#resolving karma

[wayti-blog]

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone's face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

Henri J.M. Nouwen

[esotericfaery]

The Ascendant connects with the Cosmic Mind. We're re-learning other life memories through that placement; skills and talents, for resolving karmas, and for enjoying life. ° = Clues.

It's important to be aware that as an angle, the Ascendant is not the only reference placement for karma.

The entire chart is.

Karma is ruled most directly in general, by Saturn.

Life and thus the chart, begins with the Ascendant.

[commentaryvorg]

The Great Ace Attorney Final Trial Commentary: Day 1, Part 1

Welcome to another commentary project of mine, though this one will be quite a bit shorter than my others. The Great Ace Attorney has become my favourite Ace Attorney game, but I wouldn’t have commentary-worthy thoughts about every single part of every case. The final trial (of Resolve), though, has a lot of fun stuff going on beneath the surface that’s deserving of some line-by-line analysis like I do on this blog.

Of course, this will be written from a perspective of already knowing the full truth of things, so there will be spoilers for facts that only get revealed later on in the trial. This is not a commentary to read along with one’s first playthrough!

(The commentary will update on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Check this blog to find any other parts currently posted, and if it’s not yet finished, follow to catch future updates!)

Now that we’re below the readmore, I can add that this isn’t quite a commentary for everything going on in the final trial. It’s focused specifically on Kazuma and what’s going on in his head, only covering things which are relevant to him in some way (for the most part). Kazuma is my favourite character, and I already had a lot to say about him in a big analysis post over on my main blog – but there’s enough interesting blow-by-blow stuff going on with him in this trial that didn’t really fit into that more general post. I still wanted to talk about that stuff somehow, so here I am, doing a more line-by-line commentary here.

By “final” trial, I of course mean all of van Zieks’s trial that spans across cases 2-4 and 2-5, so we’ll be starting with day 1 in 2-4 here.

Ryunosuke:  “…The defence is ready, My Lord.” Kazuma:  “The prosecution… is more than ready.”

This may sound like petty one-upmanship, but of course Kazuma is more than ready. This is the trial that his entire life has been building towards, in which he avenges his father and takes down the corrupt monster who killed him – he is so ready to finally do this.

Kazuma:  “I believe it takes an outsider to see the truth sometimes.”

Kazuma believes that as someone not wrapped up in the corruption going on in the British judiciary, he’s in the perfect position to unravel it all.

And yet… he’s really not an outsider to this case at all. He’s far too caught up in the personal stakes it has for him to be able to see things in an unbiased light regarding van Zieks. Ryunosuke is the true outsider here, as the only one with no personal connection to any of this – and that’s why he’s the one who’s going to be able to see the truth.

(Fittingly, Genshin believed this too, in that he was the only one with a viewpoint unbiased by Klint’s noble status that allowed him to see the truth – even despite being Klint’s colleague and friend.)

Kazuma:  “And as I stand here in this courtroom now, I’m quite certain… this is the reason why I had to come to Britain.”

Kazuma already knew from the start that the reason he “had” to come to Britain was for the purpose of avenging this father. So what he’s saying here is more about the specific circumstances of this trial, in which van Zieks finally screwed up and got caught murdering someone (that’s totally what’s happening here, right), as if Kazuma feels like fate wanted him to be here for this perfect opportunity to take van Zieks down. All along, this specific trial was the one he was fated to stand in when he came to Britain.

Kazuma explains that the gunshot was determined to be fired point-blank because scorch marks only happen within that range. It seems that this is a fact of forensic investigation that Ryunosuke didn’t know about until he heard it here. During the investigation, both he and Susato casually assume that the candle was broken by the bullet because of the scorch marks there. But that’s not possible! Ryunosuke’s later going to revise that assumption and argue that the scorch marks prove the candle couldn’t have been broken by the bullet, thanks to the new knowledge he’s acquired just now.

But Kazuma already knew all along about how scorch marks from gunshots work… and yet he never questioned the notion that the candle was broken by the bullet. Because of course he didn’t. Van Zieks is definitely guilty; any tiny details that might have a chance of suggesting otherwise are irrelevant and got thoroughly brushed over in his head.

Susato:  “Bravo, Kazuma-sama… for not trying to use the gun as evidence when its provenance can’t be proven.”

Legit props to Kazuma for this. He probably assumes it totally is van Zieks’s gun, and given the backwards logic he’s going to use later on in this trial, I honestly wouldn’t have put it past him to insist that van Zieks having incidentally lost his gun is totally proof that this one belongs to him. But right now, at least, he’s behaving more rationally than that. I suppose he feels that van Zieks’s guilt is so obvious right now that he doesn’t even need to argue that the gun belongs to him.

Kazuma:  “The bullet passed through the victim and struck the wall behind him.”

Did it now, Kazuma. I love how he just completely fails to realise the extremely obvious contradiction in this assertion of his.

(And no, I’m not talking about just the scorch marks.)

Judge:  “Thank you for the thorough report, Counsel. The setting of the crime is clear to me.”

Very thorough, yes. He missed nothing. Nothing at all.

Kazuma:  “Naturally… the accused himself.”

Calling the accused to testify is really very unorthodox, but I enjoy the smug way Kazuma acts like naturally this is who he wants to call as his first witness. Of course he wants to show everyone what a lying liar that Barok van Zieks is.

Kazuma:  “As a prosecutor, he believes in the oath of office he’s taken and will be compelled to tell the truth.”

He makes a point of stressing this, because he’s fully intending to prove van Zieks to be a huge liar and wants the whole judiciary to see just how empty that oath of his really is.

Kazuma:  “Then I’m sure the court would like to hear you explain some things away.” […] Van Zieks:  “I intend to explain away nothing. I will simply tell the truth.”

Kazuma’s using some very leading phrasing there, making it sound like it’s already a given that van Zieks is guilty and will be lying (because it really is a given to him!) – and I love how van Zieks instantly picks up on that manipulation and pointedly defends himself against that implication. He is not having any of Kazuma’s bullshit.

---Testimony 1---

Kazuma:  “So… you heard a shot being fired in a room with no living occupants… and moments later a corpse appeared before your eyes. Is that it?” [he smirks] Kazuma:  “You’re right, you haven’t explained away anything. In fact that would barely qualify as an excuse.”

Not missing a beat, Kazuma plays right off of van Zieks’s previous defence to make him sound even more pathetic and obviously guilty. He’s well-practiced at snarking matches from his friendly banter with Ryunosuke, but this one’s a lot more barbed.

Judge:  “Hmmm… It would appear to be a singular tale indeed.” Kazuma:  “Singular isn’t the word. It’s laughable.”

Kazuma really wants to make sure everyone realises just how pathetic van Zieks’s flimsy excuse totally is.

Ryunosuke:  (What’s got into Kazuma? He’s not behaving like himself at all…)

And Ryunosuke can tell that this is not the kind of thing Kazuma would normally do! He’s being a lot more vindictive and petty, and that’s not at all the composed, level-headed person Ryunosuke knows.

(Susato’s staring at him silently too, probably thinking much the same thing.)

One thing to do in this testimony before pressing is to scroll all the way to the end to see the little testimony-recap dialogue between Ryunosuke and Susato. Since this is a testimony where all you need to do to advance is to press everything once, it’s easy to miss out on that.

Susato:  “Do you have any thoughts, Mr Naruhodo?” Ryunosuke:  “Yes… mainly that it doesn’t ring true in all sorts of ways.” […] Susato:  “So… you think Lord van Zieks is lying?” Ryunosuke:  “No, I don’t think that. I mean, if he was going to lie… I would expect him to come up with a more credible story, wouldn’t you?” Susato:  “Yes, I completely agree. I think he genuinely doesn’t know what really happened himself.”

Ryunosuke and Susato make a very good and honestly pretty obvious observation here. Of course van Zieks wouldn’t make up something so seemingly nonsensical. That’s all the more proof he’s telling the truth!

But Kazuma over there is just blithely insisting that van Zieks is obviously spouting pathetic flimsy excuses that barely hold up at all, even though that makes less sense than the alternative that he’s honest but confused. He’s incapable of letting himself acknowledge a world where maybe van Zieks didn’t kill Gregson and would actually be telling the truth here.

Kazuma:  “You illegally entered the man’s office? In Japan that alone would constitute a very serious offence.” Judge:  “As it does in Great Britain, I assure you.”

Kazuma wants to make sure people know about every little illegal thing van Zieks has done. It’s actually interesting that he specifies it would be illegal in Japan – making a point about how nobody in Japan’s judiciary would ever dream of doing something so underhanded, but look at how horrible and corrupt this British judiciary is over here.

(Even though Japan’s judiciary is definitely also pretty corrupt right now; that’s the very-much-second-priority reason Kazuma wanted to come here to study.)

It’s also amusingly hypocritical of Kazuma to be getting on van Zieks’s case for a technically-illegal thing so minor, considering the technically-illegal things he’s been up to recently.

…And actually, in his later testimony on day 3 of the trial, van Zieks mentions that he “demanded permission” to secretly search Gregson’s office. He doesn’t say from whom – I certainly doubt it was Stronghart, at least – but that does imply that he wasn’t actually doing it illegally!

Kazuma:  “So, in summary, you were investigating the victim… and yet you refuse to tell the court why.” Van Zieks:  “………” Kazuma:  “I didn’t realise British prosecutors enjoyed such freedom to choose what to divulge under oath.”

Again, Kazuma wants to make a point of look how corrupt and underhanded the British judiciary is. And again, he is being a huge hypocrite, considering that he knows exactly what van Zieks’s reason might be to have been investigating Gregson, and he is also just casually choosing not to reveal that fact to the court right now.

(Of course, since Kazuma is convinced van Zieks is the Reaper, he doesn’t really believe he was investigating Gregson in any sense at all and assumes this whole thing about investigation is just an excuse for why van Zieks was there. So he thinks that’s the reason van Zieks is being so vague about his investigation, and not because van Zieks can’t yet reveal that Gregson was working for the Reaper.)

Kazuma:  “There was no artificial light in the room, you say? You’re quite sure?”

Kazuma wants to make absolutely sure of this point in van Zieks’s testimony, so that he can then prove him to be a liar when he explains that the candles must have still been burning at the time. Even though, really, if van Zieks was there but was lying about the circumstances and Kazuma asked him this clarifying question, you’d think he’d stop and realise he ought to say that actually there were candles burning, if he indeed saw that. Again, it is very clear that van Zieks would not be lying about this, despite the strange facts of his story.

Kazuma:  “And without thought of danger, [the witnesses] ran inside to see what had happened.”

Kazuma’s spinning things to make these witnesses seem so brave and noble, running inside to confront the terrifying murderous Reaper despite the danger to themselves. …When really, the reality is more like: one of them thoroughly freaked out, and the other two were more focused on looting the place for things they could sell. Not the noble heroes Kazuma is painting them to be at all.

Kazuma:  “Objection!”

I’m sure everyone’s already aware of this, but I still just need to express my glee about how Kazuma’s Objection voice clip here is different from the one he had in the first half of the game. It sounds so much more vicious, perfect for his state of mind in this trial… and also perfect for an emotional gut-punch to the player if they happen to remember and notice that it’s different, which I indeed did.

(Revival of the Prosecutor, heard here in all its glory for the first time, is also a massive gut-punch, hearing Kazuma’s familiar leitmotif sound so twisted and almost sinister like this. Guh.)

I really love the fact that Kazuma objects to this testimony here. Not only is this him still thinking partly like a defence lawyer and using those tactics, and being viciously determined to tear van Zieks’s words apart… it also just makes the most sense this way? The prosecution should be the one to point out contradictions in testimonies that support the defence’s case, such as those from the defendant themselves! It’s always felt kind of awkward in other Ace Attorney games the few times defendants have testified, where we’ve then had to cheerfully shoot a hole in our own case by pointing out the contradictions in it.

Kazuma:  “My Lord, the cross-examination has clearly revealed… that the accused, Barok van Zieks… is lying on multiple fronts!”

Well. A whole two (2) fronts that Kazuma is planning to point out here. But sure, I guess that technically counts as “multiple”, Kazuma, if you like.

Kazuma:  “…he claims that he failed to notice the victim’s body because the room was dark.” Van Zieks:  “That’s correct.” Kazuma:  “No… that’s impossible.”

Again with that viciousness with which he shuts down van Zieks’s claims, I love it.

Kazuma doing this defence lawyer routine also really got to me on my first playthrough, because I was planning to point out the candelabrum! I’d noticed the different lengths of the candles and realised it meant they were burning at the time, and I’d assumed I’d get to point that out at some point, and Kazuma stole that from me! He’s doing the player’s job! How dare. Really great unexpected moment.

(Of course, he’s also failing to notice the really important clue on the candelabrum, which is the scorch marks that prove it can’t have been hit by the bullet from that distance.)

Kazuma:  “And now to the next lie.”

Kazuma wants to make extra sure you know that the things he’s pointing out are not just contradictions but lies, Barok van Zieks is a horrible lying liar, okay.

Kazuma:  “It goes without saying that the contents of the police documents cannot be divulged.”

Hmm, Kazuma, it’s almost like there are certain things that aren’t allowed to be divulged even in court, and maybe van Zieks’s reason for not divulging why he was investigating Gregson is along similar lines and not just him being sneaky and terrible?

Kazuma:  “They all relate to cases prosecuted in court by Barok van Zieks.” […] Kazuma:  “And furthermore… all those cases are ones in which the defendant was acquitted.” […] Kazuma:  “Interestingly, none of those defendants are alive today.”

Look a how he calls them “defendants”, which means he’s thinking about them like a defence lawyer. He believes they were genuinely innocent and van Zieks MURDERED THEM ANYWAY.

Kazuma:  “And yet the Reaper would claim never to have been to his own secret hideout? No one would believe that.”

Or maybe, just maybe, Kazuma, van Zieks isn’t actually the Reaper. His “proof” of this second “lie” is based entirely on the assumed premise that van Zieks is definitely the Reaper, which we have not established to be a fact at all!

Kazuma:  “Inspector Gregson was investigating the identity of the Reaper. When he discovered the location of the man’s secret hideout… he was killed. As I’m sure everyone can imagine… by the Reaper’s hand!”

Except that Kazuma doesn’t actually believe this is the motive for murder. He already knows full well that Gregson was working for the Reaper, not investigating him, and so he believes the motive was that Gregson failed his Reaper mission to kill Jigoku, and/or that van Zieks is the assassin exchange mastermind who wanted him silenced about the autopsy ten years ago. But Kazuma can’t yet reveal any of this without incriminating himself in the assassination mission, so… eh, coming up with a fake motive that sounds plausible, that’ll do for now, right? So long as it gets van Zieks convicted, anything is acceptable.

Ryunosuke:  (Kazuma’s done a brilliant job as ever. He’s drawing on his experience as a defence attorney to build his prosecution case… and it’s formidable.)

Kazuma’s got a legitimate point about the candlelight, but his argument about this being van Zieks’s hideout is completely flimsy… yet Ryunosuke is so in awe of his friend and of how impressive this all sounds on the surface that he’s not able to notice that.

(Also, this is a brief slip-up on the part of the localisers, in having Ryunosuke use the term “defence attorney”. In every other instance, this game uses the British English term, “defence lawyer”, and we only ever hear the word “attorney” when they’re doing a title drop.)

Kazuma:  “And now, the prosecution would like to call new witnesses to the stand. Witnesses who saw events unfold on the day in question.”

In other words, these are the witnesses we actually should have started things off with, and Kazuma only called van Zieks to the stand to begin with in order to prove to the whole court what a lying liar he totally is.

--- Testimony 2 ---

Kazuma:  “Try the man.” […] Kazuma:  “Try the woman.” […] Sandwich:  “I d-don’t actually sell anything, no… come to think of it.” Kazuma:  “Pity.” Ryunosuke:  (No more purchases today… please.)

Apparently Kazuma was enjoying teasing Ryunosuke by pushing him into parting with his money for silly, frivolous things. A little hint at their bantery friendship dynamic in the midst of all this drama!

(Being pushed by their friends into being the one to pay for all sorts of things is clearly a Naruhodo family trait.)

Kazuma:  “Not only that, but they very bravely ran inside to see what was going on and witnessed the crime.”

Yep, he’s still painting these witnesses as so brave and noble to confront the terrible killer van Zieks.

Judge:  “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to see how anyone other than the defendant could have committed the crime.” […] Kazuma:  [he bows] “Thank you for your candour, My Lord.”

Kazuma appreciates the judge agreeing how Very Obvious it is that van Zieks is Definitely Guilty. Prosecutors are not usually supposed to thank the judge for agreeing that their case is strong, and yet.

It’s mentioned that the first person to arrive at the scene, supposedly Gregson with a red wig, was carrying a trunk. The truth is that this was Jigoku in a red wig, carrying the large trunk with Gregson’s body in it – but once we learn about Gregson’s metal trunk having been stolen from the crime scene, it could also theoretically have been him carrying that. Conveniently the witnesses are vague enough about the size of the trunk that it can’t be confirmed either way from their testimony.

Kazuma:  “…I was informed that no trunk was found at the scene.”

I wonder if Kazuma has worried about the possibility of them finding Gregson’s trunk, given that he is probably aware that Karuma’s tip ended up stuck in it. Bet he’s relieved that it mysteriously vanished.

(It’s actually right here in this courtroom at this very moment, hidden behind Sandwich’s boards.)

Gossip:  “When the Reaper’s around, people are goin’ in the ground! I mean, that’s what he doz, in’t it?”

“Killing people is just what the Reaper does” sure is a hilariously Kazuma’s-tunnel-visioning line of thinking. It really can’t have been hard for him to latch onto that, when so many Londoners casually think that, too.

Kazuma:  “Considering the catalogue of killings the Reaper had carried out… it was a particularly inauspicious end.”

Yes, clearly, even though van Zieks has totally gotten away with so many murders for ten years, he’d suddenly be so careless as to just shoot a guy right on a populated street where people would come running immediately. Obviously this terrifying criminal mastermind is also simultaneously a bumbling fool.

Kazuma is shown being pointedly silent as Gossip reveals that he got blood on his hand. No doubt he’s already thinking there seems to be a contradiction here, but he’s holding himself back from pointing it out, because that wouldn’t help his case.

If you then press Gossip’s updated statement about wiping his bloody hand on the floor, we see Kazuma peering silently at a document.

Judge:  “Is something wrong, Counsel?” Kazuma:  “No, My Lord. I didn’t remember anything in the report about a bloody handprint on the floor, that’s all.”

Kazuma’s very careful with his wording here – saying he didn’t remember reading about it doesn’t categorically state that it wasn’t there. He still doesn’t want to explicitly bring up this contradiction that would just complicate his case. (And you’d think he could confirm it after reading the report again to check, but no, just casually gonna not mention that.)

Ryunosuke:  “Objection! So you wiped off the blood from your hand on the floor of the room… Are you quite sure about that?” Gossip:  “Well, well what else d’you expect me to have done, eh? Doz it really matter?” Kazuma:  “Objection! The police found no such handprint on the floor during their investigations. What exactly is the defence asserting?!”

And yet, despite that he carefully kept the explicit lack of a floor handprint hidden until now, as soon as Ryunosuke’s objecting in such a way that suggests that the handprint’s existence might be beneficial to his case, Kazuma is immediately pointing out that it didn’t exist and so Ryunosuke’s argument (whatever argument he’s even about to make) must be flawed, right? He’s remarkably sure that his friend is about to put forth a convincing argument that will blow a hole in his case and is trying to pre-emptively counter it before it’s even happened.

Ryunosuke:  “Objection! If you listen, you’ll find out… Prosecutor Asogi.”

I love that Ryunosuke picks up on Kazuma jumping the gun and points it out, too. That “Prosecutor Asogi” stings – it’s the first time Ryunosuke’s said it, and it has to hurt to address his best friend like he’s just an opponent, yet that’s exactly what he is right now.

Kazuma:  “Objection! The witness very clearly testified that he wiped his hand on the floor. Any handprints on the back of the board are irrelevant!”

Kazuma is still pre-emptively objecting and just trying to write off Ryunosuke’s argument as completely irrelevant before actually fully understanding what he’s getting at. Van Zieks definitely did it, right? So there’s no need to bother about trivial details like this, no need to think through to the fact that the board must have been on the floor next to the body at the time.

Kazuma:  “In other words, the defence’s assertion is contradictory!” Ryunosuke:  “Yes… it is.”

Look at Kazuma still just trying to write off Ryunosuke’s argument as contradictory and therefore irrelevant, whereas Ryunosuke is able to realise that the existence of a contradiction means something and can give them new information. Kazuma ought to understand this too – he used to be a defence lawyer! But he certainly doesn’t want to think that way right now.

If you pick one of the wrong options (‘False testimony’) during the multiple-choice question you’re presented with here, there’s some fun dialogue.

Kazuma:  “I don’t remember fostering that kind of simplistic thinking in you.” Ryunosuke:  “…Since when were you my father?”

Aww, Kazuma feeling like he played a part in teaching Ryunosuke to be a good lawyer, and having faith that he ought to be better than this. And Ryunosuke comparing him to a father! Painful for obvious reasons, but also, Kazuma really kind of is a Dad Friend.

Conveniently, van Zieks’s testimony about the room being dark and the body suddenly appearing once the door flew open is really helpful for Ryunosuke’s argument about the noticeboard here! He wouldn’t have known the significance of the noticeboard’s position at all if van Zieks hadn’t testified. Kazuma’s attempt to prove van Zieks to be a horrible lying liar just ended up helping out Ryunosuke’s case, actually.

Kazuma:  “That, that can’t…” Ryunosuke:  “The door struck the noticeboard, knocking it over and making the victim’s body visible.” […] “My client has told nothing but the truth! He has simply described what he saw.” Kazuma:  “Argh!”

Kazuma’s reaction is agitated, with his first “damage” animation, as Ryunosuke puts together this argument and he realises how much sense it makes of van Zieks’s testimony. What do you mean, van Zieks might have been telling the truth? Inconceivable.

--- Testimony 3 ---

Kazuma:  “In short, the only person who could possibly have committed this crime… is Barok van Zieks! None of this wrangling over the board changes that simple fact.”

Despite Kazuma having been shaken to realise that maybe van Zieks wasn’t lying about the thing he tried to prove him a liar about, I’m sure he’s very happy to still be able to insist that these details are irrelevant to the fact that van Zieks  did the murder.

Sandwich:  “But the Reaper’s f-fate is sealed either way, because of the gunshot w-we all heard. So your fate’s sealed, too.” Ryunosuke:  “My fate?!” Kazuma:  “That’s right. The defence is fated to lose. And the prosecution to win.”

Here’s Kazuma’s pointedly strong opinions about fate showing themselves! Okay, granted, on some level he is just translating Sandwich’s ramblings into something a little easier to understand, but still, it doesn’t feel like that’s all he’s saying this for. It feels like he truly believes this himself and is taking the opportunity to make a point of it. It has to be Kazuma’s fate to win this trial.

Kazuma:  “The truth, please.”

Kazuma deadpans this four times over at Venus as she’s testifying. I am amused by his subtle irritation at dealing with this compulsive liar of a witness.

Kazuma:  “You’re, you’re telling us… that you DID move that board?!”

Again, Kazuma gets noticeably agitated – leaning forwards over his bench for the first time in the trial – as Venus reveals that she moved the board. Even though he’s already tried to write off all this board stuff as irrelevant to the fact that van Zieks still did the deed, and even though confirming that it was indeed moved doesn’t change that, it seems he knows on some level that this proves there was more to the case than meets the eye and maybe Ryunosuke’s onto something big.

Kazuma:  “The TRUTH now!”

And then he’s a lot more forceful with Venus as she makes to lie again about whether she found anything underneath the board. He doesn’t even know for sure if anything she found would be important to the case, but he has to know every last hidden detail.

Gina:  “That was a present to Inspector Gregson from the Yard for a big case ‘e solved ten years ago!” Susato:  “The Professor case, no doubt.”

I’m sure Kazuma feels great to hear that Gregson received such accolades for illegally framing his father and getting him killed.

It really is an incredible coincidence that the watch just happened to wind down at exactly five o’ clock, thus conveniently supporting Kazuma’s argument until we look into it further.

Judge:  “Well, it would appear that the mystery of the moving noticeboard has been solved at least.” Kazuma:  “And as predicted, it had very little bearing on the case.”

Kazuma seems smug about this, in sharp contrast to how agitated he was just a few moments ago. But no, it’s fine, even if van Zieks wasn’t lying about that one thing, this still doesn’t prove anything important about him not being the killer, Kazuma’s case is fine and completely intact!

Naturally, Kazuma starts to get worked up again as Ryunosuke proposes that Gregson actually died the night before, which would mean van Zieks couldn’t possibly have done it (because Kazuma knows exactly where Gregson was that night).

Kazuma:  “You claim he was already dead the night before? Do you really think that Scotland Yard’s coroner would have overlooked something like that?”

As he’s going to admit later, Kazuma is perfectly aware of the omission of the time of death in the autopsy report. However, despite that he must be beginning to realise that maybe Ryunosuke has a point about the time of death being different, he conveniently avoids bringing the autopsy omission up here, presumably in the hope that Ryunosuke won’t have noticed it and this will stop him in his tracks.

(Based on Ryunosuke’s reaction, it actually seems like he may not have noticed, but thankfully Susato has it covered.)

Kazuma:  “Whether it was a gun or a firecracker, the only person present to cause that bang was Barok van Zieks!”

Yes, but why would he frame himself by setting off the firecracker, Kazuma, come on.

Ryunosuke points out that the scorch marks on the candle couldn’t possibly have been from the gunshot and therefore must have been from the candle being used to set off the firecrackers on a delay… and the moment he makes this argument, Kazuma no longer has a case, really. Kazuma never manages to come up with an adequate explanation for why there would be scorch marks on the candle if it wasn’t the firecracker. From here on out, Ryunosuke’s argument holds far, far more water than it turns out Kazuma’s ever did.

But Kazuma is so furiously tunnel-visioned on van Zieks’s guilt that he refuses to acknowledge this, and he’s going to continue to lead the court on a long series of what are basically complete diversion tactics so that he doesn’t have to think about the fact that the very core of his case fundamentally does not hold together.

Also, serious props to Ryunosuke. Within the space of two (proper) testimonies and just a little help from Susato, he’s managed to come up with a completely accurate theory as to how this situation at the scene was a setup to frame van Zieks, and technically, in theory, if Kazuma wasn’t so stubborn, prove his client’s innocence. He really is a great lawyer.

Kazuma:  “Pfft… Ha ha ha ha ha ha hah! Oh, very impressive, Ryunosuke Naruhodo.” Ryunosuke:  “K-Kazuma?!” Kazuma:  “I’m really quite amazed you’ve come this far. But after all, wasn’t I the one who told you… that you had all the makings of a great defence lawyer?”

Kazuma realises this too, and he’s so proud of his friend! …Even though this destroys his own case (to far more of an extent than he’s willing to accept). It still stings a little, though, that even as he’s praising him, Kazuma’s using Ryunosuke’s full name, keeping that distance between them.

Kazuma:  “I also noted the lack of a time of death in this report. A stark omission. But as far as I’m concerned… this whole country’s justice system leaves a lot to be desired!”

Indeed, Kazuma noticed it – but conveniently he did not bring that up when it hurt his case. He’s only doing so now that it’s already been established anyway, and he can use it as an opportunity to vent about how horrible and corrupt the British judicial system is, a system that killed his father and acted like that was right.

(And he especially has Opinions about dodgy autopsy reports.)

Judge:  “Prosecutor Asogi! What on earth do you mean by that statement?” Kazuma:  “I hear that many of the leading members of Britain’s judiciary are present to observe this trial today. So we cannot allow even the slightest doubt to be overlooked.”

It’s not immediately obvious, but Kazuma’s completely sidestepping the judge’s question here. He insulted this country’s justice system, and no, he’s not going to explain what he means by that, it’s just an obvious fact, and now he’s going to move right onto the next topic.

Kazuma:  “The defence’s assertion about the time of death based on the victim’s stopped watch is just conjecture. But… while the possibility exists that my learned friend may be correct… we have a duty to explore it.”

Said next topic being: making a big point of how thorough he’s being, to ensure there’s no doubt by entertaining Ryunosuke’s argument even though it’s nothing but conjecture. Kazuma’s definitely not being the slightest bit corrupt about this trial, you guys. Nothing at all like that monster van Zieks was ten years ago with his father.

And yet… Ryunosuke’s argument really is a lot more than conjecture! Granted, maybe the point about the watch in particular is a bit flimsy, but by focusing on that, Kazuma’s conveniently drawing attention away from the scorched candle. Ryunosuke has pretty much categorically proven that the bang the witnesses heard must have been from a firecracker and not a gunshot, thanks to those scorch marks on the candle, and with that fact established, Gregson cannot have died at 5 p.m. that day.

But no, it’s fine, never mind that detail, Ryunosuke’s argument is definitely still nothing but conjecture. Look at how honourable Kazuma’s being to choose to entertain it anyway.

Kazuma:  “And what immediately comes to mind is of course… what was Inspector Gregson doing and where did he go on the day before the incident?” Ryunosuke:  “Do you know?”

A very good question for Ryunosuke to ask. Because yes, Kazuma does know exactly where Gregson was and what he was doing on that day, since he was there with him.

Kazuma:  [he shakes his head] “The inspector always carried out his investigative work alone. His movements were treated as confidential within Scotland Yard.”

Despite his shake of the head, Kazuma is thoroughly dodging actually answering the question of whether he knows – very sneaky of him, so that he doesn’t have to lie. Instead he just makes a general statement about how Gregson was usually difficult to track, implying that this case is the same. Thus, Kazuma gives the impression that he doesn’t know anything about this himself, without telling any lies.

Kazuma:  “However, considering the evidence we’ve been presented with so far… I’d say it’s fairly apparent what case the man was pursuing. Wouldn’t you, my learned friend?”

Still being very careful with his wording here – saying that the evidence makes it apparent what case Gregson was on. This way, Kazuma doesn’t have to directly say that he believes it was this case (the redhead case), because he knows it wasn’t. Kazuma is so incredibly skilled at hiding the truth without lying.

Honestly, this bit where you, as Ryunosuke, have to be the one to say that it was the redhead case that Gregson was pursuing… it’s pretty silly. Ryunosuke literally just argued that the red wig was only there at the scene because it was used by the real killer as a decoy, to make the witnesses mistake them for Gregson! So from Ryunosuke’s perspective, he has no reason to believe that it should have anything to do with the actual case Gregson was working on at the time! Buuut he's awkwardly got to be the one to suggest it anyway.

That said, I do understand why this is a thing – not just to give the players something to do, but also because Kazuma is very pointedly trying to lead Ryunosuke into being the one to propose this line of questioning about the redheads, so that when it all amounts to nothing, it makes Ryunosuke’s case look weaker. It’s just a shame that it doesn’t quite add up that Ryunosuke actually would fall for Kazuma’s bait here.

(I mean, I guess in the end it turns out that Gregson did just have the red wig on him while going to Dunkirk, perhaps to give the false impression to anyone who saw him leaving that he was off to investigate the redheads, so there is some connection there. The redhead case was his cover story alibi that day, after all. But it’s kinda flimsy that Ryunosuke is so sure of it, when he already has another reason for why the red wig was there.)

Kazuma:  “So… you’d already worked it out.”

Kazuma seems pleased that Ryunosuke “figured this out”. In other words, he’s pleased that Ryunosuke took his bait and suggested exactly what he was being led into suggesting, while Kazuma completely hides the fact that he knows that Gregson’s real movements that day were something else entirely.

Ryunosuke:  “So it’s very likely that he had direct contact with these criminals. And it’s quite possible that such contact led to… more serious events.” Kazuma:  “………”

Kazuma’s silence is pointedly shown here. He’s clearly thinking about how he knows full well that Gregson was not killed by the redheads, and so pursuing this line of questioning is actually perfectly safe and is not going to damage his case at all.

Ryunosuke:  “…And Kazuma.” […] “I feel as though he knew we’d arrive at this point somehow.”

Here’s a thought that Ryunosuke expresses during the recess. On the one hand, he’s very wrong that Kazuma expected Ryunosuke to prove the alternate time of death and the setup at the scene, because he’s so very convinced that van Zieks did it. (Though still, maybe on some level he expected his friend to come up with an impressive theory, especially considering the very buried part of him that isn’t so sure van Zieks is guilty.)

But, given Ryunosuke’s alternative theory, it’s true that Kazuma did fully expect them to then arrive at the point of investigating the redheads, since he was the one who deliberately led his friend into suggesting this. Ryunosuke’s not wrong there.

[alynnl]

I understand the poetic symbolism of making Barok van Zieks stand on the dock in a closed trial.

But can you imagine the sheer drama that would have ensued from a trial by jury?

Six people with the resolve to even give the so called Reaper of the Bailey a fair trial because that is what the foundation of their justice system was built upon. Maybe one of them is the old copper from case 2-3, who's rambling about things "back in my day" helps to blow the case wide open.

Six people who refuse to be intimidated and won't call for a verdict until they've heard all the real facts.

And then the public learning just as much as Barok, Ryunosuke, Susato, Kazuma, Sholmes and Iris about the massive cover-up involving the Professor case. And perhaps the beginnings of a reform in Britain's legal system, that gives Ryunosuke ideas on how to help reform the Japanese legal system.

I didn't think a "Public Trial AU" would be so interesting until now.

[denzartriste]

I am strong i am strong i Will Not cry over Word. I will not. I am a big girl i will NOT cry over Word

[boypussydilf]

kazuma asougi is such an “i don’t deserve a bed frame” guy

[justimajin]

Hey,

Can I tell you how much I loved The Solace window?

It's the perfect look into senior love, loss, grief and creating new bonds.

And I'm extremely angry at Naree. What an opportunist, tossing her aged, grieving mother in an old age home and removing every trace of Namjoon just because they want the house, and then yelling at OC for betraying his memory?

A lot of elderly people want nothing more than to be around family. And she and seojun deprived her of it.

I hope Karma gets her.

I'm so glad you loved it! :") I typically write about Younger OC's, but I really wanted to try writing about an Older OC's experience with love.

Naree and the OC have a really rocky relationship. Although there's instances where Naree does care (very small ones), her issues with the OC coupled with their increasing tension resulted in her ultimately choosing herself at the end. In a way, I wanted their specific relationship to represent how elderly people are often treated, even within their own families.

It's ironic that at the end of the day, OC was still just looking for a home. But she couldn't find it within her own immediate family and instead built a new one with Hoseok.

[dirtytomatoedwrites]

THE RESIGNATION

Summary: You can quit. It doesn't mean Rafe will let you.

Paring: CEO!Rafe Cameron x Fem!Reader

Strictly 18+ No Minors to Interact

Warnings:  18+ Smut. Oral (w receiving) Masturbation (w), Rough Sex, PIV, Creampie, Fluff, Romance with a dash of Angst. AgedUp!Rafe. Not Proof-Read. Enjoy.

Word Count: 2k words

Author's Note: Something a little shorter, lighter and sweet. Happy reading and much love to you all ❤️

Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Please don’t steal or copy bits of my writing or any writing from other writers cause karma will get ya.

-------

*Buzzzzzzzzz*

“Yes.”

“Y/N is here to see you.”

“Send her in.”

Rafe watches in fascination as you shuffle in, your face taut and serious. Your eyes cast downward, clutching a file. As you tuck an unruly strand of hair behind your ear, he realizes you're nervous. The tension, his silence, makes you even more anxious.

“Sit,” he instructs, motioning to the chair across his desk. Meanwhile, he keeps his gaze on his papers. He continues to read and leisurely sign forms. Yet, he can distinctly feel your eyes on him, both of you fully aware of the meeting's purpose.

For Rafe, the dynamics at play are exhilarating. After finishing his tasks, he lifts his eyes to find you focused on your file, seemingly avoiding his gaze.

He unbuttons his suit jacket and leans back, his fingers drum lightly on the fine-crafted letter in front of him. The paper carries a soft hint of perfume. It smells like you.

There's a part of him that wishes to be cruel, to use biting words he's often used with others in his employ. Yet something about you prevents him. The game of power was always in his favor, but with you, the boundaries become ambiguous, shifting in unexpected ways. With you, it's always been personal.

“Why didn't you tell me you were unhappy?” he asks. His tone is calm, yet probing. You seem taken aback, eyes widening as they search his face.

He decides to try another approach. “It's clear to me now,” he points to your letter of resignation. “You were unhappy at Cameron Enterprises. How long have you felt this way?”

Your surprise is palpable, and he watches you closely, enjoying the tapestry of emotions that flash across your face, each one more captivating than the last.

“Well?” he prods.

You shift, straightening your back. “I am grateful for my time at Cameron Enterprises. Truly I am. The team has been so kind to me, and I'll honestly cherish the friends I've made—”

“But?” he asks, cutting you off, eager to understand.

“But, I believe it's time for me to pursue other opportunities,” you admit, measuring your words. You slowly nod your head, as though you have thought this whole thing out, and now you are not only resolved with the thought but you truly believe it. It’s this sureness, this resolution, that truly makes Rafe react.

“I see,” Rafe says as he presses a button, making the office walls turn opaque. "So, you think you've outgrown us."

“No—”

"No?" he interrupts, rising from behind his desk and walking slowly toward you.

"No. I just- I feel it's time for me to try something... new.”

"Something new," he repeats, his gaze lowers to meet yours while you look up at him. His eyes scrutinize you carefully. “I respect that,” he nods, and as you avert your gaze, he gently hooks your chin with his fingers, prompting you to look him in the eye.

“No, really. I do. What's the point of life if not to grow, right? But let me be crystal clear: leaving here is not an option. So, here's what I'm willing to offer," his voice is as smooth as honey as his thumb strokes your jaw. "First, a five percent raise. But seeing as you’re already on one of the highest salaries here, I suspect that won't really sway you. You’ll also be given a new title.”

"Raf—"

"And to sweeten the deal," Rafe interrupts, "a vacation to any destination you want. You'll be whisked away on the company jet, stay at a five-star, luxury hotel—every need pampered and taken care of. I'll see to that, and we'll get to that, but here's the thing—" he whispers, his voice low and seductive.

"You embarrassed me today—ah, ah, I'm talking," he asserts, his eyes commanding yours into silence. "If it were anyone else, anyone else, no one would have noticed or given a flying fuck. But since it’s you, your little resignation created a lot of gossip. It made us look weak, hinted at instability, and in a Fortune 500 company, that's not going to work. Do you think the board cares about your need to ‘try something new'? Hm," his gaze is drawn to your mouth as you clamp it shut.

"So for those reasons, I'm going to punish you,”he says, while his thumb gently taps your chin. "But how to punish you...” he muses. “That’s the real question.”

Pulling away, he slides his hands into his pockets and, after taking a few steps back, leans against his desk.

"Rafe, you know I was just— I mean I wasn’t trying to—”

"Spare me, all right? I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say. Not right now. What I want..." he said slowly as he tapped a finger to his chest "What I want, is for you to open your legs, yeah? That's what I want."

You're shocked — he gathers as much from the way you gulp, and Rafe can't help but let a smirk of self-satisfaction curl his lips.

"Don't look so surprised. You knew what working for me entailed when you agreed to it. Now, spread your legs. Let me see what I'm shelling out nearly half a mil for."

"Rafe, I… I" you murmur.

Crossing his arms, his gaze locks onto yours signalling the end of the discussion. Hesitantly, and with much caution, you eventually slide your legs apart, your skirt riding up ever so slightly.

"Wider," Rafe commands, "Lean back and open them wider."

Breathing heavily, you do as he asks. Leaning back against the chair, you spread your legs open fully, causing your skirt to ride up to your waist, revealing your panty-covered sex. The damp patch, dark against the bright red fabric teases him.

"Pull your panties to the side. Let me see how wet you are.” he whispers silkily.

You turn your head away shyly but eventually you hook a finger into the fabric and pull it aside, exposing your slick wet folds to his ravenous gaze.

Rafe smiles in approval.

"That's good." he purrs, "Now, touch yourself. That pussy looks like it needs a good fingering " his voice rumbles with authority as his gaze flickers from your face to your exposed weeping slit. You hesitate, breathing heavily while trying to form a protest.

"I… I'm not—"

"Do it," he interrupts firmly.

You hesitate for a few moments, but eventually obey by pushing a finger into your dripping sex. A moan escapes your lips when Rafe lets out a deep groan as encouragement. Your hesitation seems to disappear and you push another finger in.

"Fuck," he hisses. "Add another. I know you can handle it."

You nod slowly and introduce a third, while the middle finger of your other hand gently rub your clit. Sinking into the sensation you open your legs wider for more access, your fingers moving hard and fast.

Rafe groans in protest. “Go slow...This isn’t for you. It’s about what I want, and what I want is for you to tease yourself. You're not allowed to cum. Not yet. Not until I say.”

You whimper but follow his command. You slow your speed til it's teasing almost leisurely and Rafe soaks it all in. The jolts of pleasure that have you mewling, the way your chest rises and fall, breathless, desperate. The way you curl your fingers just enough to make you gasp. It's incredible to watch and as your hips begin to buck against your massaging fingers, Rafe finds himself looming over you, taking in the sight of your ecstasy-filled face and finger-stuffed pussy.

He leans in and kisses you. His tongue lashes yours, tasting your moans and desperation. He pulls away, eyes back on your wet centre, focused on your fingers moving in and out, accompanied by the sweet wet sounds it makes and your hips rising from the chair.

"Go on, make that pussy cum." he orders. In no time, your orgasm washes over you. He can see it build from your core as you shudder and your thighs shake, your breath hitches fighting to stave it off and then it radiates out from the depths of your soul in a moan of pure ecstasy.

Before you can catch your breath, Rafe pushes your hand away and laps at your essence with his tongue. His hands on the back of your knees, push your legs right to your chest, keeping it wide open as he tongue fucks you.

Eating you out was always an appetizer he savored, making sure you had cum at least twice from his efforts, but right now, with his blood boiling with anger and frustration, he's famished and desperate for the main course.

Urgently, he undoes his slacks and lifts your legs even higher, pinning your ankles above your head with one hand. Without giving you time to adjust, he smears his cock with your slick and plunges deep into your tight heat, pressing you into the chair with his body weight as he begins to pound you.

It's a painful position, and he's acutely aware of that. It's deep and aggressively forceful, the type of position that should be approached with care, or ease you gently into it. But right now, it's not about you. Right now he's too riled up to care and so he fucks you without remorse or restraint, reducing you to nothing more than a fuck toy- his fuck toy spurred on by the delicious moans that escape your parted lips.

Your hands cling to the armrests for dear life as you desperately try to maintain your balance. Rafe continues to slam his hips against the back of your thighs, taking pleasure in your inability to move while he plows you deep. You whimper, desperate to escape his grip, but it does nothing to deter him. Instead, he revels in your struggle, knowing that your lack of control will only intensify his orgasm and your own.

"You want to quit..." Rafe sneers. He watches you whimper and feels your pussy tighten like a vice, while simultaneously soaking the front of his slacks. It makes him feral and he redoubles his efforts, fucking you into the chair until it starts to scrape against the cherry-oak floor.

"You want to quit on me?" he strains, while he observes ecstasy wash over your face, your eyes roll back in a pleasure-filled awe. With one hand, he gently taps your cheek to keep you focused.

"You wanna quit on me? Huh?” And he leans in further, his cock repeatedly hits a spot so deep you’re shaking, babbling and barely coherent.

“You're not going anywhere. Not now, not ever," he grunts, "Now fucking cum. Fucking cum.” His ruthless demand pushes you higher until all inhibitions are obliterated. You scream out in surrender, bucking up onto his plundering cock while Rafe releases a guttural moan, filling you with ribbon after ribbon of thick cum.

Several minutes have passed when his movements gradually stops, signaling the ebbing of his energy. He's exhausted, his fervor having reached its climatic end. He pulls out, his balance wavering slightly until his back meets the glass desk behind him. A contented exhale escapes his lips as he takes in the sight of you.

There you are, looking thoroughly fucked out. Your legs are splayed open, a sheen of sweat glistens on your skin, reflecting the aftermath of passion. His cum slowly leaks out of you and you wear it like a carnal badge of honor. Observing your state, he’s acutely aware that his own appearance mirrors yours—fucked out and messy. His clothes is in disarray, his cock is hanging out and physical exhaustion makes his body seek support against the table.

Despite the disheveled scene, a wave of affection swells within him, washing over any remnants of his earlier anger. His chest heaves as he gulps in air, attempting to control his breathing.

"You're lucky I love you," he manages to say, each word punctuated by his effort to recover. His gaze locks onto yours, intense yet softened by the rush of emotions. "No one else has this infuriating, intoxicating effect on me. You drive me to the brink and back," he adds, a playful seriousness lacing his tone as he licks his lips. "For that little stunt, I should fire you," he teases.

Your fingers glide through the cum dripping from your sex, and Rafe can't suppress a sense of pride. He always takes pride in the chaos he creates, especially when you revel in it.

"I've been trying to talk to you, but you've been so distracted lately, you haven't been listening" you sigh, as you try to catch your breath. "What else was I supposed to do to get your attention? Hand me some tissues, will you?"

He pauses, his eyes narrowing as he digests your words, then reaches with a trembling hand for the tissue box on his desk. "When? When did you try to talk to me and I wasn't listening?" he asks. He takes a clump of tissues and hands them to you.

"This morning at breakfast, and last night during dinner. I barely started speaking before you turned the conversation back to contractors and deadlines and even when I gave you a solution, not just one Rafe but two- two concrete solutions you ignored me. It was like I wasn't even there. It's not the first time." you explain, accepting the tissues from him.

"I didn't realize—"

"You did," you interrupt, ensuring your eyes stay fixed on his to underline your statement. "Why do you think I kept singing the song about wanting to make some changes, wanting to try something new. I've been saying it for weeks on and off because this is clearly not working."

“I thought you were talking about remodeling the offices, not resigning from the company. It's a family business—how would it look if my wife quits?" His voice carries a hint of concern, not just for the optics but for the unspoken bond that this business represents between the two of you.

A soft sigh escapes you as you lock eyes with him, a delicate blend of frustration and affection. "Rafe, I don't want to walk away from this," you admit "But I need more than just a title and a desk. I need to feel heard, to be part of this with you, not just in name because I'm married to a Cameron. I want to be a part of the decisions and changes we dare to dream up together."

Rafe's eyes hold yours, a moment of realization dawning upon him. "I see you," he says quietly, the weight of his oversight apparent in his tone. "I'm sorry I wasn't listening. Do you really want to leave? Is that what you truly want?"

His question, earnest and laced with vulnerability, hangs between you, but you shake your head gently. "No, I don't want to leave, Rafe. I just want... more. More involvement, more acknowledgment, and yes, maybe even a little more attention. But leaving? No. This place, with all its madness, is where I belong."

He exhales, the relief evident in the way his shoulders drop slightly, the rigid line of worry softening around his eyes. "Thank fuck for that," he says with a hushed intensity. "Because I can't imagine doing any of this without you. But let's agree on no more 'resignation stunts' in the future, yeah? It's bad press and only makes for bad business—besides, I doubt my heart can take it."

You nod, agreeing, a mischievous glint in your eye as if to say you’ll find another effective way to get right under his skin, because in the end you always do. “Fine. But for the record, I do have some ideas for my office too."

He laughed, the sound rich and warm, and he pulled you into a messy, loving kiss. "We'll discuss it at home, Mrs. Cameron. For now, let's get you cleaned up, yeah?"

"Speak for yourself. You're the one with your dick hanging out."

With a shared laugh and a sweaty kiss, you both begin the task of putting the office—and yourselves—back together, the line between professional and personal wonderfully blurred.

--------------

A/N - See guys I can do sweet 😈 I tried to keep the reveal until the end shhhh 🤭 Thanks for reading x If you enjoyed it please reblog as it supports writers. Until next time ❤️

[mondaymelon]

— " 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐢'𝐦 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧... "

art by @/kodokunoakashi on twitter, edited by me !! angst. an eensey weensey redemption at the end

xiao, zhongli, wanderer, neuvillette x gn!reader

[ centuries after their lover’s passing, they finally are able to rest in your ghostly touch. ₊˚ෆ ]

Perhaps the day he had found your lifeless body, eyes long fluttered closed and splatters of red decorating your throat was the day Xiao began falling apart.

He knew it from the start, that your death would be inevitable. You weren’t like him - a weary soul who had traversed these lands for thousands of years in search of a refuge that Teyvat had never provided for him. No, you were like the evening’s first star, brilliantly shining and setting the entire night sky ablaze. A warm glow that sparked flames wherever its light reached. He was one of many fortunate enough to be caught in your spiraling trap, those cursedly charming grins and a laugh with the innocence of a child. Your sweet warmth was addicting, and once he had a taste, he couldn’t get enough of it. Was that why the adeptus found himself leaving his corner of the inn more and more often, just to trail by your side? Maybe this was the reason he had found himself expressing something on his lips that he had never before?

Fragments split your face in his memory. Years, decades, centuries had passed. To the outside eye, all that could be observed was that the yaksha was particularly more elusive than before, only having briefly appeared once or twice before mortals. With ignorant and foggy minds, they’d declare that the Conqueror of Demons must feel despair over the sudden death of Rex Lapis, and they’d just leave it like that. An open question hanging in the air with no answer to pair it with.

Xiao didn’t know if he still had tears left to weep. 

His brethren that he had lost so many years ago had robbed them with their passing, and they were nothing left but an empty remnant of once had remained. A shapeless echo… yes, perhaps that was what he was now. All that knew him were certain that your passing had stolen a part of him that would never recover. The fragments of emotion that you had left with him had only dissipated with time, and he despised himself for it. Shards that danced in his vision as he hefted his spear, whirling it with precision and slaughtering all in its path. They had dared lay hands on you. They had taken whatever resolve he had left. Now, he was but a shell, hollow without your embrace.

It’s cold.

Sometimes, he heard your laugh on the wind, and he’d whip around, expecting to see you there, but only to be met with the terrible, terrible silence, and all the adeptus could do was laugh bitterly. Crystalline drops of tears would threaten to roll past the barriers of his carefully crafted facade, and he’d curse at himself, grasping at his chest with heavy breaths and blown eyes.

He didn’t deserve to cry. No, not after he had failed to protect you. Guilt, self-loathing, karma, all of it… it bound him down with red tendrils that burned against his skin. Pain bloomed throughout his body, a brilliant crimson that stained his clothing, an anguish that he ardently welcomed. His vision dimmed, and his honey eyes which had long since lost their light slowly shut, embracing the darkness that reached for him.

Darkness, so how come when he opened his drowsy lids, all he saw was light?

“Xiao?”

A familiar voice, one that had blurred with time, yet now rang clearly in his senses. Those excitement-filled eyes, that mischievous curve on your lips, and the warmth of your fingers with his. The grass prickled at his back, and the scent of blooming wildflowers filled the air with its spring sweetness.

A smile tugged at his lips. His sorrow spilled from his eyes. He almost could’ve laughed at your concerned gaze, and with a bandaged heart he pulled you closer in his arms. His wounded voice was barely a whisper. “Thank you… for waiting for me all this time, love.”

He still remembers it. It’s a sight that’s been burned into his eyes. The way his composed expression had collapsed, how his disgraced self had fallen to his raw knees. Zhongli had held you then, feeling the precious warmth leave your body, listening to the thrum of your heart slowly ebbing away.

He had been seconds too late to hear what you had spoken in that moment, and only saw the wordless utter on your moving lips, the raspy, labored breaths, until they ceased to nothing but silence. How could something void of sound be so unequivocally loud? The silence rings in his ears, like a horrible testament of his broken contract. That bright moment the two of you had shared seemed centuries ago, an abstract painting of something that couldn’t have possibly occurred. With a beaming face, you had held his larger, gloved hand with two of your smaller ones, grinning at his touch.

“Let’s always be together, okay? No one can keep us apart!” You laughed to yourself at how red the man had grown at your words, and then stared fondly at the silver band he had placed on your finger a day prior, when he had kissed your hands and uttered his words of confession. Red dusted your cheeks at the thought, and to the wide-eyed man, you looked simply ethereal, with the way your lashes fluttered with every blink and the way your cheeks were warm with a smile.

“Yes.” Zhongli had been starstruck by you, so utterly breathless at how speechless a mere mortal could make him. It was astounding, how your smile seemed to steal his words away. He wanted to do nothing but to freeze those seconds, to place them in a glass and cherish them and relive them in a loop that lasted eternity.

Oh, what’d he do to see the way your lips curved upwards into a cheeky grin that you’d display just for him, the snarky comments leaving your mouth, and the way you laughed at his subtle reactions.

It’s only been two hundred years. Should he say “already?” Time passes slow, then fast, fluctuating without any thought of the man in mind. At times, when the clock strikes midnight and moonlight spills into the courtyard like liquid silver, the seconds slow into minutes and the minutes slow into hours, and he’ll gaze out onto the grassy fields where the two of you used to stroll hand-in-hand, and he’ll allow himself a moment of reminiscence. In other times, the world speeds up around him, and the incompetent man is unable to keep up. Your funeral was one of those times. How could he simply walk away from your framed portrait and declare, “that’s that?” Liyue had suffered a terrible loss, yet only he seemed to register that. How come?

Some days, he’ll talk to himself, as if you’re beside him. His words meet empty air and he smiles vacantly, holding a hand that isn’t there and kissing the lips of someone who is long gone. Your shadow is everywhere. He can’t escape it, but that’s okay. He doesn’t want to. Zhongli allows those remnants of you to linger and dance in the wind with the reddening leaves. By the bridge, excitedly petting the stray dogs, calling each and every one of them the name that you’ve bestowed upon them. A sight Ganyu would have loved to see. Or in the branches of a particular tree, laughing down at him with a giggle like birdsong, taunting words. “Would you look at that? Up here, I’m even taller than you, Zhongli!”

And every time he hears your transparent, faded voice, he can’t help but smile, despite how hopeless he feels. You’re gone, and that’s the truth, so where’s the harm in bathing in your afterimage just a moment longer?

He knows it isn’t you. It can’t ever come close. As centuries blur and whirl past, and he finds himself departing to the more secluded spaces of Liyue’s wilderness, he decides it’s time. His nation no longer needs him. The reason he had for living is gone, and the heart that had once been so lively has dulled.

Would it be too foolish to hope that when he opens his eyes, you’ll be there, waiting for him?

“Xiansheng? Come on, come on sleepyhead, wake up already!” Pause. “Oh, will this do the trick?”

And then there’s warmth on his cheek, the feeling of your lips against his skin, and he feels alive, for the first time in those archon-forsaken years. He knows what he’ll see, when he opens his gilded eyes that are shimmering with dew. “Yes, love. I’m here.”

Betrayal. Those sickening words you had spoken to him, sweet beyond belief… Wanderer hissed through his teeth, holding his hands over his ears as his tears fell to the earth and soaked into the dark earth.

Yes, at that time he should’ve known. The truth you spoke to him was simply too good to be true - a fantasy that could never be attained. Yet he had been swayed by your smile and fell for your warmth, and since then had been willingly trapped in a void that was you, with no intention of escaping. It amazed him, almost, how he can smile in this moment, albeit however sour it is. What more proof did he need? To be unable to stay somber in the moments of your passing, did that not just prove how flawed he was? How undeserving? 

He detested it. No wonder why you had left this world. It was a pain to even be by his side. Words without “love” and a chest that did not thrum with flusteredness could never convince you to stay beside him. Once again, someone he yearns for has cleverly slipped through his fingers. From the beginning, he was a sinner. A worthless puppet incapable of feeling a shred of what you held for him.

Red dripped from his fingers as they clawed at the earth, as he bends into himself with ugly wails. Could you see him now, wherever you were? Tears flowed freely from his eyes, not heeding his mutters for all of it to cease. He wanted it to end, all of it, the suffering that he felt and the emptiness he could never fully elude. The fatui, his mother, they’d all laugh at him with pointed fingers if they saw him now, wouldn’t they? His flushed cheeks are stained with salt and his throat was raw from his shouts. The blood pooling around your body has already cooled, and your fingers that were intertwined with his had already grown cold to the touch. 

“Woah, Wanderer, your skin is really cold! Aren’t you hot at all? It’s summer!” You had stared at him with a childlike fascination, holding his hand in yours, poking it for extra effect, only growing more astonished.

“It’s nothing to be impressed over.” He cleared his throat into his fist, yet did not let go of your hold. “If anything…” At the time, his words had not completed themselves, yet his gaze had trailed to your own hands, and he had kissed the back of them with a cheeky half-smile. I like yours. They’re warm. There had been an inkling of naive hope, that your life could fill the void in his, and perhaps that was what allowed his plastic expression towards you to grow into true ones.

“H-Hey, c’mon…” His voice broke, unsteady like the legs of a newborn fawn. He took your blood-stained hand and pressed it to his cheek, only further wetting it with his tears. “This isn’t funny, you know, you can… you can stop now…”

Look how broken he’s become, stooping as low as to speak to a corpse.

That was only a decade ago. Every morning, the ache of its recollection brings a fresh dose of misery. Every evening he lulls himself to sleep by repeating the words you once said, imagining the stroke of your hands tangled in his hair, imagining your sunbeam-like smile as you gazed down at him fondly.

Really, what’s the point of living with you gone? Could he really call it “life?”

Those questions still remain sharp in his mind as he sputters out a cough, glancing down at the blade in his shattered chest, positioned right where his heart should have been. Cold, unforgiving steel, driving down and tearing apart. Wanderer blinks up at the cursed heavens above and heaves out blood that leaves a lingering red on his lips, and he can’t bring himself to cry anymore. He spits out a final damnation at Celestia before slipping away, eyes closing as he finally-

“Wanderer? Where’s your hat? You aren’t wearing it today?”

Your voice. It breathes life into his empty soul. Warmth. He wants to hold it, hold you, ever closer like he never had the courage to. His violet eyes spring open as he sits up with a start, his disheveled garments flinging about. “Y-You-!”

“What’s with you today? You’re acting strange, silly. Did you eat something you shouldn’t have?” You grin stupidly, an idiocy he finds all so lovable. The twinkle in your eye - you’re alive. You’re breathing and you’re existing before him. A final grace that he can’t thank whatever for enough.

There’s the sound of wind, and then you find yourself tightly wrapped in his embrace, your shoulder stained with his tears that spill despite how much he doesn’t want to show you this weakness. He buries his face into you, and you can feel the ghost of a smile against your skin. “I’ve missed you. So, so much. Please, please, don’t leave me again.”

Lifeless, your body lay, along the shores and lapped by waves stained crimson. That day, Fontaine realized what it was like to truly rain, not a few drops, or even spring showers. Water fell endlessly from the skies, a downpour that may never end, an all-swallowing sea from the heavens that swallowed all unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. Irony clouded the skies, and Neuvillette found himself broken into pieces he didn’t know how to put back together.

His efforts to understand the human population were in vain. A complete, utter failure. How could he possibly judge, knowing the world despised him? Knowing that the scales were upturned and that nothing could ever be just? Your death, it was unfair. Unfair to the world and unfair to he who held you ever so dear. But what else could he do but continue his oversight? Quitting his position wouldn’t bring you back. Nothing would. He could hear your cheery voice in his ear, and the hint of a pout, a chiding tone. “Neuvi, you can’t quit! Let’s all try our best, okay?”

The days where you were by his side were the happiest. Fontaine had become akin to Sumeru’s desert, the sun blazing overhead and the moon shining brightly at night. Yet, how come the people of Fontaine had seemed upset at the skies for his contentment? They begged for rain, begged for their dying crops, to the point where you were forced to distance yourself from the man for days at a time, just the unrelentless sun would cloud over and perhaps a drop or two of rain would be squeezed from the heavens.

If he had known you would leave so soon, he would have never permitted you to depart from his side. If he had known you would pass this world and traverse to the next, he would have held you with every ounce of his soul, he would have declared his love for you over and over, he would have placed the ring he had been saving in his pocket, the one he slipped on his finger whenever he was at a particularly difficult trial. 

So many “what if’s.” None of them would materialize. Once again, his efforts would fall short. Once again, he’d lose someone. 

The tea was hot. It burned his tongue, yet he couldn’t feel a thing. You, the clearest of springs and purest of waters, had set his own sea into a never-ending storm. Lightning struck and its own surface churned choppily with enough rage to devour a nation. The second tea cup that was on the other side of his office desk remained untouched, the contents slowly cooling into nothingness. A something that could never be.

“Hydro dragon, hydro dragon, don’t cry~” He could hear it when he shut his eyes for what he hoped to be the final time, your voice from the mist that shrouded his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to embrace the owner of it. How could he possibly heed your words, when he felt his tears slip past his eyes, flowing as unperturbed as a river? Your back is facing him, but you know he’s there. You glance back with a fond beam, extending your arms outwards. An invitation. One that he’d readily take, any time, every time.

He would never enable you to slip from his grasp again. He allows you to engulf him in your arms, he allows you to stroke your thumb on his face and wipe away his salty tears, he allows you to brush his hair behind his ear and press butterfly kisses into his closed eyelids. Your warmth floods his body, and with a smile he takes the ring he’s saved for you out of his pocket, and fulfills his regrets as he slips it onto your finger, a final tear rolling down his cheek. “There’ll be no more reason to cry, not anymore.”

(a/n) this further proved to me that writing angst is so fucking mind destroying but at the same time provides this sort of quiet sorrow that you aren't able to attain anywhere else and for some twisted reason this is literally one of my favorite things ive like. ever written. holy shiiiii

໒꒱ || ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ (open! send an ask or a comment ♡) : @manager-of-the-pudding-bank, @iamdedinside, @ilyuu, @achlysis, @swivy123, @scara-is-my-wife

[oatmealaddiction]

Rant time, but like, people who complain about the diamonds in Steven Universe getting "redeemed" and "facing no consequences" like, why did you ever think the diamonds getting destroyed was on the table as an option? Why did everyone think the show was going to end with Steven fighting and killing the diamonds, or the universe dolling out some Hayes Code Karma Violence like a giant rock falling on them at the last second? Like I guess I understand the criticism in theory that Steven Universe's metaphor for the diamonds as toxic family members falls apart when you consider they're crimes as space monarchs doing a colonialism, but Steven isn't The Avatar. At no point in the show does he even have the power to doll out the punishment you guys want.

Steven *does* try to fight the diamonds, and he gets his ass kicked. He gets smashed under his own shield and knocked out. His mom forms an entire army to fight them and LOSES and has almost all of her friends corrupted by them. The Diamonds are bigger, badder and stronger than The Crystal Gems (kind of like how adults are bigger and stronger than children.) So instead, he reveals his identity as Pink and the Diamonds immediately stop trying to kill him and the show instead pivots to be about political diplomacy. He doesn't like the diamonds, by the time Future rolls around we find out that he hates them and has private thoughts about killing them even now that that they don't pose any threat. But during the show he's powerless and so instead, talking to them and trying to change their mind is just a practical option because fighting hasn't worked. Because in the real world, there are times you will be outmatched and violence won't be the answer—even if the people hurting you probably do deserve violence.

And the diamonds aren't "redeemed," they just change their mind. They just decide that they want to keep Pink in their lives, so they begin to take accountability and undo the damage that they caused with their war, and presumably will spend the next thousands of years of their lives dismantling their own empire. And again, Steven Universe Future discusses the discomfort and the downside of this approach, that even if it's better and harm is actively being undone, the diamonds can't resolve all the harm they've done and Steven largely doesn't feel like he's gotten justice for what they did to him and his mother—much less the universe. So I don't get where anyone gets off saying this story is irresponsible or saying you should just forgive bad people. I don't see that anywhere in the story. The theme of Universe has always been the necessity of change, and so it makes sense that the villains aren't forgiven or revealed to be good people—but that they just change.

[moonseekers]

i am... a little worried about this love triangle plot gksejkgs

[wayti-blog]

The only person who is spiritually smart is the one who has learned how to learn, unlearn, and change directions instantly, and start all over again, if your soul calls for it.

Michelle Casto

[icarus-suraki]

I’d like to lobby for “If you'd resolved your karma you wouldn't be on tumblr.” to be added to the Raw As Fuck lines archive.

[commentaryvorg]

The Great Ace Attorney Final Trial Commentary: Day 1, Part 2

This is an ongoing mini-commentary covering the final trial of The Great Ace Attorney (Resolve) in line-by-line detail. It’s written from a perspective of already knowing the full truth of things, so there will be spoilers for facts that only get revealed later on in the trial. This is not a commentary to read along with one’s first playthrough!

(The commentary will update on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Check this blog to find any other parts currently posted, and if it’s not yet finished, follow to catch future updates!)

Now that we’re below the readmore, I can add that this isn’t quite a commentary for everything going on in the final trial. It’s focused specifically on Kazuma and what’s going on in his head, only covering things which are relevant to him in some way (for the most part). I already had a lot to say about him in a big analysis post over on my main blog – but I have even more to say about him during the trial in even more detail, so here we are!

We’re resuming just past the save point as we begin cross-examining the redheads whom Gregson was apparently investigating the day before his body was found – which is a line of questioning that was definitely 100% Ryunosuke’s idea and not at all something he was subtly led into proposing by a Kazuma who knows full well that it’ll result in a dead end.

--- Testimony 4 ---

This is irrelevant to anything else, but I need people to know that the university of Temsik, which the two redheads went to together, is a very clear reference to Ghost Trick. If you haven’t played Ghost Trick, please play Ghost Trick it is so good. It’s even out in HD now, so it’s readily available!

De Rousseau:  “It was a plan most elegant, non?” Kazuma:  “No, it was most dishonourable.”

Look at Kazuma making a point that underhanded deceptions like this are dishonourable. (And nobody think too hard about the fact that he’s been doing quite a few underhanded deceptive things himself lately, it’s fine.)

Kazuma:  “This confidential document was obtained directly from Scotland Yard. It records an entry from the inspector’s private diary dated the day before the incident. It reads, ‘Lime Street, Red-Headed League, Undercover’.”

Here is an actual reason, completely misleading red wig aside, to assume that Gregson would have been at Lime Park on that day. And yet, Kazuma didn’t bring that up before the recess, because he wanted to make it look like suggesting this line of enquiry was Ryunosuke’s idea and not his own.

Kazuma, of course, knows full well this diary entry is false… but he’s got to be genuinely wondering why Gregson had a diary entry claiming he would be here in particular as a cover story. He’s bound to be at least a little bit curious as to if anything’s going on there (even though he definitely does not know that Gregson outright had someone impersonate him as an alibi, based on his reactions to that reveal later).

Ryunosuke:  (There’s no question that Inspector Gregson was investigating the Red-Headed League.)

But at least Kazuma’s information has got Ryunosuke convinced that Gregson was definitely there in the park that day, and not at all anywhere else such as with Kazuma on a ship to France.

I enjoy the part where both Ryunosuke and Kazuma tag-team desk slam to intimidate the redheads into admitting what they just accidentally let slip. Both are equally exasperated by these dumbass witnesses’ shenanigans, and they’re almost working together to get the truth!

Judge:  “Counsel, no incognito inspector would offer his identification for inspection. It’s quite out of the question.” Kazuma:  “Definitely. Why would he expose his true identity?”

Kazuma looks deep in thought as he says this. On the surface, he’s happy to agree with the judge, because this supports his case that Gregson wasn’t there – but on the other hand, he’s got to be busy wondering what on earth was going on with this supposed inspector there that day.

Kazuma:  “Don’t be ridiculous. No Scotland Yard detective would allow his – or her – identification to be stolen.” Gina:  “Hold it! That… that… That IS the boss’s! …No question about it.” Kazuma:  “It can’t be!”

Kazuma seems confident as he’s trying to refute this idea, because he’s sure the truth is on his side – and then he’s very shocked to learn that the ID is the real deal. He knows that Gregson wasn’t there, but apparently his actual genuine ID was there, somehow, despite that?

Kazuma:  “Unable to… You’re, you’re not suggesting…?” Ryunosuke:  “Yes! It’s quite possible that he was killed before he had the chance to report his identification stolen!” Kazuma:  “No!”

Kazuma’s “No!” here is really intense, and there’s a lot he’s not saying behind it. He knows for a fact that Gregson could not possibly have been killed by these redheads, but right now the evidence is making it look like he was. This isn’t just a “no” of “oh no, this hurts my case”, this is a “no” of “No, that’s not what happened at all!” If things continue like this then van Zieks is going to be found innocent based on something completely false, and Kazuma is helpless to explain how wrong it is without incriminating himself.

Kazuma:  “But you will tell everything! …Or face the worst possible outcome.”

Kazuma’s getting very forceful at the redheads. He needs them to stop hiding things and tell the whole truth in their next testimony, so that it can be firmly established that Gregson did not die in their company that day like Kazuma knows for certain he didn’t but cannot say himself.

(He’s not saying it in so many words, but he is essentially threatening them with capital punishment here. This is not the only time Kazuma uses that as a threat to witnesses who are hiding the truth from him.)

--- Testimony 5 ---

Kazuma:  “It would appear then, that on the day before the incident… the man who visited the park on Lime Street posing as an incognito inspector… was not Inspector Gregson at all!” Ryunosuke:  “Objection! If that’s true, however, how do you explain the inspector’s identification?” Kazuma:  “…!” Ryunosuke:  “This is a genuine identification book, issued by Scotland Yard. It’s inconceivable that someone could have stolen such an important item from the inspector. The prosecution made that assertion itself!” Kazuma:  “…!”

Whoops. Kazuma was happy to make that assertion when it helped his case, to write off the redheads’ testimony as obviously nonsense, but it’s suddenly not so helpful now that it allows them to continue to think that maybe the man they kidnapped was really Gregson.

(Still, Kazuma is the one gaining ground here, since mislaid ID is easier to explain away than a disappearing bruise, and he’s definitely glad about that.)

Ryunosuke:  “…the person who these two red-headed men took prisoner that day cannot have been Inspector Gregson.” Kazuma:  “In other words, your whole argument up to now has been a waste of time.”

Wow, Kazuma did not remotely hesitate to point that out the moment Ryunosuke conceded this. He really was waiting for this all along, knowing that it would be proven sooner or later, so that he could make the court see just how pointless it was for him to entertain Ryunosuke’s conjecture that maybe van Zieks didn’t do it. Again: see why he wanted to lead Ryunosuke into suggesting this avenue, so that it would seem like Ryunosuke’s wasteful idea.

(And yet, who really wasted the court’s time by subtly leading us onto an entire line of enquiry he knew full well would amount to nothing, Kazuma?)

Ryunosuke:  “During his testimony earlier… I noticed something around the man’s neck: a red ring of bruising!” […] Kazuma:  “What?!”

Haha, Kazuma didn’t notice the bruise on Gossip, because Ryunosuke’s observation skills really are a lot better than his!

--- Testimony 6 ---

Ryunosuke:  (Ugh. Isn’t there anyone in this courtroom who thinks I might be onto something?) Susato:  “I stand steadfastly at your side as always, Mr Naruhodo!” Kazuma:  “………”

Aww, I enjoy the pan to Kazuma’s silence there. It’s not only Susato – Kazuma definitely also believes Ryunosuke must be onto something here, because his best friend always is.

Ryunosuke:  “The victim’s body was discovered… in your rented room!” Gossip:  “………” Kazuma:  “I suggest, sir… that you start talking!”

Kazuma’s getting worked up again here. He may be completely convinced that van Zieks did the murder, but suddenly here’s the man who’s renting the room that’s the Reaper’s hideout, so surely he’s got to know something important and be connected to all of this somehow.

Kazuma doesn’t noticeably react to hearing that Boone is in fact Daley Vigil, or even that Vigil used to work as chief warder at Barclay Prison. But…

Ryunosuke:  “Well, it’s been ten years since Mr Vigil worked at the prison.” Kazuma:  “Ten years?”

As soon as he hears it was ten years ago that his employment there ended, he takes notice. Based on his reaction here, I don’t think he knew until right now that Daley Vigil was someone connected to his father’s execution.

Vigil:  “Yes, it’s true… I am Daley Vigil.” Kazuma:  “And you were the chief warder at Barclay Prison ten years ago…? ………”

And all of a sudden, that’s the only detail about this man that Kazuma cares about. His silence there comes with a screen shake, as if everything’s shifting itself around in his head as he realises that this man isn’t just some witness, just some guy who for some reason rents the room used as the Reaper’s hideout – he might well be the one who faked his father’s execution.

I did assume at one point, while I was trying to figure out Kazuma’s approach to this trial, that he’d already been looking into his father’s execution and already knew to look for a Daley Vigil. But this reaction of his pretty much confirms that he had no idea it was this man until now. Either he tried to look into it but couldn’t get Governor Caidin to reveal much to him (no surprise when his surname is Asogi), or perhaps, Kazuma didn’t want to look too closely into the part of the case where his father might have done something underhanded himself.

Vigil:  “I was to… impersonate the inspector.” Kazuma:  “What?! Impersonate him?!”

Kazuma is also very shocked to learn that Gregson personally asked someone to impersonate him. At that one point, I was also assuming that maybe Kazuma had learned about Vigil being Gregson’s alibi man from Gregson himself… but here it’s pretty clear that that is not the case. Which is fair enough, because that’s not something Gregson would likely tell anybody else if he could help it.

Kazuma:  “Well… it would seem this confession completely destroys the defence’s case.”

Yes, Kazuma. Sure. Completely destroys it. There is definitely not a single chance that van Zieks is innocent now, never mind the still-very-convincing argument Ryunosuke made about the scene at Fresno Street being a setup.

Kazuma:  “My learned friend’s assertion was as follows: The victim was killed at another location on the day before his corpse was discovered… at the hands of these two Red-Headed League men when they imprisoned the inspector.”

That wasn’t really Ryunosuke’s assertion. Mostly he was just asserting that Gregson was killed somewhere else by somebody. He never latched that strongly onto the idea that it was the redheads in particular. But, conveniently for Kazuma, there was that one point earlier on where Ryunosuke at least suggested that might have happened, to explain why Gregson couldn’t report his ID missing once it was stolen.

So clearly, that was the argument Ryunosuke was totally making the whole time, and since it wasn’t the redheads who killed Gregson at all, that must mean it was definitely van Zieks, no other possibility. Never mind the question of where Gregson really was on the 31st, which Kazuma is fully aware of. No. If Gregson wasn’t killed in a place he wasn’t even present at on the 31st, clearly it means he wasn’t killed on that day at all and Ryunosuke proposing as such was just wasting our time.

This is exactly the outcome Kazuma was expecting when he led the court – and Ryunosuke – into pursuing this redheads dead end, and he is doing a startlingly good job of making it seem like it matters to the question of whether van Zieks killed Gregson.

Still, as Ryunosuke freaks out about this (he doesn’t realise the obvious logical fallacy in Kazuma’s carefully-worded shut-down, because he idolises Kazuma and Kazuma wouldn’t be so obviously wrong, right?) and we get a wide shot of the entire courtroom… Kazuma’s pose isn’t confident; it’s thoughtful. This was supposed to be nothing but a diversion to manipulate the court into thinking his case held more weight than Ryunosuke’s, but… it unexpectedly brought him a very important lead about his father’s case, one he can’t let go without pursuing.

So, of course, as the judge is about to call an end to Vigil’s cross-examination, Kazuma interrupts.

Kazuma:  “I want to know… exactly what your involvement was.” Vigil:  “Oh!” Kazuma:  “Answer me, man!”

And of course he’s being especially forceful here. He has to know the truth of that execution. (Never mind the part where it might reveal that even his father was involved in underhanded dealings, just don’t think about that—)

Judge:  “Is this related to the current case?” Kazuma:  “……… Naturally. It is the prosecution’s belief that this case and the events of ten years ago… are inextricably linked.”

Kazuma’s not making this up. With what he knows about Gregson helping to frame his father, and about an exchange assassin mastermind – who is also bound to be the same person as the Reaper mastermind – wanting Gregson silenced, he knows that the real motive for this murder is inextricably linked to Gregson’s role in his father’s death ten years ago. He just… hasn’t got around to revealing any of that yet, not when he’s still going with the totally false idea that van Zieks’s motive was simply Gregson discovering his hideout. But he fully intends to reveal the whole story, in time!

Ryunosuke:  (Kazuma… You’re not yourself. You’re not as calm and collected as usual.)

Aww, Ryunosuke knows his friend, and he can just tell that Kazuma’s been a lot more forceful and desperate in this trial so far than he’d ever usually be.

Susato:  “Poor Kazuma-sama. No wonder he’s acting this way. Mr Vigil’s memories of what happened ten years ago… would tell the tale of Genshin Asogi’s final moments. His own father…” Ryunosuke:  “I know. I do understand that.” (But even so…)

And aww, both Susato and also Ryunosuke can empathise with why Kazuma’s feeling this way. But even then… Ryunosuke still has a strong sense of what’s appropriate in a court of law, and dredging up your issues about your father’s death in a seemingly completely unrelated trial isn’t it.

Ryunosuke:  “Kazu— Prosecutor Asogi.” Kazuma:  “…!” Ryunosuke:  “Do you genuinely believe… that this question requires an answer in order to learn the truth behind Inspector Gregson’s death?” Kazuma:  “I need you to trust me. …Please.” Ryunosuke:  “……… Very well. Then the defence has no objection.”

Aww! Kazuma asking Ryunosuke to trust him that this is relevant, because he really does have good reason to think so but he can’t reveal any of it just yet. And Ryunosuke, despite recognising how emotional Kazuma’s getting over this, does trust that his friend has some actual reason to believe this is connected!

Also the way Ryunosuke initially goes to call him “Kazuma” as if he’s trying to talk to his friend on a close, emotional level, but then stops and corrects himself to the proper courtroom language of “Prosecutor Asogi”, because what he’s really asking is for Kazuma to put aside his personal feelings for the sake of courtroom etiquette. Aaa, my heart.

Vigil:  “The, the truth is… I remember very little of that time.” Kazuma:  “You’ve forgotten?!”

Kazuma has another strong reaction to this. On the one hand he must be frustrated that the answers he so desperately wants might not even be accessible. But on the other hand, maybe this is also making him think that, huh, forgetting important things, he has a bit of his own experience with that, doesn’t he.

Vigil:  “As I said, I resigned from my role at the prison ten years ago. But for some peculiar reason… my memory of the events leading up to that moment is extremely hazy.” Kazuma:  “………”

Kazuma’s also shown reacting silently to this. He’s bound to be thinking about what he knows it means, to have forgotten something so very important and likely painful.

Ryunosuke and Susato discuss between them that Vigil’s statement about resigning is strange, because they know that he was in fact fired. Kazuma does not have that piece of information as evidence – and yet, he’s already figured out exactly what’s going on in Vigil’s head.

Kazuma:  “The human spirit is a fragile thing. It’s broken all too easily. Which is why… we have a tendency to wrap it up for protection.” […] Kazuma:  “When we experience pain and suffering that we feel unable to bear… we block it out. Obliterate it from our memories. Seal it away. But it never truly leaves us. If the seal is broken, the memories resurface. And when they do… that fragile spirit may finally be crushed.”

Kazuma’s speech here is so heartbreakingly telling. The language he uses is so evocative, with “we” phrasings making it seem so much more personal. And the fact that he even realised, so quickly, that this trauma-driven amnesia is what Vigil’s going through also says so much. Kazuma’s amnesia was driven by trauma, too, and on some level, he’s realised that. But this is the closest he’s ever going to be able to get to admitting that. He’s talking about himself just as much as he’s talking about Vigil in these words.

Susato:  “Kazuma-sama…”

Susato is shown reacting to his speech, making me think that she’s picking up on how this is a lot more personal for Kazuma than he might want it to seem. She of all people has enough emotional intelligence and empathy for him that I can definitely buy her noticing this.

Kazuma:  “But if it must be crushed, then so be it! Because the truth will not stay buried! It’s coming out… one way or another!”

And yet, despite (or perhaps because of) his own experience with this, Kazuma is so fervently certain that revealing the truth is worth the pain it brings. He must have been in agony when he regained his own memories – but even worse would have been the realisation that he’d ever forgotten about something so very important. Nothing matters more than the truth – at least, to Kazuma, when it’s the truth about his father. No matter how much it hurts.

Susato:  “………”

Susato is still staring at Kazuma with tears in her eyes. I think she really does Get It about what he’s gone through himself. Bless Susato.

Ryunosuke:  “This is a dismissal notice ordering the immediate termination of a prison staff member’s employment.” Kazuma:  “A dismissal notice…?”

(Confirming: Kazuma indeed did not know about Vigil’s dismissal, and yet, he still figured out he had amnesia before anybody else.)

Even the way Vigil clutches his head and sways as his memories begin to come back to him is similar to what Kazuma briefly did during the cutscene when he regained his own.

Kazuma:  “Clearly… you did something.” [he slams his desk] “Mr Vigil! It’s time to break the seal and have you remember!”

Ugh, he’s still being so forceful about this, despite knowing exactly how much it’s going to hurt poor Vigil.

Kazuma:  “Seeing as you were in charge of overseeing executions at the time… you must know the truth about what really happened! It’s in your head! Somewhere deep down!”

Tragically for Kazuma, it isn’t – Vigil was not involved in the plot and knows little about how it was carried out. Kazuma’s going to cause this man so much pain in ripping the truth from his mind for almost none of the gain he’s expecting.

(Well, not completely no gain, since Vigil’s memories – particularly of a certain scarlet-penned will – do eventually come in very handy in solving the case.)

As Vigil recounts the story of what happened with the Professor’s escape and subsequent death, the camera pans around the courtroom – and Kazuma can be seen folding his arms, his eyes closed, listening quietly. I get the sense this body language is a sign of him retreating in on himself and doing his utmost to suppress any kind of emotion he might be feeling from hearing in such detail about how his father was killed.

Kazuma:  “I’ve reviewed the police records from that time extensively.”

Of course he has. He’d have been doing nothing else in the week after regaining his memories. By the sounds of this, he even did look a certain amount into his father’s faked execution, despite that this might reveal underhandedness on his father’s part. I suppose he just didn’t manage to find out about Daley Vigil in particular, one way or another.

While Kazuma was ruthlessly willing to drag the truth out of Vigil no matter the pain it caused, I suspect he wasn’t quite expecting the poor man to pass out from the sheer trauma of it. And even though he felt this was necessary, it’s not that Kazuma doesn’t care about the pain that resulted – he’s apparently very apologetic when he visits Vigil in his hospital room later, so he does feel guilty and responsible for the man’s suffering.

[alynnl]

I’ve got to hand it to Barok van Zieks. He’s got nerves of steel to go through his trial in all of 2-4 and most of 2-5 without showing a single moment of weakness in court.

[ezekiel-krishna]

7th Lord in All Houses [ Spouse/Marriage, Partnerships & Public ]

Part 2 .. { Vedic Astrology }

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7th Lord in 5th House

This placement is truly exceptional, but here's the catch - if there are negative influences alongside the seventh lord in the fifth house, it may slightly diminish the positive effects.Rest assured, you are destined for a love marriage and possess an immense love and respect for your partner. Your main goal is to bring happiness to your spouse, and this position blesses you with various talents, especially in creative fields like music, drama, dance, and acting.

Chances are high that you will meet your potential partner or spouse while engaging in fifth house activities, such as attending sporting events or participating in creative artistic endeavors like drama, dance, or acting. It could even be through theater or any similar avenue where you can find a potential spouse or strengthen your existing marriage.During times of crisis or emergencies, you and your spouse will grow even closer and stronger. In fact, it is said that you would willingly sacrifice your life for your spouse.

A successful marriage is built on the foundation of sharing resources wisely, opening a joint bank account, and having complete financial trust in each other. This agreement not only strengthens the bond between partners but also receives support from both sides of the family. Your ultimate wish is to have your spouse as your closest confidant, best friend, and companion.

Building friendships with others is crucial to you, especially through involvement in humanitarian and political groups. However, beware of becoming lazy, escaping reality, or falling into substance abuse, as these can jeopardize the relationship. Engaging in spiritual or occult practices together can enhance the bond, but if is only one partner becomes too absorbed in them, it may pose a threat to the relationship.

7th Lord in 6th House

When the seventh lord enters the sixth house, it creates a complex placement. However, this does not mean that you won't get married. In fact, there is a higher likelihood of marriage because there are certain karmic lessons that need to be resolved within a partnership. What you may experience is perceiving your spouse as somewhat adversarial towards yourself. It's important to be aware of this tendency and to truly get to know your partner before getting married. If you enter into marriage without knowing your spouse well, you may suddenly start seeing flaws that aren't really there.

It's crucial to avoid being overly judgmental towards your partner, and vice versa. Since the sixth house represents Mars, the celibate warrior, your relationship may ultimately lean more towards friendship than anything else. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as many successful marriages are built on strong friendships. However, it's important to be mindful of this dynamic. With the seventh lord in the sixth house, there may be arguments and disagreements within the marriage. These conflicts arise because you may see your spouse doing things that you personally dislike.

Sometimes, due to these challenging karmas, individuals with this placement take a long time to fully commit to a relationship. However, there is a way to make this placement work in your favor. It depends on the nature of the seventh house lord. If it is a malefic planet such as Saturn, Rahu (North Node), or Mars, the challenges may be more intense due to anger and discord within the relationship.

The sixth house represents service, and the key to finding harmony in this placement lies in finding a common cause where both you and your spouse can creatively contribute. Engaging in social work, charity, or volunteering together, whether it's helping the needy in society or animals, can be highly beneficial. By serving a shared cause, you can strengthen your bond and navigate the challenges of this placement. You have the highest likelihood of meeting a potential spouse when engaging in activities related to the sixth house or being part of larger organizations such as schools, universities, hospitals, or even an ashram. The foundation of a successful relationship lies in your shared religion and adherence to dharma. It is crucial for this relationship to be completely dharmic, as any illicit activity can completely destroy it.

By following a guru and faithfully practicing your religious beliefs together, you can sustain this relationship. Additionally, studying higher philosophy and pursuing education at a university can also contribute to its longevity. Your greatest desire lies in spiritual pursuits, and you prefer solitude, peace, quiet, and contemplation. This is one of the reasons why you find marriage to be demanding. You tend to listen to your own inner voice rather than your spouse, which can create some difficulties. However, traveling to foreign lands with your spouse and experiencing new adventures together can be beneficial. One challenge in the relationship is your tendency to be a perfectionist towards your spouse. You can be overly critical and struggle to believe that your spouse is on your side. It is important for you to carefully examine your own faults in this regard.

To maintain a healthy relationship, it is essential for you to have a deep understanding of yourself and recognize your weaknesses. Additionally, achieving status or success in the world can sometimes pose a threat to the relationship. However, this placement is favorable for business endeavors, particularly in fields related to animal welfare, legal work, social work, larger institutions, counseling, and mentoring others.

7th Lord in 7th House

This is a fortunate placement indeed! When the 7th lord is a benefic planet like Venus, Jupiter, Moon, or Mercury, or even when it's a malefic planet like Saturn, Mars, Rahu, or Ketu, it can still be a blessing. But the question is, do you accept the blessing even when it is malefic?

In general, having the seventh lord in the seventh house means that your spouse is a good person who supports and blesses you. However, when the 7th lord itself is malefic or in conjunction with malefic planets, it may not be so clear. Your spouse may have a special role or destiny to fulfill. They may have prominence in the world and as they receive their blessings, they openly share them with you.

When the 7th lord is in its own 7th house, it is important to allow your spouse to do their own thing. Trust them and avoid being suspicious or jealous. By letting your spouse express themselves, the happiness between you becomes stronger. Your spouse is a motivating person who can help you achieve great things in life. This placement is excellent for partnerships as it elevates your life and brings you happiness and prominence when you are married. It is especially favorable for business people to have the seventh lord in the house of marketplace, as it brings opportunities to you.

You become a true entrepreneur, a go-getter, especially if you are in any business or partnerships with good aspects to the seventh house lord. It's hard to say where you will meet your spouse when the seventh lord is in the seventh house, but it will be a destined encounter because the 7th lord is so strong. Perhaps it will happen in the marketplace of life, while shopping, bartering, or engaging in business situations. What keeps the relationship going is when both of you are successful as a team in partnerships, or even when you go into business together.

Your desire for success, achievement, and prominence is solely focused on yourself. With your hardworking attitude, you are bound to succeed. However, your spouse's involvement in your success is at risk due to interference from either your spouse or your family members. They don't always provide the support you need, which also affects your relationship. When it comes to communication, it is crucial that you and your spouse talk extensively. But be cautious with your words, as once spoken, they cannot be taken back. The most important aspect is to maintain open lines of communication and be transparent with your spouse about your finances. Avoid hoarding wealth or keeping separate accounts, as this can strain the relationship.

Sharing financial matters may not be easy, but it is essential for a healthy partnership. The key to maintaining this relationship lies in discussing and resolving issues together.

...Stay Tuned For Part 3...

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