#let apollo and athena have their own games

[bloodyshadow1]

I feel like people are underestimating Zeus' reaction to Athena at the beginning of his part of God Games. Like yes, of course he's pissed, no one is supposed to be able to win his rigged game, it makes him look like a fool for losing his game, but there's something else.

Athena after winning his game is literally Zeus' nightmare come to life. Zeus was prophecized to be deposed by his and Metis' child, some say they would have a daughter and then a son who would usurp him, but I've seen a couple interpretations. That's why Zeus ate his first wife so he could murder his children by her before it came to pass. Athena was born from his skull anyway, but it was clear and scared him enough to become just like his father.

Now hundreds or so years later, his 'favorite' daughter comes with a request so he makes her do the impossible task, getting members of their family to agree with her. He stacked the deck, Apollo and Hephaestus don't care, but Ares and Aphrodite hate Athena and the feeling is mutual, and Hera would never back one of his kids that weren't hers, at least not for a mortal. Athena could get one or two of them to release Odysseus, but the man is such a divisive figure that there's no way she'd be able to get 5 gods on her side.

Yet Athena did, not only did she beat him, beat his game, she showed off how capable she is. She showed her wits, her strength, the skills a true ruler would need, and she's standing in front of him making 'demands.'

No wonder Zeus freaked out, he literally took a page out of his father's playbook and tried to devour one of his children to avert a prophecy and there she is standing in front of her, 5 gods behind her, nearly half of the Olympians, the same amount of siblings he freed and overthrew his father with, the biggest threat to his power since hera's coup.

Now Athena doesn't want his throne, she wants her friend free, but that doesn't matter to Zeus. The guy was paranoid enough to try and murder Athena in the womb and here she is like the prodigal daughter like he was when he free his own siblings, no wonder the guy freaked out on her. He only relents when Athena, with her 'dying' breath, reiterates that she only wants Odysseus free, not his throne and starts to let his guard down

I could be overthinking this, I love to overthink Greek Mythology, but it does make sense if you look at Zeus' history. Child overthrowing their fathers is the founding of their dynasty, If I was the king of the gods I would be freaking out

[epicthemusicalstuff]

My Thoughts On The Wisdom Saga

Legendary: To put it lightly, it was Legendary! I loved it so much, and it was pretty much what I expected! I loved the suitors using the Man Of The House melody, and Antinous gave me a little jump scare, but I liked it and it made sense. I loved the progression from “if I fight these monsters is it you I’ll find” to “if I might this monster is it you I’ll find” (and that whatcha gonna do about it champ was amazing)

Little Wolf: Still really good! I was a little startled to see Athena, but it made sense! Antinous was amazing! I thought it was funny how we finally got the “I made your thoughts quick” because no where else in the musical does it explain quick thought! The very final line though felt weird to me that it was a part of little wolf? Particularly because Athena is responding to him in We'll Be Fine, so it’s interesting that they broke that apart.

We’ll Be Fine: I loved that Athena finally acknowledged that Odysseus was her friends! Also “then his went dark…” Polites… let me be your light…. After that Odysseus’ own light dimmed too- anyways. ALSO going from “what’s a title any goddess could lend, if I’ll never sleep at night” and then now Athena is telling us she isn’t sleeping- I loved this song so much

Love In Paradise: This is where is gets ever so slightly more critical. I loved the time dive at the start, though something felt off about the way suddenly we were at Calypsos island? I think if I didn’t have the visuals of the livestream last night I would have been slightly more confused. Anyways, I adore Calypso voice, though she felt very earnest the whole time, which was an interesting choice. I am aware Jorge made the decision to remove some parts of Calypso from the Odyssey, which is perfect fine, and in his right to do as Epic is inspired by the Odyssey and not a direct copy of it, but still something felt slightly off? I will say thought I loved how it was shown Odysseus was still very haunted and traumatized by his experiences. He is haunted by the voices of those he loved, his friends. Eurylochus, Polites, and Anticlea. Which I will say I sobbed at. (Also Calypso’s like about Stay In My Open Arms, I nearly screamed, that was rough she chose that phrase)

God Games: As much as I was looking forward to God Games, and as good as it was, I feel a little let down? The opening part which we already had was amazing, and the way the gods sounds build on each other was amazing. When it came to the actual gods though? The singers were all amazing, but I thought Apollo might have a little more beef with Odysseus? I mean, they fought on opposite sides of the Trojan War, Apollo was the protector of the young, I mean, even the cows (that were really Helios’ but could have been given to Apollo for this). I get that level one is supposed to be easy though! Next was Hephaestus, and JORGE’S DAD!!! I love that Jorge has his family being in it too, and his dad did amazing! As for Hephaestus’ argument, it made a bit more sense, though was still over easier-ish? Which makes sense for a second level. Then Aphrodite and Ares, which we had already!! It was amazing, and I loved it so much! Then Hera, which we also had! So groovy, I liked it, though she felt a little easier to convince for being the second to last level? Then Zeus beating up Athena, that was wild. Ares asking if she was dead? (She is not by the way, she appears later in Epic I believe)

Anyways, those are my thoughts about the Wisdom Saga! Overall I liked some parts of it more than others. The pacing was maybe a little wonky, but to be fair there was a lot of skipping around time wise, so I guess it’s to be expected. The vocals were amazing though!

[traumatrios]

thinking about…

luke taking care of you when you’re sick.

one morning you’ll wake up and suddenly your throat is sore as fuck and you can’t breathe through your nose— a deadly combination. coupled with the fact you have scattered bruises and growing pains sprouting in your body, to say the least, you were not going outside today.

now this probably developed from overworking your body and mingling with various campers because i mean, it was bound to happen to somebody!

luke would have to find out about your sickness from one of your siblings, but he’d be hot in his heels to get to your bedside. you don’t even realize he’s there until you feel the callused skin of his knuckles pressing against your forehead and his worried voice muttering a, “gods, you’re burning up on me, angel.”

the medic cabin doesn’t really take in run-of-the-mill sick campers because they like to keep the beds open at all times but luke convinces them to let you lay in a cot so your cold doesn’t affect your siblings.

so you lay in a cot all day. luke managed to cancel almost all of his sword fighting lessons (leaving a few to spare because you were stubborn on not letting him get stuck in here with you). he’d practically be shoving water and mortal medicine (aka aleve) into your mouth, with a hearty and warm meal when appropriate.

say you’re a child of athena, whom we know is graced with the powerful yet self deprecating trait of ambition. you’d be begging to finish up work or helping annie with strategies for future games and luke would be there to press your shoulders back on the thin mattress of the cot and tuck you in so you’re as snug as a bug in a rug.

or let’s say you’re a child of apollo, nearly being brought to tears when you hear your own gravely and weak voice echo through the air. “my poor voice!” you’d cry “what will i have if i don’t have my voice?” and luke would just sit there with a tired sigh and the roll of his eyes.

he’d always have his hand around a Kleenex box because he always seemed to sense when you’d sneeze and would shove it into your chest quick enough so you could catch whatever resulted in said sneeze.

or imagine lowkey germaphobe!luke triple masked and gloved— he might as well have a full hazmat suit on. you’d go the entire day shooting him a side eye when he’d jump back in his stool if you’d so much cough in his direction.

either way he would never leave your side until you were better :)

loverschatbox, 2024

[wildissylupus]

More on God Games cause the way it's written narratively is so interesting to me, especially with the Gods chosen to be in God Games, along with some of the motifs used and the way the gods are characterized.

God Games is basically framed as Athena going through different levels of Gods, Apollo is Level 1, Hephaestus level 2, Aphrodite and Ares level 3, Hera level 4 and Zeus is the final boss. we see this in how much time each god has along with how hard it was for Athena to convince them. It also subtly shows skill again and level ups through Athena arguments by using Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

With Apollo and Hephaestus, Athena starts with Logos, her arguments are factual and logical, not accounting for the contexts of those situations. With Aphrodite and Ares she needs to use Pathos, appealing to the lovers emotions rather then their logic cause that would not convince them, which in turn make Hera easier as Athena appeals to Hera's feelings on marriage and family. Then there's Zeus, with Zeus Athena uses Ethos, but not in the typical way it's used, Ethos is usually using your own authority in an argument to gain trust, what Athena does is appealing to Zeus's own ego and status of authority by begging him to let Odysseus go, sacrificing her own pride.

Then there's the gods chosen, a lot of people have pointed out that if Zeus didn't want to let Odysseus go then why didn't he get Poseidon or Helios in the argument, or any other God it would be harder to convince. In all honesty in Zeus wanted to make it insanely difficult the line up should have been Aphrodite, Ares, Poseidon, Helios, Persephone (trust me she has reason to be there, mainly due to her role in the Odyssey), then Zeus himself. So why didn't he?

To put it simply it was more of a risk, Poseidon is equal in power to Zeus, Helios is also insanely powerful, and while Persephone isn't necessarily powerful, she has status over Zeus and is honestly just terrifying in general (seriously people need to stop acting like she's just this uwu flower girl). They also have reason and authority to stand against Zeus, so when it comes to the end, where Zeus strikes Athena down, they would have had the ability to step in. The closest god in God Games that could do that would be Hera and even then it wouldn't have helped much.

Now the motifs, there's a specific instance I want to point out and that is Ares's entrance specifically the fact that the quick thought motif is still going when he enters. Which implies that they haven't left quick thought, just that the area has changed, which makes sense considering quick thought is very obviously a part of Athena's war domain. It makes sense Ares not only has access to it but also have the ability to change it to his domain, and considering a majority of interpolations of quick thought make it this night area, I think it would be cool if when Ares enters it turns to day, a strategic strike at night and a brutal fight at day. It also puts into more context why Ares asks "Is she dead?", that lightning strike was so powerful it affected their domain.

[kaiijo]

BLUE LOCK PLAYERS AS DEMIGODS (i) — [BLUE LOCK]

characters: shidou ryusei, oliver aiku, itoshi sae content: gn! reader (reader is called “sunshine” once in shidou’s) slightly suggestive humor, set at camp half-blood (or some random camp for demigods lol) but you don’t need to have read percy jackson to read this notes: references this post

⋆｡° child of ares! shidou x child of apollo! you

it’s unsurprising to all of your siblings that shidou ryusei is in and out of the infirmary a lot because he gets into A LOT of fights (“typical ares kid” your siblings say while rolling their eyes)

the first time he came to the infirmary, you were the only one brave enough to patch him up given that, not only is shidou known for picking random fights but also for being kind of batshit crazy. after that, you were the only one he even let touch him without lowkey growling at them…

“shidou’s here again,” otoya, one of your half-brothers, informed you one day. you sighed heavily and found shidou in the waiting room, beckoning him back to an exam room

“take your shirt off,” you told him and he grinned some wild smile at you and said, “ooh, already trying to get me naked? at least take me to dinner, sunshine”

you snorted and when he did, your eyes widened at the giant, purpling bruise forming on his side. “what happened this time? “underlashes junior got really into sparring”

ah, that made sense - this wasn’t the first time shidou got into a physical altercation with itoshi rin 

“leave the kid alone,” you said as you grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and threw it at him

he caught it and asked, “not gonna hold it against me yourself?” “why would i do that” “well you were so eager to get my shirt off” “you’re insufferable”

shidou licked his teeth, still looking at you with that shit-eating grin. “yeah but you like that”

what was the most annoying this about that statement: you couldn’t exactly say it’s a total lie

⋆｡° child of poseidon! oliver aiku x child of athena! you

oliver aiku had a bit of a reputation as a womanizer and, to be fair, it’s not undeserved. he was charming and hot, it’s not like it’s just random, and he probably flirted with nearly every person within a ten mile radius of camp

he first noticed you at a game of capture the flag. not to brag or anything, but oliver was known as the best defender at camp but somehow, the opposing team managed to outmaneuver him and his team and steal the flag and carry it to their side

shocked and impressed, oliver inquired as to who was the mastermind behind this strategy and the answer was simple: you, a child of athena 

he found you in the armory, hanging your sword back up and, leaning against the doorway, he said, “hey”

you glanced over your shoulder. “hey?” 

“so you’re the master strategist?” “yeah” “i don’t think we’ve met, im oliver.” “yeah i know” and with that, you resumed taking off the rest of your armor

well, that was new

“you know,” oliver said, strolling over to stand beside you as he took off his own armor, “i’d love to get to know you better. not every day someone manages to pull one over on me. wanna grab some lunch”

you gave him a side eye and said, “sorry, i’ve got something else to do” and then you brushed past him and out of the armory

oliver watched your retreating form and it was from that day on that he decided his just had to make you his 

(spoiler: he eventually succeeds after many, many, many times asking you out (read: groveling, begging on his knees, etc.))

⋆｡° child of zeus! itoshi sae x child of hermes! you

you get sent on a quest with itoshi sae and you were forewarned by multiple different people that you should brace yourself for a quick but absolutely miserable experience

“sae’s super powerful but gods, his attitude is absolute shit”

honestly, all the things people told you should have worried you more but you ignored them. it wasn’t fair to listen to hearsay about someone in your opinion and besides, it just made you want to step up to the challenge and befriend him even more

as the two of you set off, you asked him a bajillion questions about him, his life outside of camp, his life at camp, his brother rin (which earned you the most acidic glare and the meanest answer ever), and whatever else you could think of

“do you ever stop talking?”

“not really” sae gave you another withering look

you ran into tons of monsters and it was honestly incredible to witness the full power of a child of a big three god - sae’s battle prowess coupled with his control over lightning had you feeling just a little unnecessary but you also assisted well (sae wouldn’t admit it but he was pretty surprised by your quick thinking and reflexes and your skill with your weapon)

finding that you weren’t completely useless was when sae began not being so short with you and actually made some effort at conversation and you two lowkey started bonding over the next few days

one might even say sae began to develop some semblance of fondness 

you had a major breakthrough with him when you essentially sacrificed yourself and threw yourself in front of whatever mythical beast you were sent to defeat

sae never disposed of an enemy quicker than he had in that moment and he got you two back to camp even faster

you’re passed out for three days in the infirmary and when you woke up, sae’s asleep in the chair besides your bed

“oh good, you’re awake!” one of the apollo kids who works at the infirmary entered the room. “how are you feeling?”

“a little sore” you glanced over at sae and the apollo kid said, “not sure how you managed it but sae’s refused to leave the infirmary since he brought you back. must make you pretty special.”

[turnaboutnerd]

No joke, my dream mainline AA final entry (whether that be AA7 or later) is not one that simply brings back all the beloved living characters from past entries who’ve disappeared (Gumshoe, Franziska, Kay, etc.) I want it to lean hard into the concept of spirit channeling in order to bring back all the former big bads (Dahlia, Manfred, Kristoph, Phantom, etc.) but also the lost loved ones (Gregory, Mia, Clay, Jove, Dhurke, Metis, etc.) for an all-out, true send-off to the mainline series.

It’s Ace Attorney! It can be ridiculous; the stakes get stupidly higher with each game anyway! Let’s say Maya senses there’s havoc being wrecked in the spirit world, and she channels Mia to discover that something has gone terribly awry with Judgment and now everyone who’s ever died in the series is stuck in purgatory, unable to move on into either Heaven or Hell (or whatever equivalent there is in the world of Ace Attorney).

Mia and some other spirits who dealt with justice systems in life (whom we later discover to be the likes of Gregory Edgeworth, Dhurke Sahdmadhi, and Godot) are trying to sort it out, but they simply can’t do it on their own—so Mia is reaching out to the world of the living for help. Now all the main living characters—Phoenix, Apollo, Athena, Maya, Ema, Miles, Gumshoe, Klavier, Simon, Nahyuta, Franziska, everyone—have to team up to help their loved ones find peace and ensure their enemies face justice in the Beyond.

Like, can you imagine what an amazing emotional mess this could be? Miles having to face his father after all the mistakes he made in his life, and them working together to send Manfred to literal hell (and just think about how Franny fits into this dynamic). Apollo and Phoenix needing to unlock Kristoph’s black psychelocks, digging up all the Gavin family skeletons, and requiring Klavier’s help to do it. Simon and Athena and Metis and the actual Bobby Fulbright having to unmask the Phantom for real. The list goes on.

It’s pipe dream, but I’m foaming at the mouth just thinking about it.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Bonus Round: Narumitsu Divorce Court

(Let’s make this interesting. Winner gets the kids. ALL OF THEM.)

Submitted kids:

Phoenix Wright: Confirmed; Pearl Fey, Trucy Wright. Arguably; Maya Fey, Apollo Justice, Athena Cykes

Miles Edgeworth: Kay Faraday, Trucy Wright, Pearl Fey, Sebastian Debeste

Propaganda under the cut!

Phoenix Wright:

1. “Phoenix legally adopted Trucy and has just been taking kids without parents into his law agency ever since. Also if you consider him and Edgeworth to be together, then Edgeworth also essentially adopted Kay Faraday, so that's another one right there.”

2. “He's a lawyer. He adopts a little sister after her sister (his boss) dies. His client runs out on him so he does the logical thing and adopts the daughter he left behind even as his life falls apart. He meets her biological brother and manipulates him into joining his found family. I have no idea how he met teenage Lawyer Athena but that's his daughter now too.”

Link to the rest here!

Miles Edgeworth:

1. “Kay canonically compares their relationship to the one she had with her dead father. Edgeworth helped get justice for said fathers murder. When kay was accused of murder, and got amnesia, he protected her. Sebastians father was a major villain of aai2 and he was kidnapped and shoved into a garage. Edgeworth found him and helped him. Sebastians father bribed his teachers so he would be valedictorian, causing his entire life to come crumbling down when he foumd out the one thing his father liked about him and he liked (outside of music) was a lie. Edgeworth said he would be a great prosecuter one day and took him under his wing. Sebastian has an adoptive mom too.”

2. “As Phoenix's husband, Miles counts as an adoptive parent for Wright's ever-expanding weirdo family, especially Trucy. BUT he ALSO has an adoptee who is specifically on him in Kay Faraday. The lengths he goes to for her in his spinoff games this man is her father. He would tease Phoenix about being a serial adopter except he can't cause his own spinoff adopted daughter is right there.”

[evilios]

What do you think of the new Epic saga?

Hi, hon! 🌻

I appreciate you letting me Epic rant on the main, I'll keep it under the cut for my dear mutuals and followers' mental stability (some spoilers):

I should say: I separate Epic from Homeric texts. If it was loosely based on the Odyssey back in the Troy Saga, it's entirely its own thing now. Which is not bad! It's just different and it handles its own questions and problems.

Overall, I think it was good. It has its downsides (a little below on that) but I do like the hard work put into the musical. It's not exactly easy to put events of hundreds upon hundreds lines of an epic poem into five songs, so I'm not harsh on it.

I presume that everything Jorge showed on the livestream is what is more or less firmly canon within his musical (visually and lore wise) so with that in mind:

I think he nailed Telemachus. I love this boy, he's my everything. He's young, sweet, protective, he's just lovely. Legendary was my favorite when it existed in snippets and cut videos, it is still one of my favorite songs. The "I want" songs are always fun and Telemachus is very much a Disney prince singing from his magical tower. It's fun!

I see what Jorge did with Antinous being older than Telemachus in the musical which is, well, he had to sacrifice something. I'm guessing letting a guy around Telemachus' age sing about planning to wife up his mom would be weird. But! The only reason I'm bringing it up is that the potential ship dynamic/chemistry between epic Telemachus and Antinous would have been insane if they were around the same age. But, again, I understand the change.

Antinous' voice is also everything.

I like Telemachus' dynamic with Athena in the musical. It's a little closer than in the epics, a little more lighthearted. He doesn't really know about the weight on her shoulders but he's hospitable, sweet, and kind. We'll be Fine is a good song.

This is overall an "Athena's character development arc" saga to me. I see she's repeatedly mirrored to Odysseus, regretting her decisions/being too harsh and all. Jorge can't stop making parallels but! I'm a slut for parallel plotlines, so I like that. Myth Odysseus' usual mirror is Agamemnon but... he doesn't really fully exist in the realm of the musical so I see why they picked Athena, it's an interesting choice.

I could be Calypso's love in paradise 😔

No like she's so pretty. I know she's morally questionable (modernity-wise) but. She is so pretty. Her hair is so pretty. She's so bubbly, I'm so obsessed with her.

I don't think the clock-reverse thing needed to be in her song, it kind of messes with the tempo. I can see how it will work out on stage if Epic is ever in theater, but I'm still 50/50 about that part. Overall, Love in Paradise is catchy as hell!

From the visuals Jorge showed, I assume Calypso was physically close to Odysseus in this version too. Which, coupled with Athena claiming he never cheated, brings me to two different thoughts: a). They were physically close but he didn't have intimacy with her b). Athena does not consider forced intimacy cheating and I'm definitely for the second one, Odysseus' S/A is important.

God Games... torn on this one. A bit too short to my liking BUT will work out on stage. I can see how you could use stage lights + physical space to reconstruct it. Song length wouldn't matter as much.

I love short haired dark haired Apollo, it's like Jorge requested his version of the God to be distinct. His argument also IS SO UNSERIOUS. Like he's there only because Daddy asked him isn't he.

I'm glad Helios' cattle was not brought up as some people expected (and as I feared), Jorge knows his source material.

Hephaestus is absolutely too sweet for this world. I'm not sure if his bit with loyalty is about Hera myth or Aphrodite myth or something else... but it was sweet.

Aphrodite can have my heart on a plate. Fully. I don't care. Her bit is my favorite + I love that she's more pissed off about Odysseus "betraying" familial love rather than blaming him for, idk, potentially sleeping with Calypso or something.

Ares has an amazing voice though I keep wondering about his point. We know Odysseus didn't fight Scylla because a). There's no point in fighting Scylla b). He was planning to betray his crew. A part of me wants to think Ares is pissed because he sacrificed his comrades instead of fighting for them, it is cowardly.

I like their little fighting sequence, really shows Athena's ready to throw down in a fight if needed.

Hera is gorgeous stunning show stopping etc. I like her bit, it's not really serious, like Apollo's, but I don't see why it would be. Odysseus isn't really her business and he is a notable hero, she doesn't need to test him as one. But she needs to test him as a husband! Which is lovely.

Zeus would never hurt Athena I refuse to believe that part /lh

Overall? It's good. A bit clunky/compressed but good. Thunder one is still my favorite but the Athena Saga was good, gave my girl some more depth.

[nyaagolor]

What are your thoughts on Apollo Justice (the character)?

OH BOY. OHHHHHH BOY. I have a fever and some free time lfg.

So honestly, I think part of the reason I love Apollo so much is because he runs parallel to Phoenix but also counter to him at the same time. I always saw Simon and Athena as the successors-- in terms of ideology and job and all that other stuff-- to the Phoenix-Edgeworth dynamic and status rather than Apollo and Klavier. Athena and Simon, to me, feel like extensions of the arcs of Phoenix and Edgeworth + the vibes of the original trilogy. Apollo and Klavier ( who I will not talk about bc we will be here all day)? They're the antithesis.

Apollo Justice The Game directly foils the original trilogy in so many ways, but I think even on a more base thematic level it runs counter to a lot of the ideas that we take for granted about the original trilogy, and because Apollo sits at the center of this, the things I love about the game are encapsulated in why I like him. There are a ton of themes in the ace attorney trilogy-- support networks, faith, trust, the truth-- and Apollo is defined by their limits, their failures, and their absence. He is let down, kicked around, defined by abandonment and betrayal and distrust. Apollo is defined by everything that Phoenix is not, and bc of how the timeline goes we don't really get any retribution for that, just a steady march forward, and I think that gives me a lot to think about with his character

Phoenix's arc right from Turnabout Sisters is about the building of a support network, and the ways that developing this support is integral for when things go wrong. We contrast Phoenix with Godot, Maya with Dahlia, and see how people left to stew in their resentment can chase vengeance to dark places (wow I wonder who also does this after the death of a dear friend leading to a crusade of misplaced revenge that almost leads someone they care about being killed.). With Apollo we get to stand on the precipice of resolution, but the important part is we don't get it. Apollo's life falls off the rails, and he's the one left to pick up the pieces.

We see through him how our trust can be betrayed by people of good and bad intentions, and the lingering consequences that has on one's ability to not only trust the people around them but themselves. And yeah!! That's why I adore him so much-- he's tested not by the possibility of failure like Phoenix often is, but climbing up from the reality of it. It's less "how do we make our way out of this mess before it goes nuclear" and more "things are already destroyed-- where do we go from here?". It has more of an element of recovery than prevention to me, and I think that's a fascinating avenue to explore in stories like these. Apollo pushes the envelope of the themes of the narrative and the characters-- he is the epitome of what it looks like when things fall apart, and it gives him and the trilogy characters something to reconcile

A lot of people have complained that Apollo barely feels like the protagonist in his own game, but that's honestly a huge part of the reason why I love him so much. He's defined by the spaces between, the limits and failures of things we had up to this point taken to be true, and left with a pretty limited degree of autonomy through it all. He's pushed around and puppeteered by people who mean well and those who don't, and I feel like a major theme of AA4 that I love but don't often see talked about is "what does it mean to have autonomy-- and by extension, control? What does it mean to take it back? What does it mean to lose it, and what does it mean when you'd do anything to keep it." Most of what I said is only partially resolved bc AA4 is... a game. A technically finished game. but!! Because it eviscerates our expectations of the franchise so thoroughly AND leaves open so many avenues, it makes Apollo and the rest of his crew some of my favorite characters because there's so much you can think about and do with them!!

also he's like. An insect to me. <3

[sadlynojellybeans]

Please, imagine a post-TOA scenario in which Apollo manages to become Co-Director of CHB.

He can now spend as much time as he wants with the kids. Better even, he can share his passions with them, unbury his teacher abilities (coughGodofKnowledgecough) and combine his desire to share what he loves with his desire to help the demigods improve their lives. I bet he would introduce new music, art and poetry courses. He would help with archery lessons, but he could also help with other things. He is over 4600 years old. That is a lot of time to get good at or at least knowledgeable about things, even if they are not strictly part of his domains. Furthermore, I think he would simply be delighted to listen to the kids share their own passions.

Apollo would ask Harley about his creations, starting a passionate rant that ends up with the both of them in the forges and Apollo maiming a piece of metal, because he might be the god of arts and crafts but metalworking is not his thing.

Apollo would hear by chance the kids from the Aphrodite cabin either complaining about fashion or gossiping with each other and would not be able to resist joining the conversation. I imagine him and the kids having "girls' night" kind of meetings where they put on make up, nail polish, try on different outfits and complain to their heart's content about the silliest things.

I imagine Apollo, theatre kid supreme, deciding there needs to be a theatre course in CHB, and butting heads with Dyonisus because "What do you mean you what to teach them theatre, theatre is MY domain!". I imagine Dyonisus finally agreeing to co-teach because like Hades he is leaving Apollo in charge of a theatre production. I imagine Dyonisus seeing Apollo teach the kids for the first time (because of course up until then D tried to stay as far away from the demigods) and being shook to the core by how much Apollo cares, by the passion and attention he puts in everything. By how close he let himself become to the mortals (so stupid, he of all gods should know how it ends, how it always ends, even when tragedy does not cross their paths but their life just makes its natural course).

I imagine someone suggesting a musical for the next production and Apollo literally lighting up because that is a fantastic idea, all the while Dyonisus complains he will not stand for it (but is secretely pleased to see his brother so incandescently happy, especially after the difficulties of the last few years).

I imagine Apollo, sooner or later, coming up with the idea of adding philosophy classes (because apparently that's also part of his domains) and he starts all of them with apparently inane questions ("what is the best shape for potato chips?) that then devolve into deep discussions about the meaning of beauty, individuality and life once he keeps pushing the kids to explain themselves and their opinions.

I imagine the Hermes kids realising that Apollo has a tendency towards starting tangents and making up a game of seeing how far they can make him stray from the original topic of the class without him noticing. Once Dyonisus happens to pass by and asks why the hell they are talking about the cut of women's dresses in the 1400s when they were supposed to be learning beginner guitar. Apollo just stares at his brother for a moment, completely baffled, then looks at the kids around him, down at the guitar in his hands, and you can hear the gears turning in his mind, trying to figure out what happened. Even after he figures out, he keeps falling for it, because they are asking, it wouldn't be fair not to answer, especially when it's such a simple little, question... Eventually someone (probably a child of Athena) is put in charge of keeping him on track, to the great displeasure of Cabin 11.

Just imagine all of this. He is happy. He is with the people he loves, doing what he loves.

Life is good.

[frogwiththephatahh]

I really like the Leveling System in God Games

I think it's really interesting how Athena's trial is written. She's the goddess of wisdom, so everyone, including Zeus, knew she was going to use her wits to convince each of them. And Zeus seems to have set up each God in the order of easier to hardest.

Only for it to backfire in his face.

Apollo's up first. And honestly, I don't think he wanted to be here for the sake of arguing against Odysseus. He literally opens up his first with, "you all know I'm a fan of catchy songs." Which is a very fitting thing for the god of music to say. I think, no matter what Athena said, Apollo was going to agree just for the sake of being included in a catchy song. But I don't think Zeus knew this.

Obviously, he would know Apollo's intentions- being part of a song. But Apollo says a "catchy" song. Not just a song. I think Zeus believed he'd come up with an argument in order to get more time in the song. But Apollo, as a true enjoyer of music, would know there's only so long he can stretch his time before the song lost it's catchiness. And he's right. His part is an earworm, even if it's short.

Then there's disciplined, strict Hephaestus. Who has a very solid argument against Ody. "Why should I give him my support? He sacrificed his own cohorts." Odysseus doesn't deserve mercy because he showed no mercy to his own men. This is a good case, and one Zeus probably agrees with. But the thing about Hephaestus is that I don't think he was EVER on Zeus' side to begin with. Instead, he seems more like he was waiting for Athena to give an answer, daring her to prove him wrong. And she gave him a satisfying enough answer for him. Yes, Odysseus sacrificed his crew, but they also disobeyed him multiple times, and then literally stabbed him in the back. And that's also a valid argument. Hephaestus isn't hard to please.

Now the levels are getting harder. We're at Aphrodite. Leaning more into the mythology itself rather than the characterizations we're given in Epic, Aphrodite is notoriously a very vain, very prideful goddess. Just like Zeus, she wouldn't want to change her mind so easily. And, famously, she was also one of the only gods to sit out on the Trojan War, seemingly because of a disdain for conflict. Which is why Athena mentioning the war and fighting doesn't do anything to pierce Aphrodite's shield.

Aphrodite is the goddess of love. So of course her argument mentions Odysseus hurting the people he loves. It's interesting, however, that she specifically mentions his mother and not any of his crew, friends, or his wife and son. I think this actually says a lot of Anticlea. "Claimed to love his mother, but let her die of a broken heart." None of the rest of Ody's family is "heart broken." Penelope and Telemachus still have hope that Odysseus will return. They're still alive, fighting every day to keep his place as king, even in the face of adversaries who want to hurt them. But Anticlea can no longer do that. Her disappointed that she waited so long to see her son, only for him to never make it home, must be immeasurable. And according to Aphrodite, Odysseus did this on purpose by antagonizing Polyphemus.

Is this a good argument on Aphrodite's part? No, not really. Obviously, it was stupid of Odysseus to reveal his name, but he wasn't doing it to purposefully spite the cyclops. We know this. He was doing it as a warning, so that Polyphemus would always remember what happens when he chooses not to have mercy. It's a good sentiment, on Odysseus' part.

What's interesting about Aphrodite is that we never see Athena truly convince her. There is that moment right before Ares enters where Athena asks her to reconsider her decision. I, personally, think that Athena was going to mention Odysseus' other loves- his wife and son. And Ares choosing this exact moment to interject is most certainly planned.

It's not that Athena was using "old tricks." It's that Aphrodite was about to start agreeing with her.

Ares' part is by far the most interesting to me- because he's the most right! "What kind of sick coward holds back his powers while his friends get devoured?" We've seen Odysseus think his way out of tight spots before. We know he could have spent longer trying to find a way around Scylla. Ares knows this, too.

And the way Athena goes about convincing him otherwise is fascinating to me. She could mention that Ody is "just a man." He can't possibly be expected to have the energy to think his way out of every situation. By the time he gets to Scylla, he's exhausted after three years at sea. Of course he wouldn't be thinking clearly. But Athena knows Ares wouldn't care about this.

Instead, she appeals to Ares' on a more human level. "You want more bloodshed? Then set him free!" Ares, as the literal god of bloodshed, would love that shit. Now, I've seen Ares be called a hypocrite over this, as he was literally just talking about how Ody let blood shed when it didn't need to be.

But it's actually fitting. Ares isn't just the god of bloodshed and violence, but the god of war. Odysseus standing by and letting his ALLIES die is shameful to Ares. That's not how you win a war. You don't sacrifice the many for the good of the few. Odysseus instead killing enemies as a means to get home is a much more honorable act than letting his comrades die. It's the message Ares has probably been wanting to scream in Odysseus' face for three years.

I think this is why Ares is so far up. Because honestly, it doesn't take MUCH for him to agree with Athena. But that "much" takes a lot to get to. Because anyone who didn't know Ares would try to be actually reasonable, and point out Odysseus' circumstances and why he came to make the decisions he did. Ares is Athena's brother. And her rival god of war. She knows him. And Zeus underestimated that.

Then we come to Hera. This is speculation, but I think Hera is in the same boat as Hephaestus. She was always willing to agree with Athena, she just wanted to see what kind of argument Athena could come up with. But unlike Hephaestus, she's hard to please. Athena's first tactic is going all in, giving the reason why she, personally, is drawn to Odysseus. "He's got the mind of a genius." To which Hera answers with, "Try Harder." She immediately sees through Athena, and knows she just named the first good trait that came to her mind. Throughout her verse, Hera is waiting for Athena to give her "one good reason." One good trait, is what she's looking for.

This one is also interesting because it takes a moment for Athena to appeal to Hera specifically, like what she did with Ares. "Never once has he cheated on his wife." Which is a hilarious dig! For those out of loop, Hera is the wife of Zeus, a serial adulterer. Zeus has more children with mortal women than he does with Hera herself. So of course she'd be against cheating. But THEN you remember that Hera is also the goddess of marriage. So of course she's won over by the mention of Odysseus' faithfulness to his wife and family.

I don't remember who said it, but I do recall a post mentioning that it's strange Athena didn't immediately mention Odysseus' family and his need to get back to them. I think this was actually smart on her part. Hera could have easily shot back with, "okay, but what about all the men he let die who also had families and wives waiting for them?" So I don't really think that argument would have worked anyway.

Zeus is technically the final level, but I don't think he thought of himself like that. At the beginning of God Games, Zeus names all the other gods then says, "OR me." That doesn't mean, Apollo OR Hephaestus Or Aphrodite Or Ares Or Hera Or Zeus. It means Apollo, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Ares, and Hera OR Zeus. As in, convince the other gods, or just try to convince me.

Zeus sees himself as just as hard to convince as all the other gods combined. And he's pretty much right. Considering he denies Athena's wishes, even when she won the game.

[mugman64]

Skater! Percy Jackson Headcanons

-Back when Rachel and Percy first started hanging out Rachel had just got a PS1, and let Percy play it. When Percy kicked her ass in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 it’s lead to a long standing feud. It remains unresolved to this day and spans across games like Skate 1-3 and the other Tony Hawk games.

-For a brief period in time Percy had the world record in Hall of Meat on Skate 3

-Annabeth had to instigate very strict equipment location protocols while designing Olympus. This is due to one time she saw Percy drop in from a crane, hit a 1080, land on Hermes’ roof, kick off into a Christ pose, grind on the bow of the Apollo statue, then stick the landing. Apollo and Hermes where entertained, Annabeth was not.

-When Piper first met him she tried to call him out as a poser, she stopped when she got crushed in a game of S-K-A-T-E

-Percy’s music and fashion tastes reflect his skater style, it’s one of the few things him and Thalia agree on. They will frequently go to shows or malls together

-Percy has a chronic lack of flannels, he owns like 15, Annabeth stole them all.

-Percy has tried to get Grover on a board, the incident has agreed to never be spoken of again

-Clarrise was PISSED one time when Percy wouldn’t fight her and just skated around her during a fight. Similarly related, skateboards have been banned from capture the flag since the time Percy cruised up to the l flag, broke one of the defender’s nose with his board, then skated away.

-Percy has, on multiple occasions kickflipped on top of a place he just killed a monster, to truly disrespect them. Or in the case of Chrysador, find where he was originally buried, then kick flip on his grave.

-Terminus has banned skateboards from New Rome after watching Percy shred on top of a Jupiter statue

-Sally has multiple times let Percy grab onto the rear bumper on her car while he’s on his board, It’s part of the reason she has the title coolest mom.

-Paul will occasionally kickflip or hit an Ollie in front of his class if they’re bored, Percy taught him how to do it.

-Percy has attended Halloween Hellbomb every year since it started, He’s gone as Hades, Poseidon, Aquaman , and one time on a dare Athena.

[thestormynobody]

Turnabout Timeloop Chapter 1

“I’ve heard enough. It’s time to declare my verdict.”

(This is bad.) Apollo didn’t have the evidence needed to turn this around. (What should I do???) He was out of options, wasn’t he? (That doesn’t matter!! I can come up with a good reason why. For now, I just need to ob-)

“Guilty.”

(….ject)

Almost instantly, a voice rings out across the courtroom. “NO!!!!! Frin would never do something like that!! Let them go!!!” Bonnie struggles helplessly in Odile’s arms. They must have found a way to sneak into the courtroom after all. Odile’s expression is unreadable as she tries to usher them back out of the courtroom. None of them had wanted Bonnie to see this.

Apollo’s client, Sifferin, nomiddlename nolastname (Still can’t believe that was allowed), stares in horror at the commotion. “Bonbon….”  They look shattered. Understandably so, considering they were just declared guilty of murder, and in front of Bonnie, no less. 

“This wasn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t- I just- wanted to-I’m sorry.” Their voice is small. Practically drowned out by the scuffle happening in the back of the room.

(What do they mean?) Was there something he missed? There had to have been. It just didn’t add up. (I wish I had more time to investigate, maybe I could’ve-)

Apollo

Feels 

A 

Tug 

On 

His 

Stomach 

Apollo wakes up at his desk in the Wright Anything Agency. (A dream? Man. I must be really stressed about this case if I’m dreaming about losing it huh? That dream was weirdly detailed though….weird.) 

He tilts his head back and forth to try and deal with his stiff neck. It pops unpleasantly.

“You’re going to end up with back problems like me, you know.” A familiar voice calls out.

Phoenix. Wright. His boss. Didn’t he say something like this before? Apollo had just kind of responded noncommittally in the dream, something about not doing it again. It was pretty passive, and he’d felt weird about it after. Like he was a kid getting scolded by his dad. (Gross.) 

“Dunno, Mr. Wright. You sure you’re not just old?” 

“HA. I guess you don’t want this coffee then. More for me.”

“Wait, no I was just joking-” he wanted that coffee.

“Yeah, yeah I know-” He pauses and with a devious smirk adds “....kiddo.” and ruffles Apollo’s hair.

(Eugh.) Apollo nabs the coffee from Phoenix’s hand and downs it. He’s not sure how long he slept but he needs to get to work. There was lots to do. Meet with the client, investigate the crime scene, interview the witnesses…the sooner he got started the better. He didn’t want a repeat performance of his dream.

“Alright, you know Trucy and I are going to be out of town for her next show. Gonna have to get your own coffee for a few days. “

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” It was kind of a shame. Mr. Wright did make weirdly good coffee. Maybe he worked at a coffee shop at some point when he was disbarred? Who knows. Wasn’t like he’d tell Apollo if he had.

“Good luck on your case. I know Prosecutor Von Karma can be intimidating but she’s mellowed out a lot since I faced her in court. You got this!”

Prosecutor Von Karma…she had been practicing law abroad for some time now and had only just recently returned to Ka Bue. The daughter of Manfred Von Karma, the prosecutor with one of the longest win streaks known in the law world as well as the adoptive sister of the head prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. Family legacy aside, she was well known to be very good at what she did and to take very little nonsense in the courtroom. He’d have to be at the top of his game if he was going to be facing her. In his dream she’d been as formidable as he’d imagined… Perhaps it was some sort of subconscious warning against complacency? Sure. He’d go with that.

“Athena’s out of the office today but should be able to assist you in the trial tomorrow if you need back up.” He knew she’d been enjoying some down time after her last big case and didn’t want to drag her into his own workload. Still, her skills were invaluable in many past cases so he should consider his options carefully.  

“Water Charley for me, won’t you?”

Oh, he’d been in his own head about the case and not responding to Mr. Wright, oops. “Of course. I’ve got things here Mr. Wright. Go enjoy Trucy’s show”

“I know you’ve got this, I just gotta do my job as your boss, heh. See ya in a few days.”

“Don’t forget to take a few videos of the show for me!”

“‘Course.” He says as he leaves the room with a small wave.

 He fixes his signature spikes and pulls on his suit pinning his badge to the lapel. 

His pretrial nerves were starting to get to him as well as lingering weirdness from the dream. Well. No one was here to judge him for doing his cords of steel warm ups as he got ready sooo-

“APOLLO JUSTICE IS DOING FINE!!”

“APOLLO! JUSTICE! IS DOING FINE!”

“I'M FINE!”

“I! AM! FINE!”

(Alright!! All warmed up! It's go time, Apollo!)

He hops on his bike and pedals away to the detention center. He vaguely remembers how there had been a traffic jam in his dream so he takes an alternative route where he could stick to side streets more. Silly maybe but hey if his subconscious was trying to protect him from being late who was he to argue?

  A woman is waiting for him outside the building. She is technically the one who hired him. (Odile if I remember correctly. She’s a Ka Buan citizen but has been abroad up until recently. She was part of a group that saved the country of Vaugarde.) 

This case was somewhat of a diplomatic nightmare. Despite the distance, Vauguarde and Ka Bue were in pretty good standing with one another. Convicting one the saviors of Vauguarde carried steep political implications. A citizen of Ka Bue had been murdered though and the law was clear that justice must be served regardless of the circumstances of the accused. It was his job to prove his client innocent and possibly prevent an international incident. (No pressure!)

“Mr. Justice.” She says it more as a statement than a question. HIs defense badge must have given him away.

“Yes, ma'am! At your service!”  He realizes he sounds a bit too over eager and tones it back a bit. “You must be madame Odile?”

“That’s correct.” She gives him an appraising look. Her expression does not give away any conclusions she may have drawn. “Thank you for coming out on such short notice.”

“Of course.” (Short notice is kind of the norm in my experience…) 

“Siffrin is inside. They wouldn’t let me inside to talk to them but they should let you in as his lawyer.” 

(She seems calm for someone whose friend is currently being held on suspicion of murder. She’s either one tough lady or she’s convinced they didn’t do it.)

“I’ll see if I can get you visitation privileges after I talk to them.” 

She gives him a small nod. “Thank you.”

Apollo enters the detention center trying not to think too hard about how Odile had appeared so accurately in his dream. It was probably just his brain mixing up memory with dreams after all. She just looks similar enough that his brain THINKS it's the same! (....yeah that’s gotta be it)

His client looks very distraught. Understandable considering the circumstances but they look like they’re on the verge of a panic attack. (I should do something to calm them down.)

In Vauguardian he says: “Hey, breathe for a second alright?” When their attention snaps to him he hesitates for a moment then: “Here um. LIke this?” He breathes in. Then out. 

They follow his lead and after a bit seem to have centered themself a bit. A realization seems to dawn on them a moment later however. “How did you know to do that?”

“A breathing exercise? I mean. It's a pretty common calming technique isn’t it?”

“No- You…did it differently before” 

“Before…?” (I did do it differently in the dream didn’t I? This way seemed to work better for them in the dream so I guess I just led with it? But that was just a dream. Wasn’t it???)

They seem to be deep in thought for a long moment then they fix an intense look on him. “Something of mine was found on the victim. What was it?”

“A coin.”

The answer was so automatic he surprises himself. That wasn’t right. He hadn’t even been to the crime scene yet. Sure in his dream there’d been a coin but that was just-

“Stars. You remember.”

[nightowlssleep]

While I love Dual Destinies I'm not above wanting to rewrite certain elements so

Case rewrite: (I'm giving Athena more cases guys!!!!)

I'd set it up as the following:

Turnabout Countdown: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council

The Monstrous Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (Trucy tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Reclaimed: Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council (Pearl tags along to investigations)

Turnabout Academy: Athena as the attorney, Apollo as co-council (Phoenix and/or Klavier tags along to investigations)

The Cosmic Turnabout: Apollo as the attorney, Athena as co-council (After Apollo leaves, Athena as the attorney, Phoenix as co-council)

Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix as the attorney (no co-council until the mood matrix segment) (Trucy, then Pearl tags along to investigations)

(In my rewrite Phoenix only gets his badge back right before Turnabout for Tomorrow, therefore while Athena doesn't get a lot more cases, she still gets Reclaimed and The Cosmic Turnabout)

• Firstly, Turnabout Countdown: I personally like that this game has a non linear first case, I think it works with setting up the mystery with Apollo and even Juniper

I think letting Athena take over the case is a very good start to seeing her character BUT THAT'S WHEN PHOENIX HAS TO COME IN AND TAKE ALL THE SPOTLIGHT

God I hate that, I get it, it's Phoenix's grand return but still, LET ATHENA DEFEND

Anyways in my rewrite, Athena has her panic attack, Phoenix comes in as co-council (Doesn't have his badge back yet therefore can't take over the case) and helps Athena through the case, nice mentor moment 👍🏻

• The Monstrous Turnabout: I like that this case happens from Apollo's perspective, I'd like it if it would feel a bit more like AA4 since (to me) it's very reminiscent to Turnabout Corner

Anyways I don't have too many gripes with this case, maybe more Trucy to tag along with investigating cuz I'd like to see her and Athena interacting

As for Athena I like that she has an "observing" case where she can see how a more experienced attorney handles a case

I also like that Phoenix is mostly missing from this case (my personal explanation is he's taking the bar during this but he only gets his badge back much later cuz the bar association is still a bit ehhh about letting him pass) (dw Edgeworth helps out with getting it back)

• Turnabout Reclaimed: Oh I love this case

Probably my favourite in the second trilogy (going to an aquarium right before I watched it probably helped with the enjoyment tbh)

Since Phoenix is still missing his badge Athena has to defend (she's also the one who's a big fan of Shipshape aquarium and begged Phoenix to help them so I don't even get why Phoenix gets this case)

I like the idea of such a silly case being Athena's first, I could also see Phoenix using this opportunity to pull Athena's leg a little, so the we can still feel the Beanix in him

Like he agrees that the agency will take the case and Athena assumes that he'll make Apollo represent the orca but instead he turns to her like "Athena you'll take the case, since you're such an eager fan" and that way Athena can experience getting messed with by her boss but also let it be a learning opportunity without it being an overtly traumatic first trial (I don't think he wants a repeat of Apollo's first trial lol)

Anyways student mentor moments, while Apollo and Trucy are practicing magic tricks in the office or something (could be foreshadowing to the fact that Trucy will get her own magic show in the next game)

• Turnabout Academy: No notes for this case's trial segment really, I just wish Klavier would act a bit more like himself, and Juniper acknowledging that her costume was inspired by Lamiroir (It could be a cool call back, like Juniper watched *that* specific performance and really liked Lamiroir's outfit and decided to recreate it or something and Apollo could point it out so we get more of the "I like Lamiroir's aura" thing he says) (Capcom tell him that she's his mother I beg)

I like that this time around Athena jumps to promise defending Juniper, that's good

Also maybe more AA4 call backs?? Maybe a Kristoph mention?? Please??

• The Cosmic Turnabout: Disclaimer: I don't remember much from this case so if anything is wrong, feel free to correct me

I like how mysterious the whole eye patch thing is even though we're in Apollo's perspective, it also makes sense that he'd take the case

To add to the tension I'd mention Phoenix being worried about still not getting his badge back and that's why he can't be there in the gallery (He's arguing his case with the Bar association with Edgeworth probably or something)

I like how hurried Blackquill is during this trial too, he's convincing himself and trying to project that Starbuck is the Phantom because he doesn't have more time and he wants to finish his mission of chasing ghosts seven years past even if it's not the truth, I think that that was done well

I'd like for Athena to notice this, point it out to Apollo, but since Apollo is already on edge about Athena I'd like to think he takes it as "Athena is more worried about a murderer than our case, than about my friend, than about me... Is this a sign?" And that (and the explosion) could be the last push for him to dip from the agency and go on his own investigation (maybe reaching out to Kristoph...? Hmm? Mr "Evidence is everything in court"?)

As for after the explosion, I'd like to think Apollo left the case to Phoenix (cuz he was convinced that Phoenix would get his badge back by that time) but since Nick is still missing his badge Athena decides that she'll take over and defend Starbuck

Anyways all goes the same Athena gets arrested, and with no attorney left in the agency... What now?

• Turnabout for Tomorrow: Phoenix leaves the courtroom alone

Trucy who witnessed the whole thing from the gallery, runs up to him, similarly worried about "what now?"

Phoenix gets a call. From who? We won't know for a bit but we can assume (It's Edgeworth)

Anyways, at last, there's another attorney in the agency who can help... Phoenix got his badge back

Now finally being a full fledged lawyer again, him and Trucy go investigating, we get father daughter moments, unravelling the mystery of the Cykes and Blackquills, everything goes mostly as it happens in canon, after Trucy gets kidnapped Pearl tags along and when Phoenix and her are investigating the space station, Edgeworth shows up with Phoenix's lawyer badge in hand

They're facing eachother in court again

PHOENIX WRIGHT, THE TURNABOUT TERROR, IS BACK IN COURT

Anyways epic return (instead of the random come back in the dlc case???) (Like it's funny that he's defending an orca but still)

Everything else happens like canon, except Athena gets to hug Blackquill after he's freed because they're siblings your honour and she's been working seven years for this to finally happen

Happy end and celebration at Eldoon's Noodles obviously

And that is my AA5 rewrite, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[semi-good-artist]

Possible candidates for the sixth weapon in hades 2 [Spoilers!]

didnt see anyone really talk about this on here, but i want to hear the tumblr thoughts on this

Part one: the patterns

first i have to start with the pattern i have seen in this game's roster so far: so far the weapons can be seperated into three categories, those with a short attack and ranged special (s/l), those with either long or short ranges (but not the other)(s/s and l/l), and those with long attack and short special (l/s). remember that im not factoring the omega options, since those vary to much. in the silver pool, they are ordered like this

you might also note, that each category has one faster and one slower option (at least by game feel, i didnt run tests) so the last weapon is probably a l/s slow weapon

the next point i realised was another split in the weaponry, illustrated here:

One might argue on my placement of Descura (the staff) in the magic category, but since its attack patterns drawing spell circles instead of clobbering foes, i hope i can dissuade these grievances. Of course this order could change in later updates.

so a martial ranged option would fit these findings

but there is another thing which places this into conjecture (maybe the skull is martial after all, since it physically hits things); when observed top to bottom, you may find this pattern

So a long attack, martial (?), floaty weapon according to the patterns drawn in the silver pool.

Part 2 cool concepts, which could fit these patterns

unfortunatly i cant think of a weapon that fits this bill, so lets ignore it and just imagine some that fits at least some of them

For this i consulted reddit threads, as mentioned above, who had some interesting ideas, like a whip or lyre, but im unsure about

first lets discuss the whip; this being a physical option with some range to it, fits 2 of my patterns, but i dont know if it can differentiate itself from the axe and staff enough. the axe has some range with sweeping attacks, while the staff has kinda single point damage (which i imagine the whip to have aswell). also what would the special be?

now to the lyre; while having some clear connections to already present figures (Apollo, Orpheus and Hermes) which could be great aspect choices; i dont think, if they are going for an instrument it would be the lyre, since zagreus already has one. for attacks maybe its a range of homing bullets/notes that Melinoe has to sit down for to play (kinda like one of Scyllas attacks), thereby creating a slower attack speed. but homing bullets might not have the heft known from slow weapons. for a special it could be a danse macabre type of deal, where Melinoe summons shades or the recently fallen foes to fight for her, or after a foe dies, the weapon spawns a mote that can be erupted by the special, kind of like mines

if theres a instrument based weapon i personally hope its based after Athena's/Marsyas' flute, since i dont hear that myth brought up a lot. (this can also fit the theme of divine punishment, since Marsyas got it bad after playing it). if we get Pan (since hes mentioned in the aspects), this flute could spark a conversation about his own. also with the danse macabre special, it could also reference the Piper of Hameln.

Another idea i heard was a spell tome, since the apparent witch theme; but im unsure since we already got the staff which is quite witchy with its sigils already. it could float so theres that

A lot of people also wanted another gun or other weapon type to return from the first game; but this is a boring option. cant you think of literally anything else?

if you can think of anything else i would love to hear it!!

[forourtomorrows]

Hello people, let me introduce you to one AU I've been working on these past few months... Trucy Wright: Investigations

What if Trucy had her own Investigations spin-off ? Well, that was the thing I thought about, by making my own story !!

Summary: Trucy Wright, magician extraordinaire comes back home after multiple years on tour, but as she enters the office of the Wright Anything Agency, she discovers a note saying her father was abducted and a clue to find him ! Determined to uncover the truth behind what really happened to him, Trucy embarks on an adventure, and multiple investigations with familiar figures to bring her father back home !

The (made-up) game is set two years after aa6 and would be consisting of 4 cases, but first, here are the characters !

Profiles:

Story

Case 1: Welcome Home, My Turnabout

Trucy comes back from touring and Athena picks her up from the airport. As they go to the WAA, they find that a murder happened right outside the office while they were away !! With the help of Athena, they investigate the scene of the crime.

After they discovered who was behind this, they go inside the office to find out Phoenix disappeared with a note and a piece of cloth which appears to have khura'inese patterns. Trucy, with her emergency money, decides to book a plane for Khura'in.

Case 2: Turnabout Nostalgia (i had no better names)

Back to Khura'in ! Trucy meets up with Apollo who is busy with a case, so, for old time's sake, they investigate together ! The duo is also supported by the lovely comments of Rayfa who somehow is there.

After solving yet another case, Apollo with the help of Nahyuta find out that the pattern comes from a little community in London, so off to London we go ! Thanks to Apollo's money, Trucy books another plane for the UK !

Case 3: My Flying Turnabout

Quite a bad luck Trucy has ! Indeed as she enjoys her plane ride, a murder suddenly happens (three rows behind her to be exact). So, with the help of Aries, a french prosecutor, they investigate to figure out who decided to kill someone in the air ! As they investigate, Trucy finds a photograph with Aries on it, but decides to keep it with her..

After they land, Trucy meets up with Edgeworth (who was at a conference in London) who takes care of the murderer (having connections with Interpol does help), and they decide to take a rest as Trucy explains the situation.

Case 4: Turnabout Revelations

The day after arriving to London, Trucy receives a text from an unknown number with an address, telling her to go there, Edgeworth comes with her. The place is an abandonned storage area in which a recreation of a crime scene (ala Little Thief) is there for them to solve it. The murder is one of a young girl, who was harassed by a man who, at some point, decides to threaten her with a gun while she was with her brother. He harms her and her brother but during the fight, he drops his weapon and the brother catch it, and fires two time; only hitting the young girl. Trucy and Edgeworth both come to the conclusion that the culprit is the brother, but they are interrupted as someone comes in, telling them they're wrong ! And that person is Aries (please pretend to be shocked)

Aries was actually the one who ordered to abduct Phoenix, and was following Trucy from the moment she came home to here as a way to ensure she was looking for her father. Why ?

For Aries to take her as a hostage, so Phoenix could make a re-trial and catch the guy that, according to him killed the girl. As Edgeworth is kind of helpless in this situation, Aries calls Trucy a bunch of names, telling her she's nothing, etc (think of the meanest thing you could say to someone). But as his monologue goes on, he makes a slip-up that causes Trucy to react. By remembering all the details, evidence (the photo from the case 3 makes a comback !) and others she realise : Aries was the one who unintentionally killed his sister, her only family, before running off to France. Aries has a breakdown and Trucy, with the help of Edgeworth, manages to free herself from Aries' grip and also magically handcuffs him (don't ask. it's magic.). After some time, the police finds Phoenix and the family is reunited !! Happy end for everyone yay !!

Gameplay

For the gameplay, I thought about having the Perceive ability being brought back because she is a Gramarye, and also keep the Rebuttals because during her investigations, she is always with either a defense attorney or a prosecutor.

But I also wanted to add another gimmick, that I called Showtime: Trucy is a performer, thus, she knows how to handle misdirections, she knows how to make a crowd believe in something that isn't completely real. So, in her head, she considers the crime scenes as magic stages.

(here is an example of how it would look like)

So basically, Showtime allows her to put her inside the murderer's mind to discover things they might've hidden or illusions they might've created thanks to evidence she gathered.

Aaaaand that's all !! Thank you if you read all of that: this AU is really dear to me and I loved designing the characters and making up a story ! I might post some drafts of designs and stuff that didn't make it; but if you have any questions or suggestions I'd gladly answer them !