summer heat, laughing about everything and anything—the way we couldn’t during sleepovers without risking my father’s wrath. You really would have liked reading me and Sammy finally graduating, sharing a dorm at “U of C”, me an Anthropology major and Sammy in Psychology.

But we didn’t graduate. And I have to tell You, instead of letting You meet Sammy Yourself.

“Are you sure you want to go with that? It’s your last chance, kid.” He taps his pen against his yellow notepad. One long grey hair juts out from his bushy eyebrows, catching the light when he looks up.

I pick at the loose skin around my thumbnail to tamper down the urge to pluck it. “I don’t really have a choice, considering it’s what I was doing.”

He sighs, setting his glasses down and rubbing his eyes. His voice sounds weary from repeating the same things over and over. Or maybe that’s just how he sounds, I’ve never heard him anything other than weary from the first time I was ushered into a room like this.

“You know that’s not a great alibi, right? The only person who can corroborate your whereabouts the night your father was killed is reported missing the next day?”

The AC clicks on—the hair dances back and forth.

I breathe: four seconds in, hold for four, five seconds out. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I say, clasping my hands together under the table. “I’ve lost both my father and my best friend, and now I’m being accused of both crimes?”

“Lost? You sound convinced Sam is dead, not just missing.”

Sitting up, I blink. “Well don’t you? I mean, with the shoe on the front porch, and that note Sammy wrote—”

“We still have handwriting analysts looking over the note, but we haven’t confirmed it’s a match for Sam’s writing.” He flipped to another page in his folder. “I just wanted to go over what we’ve got one more time.”

“Because you have no actual evidence I had anything to do with either event.”

He ignores this. “You said you left your house at around 6pm, met up with Sam and stayed out all night until you came back home at 2am, where you found your father beaten and stabbed with a kitchen knife in the living room. Could you walk me through what you and Sam did that kept you out for eight whole hours?”

“We met up at Mixie’s—Sam had a coupon from the football game Saturday, just had to mention we go to Valley High and we’d get a free side of fries—ate outside for about an hour, went to the park, and then just walked around Sam’s neighborhood until I went home.”

“See, now that’s interesting, because we saw you two on surveillance footage across the street from Mixie’s around that time, but that’s it. Nowhere else do you or Sam appear on any footage for the rest of the night.”

I cock my head. “I don’t think they have CCTV at the park, or in a residential neighborhood.”

“And for eight hours? You told Sam’s mother you two would be going to the library.”

“I just said that so she’d let me and Sam hang out. She doesn’t like me, my father didn’t like Sam. To get what I want I lie. A lot.”

He hums. “Sam seemed pretty agitated in the footage, did anything happen between the two of you?”

“I mentioned my father had come home angry, again. Sam was upset.”

“Oh right, the defensive marks around your neck.”

“Yes, except he didn’t make them as I was killing him, like you keep suggesting. It happened when he came home, before I left.” Be glad You’re reading this, You don’t want to see two large handprints around a sixteen year old’s neck.

“It just seems a bit convenient for you to be out for such a long time the same night your father is killed. And for the weapon to be something from your own kitchen.”

“I was out for ‘such a long time’ to avoid going back home, since my father beatme. Maybe someone was waiting for him to be home alone. Maybe someone stopped by. They got to talking with him, didn’t like the things he said or did. Maybe as they sat there, they realized they couldn’t stand his drivel for single second longer and lashed out the way my father was so prone to doing himself.” I clear my throat. “My father angered a lot of people.”

He clicks his pen once, twice, a third time before setting it down. “So all you have is a shaky alibi.”

“That’s true, I don’t have any proof that I didn’t kill my father or do anything to Sammy. But I don’t think I need to. I think you need proof I did kill my father or had anything do to with Sammy’s disappearance.”

“You’re acting pretty antagonistic, aren’t you kid?”

“I’m grieving.” I stand up, shoving the chair out. “If I’m not being arrested, which I’m assuming I’m not or you’d have done it the last time we were here, I’d like to leave.”

He says nothing but doesn’t stop me as I throw open the door. I zone out as I leave, the route to the parking lot already imprinted on my brain. After climbing into my car, I fish out the bracelet from my cupholder. Identical to the one on my wrist except two of the beads are cracked.

You want me to give You more information. You want more clues, more context. You want more because You want to know if You should sympathize with or vilify me.

Well, too bad. You don’t get any more information. This is the end—for You and for me. But to You, it’s just a story; you’ll finish this and walk away, maybe make lunch or go to class or fall asleep. But I can’t escape from this. You’ll find another book, another character to either care about or project onto and then you’ll move on.

I’m stuck in this cycle. So I’ll exercise the only amount of control I have and say:

Am I to be sympathized with, or vilified?

Figure it out.

[4ragon]

Simon keyes for the analysis thing?

Okay, so real quick

Hi! You should play AAI2! It’s the best Ace Attorney game! It’s full of interesting twists and turns and is so much fun! And if you want to play AAI2, PLEASE do not continue to read this post! I’m serious! It’s going to be nothing but spoilers! Get out of here! Go look at my post about how Godot is a weird dipshit. Please. Anything. Go on. Shoo.

Okay, they’re gone. Phew. Anyway.

Simon Keyes! I think he’s one of the most interesting, dynamic, well rounded villains in the series. More than Blaise, more than Kristoph or Dahlia (two other stellar villains but that’s a note for another day). And I think a lot of that comes down to his backstory, his character motivation, and the parallels between him and both Miles and Kay.

I actually wasn’t sure I liked him after my first playthrough. Or, no, I did like him, I liked him a lot, but I wasn’t sure if I was sold on him being the Big Bad, the Final Boss, the Mastermind, when I got to the end of the game.

There were a lot of little parts about that final case that I thought were a bit of a letdown, especially after The Forgotten Turnabout, which is one of the best cases in the entire series. After all, we’d already saved Kay from Blaise, from the PIC, that constant, nebulous threat that had been hanging over Miles’s head since case 2. And Blaise is a really good villain, he represents all of the stuff we’d been dealing with since the beginning, all of the corruption and cruelty inherent in the system that Miles is trapped in.

But after having spent some time ruminating on it, and chatting with my friends, I think I’ve come to understand that Simon Keyes is just as important of an antagonist for the purposes of AAI2, thematically and just as a villain. (I don’t want to take all the credit here but I also don’t know if I should tag anybody? I don’t know my friends are very smart and cool and I don’t want to bother them.)

To start, Simon Keyes represents a lot of things. He is the failures of the system. His story is directly opposite to Miles’s own loss of his father. He actually challenges a lot of this new worldview that Miles had gained over the course of the entire series, and particularly what he’s experienced in AAI2 alone. After all, Miles trusted in his client, and was stabbed in the back. He followed the ideals of his father and Phoenix, and it backfired on him. And in addition, Simon is right in a lot of the ways that he challenges Miles. A lot of the accusations he throws around are not wholly inaccurate, all things considered, even if so many of them are twisted to fit his own cold worldview. I think Simon has seen the absolute worst of the court system in these games, and as a result I think he became one of the most compelling villains to date.

And I think having a character challenge Miles in this way was so important. Like, anyone who played Dual Destinies or Spirit of Justice before getting into the investigations games knows that Miles sticks with his whole prosecutor gig, but I think the important part of AAI2 is the why. Why does he make that decision, especially when the rest of the series shows the importance of the defense attorneys defending the people who have nowhere to turn. And Simon Keyes proves to Miles that change needs to occur on both sides of the bench, that he can change things, protect the people who need protecting, while still being his own person separate from the father he lost. Simon showed some of the flaws inherent in always believing in your client, but also gave Miles a completely new insight that was crucial to that decision to stick with being a prosecutor instead of becoming a defense attorney.

Oh, gosh, I feel like I haven’t even fully touched on Simon as a character. He’s manipulative and cunning and conniving. You can really feel that he’s never really received the love that he deserved and needed as a child, and it really shows in all of his interactions, especially with Miles and Kay. It’s so clear that he can’t even conceptualize being able to care about someone the way that the people around him care about each other, all stemming from the cruelty of the adults in his life that used him and tossed him aside. I find it so interesting that his redemption sort of goes hand in hand with the ‘redemption’ of Sirhan Dogen. And I use the word redemption loosely, I don’t think either of them are redeemed per se, but it’s clear that Dogen cares about this horrible boy that he saved on a whim, and Simon needs someone to care for him, even, you know, the worst man on the planet. And I think that despite the fact that Dogen is, you know, a super murderer, the fact that they both can at least find some sort of bizarre peace in their punishment is weirdly satisfying? Particularly for Simon, like. He deserves his punishment, but you can’t help but feel sorry for him, and it’s nice that this other horrible person has decided to do something good at the end of a very horrible life he lead.

But yeah, Simon is so well fleshed out from beginning to end. He’s a bad man, and he deserves the punishment that he receives, but he’s also a tragic figure deserving of sympathy, and was integral in shaping Miles into the person that he is by the end of the game.

[lunammoon]

The Problem With Hetalia (As told by someone who actually in the fandom until like, 2016)

I'm hoping this post will explain to people who are still into Hetalia why a lot of people have an issue with from the perspective of someone who knows a lot about the show. 

TL;DR: By making the WW2 axis powers come across as a lovable idiot, his serious friend, and the stoic voice of reason, it downplays the serious nature of what the Axis did and seeing as the real-life Axis harmed real-life people, many people have a justifiable huge issue with this. 

I will go more into depth about this under the cut.

A lot of people are talking about how Hetalia is coming back after 5 years and a lot of people are rightfully annoyed at the show. But what I'm seeing is that a lot of the people who are upset are people who clearly haven't watched the show and therefore are unable to explain to people who have watched it why it’s bad. The most that you hear is:

"it glorifies the Axis Powers" (which isn't 100% accurate although the assessment that they are portrayed in a way that makes them seem less bad is accurate) 

"Hetalia Cosplayers wore Nazi uniforms in front of a Holocaust memorial" (which I'd say is more of an issue with fans than the show). 

That is not to say that there isn't an issue with the show, because there really is. But these observations are unlikely to mean much to someone who watches Hetalia. So, in this thread, I'm going to explain why Hetalia is Problematic with the added context perspective of someone who was into the show during most of middle school and until Freshman year of high school. 

I knew the human names, used to jam to "Always With You" and "Pub and Go" and “It’ll Settle Itself Somehow” and “Light my Heart” and “Absolute British Gentleman” and “Mein Gott” and “World Rondo” and “Excuse Me, I’m Sorry” and so, so many more. 

I lost my shit with everyone else when the season 6 ep dropped and Italy danced like he was possessed by a demon. When I hear “ACE” family, I don’t think of Youtubers. I actually took a side on the FruUK vs UsUk debate and if you look in my archive, you can probably find some Hetalia posts that I’m too lazy to delete.

The point here being, I’ve actually seen the show so I know what I’m talking about. This isn’t an outsiders perspective is what I’m saying.

So, let’s get right into it. While technically only seasons 1-2 are officially actually called "Axis Powers" (Seasons 3-4 are called "World Series" Season 5 is "Beautiful World" and Season 6 is called "World Twinkle") WW2 and things relating to the Axis Powers are an important part of every season and appear prominently.

While Hetalia has covered many things from all different time periods, the two most common periods covered are the modern-day and of course, the second World War. The show is Japanese and (I assume) because Japan was on the Axis side, these portions focus more on the Axis Powers of Italy, Japan, and Germany. The Allies do come into play. And while the Allies aren't directly like, evil, which would've been FAR WORSE they've got a kind of Team Rocket-esque thing going on? They're not exactly mustache-twirling villains but they're clear antagonists. Make no mistakes.

I think the deserted Island arc is the best example of the problems many people have with the show.

Take for example, that beach fight. If you've watched Hetalia, you'll know the one I'm talking about. The one that they reused like, 50 times. The Allies are clearly shown as the antagonists/aggressors while the Axis are literally just vibing on a (kinda) deserted island and defending themselves. 

Now, if this was three dudes chilling on the beach and they suddenly got attacked by another five dudes also on the beach who they then fought off until the five attackers ran away that’s be one thing.

The issue is that this is supposed to be a representation of WW2. It's basically saying "oh, Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy were literally just vibing, not bothering anyone when suddenly, the Allies attacked for no reason. Luckily, they (the Allies) retreated because the Allies are Cowardly but they keep coming back and bothering them,". Do you see the issue there? Most of the beach arc seems to be the writer forgetting that these are supposed to be Nations, not a random Italian dude, a German dude, and a Japanese dude.

“Oh, but they don’t glorify Nazi Germany. They don’t really even talk about what Germany was doing! Look at this pic of Germany in a lab coat holding a dandelion :)“

That’s not the defense that you think it is and it’s actually a main part of the issue that I, and many other people have with Hetalia.

I think the scene where this issue is the most obvious is the one where they are gathering around a campfire and talking and one of them comes up with the name "the Axis". The whole scene has the same energy characters in a moe anime coming up with a band name.

They’re sitting on a beach at night. I think there might’ve been a campfire, the stars are out, and the three of them talk about their dream of making a world that revolved around them. One of them comes up with the name “the axis” and then they all talk about how you would translate "axis" in their language. It’s all very found family-esque. The way the scene is framed is to encourage you to route for them to reach their goal. It’s the same kind of tone you’d see in a shoujo with a girl telling her friends about how she wants to win the singing competition no matter what or in Sword Art Online when Kirito talks about saving Asuna.

The issue is that their goal isn’t to win some competition or to save someone they care about. It’s to spread facism, imperialism, and bring about genocide.

There of course don’t SAY that that’s their goal, and outside of a one off line in the English dub that’s been since censored, they don’t really bring up what Germany was up to during WW2 vis-a-vie the Holocaust and if they did bring it up, I either wasn’t paying attention, it was in the manga, or it was in one of Germany’s character songs.

The issue is that during WW2 the show seems to at best forget and at worst, gloss over it that the main trio that they're focusing on are the villains. And not like, fantasy villains. Actual real-life villains that hurt real people in the real world. Imagine if instead of Ludwig Beilschmidt and Feliciano Vargas, it was Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. 

Are you seeing the problem yet?

I get why people like to watch the show. Ignoring the WW2 bits, it’s actually pretty good. I, as an American, really like Alfred F. Jones and the way he’s portrayed.

If Hetalia had stuck to non-WW2 related things such as that episode where the nations all talk about how horror movies differ in their nations, or they talked about their Christmas traditions. Or the ones where America and Japan are roommates. Or when they showed that time when America airdropped XL condoms on Russia labeling them as "small" for intimidation reasons. Or that series of episodes where they talked about Micronations. Or that time they all had to come together to fight aliens. Or the bit where they talked about the WW1 Christmas Armistice. Then it would be fine.

The issue is that they didn’t.

If they kept WW2 stuff for SOME reason. They had two options. 

Make the axis as proper villains

 Be explicit in showing that the nations will doesn't reflect what their leader wants. 

The first option wouldn’t be ideal if they wanted to cover any time period other than World War 2. The axis would be too unlikable and I doubt that an anime where Japan is the villain would appeal much to Japanese audiences.

But what about the second option. Have a bit where Ludwig is passing out White Rose pamphlets or smuggling people to safety.

Have Kiku (Japan for people who don’t watch Hetalia) purposefully looking the other way as Sugihara writes visas to get people to safety and covering for him against his boss. SOMETHING!

But instead of doing either of those, they took the bad third option which was, their choice to instead make the axis seem like likable individuals who are a group of three good friends who work together will in contrast with the “bumbling Allies” who are barely cohesive and constantly fight and argue. At best, makes it seem like both sides had a point and at worst, makes it seem like the Axis was a better than the Allies.

All of this is to say that liking Hetalia does not make you inherently a bad person, but you need to be more critical of what you watch and understand that there is a reason that some people have a genuine issue with it and they have a very good reason for that. You can still watch it the show, but do keep this information in the back of your brain as you do

[isagrimorie]

Spyfall 2

Commentators: Jodie Whittaker, Sylvie Briggs (Ada Lovelace), Chris Chibnall

Much like the Doctor doesn't like being alone, Jodie also isn't keen on doing scenes alone.

Chibnall actually did consult with his brother in law, who is very knowledgeable in aviation, about landing planes without a cockpit. And it is possible to do so remotely, people will be surprised how a lot of modern planes are actually flown by a computer. I'm not surprised, my dad's a pilot and he told me a lot of modern aircraft are actually flown more by the computers than the pilots. It's a two edged sword tho because then the pilot becomes too over reliant on the autopilot, and that's when accidents happen.

The scene with Ada and Thirteen meeting in the Kasaavin dimension was actually Sylvie's (Ada Lovelace) final day. Her first day was waking up in 'Paris' with Thirteen.

Interesting comment about how the Doctor's rhythm and speech changed dictated by the period of time she's in. It's modern but enough to sound period.

The hall the Doctor and Ada are in is a school, the dining hall.

The Master and his Top Hat! Jodie and Sylvie are both admiring how Sacha commanded the room and how genuinely terrifying he was. 'He (Sacha) rehearses in a way physically you kinda know what he's gonna do but emotionally its different.'

Jodie: "We're the same height, well you can see it 'cause we are but what is really ace is bein' able to eyeball somebody, because very often when you have a standoff with someone there's usually one's looking up, one's looking down or whatever but to be absolutely--"

Sylvie: "Because that changes the power dynamic."

Jodie: "Yeah."

Chibnall: "I never clocked that."

[snip]

Chibnall: "But I wonder if that's what makes it feels so much like your Master, your antagonist, your nemesis. It's like... that's interesting about the eyeline."

Jodie: "Cause in the scene obviously with Lenny outside like this (does something we can't see) and I like doing that thing of scrunching up and kind of, y'know, I suppose the.. doing that thing that kids do headstrong where the body leans forward. But with this two its (growls)."

Chibnall was uncertain about writing the kneel scene, Jodie agrees and didn't like it, Sylvie mentions that it feels epic to her. Chibnall:"There's something about your perfromances that makes it feel epic. But it's just that two-hander."

In the kneel scene, when they were filming, to keep the secret of the Master's identity, Jodie called Sacha 'Myka' instead of Master.

Jodie: "I like my bowtie." Chibnall: "Are you angling for the return of the bowtie?"

Jodie: "Every set, I try to knick something." LOL.

I love how Jodie compliments Sylvie, and I agree she fits the era very well. And an instance where costume (corset especially), and the hair all tied back helps get into character.

Ada really had episodes of paralysis, and one of the jumping off points for Chibnall's story.

Sylvie and Jodie comment on how lovely it was to have scenes with three women and not about 'Hey three women! Let's talk about being women! It's (their gender) is absolutely irrelevant to it but it is really lovely to have just three women. The kind of craziness Doctor Who brings with Ada in period clothes, the Doctor in a tux, and Noor in her period appropriate clothes.

They go on to discuss the Master's SS uniform and how it makes them (Sacha included) shudder because of what the uniform represented. And it's more of a reflection of the Master because he just treats wearing the SS uniform as a dress up without accounting for the implications and history of it. An alien tourist playing dress-up. [ED: I think the optics of this is still problematic I think it's something we need to acknowledge..]

There really was a point where Jodie and Sylvie were under the floor boards with people walking above them, and they held each other's hands because that experience was awful. On page it was very cool, but in execution. (Ed: I love that scene the whole way where there's a tense standoff between Noor and the soldiers, and the Master. And the steeliness of Noor just staring them down even with the soldier strafing the floor.) Chibnall wants several films with Noor Inayat Khan.

OMG. There was a point in the shoot where the Doctor was supposed to speak in perfect French, and Jodie joked that she already didn't speak English very well, and so she practiced speaking her line just to get the accent perfect... only for it to be cut for time. I WANT DELETED SCENES NOW.

Scanning through the Spyfall 2 script there's no mention of the scene where the Doctor speaks in French which really just confirms my suspicion that the scripts are not the shooting scripts, or at least the copies the actors use.

So, Chibnall gave the production several possible locations hoping to bring the budget to manageable scale and then he started writing and he got to the scene where the Doctor and Master spoke and the Master asked where they'd meet and then the Doctor answered; "Where d'you think?"

And Chibnall goes: "Oh they've got to meet in the Eiffel Tower. Production is going to kill me!"

Also, by this it confirms to me that Chibnall, like all of the showrunners is a Doctor/Master shipper, which I should've known already because Jack and Captain John were very much Doctor/Master lite.

Jodie loves doing duologues and is hoping for more two handers in the future, and Chibnall is taking note of that. Two handers where the other person has more of the dialogue... LOL. I guess Jodie really loved The Timeless Children.

[ED: Ada and Noor were such good companions. I want a historical companion for Thirteen next please. Thirteen, Yaz, and a historical Companion!]

Sylvie is so fascinated with the Doctor and Master's relationship, about how complicated it is.

One of the advises RTD gave Chibnall is that 'you can save anything in a line.' LOL. Apparently some of the Master's trauma across 77 years involved tailoring.

Jodie comments on how exciting it is being involved in the costuming, between herself and Sacha, they get to build their Doctors and Master's look and shape them. Also Jodie really loves cropped pants.

Jodie and Sylvie love the power walk, the big iconic, backlit smoke walk. The Big Exposition speech.

The scene where the Master arrives in Kasaavin dimension, same day filming for Jodie, and Sylvie too.

Jodie loves all the engineering and carpentry work, and any practical work.

They did do a shoot where they moved forward to a scene where Noor died, but in the edit found a better ending in the one that was broadcasted, and IMO, that was the right choice. Chibnall wants it more that Doctor Who will inspire people to read up more on Noor Inayat Khan and same Ada.

Chibnall didn't want to rob Ada of her agency, that the Doctor helped her discover computers or suggest that she didn't come up with it, everything Ada did she came up with herself.

The scene where Thirteen is alone and contemplating what happened to Gallifrey, Jodie comments how this was one of the few times where she's just very still.

Chibnall: "This is second series Thirteen, the place you take a character once you've done the first act, done in the beginning of your Doctor's second act."

Jodie and Sacha made sure that they're there in person for the scene in the TARDIS because having a stand-in would change the energy and performance of the scene.

Chibnall: "That performance from Sacha, the layer he brings to the Master there, of emotional truth and pain is so fantastic. It's a gift for a writer, and opens up the Master as well. And opens up your Doctor, I think, the trauma's so personal."

Hang on. Chibnall: "Is that the first appearance of the jumper? [ snip] They've come in this second series, its the first jumper. Little tiny changes you and Ray figure out." Are they implying there were more Doctor wearing only her long sleeve jumper we didn't get to see???

Chibnall: "And you got your Doctor theme but also it's the first time you [speaking to Jodie], it's interesting, I deliberately kept them back in the first series so that when you say them here, it's like you're saying 'Gallifrey', 'Kasterborous', 'Master for the first time."

Jodie: But its good that it ends with a: [using the same steely, angry voice]: 'Questions?' Like: 'Back to business, c'mon.'

Chibnall: (watching Thirteen's face subtly change when Yaz asked if they can visit, and it changes from a broken void to a forced smile). "Ohhhh. Why won't you tell them?" (LOL a writer asking his character.)

[musashi]

Here's a few questions! 1) What are some of your favorite memories around Ace Attorney? 2) What are some other topics you've thought about doing video essays on? 3) If you haven't already done this before, what Pokemon teams would you give Franziska and Maya?

thank you!

What are some of your favorite memories around Ace Attorney?

chief of them all is how i got into it, the "who is this mans" saga. here is the abridged version:

uquiz on my dash, "what white haired anime boy are you"

take it, because i love uquizzes

manfred von karma

desc just says: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU

post about it on tumblr

"who is this mans"

a bunch of scattered responses: thats the antagonist from the first ace attorney game

me: i know, but like, whats his deal, whats his personality, can someone tell me who this guy actually is beyond his role in the story

everyone: no. he doesn't matter. look up his daughter right now, you are kin with her.

literally, i got anywhere from 10-20 asks where people were PASSIONATELY assigning me franziska. ive never been furiously kin assigned before. people will say, like, hey wendy, this character seems like someone you'd be kin with. i felt like people were ANGRY that i didn't know i was franziska.

look her up

mean anime lady with a whip dot png

i am so sad about how i am perceived. delete all the asks. ignore this. go back to watching pokemon.

2 years pass

join zelda server

admin: uhhh if i played ace attorney. would anyone want to watch

me: the uquiz said i am manfred von karma

admin: WHAT

everyone else in the server: WHAT

some brave soul: wait, do you know about fr--

me: franziska yeah whatever im her and everyone wants me to know about i--

server, in harmonious gregorian unison: FRANZISKA! FRANZISKA! FRANZISKA!

me: fuck's sake

server: PROSECUTORIAL PRODIGY FRANZISKA VON KARMA GRACES US WITH HER PRESENCE

me: fuck off for real. sure i'll come watch

[does that]

[wakes up after blacking out and there's an 8 foot bullwhip in my house now]

fuck you

it is to this day the funniest fucking sequence of events that have ever brought me to a fandom. i was planning on just enjoying ace attorney casually i had NO idea how amazing it was.

some other faves... i got to voice manfred when we played goodbyes and i didn't know anything about him, my friends just forced me to and i 100% winged it and ended up having the TIME OF MY LIFE. the only thing i remember was being off my shits and at multiple points bellowing 'PISS YOUR PANTS BOY' at half the cast. every day i regret not recording it.

the way we started voicing characters was, initially rin was voicing all of them but when we got to samurai they were like 'im not going to even try with oldbag because i've never seen anyone be able to keep up with her dialogue except like one streamer' and i don't know how to leave challenges alone so i said 'ill do it' and then i DID but no one told me what her first name was so as soon as she took the stand i LOST IT just howling and almost flubbed my lines. then we all started claiming characters to voice and it turned into a whole thing.

the day we started JFA i was really nervous and i just wandered around my apartment alone talking at objects in the worst german accent imaginable. i was so nervous. i was so scared. and then the second court started i felt this incredible rush go through me like i was meant to do that voice forever. and all my friends were cheering. and it was paradise.

i went into 2-4 completely unspoiled and played the airport scene without having any idea what it entailed. i was in tears by the end of it and all my friends were like mu your voice acting <3 and i was sobbing on mute like NOT ACTING BABES <3 the next day i again wandered around my apartment feeling like my chest was full of glowing light.

oh can't forget about this

OR THIS

What are some other topics you've thought about doing video essays on?

rrrright now i really want to make one thats just a passionate defense of JFA and why i think it deserves way more credit than it's given.

i tend to overthink pokemon teams and stress myself out about them so i am politely skipping this last question fgfdhgf~

[army-of-mai-lovers]

Ok I just finished book 4 and thus the series as a whole, here are my thoughts:

1) first and foremost: Korrasami. It was beautiful. It was gorgeous. I wept. I’m weeping as I write this. It was really gorgeous. I don’t want to criticize it because I know just how big of a moment that was for gay representation in children’s stuff, that it was the blueprint for a lot of the other LGBTQ+ rep in kids’ animation I’ve watched and loved. That said, I do wish that Asami had gotten more character development prior to Korrasami happening. I really don’t feel like I know much more about Asami now than I did at the beginning of the series. I know a lot of stuff with their relationship had to be censored and like, I get it, it was 2014. But the stuff about Asami’s relationship with her father was really interesting and I would have loved for that to have been explored in more depth, and idk, she just had interesting character traits. She’s an ace at pai sho, she’s a female inventor, she’s the only nonbender on Team Avatar. I would have loved to see more of her friendship with Bolin, or what her relationship with Mako looked like post-book 2, or just anything really. It does bother me that Varrick got a whole character arc and Asami was just kind of...there, the whole time. Idk, I think if both Korra and Asami had more and better development it would have been even more amazing and wonderful than it already was. And that’s the perfect segue into: 

2) Korra’s book 4 arc!!!!!! if you missed my 3438098908080 liveblogs about it, I loved Korra from the start, and it was really hard to watch her get beaten down time and again, only for her to say that she *had* to go through all that to be “compassionate” when I knew she was compassionate from the moment I met her. The way she was written throughout the show just reeked of racism and sexism, and I wish the writers had seen this awesome character they created, who was strong and fierce and good and powerful from the very beginning, and, to paraphrase @bluberry-spicehead , let her be. She deserved so much better than what the writers were willing to give her. Maybe when I was younger, the idea of having to go through immense suffering to be good would have been appealing, but having been through a lot in the past year, trauma doesn’t make you a better person. If you become a better person, it is in spite of trauma, not because of it. I really think the way they wrote her sends the wrong message and I wish they had done something else (and there was so much more they could do!!! It really was not necessary for them to make her suffer so much and then try to justify it later!!!) 

3) in terms of the series as a whole, I definitely think in terms of purely technical things, book 4 was the best season by far. However, in terms of comedy, book 1 was the best season. Simply nothing will beat the Amon is Tarrlok’s secret brother reveal. 

4) I meant to have a prediction of who would get a secret sibling reveal this season (since it happened in the other 3) but nobody got one so I guess all my bases were covered. 

5) oh speaking of hcs, I predicted at one point or another that all of the villains were robots, and I FINALLY (sort of) GOT IT RIGHT WITH KUVIRA I FUCKING KNEW IT!!

6) Favorite good line: “Kuvira will rue the day she messed with Meelo!” Favorite bad line: It’s a tough call between “Unalaq hired the barbarians” and “Zhu Li, will you do the thing for the rest of our lives?” so I’m just going to honor them both bc they were both the result of absolutely shit writing. 

7) Favorite gaang cameo: It was SLIM PICKINGS but I have to go with Katara because she was mostly unproblematic and somewhat consistently written (would have gone to Sokka but I can’t give the lok writers for having fucking killed him even though he was a true king in that flashback scene) (although tbh if he had lived they would have made him a secret war criminal who was a dick to his kids and had a brother we didn’t know about so maybe we dodged a bullet there)

8) Favorite characters: Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin, Shiro Shinobi, Opal, Tenzin, Meelo, Pema, Grandma Yin, and of course, Prince Wu. Least favorite characters: fucking Varrick (as well as Unalaq, Zaheer, Kuvira, and Tarrlok, but tbh, mostly Varrick) (also can we talk about how so many of the antagonists were Water Tribe???? what was up with that????)

9) the setting was...weird throughout. I posted a lot about wanting to understand how the fuck the United Republic government worked and I’m going to be perfectly real with you I still don’t know. The over-industrialization, the Westernization, the fact that they could not commit to a governmental system (and I never got to see the constitution!) it was all just deeply deeply wrong. I wish that they’d hired more writers of color, especially writers from the cultures they were trying to represent, because I think there was so, so much potential in the idea of a sequel series to ATLA, and they wasted it.

tl;dr the characters of LoK were great, the writing was not, and bryke owes me and everyone else who watched the show an apology for dropping the ball

[apocalypse-tights]

Aced Attorneys (optional bonus challenge mode: main characters and main antagonists are banned)

I'll do both! (Also I'm going only by the trilogy and possibly some of Investigations here) For main characters: Favorite Male Character: Miles Edgeworth Favorite Female Character: Uuuuh I can't choose between Maya and Franziska help!!!! I love them both so dearly Least Favorite Character: Godot- I have many posts about why (tag: godon't) but the reason I put him above other characters I dislike is because he's the only one I get the impression I'm *supposed* to feel sympathy for so his role in the story makes me mad as well as just his personality Main characters excluded (this is a little hard because I'm basic and all my faves are main characters;;) Favorite Male Character: Hmm... Does Larry count as not a main character? I have a weird soft spot for him even though he's obnoxious. If not, Will Powers, he's a sweet teddy bear man Favorite Female Character: Maggey Byrde or Penny Nichols (Penny is such a minor character but I love her.) Oh! Or Viola Cadaverini. No one ever talks about her but I love creepy girls ok Least Favorite Character: Hotti. He makes me so fucking uncomfortable that I can't even stand to see him onscreen and I'm so pissed that he apparently got a cameo in one of the later games when FRANZISKA hasn't even showed up Ok non favorite character ones now. Sorry I'm rambling a ton Favorite Ship: Again, basic, but Narumitsu. Favorite Friendship: I love Phoenix and Maya a lot, Big Sibling Energy, and something I'd love to see more of is Miles and Maya friendship, there's some good moments and a LOT of good potential there Favorite Quote: Woof. (Missile) ...Okay I'm joking but my mind is blanking I have no idea;;; Worst Character Death (if any): It depends what you mean by worst, and I feel like a ton of my answers are so uninteresting, but I might say Mia- worst in a good, effective way. Like. That really hit me the first time around. On the other hand she *does* stick around, but she was still the character I formed the most attachment to who died. This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: The first thing that comes to mind is Miles fuckin. immediately getting a private jet halfway across the world when he hears Phoenix is injured. That said probably my favorite moment in the whole series is just all the unimportant-to-the-plot dialogue between Miles and Franziska about the vending machine in the flashback case of Investigations. So much weird, petty, hilarious sibling energy. Saddest Moment: Anytime Maya is suffering. I can't fucking handle it. Favorite Location: Okay here's a non basic answer! That weird fruit park from Recipe for Turnabout. I don't care much about most of what happens there but I love its aesthetic. Would play there in real life... would also love to build in Animal Crossing

[caernua]

im indulging you and wanna hear you talk abt basim for the ask 🍀

UH OH

first impression

heheh sexie i think i first saw the promo pic?? instantly intrigued and then i was DELIGHTED to see the hidden ones at the docks bc they seemed so mysterious and the way the camera lingers on them for a moment when you meet them the first time i was SO READY for some wild shit to happen and you know what. wild shit did happen and i am grateful for it

impression now

i think he’s one of my fave antagonists ac has ever had. it’s so fucking cool how interesting they managed to make the modern day just through his character and the fact that he comes back. i never thought i’d find myself wanting to see more modern day, i actually wasn’t a huge fan of it in the ezio games either so now finding myself thinking ‘oh boy hope there’s more modern day in siege of paris’ IS INSAAANE

favorite moment

okay we all know what i’m about to say yes the campfire scene even when i was watching gameplays of valhalla trying to decide if i should get it it stuck with me there’s something magical about it and i absolutely love that the team behind it knew it as well when they saw it completed!!! it’s just such a neat way to do foreshadowing while also strengthening the red herring that they already established. and it’s just beautiful how very lowkey intimate and... respectful it feels?? despite them being surrounded by people

BUT! i also need to mention in the ending because the rollercoaster of emotions i experienced during it was something that again i never expected out of assassin’s creed and boy it got me so bad, especially because i expected him to betray eivor but i expected NOTHING of what followed after. plus he’s just such an interesting character i was just happy that they brought him back and i think i deadass yelled when i heard his laugh in the grey when layla was in the yggdrasil.

idea for a story

i need a full sitcom of him annoying shaun and rebecca as much as possible.

AND honestly i feel like i would have loved to see eivor do a mission with both the hidden ones in england at some point i think it would have been a cool way to include a more traditional asscreed type of mission (or a heist!! imagine doing a heist with basim and hytham) and the banter would have been amazing, i am convinced ✨

unpopular opinion

i’m just gonna go ahead and steal alli’s answer <3 and say yea i don’t think basim is entirely to blame for sigurd’s behavior, obviously he was the one who manipulated him by using sigurd’s desire for glory to motivate him into doing what he wanted esp in the context of styrbjorn taking the kingship from under him, but sigurd is still. a grown man. ya know. i mean it’s at the point where people are willing to blame basim for sigurd calling his dad an old goat at the end of the game lmao. he was just willing to sacrifice a lot for legitimacy of grabbing power and basim exploited that weakness

favorite relationship

HEHEH eivor for sure... they really go through 5394538 stages of enemies to allies to... whatever. children of gods, one who is almost entirely linked with his god and the other broken off. ♡ there’s so much fun banter, so much curiosity on eivor’s side, basim complimenting her during sieges and stuff.. the feeling of yes i must take my revenge but at the end of it all you are an enemy i admire and we are linked... i actually feel like the devs really wanted to give you the feeling that despite everything there is respect between them and that’s just so interesting... the bleeding effect scene!!! the idea that there would be reconciliation after all this time, specifically at a campfire again!! absolutely beautiful and i am obsessed with it

favorite headcanon

that he, like every other respectable assassin, is a devout cat person.

♡ send me a character! ♡

[laws-hat-headcanons]

Oh boyyyy.. favorite characters?

Shanks

- He was my 1st OP crush. And he only live up to really have special place in my heart. He is amazing babysitter. Amazing captain and he mixes the pirate way with not engaging in meaningless bloodshed perfectly.

Benn Beckman

- 2nd crush. Still is. He is a THE first mate. I really wanna see how he met Shanks. I like the aura he has around him.

Monkey D. Luffy

- He is amazing captain. I used to.. not like him THAT much, because of his "not mature" ways. But he got my heart. He cares about his crew very deeply. And when needed, he can take charge, but he also knows that he can do only so much alone and he does not have problem with saying that he NEEDS his crew. (aka the Arlong Park scene. Since that day I have immens respect for him)

Roronoa Zoro

- 3rd crush. Why? His treating of women. There is nothing more attractive (in any way) for me than a man who treats woman with respect, acknowledging that they are equal. Also his immens loyality to Luffy, his crew and his dream.

Sanji

- I love pre-ts Sanji. But I am really upset with he is acting now. Which is Oda's fault, I know. But... His dream is forgotten. He went from being gentleman(maybe little overboard) to being almost that guy who will gawk and cat called you while you walk on the streets - and he acts like that only to the women who has a certain body type... But I love how he treats kids.

Nami

- Her development is brilliant. I loved her from the beginning. Her ability to be shady. But she still has kidness in her heart. And how she helped the fishmen/mermaids even though one killed her 'mother'. And how she acknowledges her weakness. But uses the things she is good at to be her power.

Usopp

- How he, even though his father left him and never actually helped him, still loves his father. And he doesn't seem to hold a grudge against him. Also, again, he knows his own weaknesses. And same as Nami, he finds other way to be strong fighter. And his loyality to Luffy. Alabast, Water 7, some of the Movies. He is amazing.

Franky

- His development? *Chef's kiss* I love how he went from partially-main antagonist to an ally and finally crew member. And his devotion to crew is amazing. Also.. he let Merry travel with them as Mini Merry and I think that is so sweet. And I love how he understands Usopp.

Chopper

- He is baby. I wanna cuddle him ... But he is also pretty mature for his age. His development is amazing too.

Whitebeard

- He is perfect father. The father I would love and need to have. His devotion to family.

Ace

- I cant say anything properly. Because my heart still hurta from him.

Marco

Smoker

- I love how he realized that nothing is black and white - the way of thinking the Marines are drilled. He is the "Marine rebel" and he does not shy away from disobeying authorities, if he thinks it's right. Also, how he cares for his subordinates.

Vivi

- She always was stubborn. But she grew into fearless, bold princess who will surely be amazing queen one day.

Pell

- I know we met him only for a few episodes. But his devotion to his kingdom, king and Vivi? 🥺 He got my heart and refused to let go.

Bepo

- I want to hug him. Also... Honorable Mention: Trafalgar D. Water Law - his interaction with Bepo? Soft. He loves him, his crew and I bet he really really likes Straw Hats.

Mihawk

- From the 1st meeting I love him. How he treated Zoro at Baratie? Amazing. How he is with Shanks? Brilliant. How he took Zoro under his wings (even he totally didnt have to. They are rivals after all). Also his interactions with Perona. 🥺

I think this all.. maybe not. But it is all - for now - that I can put together.

Hey @ochizokulevy

Wooooowww! You have a lot of favourite characters and a lot of good thought into why!

I can get behind a lot of these to be honest though I'll admit I don't see the appeal of Benn Beckman personally, but I also don't really remember much about him. I've had a lot of requests for him recently and I feel bad because I can't write them!

I'm happy to see Smoker in there. That dumb beef cake doesn't get enough love in this fandom.

Pell is another interesting choice. The Alabaster arc was soooo long ago now I can barely remeber it but I think he was cool. I've got a thing for bird people. Monet almost killed me.

I think there is hope for Sanji yet though, he is showing some good development in Wano!

Thank you very much for sharing your fave characters with me ❤