#while keeping characterization intact.

[themyscirah]

I'd like to state officially, for the record, that I think the Parallax retcon IS stupid as hell and if I worked for dc that garbage would be gone in an instant. Just like, FYI <3

[meteorologears]

The Spy Parentage Conundrum In My Genderbend Fics, a meta:

In TF2 canon, Spy is (implied to be) the biological father of Scout. So where does that leave these characters in the genderbend world, when I write them? I started thinking about it and immediately concluded that I couldn't imagine Spy ever physically having a kid. Instead, I approached it like this in the fics: I imagined first that Spy's pa (in this case, it's a full swap) already had the kids, but the bio mother left/something happened. (More under the read-more)

After that, Spy entered the picture. Scout's dad explained to the kids patiently that yes, Spy wasn't their biological mother, but she could be considered their "mom" for all intents and purposes. This is the way the first couple of years go, and Spy realizes pretty quickly that staying in one place with all these kids is boring and sucks. Scout is her least favorite of the bunch. Spy eventually dips.

About two decades later, none of the kids can remember Spy's face, but Scout's dad still mentions her sometimes. At her first day at work, Spy is quick to recognize Scout as the one of that random guy's kids who she liked the least. Even worse, her dislike has continued into Scout's adulthood.

The dynamic this eventually provides is Spy reluctantly watching out for Scout, although she doesn't really care much what happens to her outside of like, life-or-death-no-Respawn things. Scout, to her credit, just finds Spy rather annoying, not dissimilar to the game canon. She never makes the connection that Spy was the person she was told was her "mom", and so treats her more like an annoying coworker than anything else.

[heliomanteia]

While the changes done to Odysseus' characterization within the musical set him far aside from the Homeric Odysseus, I feel like there was no way to write the musical in the way Jorge wrote it while keeping Homeric Odysseus' characterization entirely intact.

Jorge's Odysseus functions in a different layer, a different medium of media. He's part his own character, part Jorge, part the viewers' self-insert through which you can feel the events of the musical as if you are, as well, Odysseus to some degree.

There are a lot of moments of "Odysseus would not fucking say that", but I think they are justified because it's not Odysseus saying that, it's the audience. Jorge is very generous with the range he gives to Odysseus' emotional/moral frame because, yeah, Homer's Odysseus wouldn't even think about adopting Scamandrius for a number of reasons. It would never happen (especially happily) within the logic of the myth. Jorge's Odysseus voices that desire as a modern (in his morals) character inserted into a situation of ancient logic. The conflict of the "little man thrust into the world of bigger things" which isn't entirely inaccurate to the Homeric source is more prominent within the musical because Jorge's Odysseus is a child of modern morality.

I'm guessing the same reasoning can be given for how Circe is treated with the coercion narrative being switched up for her characterization in the musical: it's easy for Jorge to justify her caution with wariness but it wouldn't be possible to justify the victimization of Odysseus (very true to his myth counterpart) while under Circe's control. I expect similar lighthearted narration for Calypso as well. Musical morals are not morals of the initial text; neither of them are better or worse, you just shouldn't mix them up.

Jorge's Odysseus and Homeric Odysseus are different people, ultimately, but they are also products of their time and space and creative medium.

[emporiannee]

more additions to the xianxia au!

once again, idea dump under the cut:

Madara:

A prodigal talent who excels at fighting. He has both skill and luck so he's expected to ascend as a matter of course.

Unexpectedly, he has no charisma. When the Uchiha follow him into battle it's because he's the strongest and is their recognized leader. He sucks at actually inspiring people to follow him outside of that.

i think he probably does ascend sometime in the AU, but even in heaven amongst many other great heroes and warriors, he still picks fights and gets himself nearly banished sometimes. He's just got that kind of hubris lol

He likes to collect weapons imbued with special powers. Since he's already capable with regular weapons, he's looking for new challenges (perhaps like something from a dragon's treasury?)

I think he should also be good with animals. When i imagined him doing archery, I imagined he would do well on horseback. I think his falconry hobby also carries over from canon. If he ever gets to go on a long adventure i think he'd go on a quest looking for cool new weapons and mystical creatures.

Hikaku:

A scholar and Madara's (and Izuna's) tutor. In this AU, i imagine him a little older than Madara.

He's talented in divination and magic. His martial arts aren't bad either. He makes many specialized talismans and charms for his clansmen.

His role as the brother's tutor probably gives him gray hairs. Izuna up and left one day. Madara's attitude is bad and he doesn't kneel before gods unless it's literally his own ancestors so Hikaku is worried even if Madara is able to ascend (more accurately, he's worried about how the heavens will end up.)

To keep himself calm he took up transcribing buddhist sutras (this is important to me bc i think hikaku's 'good end' would be either he dies peacefully like a normal person or he becomes a bodhisattva bc if he ascends to godhood, i think he ends up with a job like ling wen from tgcf and that would be tragic for him lmao. Although, there might be a place for him in a more Journey to the West type heaven where maybe he ends up tending to fruit trees for alchemy reasons or something.)

Mito:

jesus h christ i struggled with her designs. sry queen, it's still kinda iffy. I wanted her to be a dragon but it was difficult to design her with horns while keeping her usual design intact and not too cluttered. It did not help because i also wanted her to wear fancy jewlery

This is because I wanted her to be the the princess of the south sea palace. While i characterized the senju/east sea by a wood element affinity and their trove of treasures and weapons, I think the south sea for this au would be characterized by monsoons and typhoons. It protects and isolates them, not unlike Uzushio. It also makes them pretty wealthy since the people and merchants in the area try to appease them for protection from disasters.

i wanted her to be a diviner/astrologer with a talent for talisman-making similar to Hikaku. However, the area of her work is still very different. Her talismans aren't meant for human use and she doesn't divine for individuals either

I think it'd be fun if she was still 'betrothed' to Hashirama. But dragon's age very slowly and in this AU I wanted them to act like it so neither of them are rushing to get married.

she probably gets along well with tobirama. She very graciously refrains from calling him younger brother because he's sensetive about his age.

[king-crawler]

The scene where Ralph meets King Candy for the first time is one of the most interesting ones on a rewatch because you already know who King Candy is pretending Not to be. The way Ralph behaves is interesting too. (I’m studying these little 1kb game characters under a microscope)

Below the cut is a LONG scene/character analysis (~6min read?)

First off. King Candy’s mere Entrance in this scene already characterizes him a ton and he hasn’t even said anything yet. He speeds obnoxiously around Ralph in his little go-kart BLARING HIS HORN. This immediately gives off the impression of: Very in your face. Very full of himself. And Very Annoying About It. (sir.. your Turbo is showing)

BUT THE DIALOGUE. JUST THIS SINGLE INTERACTION:

(Ralph Face Reveal While Screaming)

“Milk my duds! it’s Wreck-it Ralph??”

“Yeah...? And who are you, the guy who makes the donuts?”

“Hoohoo, please- No! I’m King Candy!”

I love this interaction because King Candy INSTANTLY knows who Ralph is. And from Ralph’s perspective that’s… weird.

Ralph is probably a little confused. Given how he answers “yeah?” He doesn’t just straight up ask “How do you know who I am” because he’s currently being interrogated (Probably Not a Good Time) Also that recognition is something he rarely receives in the first place, so why from this guy…? So instead he asks: Well who are you supposed to be?

WELL FIRST OF ALL. HE KNOWS WHO RALPH IS BECAUSE TURBO’S GAME CABINET SAT NEXT TO HIS FOR YEARS. Which is why King Candy is so surprised - he’s probably seeing him for the first time in decades.

“Hoohoo, please- No! I’m King Candy!”

I also love how he nervously laughs at first before responding with “No!” In that particular way- simply laughing it off before being Rather Quick to reject Ralph’s proposal that he could possibly be someone else. Interesting .

But it’s the way he says “I’m King Candy!” That carries so much implication. His pose and smile, the perfect inflection in his voice- it’s theatrical, it’s like he’s rehearsed it. It’s almost like he’s trying to convince Ralph that he’s really who he says he is with the best performance possible. He’s been doing that for years and by this point he’s totally mastered it. Nobody suspects a thing. (For now……)

—————————— Skipping forward a little, Ralph explains that he got a medal from Hero's Duty.

"Your medal? (giggles) Bad guys don't win medals!"

"Well, this one did. I earned it over in... Hero's Duty"

"You game-jumped?? Ralph... You're not going Turbo, are you?"

"What? No no no no no..."

"Because i-if you think you can come in here- (laughs nervously) to MY kingdom, and take over MY GAME, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

THERE IS A LOT TO UNPACK HERE.

First off we'll focus on Ralph. The way he admits it... He knows it sounds bad. He breaks eye contact and hesitates before saying "Hero's Duty." Probably because he knows what King Candy is gonna retort with. But he still says "I earned it" not only because he doesn't want to incriminate himself, but because he believes it. He did earn it... right? And then Ralph tries to brush off the suggestion that he's going Turbo before being interrupted by King candy's rampant tantrum. (WHICH I WILL GET TO.)

At this point, Ralph is becoming less confident that he earned his medal because he's in denial about “going Turbo.” His confidence wavers here especially because he's in the presence of this apparent authority figure whose trying to guilt and incriminate him. (And this is a situation he's already all too familiar with- think of how Surge Protector always halts him when going into games just because he's a bad guy.)

But there's still one major thing keeping this denial intact: He wants to hold onto the fact he deserves his medal so bad. Others have hurt him for so long, he thinks getting that medal alone means he'll finally be respected, praised, and loved.

"Is it Turbo to want a friend? Or a medal? Or a piece of pie every once in a while? Is it Turbo to want more out of life?"

(I know that’s literally the Conflict of the Movie. BUT ITS WORTH MENTIONING OKAY I LOVE RALPH’S CHARACTER LEAVE ME ALONE)

I think the fact you can gather all this info just from the way he's portrayed during this SINGLE INTERACTION- its amazing. Amazing character writing is when when nearly every action a character does reinforces their motivations or personality and you're able to SEE IT!!

——————————

Now to focus on King Candy again… this FUCKER‼️

First off, him mentioning Turbo Isn’t even that suspicious at this point in the film… well… at first glance at least.

At first it seems like everyone knows who Turbo is. Ralph is questioned at Bad-Anon, Q*bert tells Felix and the nicelanders freak out- everyone who’s been around for a while knows who this guy is. But if you think about it… isn’t Sugar Rush a newer game? Not as new as Hero’s Duty, but it’s still a little odd that King Candy would know who Turbo is ON TOP of knowing Ralph. Just a little.

"You game-jumped?? Ralph... You're not going Turbo, are you?"

Ok but Seriously. That Part. The pure irony of King candy saying THAT a threat against Ralph in an attempt to incriminate him. The way he says it too... He breaks eye contact and glances to the floor like it’s something forbidden to even mention. His accompanied hand movements too (and King Candy speaks with his hands A Lot) they move like he’s describing a ghost story. He’s obviously trying to scare Ralph… trying to scare him into admitting something.

This is... a lot. Maybe even some level of self projecting...? Cuz MAN. that is too deep for me to even start getting into

But the fact that his OWN NAME (a SECRET IDENTITY MIND YOU) has become so infamous that now HE’S WEAPONIZING IT?!? IS INSANE??? Can you Imagine his thought process. Like how far gone into the deep end is he.

(SORRY FOR NOT USING MY OWN WORDS. BUT I JUST ADORE HOW @simpingforcys PUT IT HERE. …..)

THIS. this is so good. And the way King Candy eludes to “Turbo” as some kind of monster. Could that be offering him like. A Brief moment of catharsis. Or fuel some twisted sense of pride. What the FUCK is going on in this SICKO’S HEAD !!!!! I NEED TO KNOW!!!!

"Because i-if you think you can come in here- (laughs nervously) to MY kingdom, and take over MY GAME, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"

SECOND!!!!!! King Candy gets SO defensive SO FAST. That man jumps to conclusions IMMEDIATELY!!! He essentially throws a tantrum while stepping closer to Ralph, stumbling over his words and giggling nervously. The mere thought of there being ANY threat of someone else taking over "his game" riles him up SO BAD.

This is the same EXACT SAME TEMPER that made him storm into Roadblasters as Turbo years ago, because he saw Roadblasters as a direct threat to his own game's popularity - HIS popularity!!!! Because getting exposure- infamous or otherwise- is the ONLY thing that drives him. (Pun intended. Sorry.)

And the way he repeats “MY” kingdom “MY” game… mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine. Are you done with your tantrum old man.

——————————

Wow. Anyways I think that’s enough for now. And that was in response to only a minute of content. (Oh dear.)

[tossawary]

Thinking about a form of Role Reversal AU (more of a Canon Divergence AU with a few backstory Universe Alterations) for "Final Fantasy 7", which I frankly don't know quite enough about to work out all the details perfectly but find compelling to think about nevertheless! I like to pick a few elements to do a reversal on in these AUs, but try to keep certain backstory elements intact for characterization purposes.

I think it would be fun to make Cloud Strife the star SOLDIER of the SHINRA company, but keep his country boy origins. So, he's older than he is in canon by about 10+ years or so. SHINRA came to Nibelheim for some of their human experimentation projects (earlier days of the company, the reputation wasn't quite so bad yet) and Cloud signed up WAY too young, out of a desire to prove himself and maybe for money for his mother. He went through some HEAVY shit to be augmented (multiple teenage years in a mako tank, perhaps?), but he still had an ordinary childhood before that.

While the country boy backstory and cool General Strife persona is VERY popular (thanks to SHINRA PR), Cloud is NOT as cooperative in some of SHINRA's ventures as the company would like. Cloud has still been forced into some shit he's not proud of, he's being ground down by some of the corporate and political forces around him, but he has disagreed with and disobeyed orders before. There's serious tension in the company due to this.

Which is not helped by the fact that "General Cloud Strife, SOLDIER First Class" is backed up by two other First Class SOLDIERs: Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gast.

(I imagined Tifa and Aerith as Angeal and Genesis and nearly swooned. There is absolutely a public love triangle debate being fueled by Midgar tabloids: "Team Tifa or Team Aerith???" Some people don't like the idea of stupid relationship drama being on the frontlines of a military campaign, but SHINRA pumps it up as a shiny distraction from their colonial capitalist bullshit. There have been fist fights over love triangle shipping by fans.)

Tifa signed on to the Nibelheim experiments in some sneaky way, without parental permission, and then it was too late to stop her. She can rip tanks apart with her bare hands and has done so. She is SO buff. SHINRA hasn't cottoned on to the fact that Tifa is the one pulling Cloud away from the company's corruption and was the first one to start actively working against SHINRA, rather than Tifa just being Cloud's follower. (Cloud is possibly having major memory issues due to various mako experiments.)

Aerith (is still an Ancient? and) was basically born into the company and never escaped. She could be an orphan or her parents could have survived, but they're hostages or they've been twisted by the company. Maybe Ilfana died and Gast (working closely with Jenova materials) became obsessed with finding the Promised Land to reunite with his wife. Either way, Aerith got shoved into the SOLDIER program. (Maybe her would-be adoptive mother is hanging around as a SHINRA employee trying to show some care for Aerith.)

Aerith is meant to lead them all to the Promised Land someday and her magic is TERRIFYING, but Cloud is the General because SHINRA has sexist views against women and Aerith's bubbly persona in charge of the army freaks people and the public the fuck out. Aerith is more than a little burnt out and jaded, after so long, but she's good at not showing it.

The point here is not necessarily to make these characters into "the bad guys" but to play with the moral mess that already exists in the game for many characters. This Role Reversal could follow Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith as the protagonists still, as they meet up with alternate versions of friends and enemies, and struggle to do good after doing bad. Alternatively, the story could follow Sephiroth as the protagonist!

Sephiroth is still Professor Hojo's experiment from birth, quite a bit younger than these other SOLDIERs First Class, and if he's a member of SHINRA, he's viewed internally as something of a lab-grown freak. Unnatural. Artificial. Other SOLDIERs don't like the idea that SHINRA is just going to grow their own replacement warriors instead of investing in "real people".

Option 1) for Sephiroth's story path here is that SHINRA wanted someone better at following orders. A teenage Sephiroth (and Genesis and Angeal?) becomes the replacement General when Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith turn against the company. If Cloud is the protagonist of this AU, Sephiroth is still an antagonist, and Cloud really doesn't want to have to kill this manipulated and abused kid created to be his replacement. If Sephiroth is the protagonist, he's struggling against the company who now wants him to kill the person he's secretly always viewed as his hero rather than a rival, even though it seems like Cloud has turned against SHINRA for good reasons.

Option 2a) is that Hojo is working for someone else who wanted their own SOLDIERs to fight SHINRA, possibly the earlier AVALANCHE. Hojo is probably a former SHINRA employee and has some sort of personal vendetta against Professor Gast for getting him kicked out of the company or something.

Option 2b) Hojo is still a former SHINRA employee, probably with some stolen fragment of Jenova (or maybe even Ilfana?), but he's working against SHINRA because the company is destroying the planet and he LIVES HERE. Hojo is a more rational scientist trying to save the world. Maybe he's working with AVALANCHE, maybe he broke away from them, maybe he's always been more or less working alone! I think he should be accompanied by Lucretia and possibly also by Vincent.

Hojo and Lucretia have gone to extreme (unethical) lengths to produce a secret, new, artificial Ancient to fight SHINRA and heal the world. A man-made "Chosen One". Sephiroth is a kid out of his depth and not good at making friends. Maybe Vincent is hanging around the place as a weird uncle figure to Sephiroth, or maybe Vincent is a relatively unknown figure who haunts their basement, because Vincent was Hojo and Lucretia's first attempt at making a super-powered hero to save the world and it did not go well. At all.

Sephiroth must gather his party and blindly venture forth! This party probably includes Angeal and Genesis in some form.

I don't know where Zack fits into this yet, but he is absolutely not growing flowers in a church, because that is way too close to making him just another version of Aerith instead of an alternate version of Zack. He could be Aerith's secret long distance country boy boyfriend. He could be a SOLDIER partially mentored by Cloud, who moved on to mentor Angeal. In canon, he has connections to many of the characters I've listed above, he's deep in the den of monsters, so maybe a funny reversal would be that Zack isn't a part of SHINRA and doesn't know any of these people. He's some random burly chocobo farmer who finds teenage Sephiroth and party in a tough spot, helps them out, and then gets dragged into a whole bunch of bullshit he DID NOT sign up for. Oh, shit, is he the ADULT in this adventure???

[dalekofchaos]

RE1 is getting remade for the 30th Anniversary and here's why I support it and what I'd love to see in the RE1RR.

Updated with the next gen graphics in the RE Engine

The plan is obviously to remake RE5, but we need to do Wesker's OTHER big appearances first. I believe we should get the following released in the specific order. 1, 0, then Code Veronica and finally RE5. Cause if you tease RE5 and have Wesker, you should have the three games that featured Wesker before his death in RE5.

The atmosphere and tension of the Spencer Mansion in the new age and basically RE1 meets Village. The visual aesthetic of Village’s Castle Dimitrescu for Spencer Mansion.

Better characterization. Flesh out all the characters. Improve the plot/story.

Chris and Jill’s campaigns to be separate and different, so by the time they meet at the end they’ve both had their own adventure, and you need to play through both to see both sides. Perhaps give Chris the mines and Jill the guard house. Expand the mansion, and when they separate at the start they pick up different keys and access different areas. That way they story would be canon regardless of what happens, and there would be some variety. Also have Rebecca and Richard as playable paths, similar to Sherry and Ada in RE2R.

A playable Wesker mode with him having to move about the mansion and into the lab under a certain amount of time.

Also would like them to keep the REmake music (especially the save room theme), though they could always release a Deluxe Edition like 2R with the OG music too?

Additions. I would be happy with an entire new floor in the Spencer Mansion. Or making the Residence 3x as long. Adding a forest section, either during the opening and/or later in the game. Extended playable sequences for Rebecca and Barry – different locations for each, like how the Orphanage was entirely new for Sherry in 2R. An abandoned greenhouse near the guardhouse with Plant-42 and similar experimentation , an extended cemetery with more tombs, a third floor in Spencer Mansion, more floors in guardhouse, etc.

Making S.T.A.R.S. matter. The game begins at the R.P.D. After picking between Chris and Jill, you make your way from the garage and up into the department proper, crossing paths with various characters referencing the recent cannibal killings and the fact that Alpha and Bravo have been assigned. The walk through the RPD could be intercut with news reports and police banter about what’s been happening. You can interact with the various characters as much or as little as you want en route to the briefing room. Chris and Forrest can talk some trash and reference their apparent contest for top shot. Enrico can be seen helping Rebecca organize her equipment and her nerve. Joseph can be given more personality than being puppy kibble. Marvin can be caught informing Rebecca that she won’t be the rookie in a couple more months. Chief Irons can greet the player with the mask of a competent professional because his mind was still intact. Hell, perhaps we can even catch a glimpse of whatever act Wesker put on for the two years that made these people trust him. Wesker and Enrico would then host the briefing that will send them into mountains, still treating this like they think the suspects are hill people or whatever, culminating in Bravo Team taking point while Alpha Team remains behind. There could be some more small talk or some kinda time lapse before Richard makes contact in a panic before communications break down. Alpha Team immediately preps and heads out, complete with changing clothes in the locker room and gearing up. The player will actually play the search through the woods, discover the crashed helicopter, and play through the mad chase to the mansion where the game as we know it begins.

Throw the players off by changing the keys and rooms

Zombies, Crimson Heads and every other BOW in the first game

Defense weapons and head stomping

Lisa Trevor(she could work like as a stalker enemy)

Same notes, but add in some new ones

All the puzzles, but mix it up

Just give us “One more second and you were ALMOST A JILL SANWICH” let Barry be the cheesy bastard that we know him to be

Stick with the REVIll face model for Chris, but younger and less steroids. Like how many faces can he wear?????

Stick with the RE3R face model for Jill, but don’t let it look like she just got out of being dipped in the sewer

Include Zero as DLC. My pitch of a RE0R. But the main requirement for RE1 is for Rebecca to NOT be cowering in the corner. Rebecca CANNOT be in the corner cowering from a Hunter when she is more than capable. A simple scream of surprise, but when we reach Rebecca, we see that she's perfectly fine

Bonus costumes For Chris:Made In Heaven outfit, BSAA outfit, CVX STARS outfit For Jill:RE3 original and Remake, BSAA, RE:Resistance, and RE5 Battle Suit.

And finally getting what we never got in the original or the 2002 remake. The ending that has Chris, Jill, Rebecca and Barry in the chopper. So my big idea to make this happen is this. If we play as Jill, Chris makes it to the mansion with us. Jill and Barry go and investigate, while Chris and Wesker are outside. They vanish. Richard will mention that Rebecca Chambers left the mansion after hearing Brad’s radio and went to get help. We will later see Rebecca in the cell with Chris in Jill’s story. For Chris’ story, Barry makes it to the Mansion. Chris investigates the gunshot while Wesker will say they will split up and investigate the Mansion and everyone vanishes. Later in the game before we get to the lab, there would be a dropped Barry’s photograph. Later when we get to the cell, Barry will be in the cell with Jill. Barry apologizes to Chris for what he’s done and Chris understands why he did what he did and he can help make things right. Ultimately in both playthroughs, all 4 S.T.A.R.S. members work together to fight the Tyrant until ultimately Chris or Jill destroys the Tyrant with the rocket launcher. It ends with all 4 members escaping in the chopper as the Mansion explodes.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Fixing Gabriel's Writing via a Corruption Arc

Like it or not, Miraculous considers Gabriel Agreste to be a loving father. If he wasn't, then you wouldn't get things like the season five ending or this bit from Queen Wasp:

Gabriel: (guilt-ridden) I don't want to break our promise, but… I can't keep putting our son in danger. Style Queen was supposed to be my masterpiece… but even she failed. I feel like I've done all I possibly could, you know? I'll never be able to fulfill my wish without Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous. (Scene shows Emilie in her coffin) Forgive me, Emilie. I'm giving you up, Nooroo.

But this side of him only shows up in big dramatic moments. When it comes to his more general writing, he's a full out cartoon villain and terrible parent, which is why I've said there's a lot of valid ways to write him. His character is wildly inconsistent. This is a problem that is easily fixed via an actual corruption arc where he goes from somewhat decent parent to monster. There's a couple ways to do this, but here's how I'd do it in the context of keeping canon mostly intact:

Early seasons needed to make Gabriel come across as more openly grief stricken. Really highlight the fact that Emilie's death changed something major about him and his relationship with his son. This is one of the reasons I like a more nuanced Chloe. If you let her and Adrien be actual friends, then you can have her make statements to indicate that Adrien used to be quite close with both of his parents and that Gabriel used to be a good father. You can also have Adrien make statements like this to Plagg, I just like the Chloe angle more as she's more blunt while Adrien is more likely to hide his pain/focus on the positives.

Have Gabriel be unwilling to send akumas to areas where Adrien is. Episodes like Riposte should be impossible as Gabriel will be wholly unwilling to let akumas go after his son. This also lets you justify Adrien being locked up. As is, Gabriel just comes across like a jerk. If he's only banning Adrien from going out in order to keep his son safe? Well, he's still a jerk, but at the very least, he's a jerk who worries about his son's physical well being. Origins saw Adrien sneaking out of the house, so keep that element and make this be the reason he gets caught up in akuma attacks.

As time goes on, Gabriel gets more desperate and more willing to take risks. Lots of things could trigger this such as Ladybug always resetting everything, making him feel less concerned about hurting others. After all, he'll fix everything with his wish and, if he fails, then Ladybug will do it for him. There's really no way to lose here. Style Queen could become a turning point where Gabriel finally willingly put Adrien at risk and he feels awful, but make that also be the closest he's ever come. Have Gabriel decided that risking Adrien is worth the cost if it brings them back Emilie.

After that, things start to go downhill. Gabriel draws away from his son more and more due to guilt, but he's convinced he's in the right because he wants Emilie back so bad. The ends justify the means and all that. This can lead into several different types of endings, but the general feeling of Gabriel's final ending should have an element of pity. He's a villain, but he's a villain many could easily become.

This is the kind of path canon needed to walk if they wanted the season five ending to feel realistic. As is, it's going to read as total nonsense to most fans because they're going to go off of the way Gabriel was played in your standard, monster-of-the-week episode. They're not going to think about those core characterization episodes that were supposed to define Gabriel because those episodes are just too uncommon and too antithetical to the way Gabriel tended to be written.

[ineffable-gallimaufry]

characters in les mis (musical) ranked on how good their introductions were:

jean valjean: 9/10 he actually says his name and like . conveniently gives us his backstory while talking to javert which was nice

javert: 10/10 literally says his name and then says "do not forget my name" so forcefully i managed to not forget his name immediately so that was good

the bishop: 5/10 solid but not enough context. could've used a whole five minute song about only him beforehand tbh (kidding i swear)

fantine: 9/10 she does have people say her name which is good, she doesn't say it directly but like she does fill in her situation well. also i would feel bad for giving her a low score since her intro is literally her having a horrible time

bamatabois: 3/10 he never says his name and he's a huge asshole . only gets a three because it conveyed his character well + javert was there. but he also gets a three because i hate him

fauchelevent: 10/10 because. it's the runaway cart man . best song in les mis. also they do say his name so it works

cosette: 10/10 her name is said over and over again before she's even onstage + her introduction really shows the bleakness of the situation she lives in with the thénardiers

mme thénardier: 8/10 she doesn't say her name but it is a good introduction nonetheless . 8/10 instead of 9/10 because it isn't like. my favorite favorite but it is good

eponine: 6/10 controversial but sorry. i feel like they introduce us to eponine as kind of a brat (with her name which is nice) and even maybe as helping her mother directly to hurt cosette whereas we don't get a good enough reintroduction to her character in act two that gives us a better idea of her character as someone who's arguably just as hurt by the thénardiers as cosette. it's still okay though

m thénardier: 10/10 they say his name and then immediately he gets master of the house? it's a good introduction to the fact he's a big old thief and it's also kind of a bop. no notes

gavroche: 10/10 his name is in his first line. and it gives you a very good impression of him. i don't have any notes alright . i mean they kinda give the impression he's not related to thénardier but i can't fault them for not including that since it's not a HUGE plot point

enjolras: 2/10 i genuinely do not think anyone ever adresses this guy by name. i only remembered he was supposed to be there after i watched the play and then had to hunt down the actor's name in my playbill so i could see if i remembered him. like he just felt like another member of les amis tbh. two points because at least he's still characterized well

marius: 5/10 we hear his name from enjolras and because we get no context for his life before this point he feels so damn uninteresting... like all we get is the "ooh marius is in looove" without ANY context of his life outside of that. literally just there to fall in love with cosette and it shows

les amis de l'abc: 4/10 i am grouping them together because they literally get NO distinguishing qualities from each other in their introductions. grantaire making fun of someone is alright for things grantaire would do but like. can we not give that to courfeyrac?? why are all of them such non characters in this introduction?? like at least we get a few name drops from enjolras but i am just not really a fan. courfeyrac should be in here more since marius lives with him but i guess that doesn't matter because marius had his whole backstory surgically removed to make room for the brick to not be a million year long play. whatever. probably why lesgle gets nothing either despite the fact he introduced marius to les amis. didn't know this got on my nerves so much

patron-minette: 5/10 i mean. it's AN introduction but also to be fair i can't get mad too much since they're not major characters+ they are kinda interchangeable in the end. only montparnasse got a name drop but they did also keep my favorite eponine moment largely intact so. eh. whatever they get a five for being mediocre

[thecourtscorkboard]

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review - A Flawed but Charming Masterpiece

As we finish up Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, we discuss this game's legacy: and how it stacks up in modern times.

I'm... not exactly sure where to start here.

It would be a bit spoiler-y to say how I think of PW:AA in relation to other games, but I guess there's nowhere else to put it. I think PW:AA is one of the best games in the series, and an incredibly strong starting point. It's my second favorite game in the overall series, and for quite a few very good reasons; it's one of the few games in the entire franchise that I don't think has a single bad case. In fact, it has two of my favorites back-to-back; 1-4 and 1-5.

Here's how we're gonna order this. I'm gonna go through an overall list of pros and cons, giving a few paragraphs explaining them. After that, I'm going to give some closing thoughts and an overall ranking of the cases and top 5 characters. Sounds good? Sounds good.

PROS

Pro One: Tone-Setting.

PW:AA knows how to set a tone. Each case has a very unique feel to it, from the frantic and almost manic speed and nerves of 1-1 to the depressing and bleak atmosphere of 1-4 to the downright oppressive and confounding nature of 1-5. Each case is very easy to distinguish from one another: they have different "vibes", I guess is the best way to put it.

Each case establishes these vibes in different ways. 1-1 puts you straight into the deep end; Mia's still holding your hand, but the case is relatively simple and the stakes aren't very high. 1-2's tone is unfamiliar but not depressingly so, still managing to be relatively lighthearted and fun. 1-3 is incredibly fun and filled to the brim with excitement; we get to see a movie studio! 1-4 and 1-5 take on very bleak tones, but it's different types of bleak; 1-4 is incredibly high-stakes and rather straightforward, setting its bleak atmosphere through the time of year and the overall aesthetic of the case surrounding it all (DL-6), while 1-5's tone is created over time as the corruption and rot at the center of SL-9 comes to light. For example, in 1-5, Gant starts off as a goofy and kind of lovable old codger. By the end, you want to punch him in the face.

This is all done through some of the strongest opening cutscenes in the mainline series. Each case has an incredibly unique and tone-setting opening, from 1-3's exciting showdown between the Steel Samurai and Evil Magistrate to 1-5 starting on an overview of the city during a thunderstorm and ending on a reminiscence theme; tones are made with opening cutscenes, and PW:AA does it nearly flawlessly.

Pro Two: Characterization.

PW:AA is one of those very rare AA games where there's not any characters I downright hate. Hell, the only character I dislike is Sal Manella for obvious reasons, but if you took that away I honestly wouldn't mind him that much. Even from the first case this game sets up its characters and keeps their core values intact; Phoenix believes in his clients no matter what, Edgeworth cares about bringing criminals to justice, Larry is awkward but well-meaning, Mia is a veteran who teaches Phoenix what she knows, Maya is experiencing new stuff and exploring, and so on. Even one-off characters stick around in your head!

One thing I really like about AA in general but PW:AA in particular is that, to some extent, every character we see has some sort of flaw. Phoenix acts first and thinks later. Maya does the same but with a far less mature outlook. Edgeworth gets tunnel-visioned and others, like Manfred, Gant, and even White, will take advantage of that. Even minor characters have flaws; the Bellboy is easy to embarass, Cody lies to protect his favorite hero, Angel has an incredibly personal vendetta, and so on. Even minor flaws exist; Vasquez smokes, Jake (implicitly) drinks, Gumshoe is forgetful, and so on. It all makes these characters feel like real people.

Every culprit has something about them that makes them stick out as their own unique character. Frank is a nervous wreck, Redd is rich and corrupt, Vasquez is aloof and deeply tragic, Yogi is a great actor, Manfred is hilariously aggressive, and Gant gets under your skin. Even the victims have levels of characterization! Hammond was corrupt, Goodman was diligent and liked by many, Hammer was vengeful, and so on. Even Sal is recognizable. No character in this entire game just fades into the background; they all stick.

While we're on the topic of characterization, I'd also like to point out the dialogue in this game. It can go from downright hilarious to deeply personal in just a few lines and the tone can change seamlessly. It's great.

Pro Three: Mystery

At its core, Ace Attorney is a mystery series: a mix of whodunnits and howcatchems. PW:AA has some of the strongest in the series in that regard. 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 are all standouts: 1-3 is the purest howcatchem in the series while 1-5 is a brilliant example of a whodunnit turning into a howcatchem. Even 1-2 carries its own weight here. Its mystery is lackluster, sure, but it's still engaging!

Circling back to those opening cutscenes, 1-2's, 1-4's, and 1-5's all set up their mysteries within just a minute very well. 1-3's mystery is set up over the course of the first couple of minutes in the case, and they're all articulated well and feel, for lack of a better word, believable. These are things that could feasibly happen, but at the same time some of them are downright challenging (lookin' at you, 1-5!) in very good ways.

The clues provided to us, in most cases, are easy to piece together but not handholdingly so; this game trusts that the player can piece things together by themselves, including things that are seemingly unrelated or mentioned aaaaaaages ago like the parking stub in 1-5, the bent fencepost in 1-3, or the metal detector in 1-4. It's all a really neat and effective way of engaging the player in, generally, well-crafted mystery narratives.

Pro Four: Worldbuilding.

Yeah, bet you didn't expect that one.

PW:AA is a very grounded game. As such, it has pretty grounded worldbuilding; it all makes sense in its confines, which is the type I enjoy. Evidence Law makes sense for what we see, and at times the worldbuilding actively works its way into cases like 1-4's statute of limitations or 1-5's taking 30 minutes to go from the Prosecutor's Office to the Police Station. 1-3 makes the Steel Samurai feel alive, mostly thanks to its opening cutscene: even 1-2 expands on a wider outside world, with Redd White's role in the suicides and blackmailing of political and business figures.

Stuff that doesn't need to be explained, like prosecutor's badges or why trials can only take three days, are! There's also elements that exist behind the scenes, like guilty defendants having to face a higher court or the bureaucracy present in the Police Department. It's all meshed together into a believable world; which, speaking from experience, is not easy to do.

Pro Five: Aesthetic.

I know this is kind of lame to give to PW:AA given that all AA games have similar aesthetics, but I feel like PW:AA gets some leeway because it was the first game in the franchise and therefore set this game's aesthetic. I love it. Characters are portrayed realistically (more or less): nobody in this game feels cartoony at all, which I appreciate. In addition, this game's setpieces are very grounded: lakes, law enforcement buildings, offices, and of course the courtroom.

The courtroom itself is incredibly well introduced and designed; one of my favorite bits is how when Edgeworth points at von Karma he points to the side of the room von Karma is on instead of just forward. The defendant's lobby is probably my favorite setpiece; it's just... cozy.

Like, look at the courtroom! It's so grandiose yet so grounded at the same time. I could see myself in this room! It's a treat for the eyes; the clashing light browns of the desks and Judge's seat with the golden and white walls is awesome. PW:AA knows color theory and it shows. I particularly love the white pillars in the back.

Pro Six: Music.

PW:AA has the most memorable music in the series and for pretty good reason. The Pursuit theme is my second-favorite in the entire series, and it's instantly iconic. This is the Ace Attorney song to many people, including myself! That's not mentioning the Reminiscence themes, which all set and fit the tones of each case perfectly. DL-6 and SL-9's reminiscence themes are perfect for their cases, but I'd also like to point out Maya's own specific reminiscence theme; this plays after Manfred tases her and Phoenix in 1-4, and it fits the inner turmoil and the line where she says she wishes she'd never woken up perfectly. Speaking of DL-6 and SL-9's themes, they both do something very different that fit each case; DL-6's is somewhat hopeful, like there's still a mystery to be solved. SL-9 has come and gone. There's nothing left but despair.

This game plays with your emotions with its music in a very, very, very good way. There's the adrenaline-pumping octane energy of the Pursuit theme and the sadness of the reminiscence themes, but also the sense of relieved finality you get with the Victory music or the "let's get busy" feel to the Investigation theme: and we're not even mentioning character themes yet.

Every character theme has a sense of purpose. Jake Marshall's establishes his rough-and-tumble attitude: the song is wild, carefree, like if you told it to slow down it wouldn't listen. Gumshoe's is weathered and basic but still strong and good at heart; it fills your chest, y'know? I think overall, though, there are two standouts: Maya's, which is upbeat, cheery, and maybe a little scared to be on its own; and Gant's, which immediately makes itself known and takes over the room. Each theme has a purpose and a feeling; it's an incredible use of music.

CONS

Con One: Pacing.

PW:AA is not... the best paced game ever. Out of all the baseline cases, 1-2 is probably the best paced; 1-3 and 1-4's final days feel rushed, with 1-3 being the biggest offender. The DL-6 trial is criminally short for an already short game; 1-5 is nearly half of the game's length on its own! 1-3 is too long and 1-4 is too short, whereas 1-2 is perfectly passable; but I don't think I'd call it excellently paced by any means. 1-5, as much as it pains me to say it, is also a bit too long at times. There's only one excellently paced case (1-5), one case that's paced well (1-2), and three cases that have pacing that's a little all over the place.

One argument I've seen is that another case could easily fit between 1-1 and 1-2, and I'm honestly inclined to disagree. I just think that 1-3 could've been shorter and 1-4 could've been longer: like I said, the DL-6 trial is far too short for one of the most pivotal moments of the series! I get this was their first attempt, and it was a decent showing, but it's still lackluster.

This game just kind of feels a little bit all over the place. There's never really a great time to stop outside of days shifting over for a lot of these cases, which makes sense, but pausing in the middle of an investigation or trial to do something else feels awkward. It's not a satisfying game to put down, which is probably a good thing for some people; but it isn't for me.

Con Two: Original Pixel Art.

Oh, man. I know I just praised this game's aesthetics, and this still holds up, but good God some of the original pixel art sprites were ugly. Edgeworth's stands out the most: it looks like he's trying to see something from far away without his glasses on (which DD later shows is is probably what he's doing, but I digress).

It's not like Edgeworth is the only example, either. The contrast between 1-5's sprites and the rest of the game is painfully apparent on the original DS release, which makes sense—1-5 was released in 2006, 5 years after the first game and when AJ was being developed, so of course it matched that aesthetic—and the witness stand backdrop just... isn't great.

Con Three: Navigation.

Bear with me for not having a photo for this one. PW:AA's navigation system is very outdated; and it shows. I complimented it for setting up the general aesthetic, so I guess I can point out that it brought in my least favorite feature that would last until DD. The navigation system is occasionally pretty cool, but more often than not it's just a hassle. I get why it exists, and like I said it's occasionally cool, but on the whole... it gets in the way.

Having to go through two separate locations to get to another is annoying, and it's easy to lose track of the map in your head. It's not "you need to write it down on paper" bad like the first Zelda, but it's definitely not great.

We've still got one promised place to go; my top 5 favorite characters. We'll do this ascending, so let's start with #5!

Number Five: Damon Gant

I think Damon Gant is the best example AA has for "affably evil". He's a heartless piece of shit, sure, but he's also the kind of guy I'd go out and get a beer or watch a movie with. This alone speaks to the power of his character; he's a masterful manipulator, an open abuser, and a two-time murderer, but still a rather fun and swell guy to be around.

Over the course of 1-5, as Gant's mask slowly slips, so does the overall tone of the case; a double murder mystery becomes an incredibly thrilling conspiracy, all with this man behind it. He influences every little part of this case: there is nothing that his grimy hands do not touch.

And I love it. His shadow looms over the case, and once you go from "whodunnit?" to "howcatchem?" and finally piece together how you're going to take him down? Oh, man. Peak cinema.

And God, is it satisfying to take him down! Watching him slowly crumble into nothing is one of the most satisfying moments in the entire series, and us doing it nearly singlehandedly (with a little help here and there from Edgeworth and Ema, of course) is an absolute perfect way to cap off Phoenix's arc.

Let's talk about his design, too. Orange is his most prominent color; his suit is orange, his skin is orange, even the gold police badge on his tie looks orange, and it's on a red tie; red and yellow make orange. Orange is a color of happiness, enthusiasm, and youth, but it's also a color of spontaneity, superficiality, and in Confucianism is associated with transformation. It's a color that perfectly fits Gant's charming and goofy mask slowly transforming into the man that spontaneously killed Bruce Goodman and keeps up his charades through superficial charm and goodness.

Number Four: Maya Fey

I'll be the first to admit that she is way lower on this list than I expected: but this is not a diss at all. Maya is at her second-best in her debut appearance, and for good reason; this is just as much her game as it is Phoenix and Edgeworth's, making up the last part of this game's core three cast.

Maya is incredibly fun and plain enjoyable, but she also brings a very tragic and emotionally heavy element to this game. Throughout the game she's constantly battling feelings of inadequacy; this all comes to a head in 1-4, but it's hinted as early as 1-2. Maya's arc through this game is trying to find a place to fit in: Phoenix is a defense attorney, Miles is a prosecutor, even Larry is a bachelor... but Maya is just a "spirit medium in training". She's not even good at the one job she has yet.

The climax of her arc and the end of 1-4 tie into each other and it's an incredibly emotional moment; her relationship with Phoenix evolves from an employer-employee one to siblingesque very naturally. By the end of the game, you'd be hard-pressed to say they weren't related if you didn't know their surnames!

Let's go back to color theory. Maya's main colors are purple, black, and white: her robe is purple, her underrobe is a very light lilac, her hair is black, her pearls are white, and so on. It's a color of royalty and creativity: much like how Maya is the heir to the Kurain Channeling Technique through her mom, the heir to Mia's legacy, and the driving force behind some of Phoenix's big breakthroughs like drilling witnesses to get information in 1-2 and that von Karma killed Gregory Edgeworth in 1-4. Black is a strange color and hard to pin down to have a single meaning; it's a color of defiance, sadness, death and life, and so on. In Japan, it's a color of mystery and the unknown; much like how her psychic powers are never fully explained and are incredibly alien and out of place (but in a good way!) throughout the game.

White, meanwhile, is associated in China and Japan with grief: and hooh boy, does Maya carry a lot of it. Grief over her sister and mother, grief over not living up to anyone's (perceived) standards, the grief she gives Phoenix, and so on. White is a color of death: perfect for a spirit medium. Also: red and blue make purple and her pearls are white. Redd, White, Blue[Corp]...

Number Three: Phoenix Wright

Phoenix is at the top of his game: which makes sense, given that he literally is! This is some of his best characterization in the series and an incredibly strong first showing. Mia calls him a genius and it really shows; he pieces together some pretty complex theories by himself, like the entirety of 1-5 and the first half of 1-4. I like to equate him to a chainsaw; he needs time to rev up, but once he does he'll cut down anything in his path.

And boy does that show up here! His thought processes can easily match the player's, and his own arc does as well; over the course of the game he slowly comes into his own as an attorney and problem solver just like the player. By the end of the game he's experienced but not seasoned: again, just like the player.

He has incredibly solid relationships with the entire main cast, and his chemistry with every character is awesome; I particularly like his chemistry with Maya and Edgeworth of course, but he also has some incredibly strong dynamics with Ema, Gumshoe, Lana... even His Honor and Redd White of all people! He's a great bouncing off point for every other character as well as the player.

Talking about color theory a bit more, his main color is obviously blue. It's an old color, and people described it before they had a name for it. It's a color of business—which makes sense, given his role as CEO and owner of the Wright and Co. Law Offices—but it's also a color of authority and nobility: when people think of police officers, the color blue comes to mind, doesn't it? It's a color of the law! Blue is also associated with Heaven and immortality in some Asian cultures, giving Phoenix an almost divine presence; a gift to his clients, saving them from darkness.

Number Two: Miles Edgeworth

Edgeworth has my favorite arc in this game. I think this game really did a good job in making him fascinating: he's an incredibly tough nut to crack, but under his exterior he's very soft and sensitive. He's initially presented as this incredibly intimidating and corrupt conviction machine, but over the course of the game it becomes clear that he doesn't believe in convictions; he believes in justice.

This all stems from DL-6, the core lynchpin of the game. I'd actually argue that even more than Phoenix and Maya this is Edgeworth's game: I think that JFA and T&T fill Phoenix and Maya respectively. But PW:AA, despite being named after Phoenix, revolves around Edgeworth's trauma and beliefs. When those are shaken in 1-4 and 1-5, he becomes frazzled, dazed, incredibly irritable. His arc breaks down barriers he's kept up for years and doesn't know how to handle coming down. This is his story.

I think that his transition through 1-5 is one of the best parts of this game. To see him slowly realize he has absolutely nothing left to lose and just go full steam ahead on the person who has ruined his career, Damon Gant, is satisfying: it gives Edgeworth even more agency and coolness than he already had, which was already a lot!

His main color is red, obviously. Red is a color of passion and desire, but it's also one of blood and intimidation; it's complex and has two faces, just like Edgeworth. It's also a color of religious reverence, showing up frequently in Catholic art: Edgeworth himself almost looks like a pastor with his black undershirt and white collar. In that respect, there's the opportunity to view his arc through the lens of Christian themes of redemption: a dark and tortured soul brought to the light, finding a sort of peace through both the light and his struggle towards it. It's also a color of anger, which Edgeworth has no shortage of; anger at the world, anger at himself, anger at us.

Number One: Ema Skye

I'm admittedly very biased by her later appearances, but Ema is also an incredibly fascinating and amazing character in her first appearance. She is the heart and soul of 1-5, both as your assistant and the reason for the case's existence: it was Gant's fabrication of her murder of Neil, after all, that led Lana to forge evidence.

She has an incredibly active role throughout all of 1-5, as your assistant, suspect, and pseudo-charge: it's hard not to feel like you have to take care of her. Her personality is incredibly bubbly and endearing, creating adorable dynamics with Phoenix and Lana as well as an incredibly hilarious mini-crush on Edgeworth that she's so unsubtle about. Takumi really shows his maturity as a writer with 1-5 as a whole, but Ema is a great example of how he's become a better character writer over time.

As your assistant, she's spunky and fun; she's not even somewhat reserved like Maya is from time to time, but at the same time her spontaneity is far more mental than physical. A lot of people call her a Maya clone, but I disagree: she's a Maya mirror, just like how 1-5 is a mirror of 1-2. Whereas Maya is spiritual, Ema is scientific and materialist; Ema's main color is pink, in a similar spectrum to Maya's purple; her hair is brown, like Mia's, instead of black, and so on. The dynamic that she leads with Lana is incredibly captivating.

Let's finish this off with a discussion of her main color; pink. Yes, I know that most of her design is white, but her design is splattered with splotches of pink that stand out and are meant to be eye-catching, from her glasses to her necktie and undershirt to her watch and even her bag. Pink is her color and it's a color of soothing, love, and in Japan is a rather masculine color. She tries to soothe Lana's worries through her unconditional love, and it's that love that shines through the darkest parts of 1-5; be it Ema's love for Lana or vice-versa. In full honesty, I just decided to bring up pink being a masculine color in Japan because I wanted to share a headcanon I have that Ema is trans. Sue me. There's even an element of her relationship with Lana in the color alone; until the 1850s pink was seen as a masculine, immature and boyish shade of red; a color of young boys in contrast to the crimson worn by men and seen as a symbol of authority. Edgeworth's jacket? Lana's muffler? It's not hard to see the connection.

Overall Thoughts

PW:AA is a treat. It's my second favorite game in the franchise, and for good reason! It's a very very solid mix of mystery and character-driven storytelling, with a whole host of standout moments and an incredibly fun cast. The core cast is generally at their best here; not to degrade his latest appearances, but I think this game by far has Edgeworth's best characterization. I also think Gumshoe and His Honor are at his best here, and even with characters who have their weakest showings in this game still have standout moments that make them incredibly loveable.

My favorite thing from PW:AA isn't its characters, cases, or even its music, though. It's how it slowly builds up Phoenix alongside the player! We mimic his journey; we start off being handheld by Mia, and then we're thrust into a situation without her that we get through with her help. We also rely heavily on Maya but still get to shine on our own terms. In 1-3, we're finally on equal footing with Maya, solving the mystery with her. In 1-4, we take it on in a leading role; Maya takes an understandable backfoot for Phoenix's strong showing, but we still need her to finish the case and Mia still needs to intervene near the end. In 1-5, the core moments—the final trial especially—are nearly done entirely by Phoenix alone. It's an incredibly awesome buildup of development for both the player and Phoenix.

As a fic writer, I'd also like to point out some standout ships. While I don't ship it, Phoenix/Edgeworth ultimately finds its roots in this game; and it roots itself in very well! There's a reason it's the most popular. They have great chemistry. Some ships I do ship that also find their roots in this game are Lana/Mia, Ema/Maya, and some of my favorite non-romantic ships (be they platonic, adversarial, or something in-between): Phoenix and Ema, Gant and Ema, Edgeworth and Gumshoe, Phoenix and Maya, and Phoenix and Mia all shine through in my mind and find their roots in this game. It's a lynchpin for the fic-writing, shipping side of me!

PW:AA isn't a perfect game, but I think that's where a lot of its charm comes from. It's rough around the edges when you really look, but those rough edges make what shines really shine: the highs of 1-4 and 1-5, the dynamic between Maya and Mia in 1-2, the incredible way it sets up themes and vibes, and so on. It does a lot in its limitations and sets up an awesome format for the later games to follow.

Overall? It's fantastic. It's very understandably cemented itself as one of the greatest mystery games of all time! It's aged incredibly gracefully and is a perfect introduction to one of my favorite series of all time.

PW:AA holds a very special place in my heart as the second Ace Attorney game I've ever played and the first one I finished. It was a very fundamental part of my childhood; I started playing Ace Attorney in elementary school. It's incredibly nostalgic for me and this game is a massive reason why.

To wrap it all up, we'll give this one an overall rating and place its cases on our case tier list. See you for 2-1 and Justice for All!

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

[pant--eater]

what do you think fry's family is like!!! i love him sooo much every time you draw him it's like a gift 🥺🥺🥺

WAUGHGHGHJ these Fry questions make me so happy since he's my Blorbo(TM) <3 Gah I'm itching to talk about him, so ask and you shall deserve!! Also thank you SO much I'm so glad you love my art <33

little sketches related to what I'm about to yap about. ANYWAYS here's wonderwall

So on my old account I used to hc he is Indian-British, whose family hails from Travancore (Kerala nowadays). This was based on what I ASSUMED was canon info since back in January, all Chicken Run wiki articles about him mentioned he's Indian-British. But apparently that's not 100% settled info what his ethnicity is?? And the wikis have been edited since. His VA Nick Mohammed is from a mixed Cypriot/Indo-Trinidadian family though and I spent time reading about Indian-British immigrant history to get Fry's characterization accurate, so imma keep with that hc.

Anyway! I headcanon Marcus is the only child of wealthy businessmen that owned a highly successful trade company. His Vaishya grandparents moved to Britain during the late Victorian era; after all one of the only ways a PoC family could make it back then in Britain was by being filthy rich, and very early on the Fry family had been forced to adopt a "British" way of living in order to be taken seriously by the shitass imperial society. Such as switching to a British surname and avoiding to display too much of their original culture in public. A colonial trauma that still prevails, since Fry's parents christened him with a heavily English name.

I REEEALLY wanna give a try to designing Fry's parents sometime!! But I imagine his parents as sort of a healthier parallel to Melisha's parents; his father is a pristine and calm gentleman with a soothing voice and a love for theatre and literature (a trait that Marcus inherited LMAO) while his mother is more stern, headstrong and very, VERY proud of her status. (but she also has a infectuous smile and laughter and has a bombastic overdramatic streak...something that Fry inherited as well)

They're both native Malayam speakers, and while their family in public strives to keep Keralite culture hidden, they made sure to teach Marcus to speak his native language fluently as well, along with Hindi, Bengali, Tegulu and Tamil. Along with that, they frequently go on family trips to Travancore and enjoy things like inji neer, Kathakali performances (which inspired Fry on his love for theatre <3) and Carnatic music.

Both parents pushed Marcus to study hard and gain multiple academic degrees - it was all out of love and concern, because they wanted Marcus to be able to survive in the cruel world out there without only relying on his money. (Once again, a PoC immigrant family experience that I can identify with as well... even if society nowadays is not nearly as racist as it was back then, unfortunately PoC people are often forced to study waaaay harder than white people in order to make it.) Because they had lived through the years of great depression in the 1930s, and while they managed to survive with most of their wealth intact, they knew that one should not rely only on money for support since anything could happen.

Fry, as a child, was a gifted A+ grade student and a very well-behaved, so his parents called him a little ray of sunshine and a future hope. He yearned to be perfect so his parents would never be disappointed in him. Something that later on contributed MASSIVELY to Fry's gifted child burnout, and how he adopted a sinister, sadistic fascination with mind control and manipulation during his Cambridge years.

Once Marcus came out as trans and genderfluid to his parents, his father was very patient and accepting, but his mother spent several years in denial before finally accepting him. Not directly out of transphobia - but because she was afraid that Marcus would be discriminated, attacked and hurt by people, and that he should focus first on building a career for himself instead of bringing a bad name to the Fry family like this, with an outrageous gender identity. But she soon realized that hiding himself would only hurt her child on the long run. Also - the way Fry managed to fully bribe (cough mind control cough) British officials to switch the gender in his personal info and passport was nothing less than impressive to both of his parents LMFAOOOO and they're very proud

However despite all of this, Fry retains a loving relationship to his parents!! He goes to their mansion every Christmas, and they're also VERY accepting and encouraging to his marriage to Melisha. In fact, his mom was relieved to see Fry had married a very orderly, stern and no-nonsense woman, because Marcus had always been a scatterbrained mess and a reckless money-spender. He made a wonderful scientist, but business-running had never been his thing, so Melisha taking care of all that is like a lottery win to the Fry parents. ESPECIALLY since Melisha came from a poor household - a woman like this, who knows what it's like to live at the rock bottom, surely knows to keep Marcus humble and not let him make flimsy business decisions!! (either way Melisha is still a bit intimidated by Fry's mom, which says a lot considering what kind of a girl Melisha herself is LMFAO)

Pluuuus... the Harsh Expectations(TM) is something that Melisha can relate to </3 It's something that catches her entirely off guard, when she learns this detail about Fry's past. After all, the silly goofy doctor is like an endless ray of sunshine, he's rich and successful. (and we all know what Melisha's mother told her about money bringing happiness...) How could he ever have any worries or feelings of inferiority??

It's a detail that makes (in my hcs) Melisha fall even deeper in love with Fry and become tenfold more protective over him :''') <3 Once she realizes what a horrific burden this goofball is carrying on his back, and yet he still finds the energy every day to stay positive, be optimistic and support Melisha during her hard days.

[horizon-verizon]

The only reason Nettles was cut was to give Rhaena some role, because she is useless throughout the entire dance and she appears for one minute at the very end. That's why they created a "conflict" between her and Daemon over a dragon.

You should block me anon, bc I disagree with this notion on mainly 3 accounts:

LINK (Rhaena's characterization and her role vs Nettles' during and after the war) -- no matter what, Nettles & Rhaena's stories are NOT interchangeable without destroying a lot of the lore and the connection to Dany they each have uniquely on their own…which is the point of F&B, to contextualize Dany's importance and character

the Dance is not just about the war but what lead up to it...GRRM himself has said he'd rather they began the show with Aemon & Baelon...that's a story right there even thought these 2 characters are not at all a part of the actual war. You have been fooled into believing the war is the only or primary event that created the characters instead of the characters making/creating the circumstances for the war...or you are one of those people who don't like to go over themes, can't stand non-war/violent/frenzied drama character action & development, and/or exploring-discovering depth & nuance in characters as they directly interact with their world and people (as Rhaena: schmoozing lords, getting to know how to rule or observe social situations from Jeyne, observe human behaviors and relationships through Jeyen-Jessamyne and develop a relationship with Corwyn Corbray so that when the war ends we can feel THAT much more broken over the end of her family and "what could have been"--OR her trying to find a way to hatch her dragon egg by looking for scrolls and such--- would/could have become--ALL of which is Rhaena is another link for Jeyne to Rhaenyra and Targ interests what present another layer of "women need to stick together" that Jeyne was canonically all about...there is an added layer of FAMILY & unity over and over again that the show simply refused or ignorantly didn't take advantage of).....in which case--as Condal might have missed hearing-- Go be with God. Nothing much else to say. You either are open to story, or you're just here "for a good time" and spectacle. In which case, don't claim spectacle = story and just be honest about it. To yourself and others.

With F&B, there are already storylines that anyone could have just "filled in" with plausible and lore/plot/character-faithful "elements" or "what could have happened" to connect the written plot events to each other in different ways and become diff trajectories of the same story; there are many ways that one could write the Dance while keeping the FACTUAL (as in they def happenid in Planetos and back then i the Dance era) events, their sequence, and the lore intact. Therefore, you could create a very round and interesting and full-of-heart story for Rhaena at the Vale, esp if you maybe included her also studying up on Valyrian stuff in her own attempts to hatch what would become Morning.

[fishedeyelenz]

ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE BLACK CHRISTMAS FANDOM

Hello everyone who's been following my writing and art and OC's!! Your support has warmed my heart, and got me through some thought times. Thank you very much for sticking by me, commenting, sending me kudos and asks regarding Dilf Billy and my oc-verse I made around him!

However... I have come to realize I have made Billy, at least the older 45-50 year old version of him my own. Very much my own. I think there's a discrepancy between my characterization of him, and how he is portrayed in the movie/novel/commentary. Another thing is that I love him too much. I want to make him my own, not an interpretation of a pre-existing character...

So that's exactly what I am going to do! I'm taking him and making him an OC. Currently I am in the process if changing up his backstory to make him distinct from Billy Lenz, though the Dilf version we see in Rats in the shadows and partially in So give me coffee and tv will stay similar.

My goal is to create a group of ocs consisting of the character formerly known as Billy, Camille, Bean and other side characters who will exist in a story about an ex serial killer father. I'm still early in the rework, but I feel like I don't have change too much.

What this means I will effectively be distancing myself at least partially from the Black Christmas fandom, at least in terms of my content creation though these past few months I have been in a rut given college preoccupying most of my time. I still love Black Christmas, it will remain one of my favorite movies forever. I cherish the friends I made and the experiences I had, but I want to move on to more original creations, uninhibited by primary existing source materials.

I will still interact with fan works in terms of reblogging art and writing , and I will most likely draw more of Billy Lenz and the other characters from the movie in the future. Anything regarding Camille, Bean, "dilf Billy" though, will be something divorced from Black Christmas, entirely its own thing, though obviously inspired by it.

Will I return to writing for Black Christmas? At this point I am uncertain. I have a WIP of a priest!au thing for Dilf Billy, which if I ever get around to finishing I would post under the pretense that it's a Black Christmas fanwork. However, I am not sure if I will finish it, given that I don't really have the time, and at the moment motivation to really work on it. Another story idea exists too, one which would better fit into the Black Christmas ethos with is very dark tone and heavy subject matter (while still remaining a smut work) which I would gladly have exist as a fanwork.... But once again I am lacking the time and want to do it. It would be a very big project, all things considered.

So what now? I will keep all my Billy Lenz/Dilf Billy content up on my blog, my AO3 will stay intact (though I will forward this announcement onto there), and I won't change my tags on Dilf Billy related posts. Moving forward, though, everything created for my oc inspired by Billy Lenz/Dilf Billy Lenz will be tagged as that. I need to come up with a new name for him first...

I will also make a post regarding how the plot of Rits/Sgmcatv would have went if I'd finished them, to give you guys some sort of conclusion. Though the new oc story with Bean, Camille and the new Billy oc in it will very closely follow Rits original storyline. Most of the events of Rits are canon still in regards to Camille's and Bean's backstory, with of course some caveats (no Brahms, Camille and "Billy" meet differently etc.). But the large majority of the plot points and story beats are the same.

I will be happy to answer any further questions, as my inbox is open. I'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but I've felt the need to move on, to elevate this story. I hope I can be forgiven. Now I bid farewell to this part of my life and creative era, and look forward to the new.

[within-your-eyes-if]

November 1st Progress Update

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween, for those who celebrated!

First and foremost, real life has thrown some curveballs my way, I'll be largely unavailable at the end of this week. I have a long update here, so lets jump in.

Alpha Testing Progress: It's moving along quite well! Only 3 more scenes to implement (hi testers, I know you're waiting ♥), and then Part One will be 'complete'. Once additional testing and feedback implementation are done, it'll undergo a brief beta test. Current word count? A whopping 146k! I anticipate it crossing 150k after these scenes. And yes, I may be recruiting a few more testers today or tomorrow - I have kept applications, so if you’ve already applied, no need to reapply.

Big Shoutout: To all my testers - you're stars! Thank you for your dedication and patience.

Heights and Measures: I've been mulling over the heights of female Gabriel and male Xiao for quite a while. While I've previously addressed and altered fem Lee’s height, fem Gabriel’s has been on my mind too. I'm aiming for more diversity in my ROs, so your thoughts would be invaluable. Here’s a poll to gather some feedback. Please remember, while I deeply value your input, the final decision will be based on what feels right for the story.

About Poly Routes: Many of you have expressed excitement about the inclusion of poly routes, and I apologize for not offering clarity on their nature earlier. Rest assured, I remain committed to delivering these routes, but I aim to ensure each one is rich and fulfilling. Presently, I'm contemplating both triangle and V poly dynamics, with the goal of finding what aligns best with the narrative and characters. Although the triangle dynamic was my initial plan, I believe I may be able to implement both, but I'm still not 100% certain yet.

In structuring the poly routes, particularly as they debut in Chapter 3, I debated including the casual flings found with certain ROs in non-poly routes, alongside the deeper romantic ties intrinsic to all ROs. After reflection, I've resolved that poly routes will emphasize romance exclusively. Thus, if your character's preference leans towards no-strings-attached flings, these won't characterize the poly routes. Given the array of ROs and their diverse dynamics, not to mention non-RO flings, this decision streamlines my writing process and makes it easier for me to have one aspect to focus on with them. Your patience and understanding in this matter are deeply appreciated.

That being said: Given the depth of my story, I'm leaning towards releasing future updates in smaller segments, akin to Chapter 3's structure. This isn't just about speed but about ensuring quality across the numerous ROs and narrative paths.

Chapter 3 expanded beyond my initial imagination, causing some initial stress, making me wonder what was needed and what wasn't (but it all felt necessary). So in the end, I decided to break it, and I'm very glad I did. It's relieved a lot of my worries. This lets me keep the story's richness intact and (hopefully) reduce the wait between updates.

I've started to notice my creative process sometimes takes me beyond initial outlines, or even reevaluate them entirely, letting the story breathe and evolve more naturally. This realization is relatively new for me, but it's shaping how I approach future updates.

From Ch3 Part One and on, future updates will likely be broken into parts, potentially leading to more "Chapter #: Part One" styled releases. I hope this provides clarity on my evolving approach and is seen not only as way for me focus on individual parts, but as a way to consistently update.

I hope this all makes sense! While I don't have a specific release day in mind yet, I feel my mid-November prediction is correct. Thank you all for your continued support and love. It means the world to me!

[jinxed-ninjago]

Skybound Slander Masterlist

Decided to make a masterlist of every time I've posted Skybound slander lol

The first post I ever made regarding why I hate Skybound

More specific post about why Skybound's characterization of the ninja sucks

Complaint about how hard it's been for me to rewrite Skybound, because the entire plot hinges on Jay and Nya specifically being out of character

"Love the concept, hate the execution" post

Brainstorming how I could get the ninja to be in character while also keeping Skybound's main plot intact (I'll have it be known I still don't think the concepts I came up with are in character)

Post about me criticizing Skybound and being told Jay's been an incel the entire series (he hasn't. What can be read as incel behavior is exclusive to Skybound)

Me calling Skybound a clump of wasted potential lmao

Me mentioning that I still hate Skybound after rewatching it

[mantisgodsdomain]

(from The House Is Established's comment section, being ported over because we like how we wrote our sort-of-prose here and we want more people to see it than just anyone who might happen to be browsing the comment section. Plain text below cut.)

KennySpaceMafia on Chapter 1

Great fic so far! (Only read this chapter so far) Really like how Vi/ZB-856 is characterized as a cordyceps. Though, how's Jaune doing? Does she know what happened to Vi? And what would happen if she met Vi in this state?

Reply from MantisGod

We're glad you enjoyed! Hopefully, the other chapters will also keep your attention. We think this came out fairly well!

Jaune would be dead by now. It's been a century. Bees don't really live that long, unfortunately. She lived a relatively long life as a painter and then passed away without knowing what happened to Vi. She has about equal odds of simply never having learned what happened to it or having been told that Vi died in an industrial accident while installing some of the new Roach tech infrastructure. As with all the other ZB-designations still alive, Vi's now outlived the "turnover" - in the time since she was made into a Zombee, the entire Hive's population has turned over, and no worker or drone currently alive in the Hive was still alive when Vi was there. No one beyond the gates knows her anymore, and she doesn't know any of them.

As for how Jaune would react if she met Vi as it is now... well, in their current states, Jaune would be too busy being dead to react, so we'll assume that she's been miraculously resurrected for this. There's a solid chance that she wouldn't recognize it, honestly. Even with its shell relatively intact, being infested with cordyceps still dramatically changes your scent, which is a major part of what most social bugs use to identify each other. It doesn't smell like it used to, and it doesn't look like it used to, either. Missing a lot of identifying features, Vi simply becomes... well, a crystal-filled shell that smells more like fungus and crystal than bee, and more like beetle and moth and oleic acid than any sister she might have had, and though Vi might recognize her to an extent...

Memories of the Hive are faint, and more tinted with frustration and a longing for something else than anything positive. Vi barely remembers its sister, and what it has is tinted with resentment and jealousy. They may have never had the argument that tore them apart, but the build-up was still there. While it was alive, Vi stuck with the hive because it had nowhere else to go, and it felt hollow and incomplete for it, without even knowledge of an Explorer's Association to strive towards maybe one day joining. It was sent off for Snakemouth's experiments because of its underperformance as a living bug, and it is tangentially aware of that even now, thanks to the files its siblings have already gone through. It served the Queen out of obligation, and now that it has a new hive to work for, those previous ties have... weakened, from an already feeble state.

A century is a long, long time. There's a reason that Leif had to introduce himself to his family, rather than being recognized as kin. With a colony to anchor her, Vi's ties are too weak to lead her back to somewhere it never truly felt at home. We don't believe there would be malice or intent for harm in their interaction, not by a long shot. But Vi only knows her as a background figure overlooking years of negative experience, and Jaune wouldn't know this version of it at all.