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attorneys-against-court-violence · 9 months

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I'll never get over how Athena's trauma is written in Dual Destinies. I never will. It's one of few areas I have absolutely no complaints about.

At a surface-level, it's a very effective tool to evoke discomfort, fear, pity, and intrugue from the player. We get glimpses as to what's causing these nervous breakdowns of hers in 5-1 and it's nothing comforting (a courtroom with bloodied-out faces staring judgementally at a crying child is... distrubing). Those breakdowns are accompanied by near silence, letting us drink in the raw emotions of the moment. Her breakdown in 5-3 is a standout example; there's nothing but hollow wind and a shivering, broken Athena to lend the moment its deserved gravitas as she fruitlessly tries to calm herself.

Repeating the trauma of having to defend a dear friend from being accused for killing their tutor, in spite of nobody listening to you, is going to do that to you.

Come the revelations in 5-5, we get compelling body language with her covering her ears in distress - the most sensitive part of her & source of a lot of pain in her childhood. Shaking her head in denial at the revelation of what Simon saw when he walked in the robotics lab, how rarely she comes out of her sad pose during the first half of 5-5 (reminiscent of Edgeworth's own brooding pose in the Wright Trilogy, most often seen when he's reliving his own traumas). Even after things come to light and the truth is revealed, she struggles to even say what happened while locked in that Edgeworth arm-grab pose. It's fantastically handled each time it rears its ugly head.

Going deeper, it also explains a lot about her behaviour; her reflexive throwing of the police officer in 5-2 and her furious outbursts being some good examples. Her emotional state is pretty wild throughout Dual Destinies - partially because she's just like that - but partially because she's trying to keep the more uncomfortable feelings down. She goes quiet when the Blackquills first arrive, being avoidant around the topic of Simon and unable to confront Aura for just how cynical and loathing she's become. She's very iffy around blood and is noticably uncomfortable and perturbed during 5-3 (for reasons I have already mentioned). Her main motivation for keeping this pain to herself is a tragically relatable one; not wanting the drag others down in her sorrow. That's the reason she gives Phoenix when he tells him to back down and stop fighting (a stark contrast to when she objected on his behalf in 5-DLC, sensing he still had some fire left in him).

Despite having others help bring her back from a dark state of mind before, her pushing others away to carry the sufferage alone when it's too much for her feels painfully real.

But one of my favourite parts is how other characters handle it. Specifically, how Phoenix handles himself around Athena. Even if he doesn't know the full extent of her traumas, he knows she's nervous and perhaps not in the best of spirits. He's a LOT more gentle with her than Apollo, is for damn sure; guiding her through examining Courte's body and praising her for getting through it despite going pale. He does still tease in 5-DLC, 5-3, and 5-4, but it's more playful than what he does with Apollo. He also keeps it to a minimum in 5-1 after just barely making it before she has another shutdown, prioritising his role as a reliable presence over anything else. A very good example of this is 5-5; when the big revelation finally comes and Athena's ready to confess to what really happened during UR-1, Phoenix is there to reassure her that she's safe and prevents the Judge from butting in to give her room to disclose what happened.

When push comes to shove and Athena can't quite make it out of that terrible mental space on her own, it's her friends and allies that ultimately help pull her out. Juniper Woods re-assures Athena of her faith, something that had appeared to waver over this case until the truth of what she saw the day of the murder came out. Simon Blackquill reminds her why she's even here to begin with, indirectly stating that he so desperately wishes her to succeed and bring them both out of this mess. Apollo Justice - on top of the usual "your're fine!" bit - reminds her of the skills she has to turn 5-3 around. Phoenix Wright, having dealt with many a client and friend burdened by trauma, gives Athena the stable footing she needs to get back up and carry on. Even if he needs to step in now and then, it's not to belittle or infantalise her - it's to be supportive.

I've said before in a past essay I don't really think too highly of anymore that I don't really mind the fact that Athena needs so much help throughout the game. This is the main reason why; her PTSD from the events of UR-1 have a believable impact on her character and ability to perform normally, with characters helping to pull her back out in ways unique to them and their respective relationship to her. As I said, she gets all that support because she genuinely NEEDS it. The game does a good job proving that much.

And that's alright.

Part of the reason it took so long to solve this is that Athena constantly pushed people away from her problems. She didn't want anyone else to become another psychological casualty of something that otherwise only affects her. It's when she finally sees that Phoenix can and does help her that she can finally let him do so, and help him in return by digging into that dark place and letting the memories of that day come back to her.

Trauma in Ace Attorney doesn't often get this level of focus. It can and has been depicted rather well in the past - see Edgeworth for a good example - but Athena, being the heart-on-your-sleeve type and a protagonist, offers a unique opportunity to witness how it affects her on a more personal, sometimes first-person level. Between a gut-wrenching and haunting presentation, stellar characterisation, and fairly grounded consequences and reactions to it from her and others... it's a rare part of Dual Destinies that I have no complaints about.

Happy Thena Thursday!.....?

#dual destinies analysis #thena thursday #thena thoughts #dual destinies spoilers #ace attorney spoilers #athena cykes #dual destinies #undescribed #i'd also like to mention how painful it is to see shivering athena from the counsel perspective.#you're standing right next to her while she's in genuine anguish and telling you to stand down and accept her guilt.#the same things that make us laugh make us cry just as hard.

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jusalilweird · 1 year

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Hello!

You can call me Athena. I assume most of you found me through my Twitter or Ao3, but if you somehow managed to stumble upon this blog, hi :D

I’m not sure how active I’ll be on Tumblr, but I write a bunch of Tower of God stuff that can be found here

Some tag stuff:

thena talks for everything that I post

thena thoughts for all my general rambling

thena tales for all my fics

ath answers for ask box stuff

#thena talks #thena thoughts

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softquietsteadylove · 10 days

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Okay I’m glad we can cry about the vow au together, because if Thena’s going to keep remembering things when her sweet and precious Gil makes her a treat I might just never stop asking for it 😭 would love to read more, whatever you think comes next i’m happy to read!!!

"Sweetie?"

Thena looked up from her pillow. She looked particularly miserable, which made sense; she had never done well when sick. "Hm?"

Gil stepped into the guest room with his tray in hand. He nudged the door closed before setting it down on the dresser, "how are you feeling, hon?"

Thena blinked her glassy green eyes at him, "I'm sorry to make you take care of me like this."

Gil just shook his head. She had no memory of him nursing her back to health when a flu took her down hard after their first trip together. Her first cold with him as a couple when she kept insisting he couldn't see her with her runny nose and blotchy fever skin. Even when she had some bad periods that could make her growly.

She thought of herself as a real lioness, but he couldn't help but think of a plush, ragdoll cat who kept hissing at him.

He leaned forward, kissing her clammy forehead. "I think your fever's broken, at least. Did you get a little rest?"

Thena just nodded, pulling up her knees under the covers so he could sit on the edge of the bed. "Did you apologise to Ajak for me?"

"Hey, come on, people get sick, it happens," he chuckled as he patted her knees. "I have some time off to use, and she understands. They can do without me for a few days."

"I don't know how true that is," she muttered as he retrieved the tray. She straightened her legs again so he could stand it up over her lap. "Your customers will be missing out on your perfect croissants."

He grinned, offering her the mug of tea first. "And my seasalt vanilla fours?"

Thena's smile turned soft and a little shy. He was elated, though--ever since their first date and their kiss, he had been excited to see how they would continue to progress their relationship.

"Here," he whispered, adjusting the platter he had brought with him. "I made you some homemade chicken soup, nothing too heavy. I boiled the chicken in the broth, like Hainanese chicken rice. I gave you a little side of rice if you wanna dip it in the broth, but don't force yourself. Some cucumbers, but they're not pickled because I don't think it's good for you if you're sick--I guess I don't really know."

Thena tilted her head at him, her hair rustling against one of the many pillows propping her up. She kept insisting she looked awful, but he thought she looked as beautiful as always. "Thank you."

He sighed a little, trying not to make it obvious that he was mourning a time when this would be natural for them. But he adjusted the little cilantro flower he included on her napkin, "in sickness and in health, right?"

Thena's expression changed, but she gave him one of those gorgeous smiles that used all her teeth and picked up her spoon, "I suppose you're right."

Gil looked around the room, standing to pick up the extra blanket she had picked off in her sleep, as well as some pajama changes. It was hard to tell how messy she could be at times based on the polished appearance of his wife, but he liked picking up after her (most of the time).

"Gil?"

He looked back at her as he folded up the blanket. She had her big sad kitten eyes on again. "What's up?"

"You're not going to sit with me?"

His face split into a grin, even if she seemed a little sheepish about it. He knew it wasn't something she would ask easily, and obviously she had kind of just let it slip. But he all but dropped the blanket and threw himself onto the bed again. "Of course I am."

Thena settled against the pillows again after he gave her knee a squeeze on his way to lying on his side to face her. "Did you eat?"

"I grazed while I was cooking," he excused easily. He'd had some rice and a few pieces of chicken, mostly concerned with getting the flavours right for Thena's weakened state.

Thena eyed him, nudging the dish of rice he had specifically described as optional, "I won't eat it all anyway."

That was true, she tended to eat less in terms of the starch of any dish. Gil chuckled, "okay."

Placated by him picking up the rice and using the chopsticks, she continued using the spoon to sip the broth. She was delicate about it. It reminded him of the first time they'd gotten ramen together--she'd held her hair back while taking delicate little bites the whole time. He'd found it unbearably cute while he'd guzzled his back in minutes. Of course he ordered another bowl so she wouldn't have to eat alone.

Thena's eyes watered a little, but he squinted. Was it just the general sickness, was it her fever coming back, was there too much ginger? She sniffled, putting the spoon down. "I know this taste."

Ah, his sweet wife. He put the rice down gently before reaching for her hand. "I make it for you every time you're sick. You know how to make it too."

"I do?" she asked, staring at him as if he'd suggested she knew rocket science. "Me?"

"Yes, you," he reached out to tap her nose, but she leaned away from him. "All you do is add the aromatics to the pot with the whole chicken, even you can do it."

"Hm," she remarked quietly, staring at the meal she couldn't believe she would be capable of replicating.

"I made it for you the first time you were sick when we were dating," he continued, picking up some cucumber for himself. "I surprised you with it, showed up at your doorstep--very romantic, y'know."

She gave him a look, definitely knowing that she - in the story - hadn't appreciated being ambushed.

"You told me I shouldn't have and that you looked awful, but I couldn't have been more in love with you," he sighed, fluttering his lashes at her. She rolled her eyes, but he could see her smiling just a tiny little bit. "I delivered this dish and we hung out a little. You told me I would get sick, I said I wouldn't, and you were totally right, I got sick the next day."

She tilted her head the other way and raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed to say the least.

He shrugged though, still grinning. "But I didn't want to admit it, so I told you I was healthy as a horse and couldn't make our date that week because of a work emergency."

"Deceitful," she murmured, pursing her lips at it.

"Come on, just a harmless little lie, y'know," he pursed his lips right back at her, even hitting her with his own sad puppy eyes.

She looked back into the bowl and took a loud sip. He would take that as him being forgiven. "I remember you coming over."

"Really?" he sat up straighter.

She nodded, taking another, slower, quieter sip. "No one had ever done that for me before. I was so astounded. And the food was so good it made me want to cry."

"No crying," he whispered, keeping his eye on her now, watching for tears. Not that it wasn't a chef's dream to have people cry from their food, but this was different.

"Kari called me to ask how I was doing," she smiled more at the memory as it came to her. They were coming more often and at greater length. It was nothing if not encouraging. "I told her that this very sweet guy I was seeing brought me some homemade chicken rice. She practically slapped her phone in her hurry to tell me to 'lock it down'."

Gil made a face, stroking the hair on his chin, "she's wise."

Thena shook her head at him again, but he could tell she was falling for his charm all over again. "I suppose I followed her advice, didn't I?"

So much came to mind, but Gil leaned forward to kiss her forehead again, which continued to feel cooler to the touch, "I'm lucky you did."

Thena leaned into his affection. She had gotten more used to it as they continued to explore their relationship, and he really had the feeling that she was looking for more sometimes. He would save that for a time when she wasn't ill.

"You keep eating," he encouraged, moving the rice closer to her again in hopes of tempting her.

"But-"

"I'll get a bowl for myself and come right back," he promised, sealing it with a wink and everything. His wife gave him another look of feigned exasperation, but she was already waiting for his return, preciously clutching her rice to eat with him.

#Thenamesh Vow AU #yes I love writing sickfic #yes I am sick right now what's your point?#I'm so glad you're liking this au!!!!#please never stop asking for more of it #Gil excels at the in sickness and in health #obviously #but it's not just the big deals like brain seizures and hospital visits #it's also when she gets a common cold #Thena gets all grumpy and sour when she's sick #and Gil calls her his little umeboshi #he makes dishes that are gentle on the stomach but still nutritious #because the less time Thena spends being sick the better for both of them #Gil definitely thought it was really romantic of him that first time #meanwhile Thena is like fuck I look disgusting #meanwhile Kari is like dude this is like out of a romcom or something #Kari is out here like friends to lovers slowburn hurt/comfort 100k words #Thena: I don't know what that means

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filmnoirsbian · 2 years

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So true about the Eternals being a show like! Within 20 minutes into the movie I couldn’t stop thinking about how good it would be as a limited series. Especially if they spent more time in the past because those were my favourite bits. Like the movie was fine but the actress for Sersi was kind of bland and didn’t really sell it to me? And her romances didn’t hit at all like Druig and Makkari had 2 minutes of flirting and I cared way more than Sersi and either of her dudes lol. Also Gilgamesh and Thena <3. Tbh I came out of the movie wanting so much more and only liking like 4 of them(Makkari/Thena/Phastos/Kingo). Did you have any faves?

This is what it should have been about...the cosmic horror + tragedy of time travel + immortality...the crisis in faith, in confronting your god and finding out that your entire purpose for existing for millions of years was a manipulation, a lie...immortality as the boulder they cannot stop pushing up the hill...god, what I could have done with that $200b

#asks #my favorites in the movie were gilgamesh and thena :) my loving old couple where one has dementia and the other cares for them...💔#i did like certain things from the movie like i liked the addition of godmadness i thought that was neat. also most of the changes in #the eternals' dynamics w each other were good imo. in the comics they all like. hate each other ekfkskd #marvel #oh the things we invent #comics #eternals

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pcktknife · 1 year

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what made you choose hippogriff and gryphon for Franziska and Athena?

Same way I pick pony races: vibes. I associate the von Karmas w lions, so I guess Manticores were also and option but Griffons are just so pretty and just as regal (and Ziskas hair translated well into feathers). I always think about Gilda when I do Griffons so that had something to do with it too. I could still save some sort of Manticore/Griffon hybrid for Manfred and just have Ziska inherit less of the lion/scorpion part of the ancestry.

Athena I'm pretty sure I originally had as a pegasus, but changed for a reason I don't quite remember ? Probably had too many ponies in the main cast and wanted to switch it up. I did want her to be able to fly though (leaving Polly and maybe Trucy earthbound) and I think I was really attached to her being hoofed... Hippogriffs have hooves,wings, aren't ponies and get a whole other form plus they have hands and that's good for the mood matrix stuff. and same as Ziska hair feathers.

#asks #anon #I try to put alot of thought into ponifying characters from design to races to cutiemarks and even how they'd interact regarding those..#things. (hippogriff/merpony athena sounded good considering turnabout reclaimed. earth pony apollo occasionally needs help from nick..#or thena when it comes to going from place to place since he cant travel as quickly as they can in the sky also fear of heights which..#im actually only realizing now lmao)#there were notes on the drawings but i didnt feel like writing them out so if theres other questions i can try to remember what i had down

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sunshinethena · 3 months

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hazbin hotel is actually so amazing

#thena is thinking #hazbin hotel #i have so many thoughts #so many opinions #alastor is Fave #that’s a Character #charlie and vaggie #like i see my and my partner #almost cried bc i felt them pretty hard this last episode i watched

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oldloveforever · 1 year

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Butterfly Effect

She waited patiently with her back pressed against the wall. The cool walls of the Domo stiffened her bones, making it hard for her to bend even a finger. Her eyes bounced across the room, looking for a threat. She was just a distraction, prepared to fight her own brother.

The relationship between her and Ikaris has never been particularly easy. He was always loyal to Mommy, hanging by the top of her skirt like a baby on his bottle. Fighting him was not easy, but winning was child's play in many ways. Ikaris relied entirely on his physical strength and the cosmic laser beams. But he lacked the knowledge and the discipline to use them wisely. That's why he beat up his opponents without thinking. It was reckless in many ways.

When he broke through the ceiling, she pushed away from the wall with her palms and created one of her cosmic swords. "Where is Druig?" he asked, indifferently, as if he had no intention of killing his own brother. "He's busy." She walked toward him without losing even a hint of her elegance. "Thena, play nice." She twirled the sword above her head and then forward. He grasped it with one hand as if it were merely the toy sword of a small child.

"You've never had to fight me." She smiled and it disgusted him. "But I've always wanted to." As soon as she finished speaking, she turned the sword into a spear, forcing her brother to let go of the weapon. She twirled her weapons several times and made him recoil with a thrust to the stomach. Ikaris lifted off the ground and drew on his sister with his lasers, who devalued his attack with her shield.

As Ikaris smashed her shield and pressed her against the wall of the spaceship, shreds of memories flashed before her eyes. And in this moment, she snapped. Anger overcame her. The longing for peace for her mind overwhelmed her. It was not the Deviant she had to kill for her inner peace. Kro was not the culprit who had taken away her anchor to reality, to her life.

She grabbed his wrists and turned the tables. She pinned him against the wall and jammed two daggers into his hands to hold him in place. She lost control of herself and punched him in the solar plexus to knock him out for a moment. "Scraggly bitch!" He pulled his hands down. The daggers stuck in the wall tore his hands in two. In pain, he clenched his bloody fists and punched the goddess of war. Thena barely got a scratch. The adrenaline and the desire to kill her brother filled her from head to toe. He killed Ajak, who involuntarily had to give up her powers to a beast. He sacrificed his mother for his moronic conviction.

She rammed her elbow into her brother's gastric triangle. He stumbled backward and lost his balance. She knelt over him and rammed a dagger into his liver. Ikaris tried to fight back, but his aim left much to be desired. He coughed and spat blood. Thena's blow burst the fine blood vessels in his stomach. "This is your fault." she whispered in a low voice. Ikaris cried out as she drove her blade through his chest and into his lungs. "I wouldn't have to do this if you hadn't been so selfish."

Another stitch.

"If you hadn't killed her, if you would have let her live-"

Another stitch. Her hands were shaking.

"Then none of this would have happened!"

She became louder, her stitches sloppier.

"HE'D STILL BE ALIVE!"

With each sting, the blood in her face multiplied. The wall was broken through. Everything she had ever felt poured out and her tears covered the blood on her otherwise pale skin.

Another stitch.

"T-Thena-"

Another stitch.

"T-The-na, p-plea-please-"

The blood flowed from his mouth. She was befuddled, trapped by her feelings, guided by pain.

One last stab.

Her trembling hands clutched the dagger stuck in her brother's chest. Tears dripped onto the blue-gold armor, the blood spread and covered the floor like a carpet.

"You killed him." she whispered. "And you didn't care." The dagger vanished into thin air. She braced herself heavily with her hands and leaned limply against the wall. "Your choices..." She pulled her knees to her body and clutched them. "...cost them both their lives."

"You killed him." she sniffed.

"You took him from me." She buried her face between her arms and legs.

There she sat now, huddled against the wall, next to her brother's corpse. Her sandy white hair, her porcelain colored skin soaked with blood.

It could have turned out differently. But every decision has consequences.

#eternals #thena #goddess of war #ikaris #violence and blood #death #this is like the first thing i wrote in a very long time #it's short but i thought about this a while now #if there are any mistakes #please forgive me #whoever is reading this #english is not my native language #✨🖤#and thanks to #oldbutterfly #who convinced me to actually write this

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cannibalismyuri · 5 months

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guys im literally their luckycharm i wave my little india flag and it becoems a dot bakkkFUCKKKKK NO S SIX OK ITS A FOUR NAHI BHAU

#im ficking #i #thought ti was a six then it was a one #but THENA FOUR???#cricket #desiblr

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wyrmswears · 9 months

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i love how the parallels between athena and phoenix. drives me wild every time. she really is his mentee.

for one, becoming a defence attorney to save your childhood friend. classic. second of all, both are not open people!! they hold their cards close to their chest: for phoenix, this post explains it really well - but to put it simply he doesn't discuss how he knows edgeworth, edgeworth's 'suicide', or his connection to iris until those cards are forced onto the table. similarly, athena is evasive about her past: see this post for her which although about her trauma as a whole, briefly covers her tendencies to shut others out. thirdly, as i have already stated today, athena is slightly morally grey. i think, of course it can be accounted to simon, but also as she met phoenix in his disbarment era (morally grey phoenix at his peak), i like to think she picked up some of it from him. and finally, of course, they're both involved in the rise of the dark age of law.

#fifthly. theyre both lgbties #i personally like to give thena more phoenix attributes and apollo more kristoph because i think it gives them a fun contrast #of course apollo has phoenix traits too - the price of being a fanboy - but i think because he wasnt mentored by phoenix as much as he was #picked up by the scruff and put in the wright anything agency that i think his more professional traits come from kristoph #24 hour thena liveblog #this is what the gc suffers from everyday (my thena thoughts)

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thenaphantoms · 28 days

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I wanna make friends in the miraculous fandom but it's so hard to find people that don't hate the show lolol I'm old, I miss when fandom spaces were less about fixing the source material and more about freaking out over all the things we love. Anyways!! I tried something new with my favourite holders! 🐈‍⬛️🐞🐝

#thena thoughts #miraculous #miraculous ladybug #drawing is fun and i need to do more of it #my art #ml fanart #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ladybug #chat noir #cat noir #vesperia #mlb marinette #adrien agreste #miraculous zoe #zoé lee #marinette dupain cheng

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attorneys-against-court-violence · 7 months

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Spoilers under the cutoff because there is no way I'm jumpscaring ya'll with the biggest gut-punch in the game. Also I'm pretty sure it'd be taller than me if printed out so bare with me!

I'm going to be talking about a very important section in Case 5-5: Turnabout for Tomorrow...

...because good god almighty, can we talk about how GOOD Simon's Mood Matrix segment is?!

Pretense: Facing Your Fears

Let's set the stage for Simon and Athena before we build to what I want to talk about. Context is important and in this case it helps make the following revelations that much more effective.

Both characters at this point have gone through hell and high water to save the other from a dreadful fate; Simon enduring 7 years on death-row to protect Athena from punishment for Metis' death, Athena studying law in spite of her intense fear and trauma to undo the damage done by his false confession. By the time we get here we've seen how deeply Athena is affected by her trauma. We've seen how far Simon is willing to go in the name of protecting Athena, going so far as to disregard his own sister's concern for his safety.

By the time of Turnabout for Tomorrow's trial, they have practically been pushed to their breaking points; Athena is indicted for Clay's murder and is confronted with the idea that she herself is responsible for the death of her mother - her memories of UR-1 resurfacing and being pushed back at the same time as the worst-case scenario becomes apparent. Simon's efforts to save Athena from this punishment have been rendered practically useless with her incarceration, the phantom slipping from his grasp, the guilt Athena would bear being the only thing he stands to protect her from.

At the end of Phoenix and Edgeworth's initial skirmish and seeming Guilty verdict, Simon steps in with one last effort to protect Athena's innocence in this matter. Even though she's set to be convicted for Clay's murder, this carries a lot more weight if ever she realised what he saw that day would prove her guilty of killing Metis Cykes.

Athena - despite a practical mental breakdown earlier that day - pushes herself to stand at the Defense's bench to achieve what she has been working towards from the day Phoenix inspired her to persue this career. She's very much still afraid, still rattled by the accusation Aura had made, stating that she wants to run out of the courtroom as she speaks. Despite this she pushes herself to stand there and ask Simon for the chance to face her worst fears - that of the UR-1 trial and the horrible idea that she could be guilty herself - by letting her reveal his true emotions.

Simon accepts, confident that his prowess in psychology can deflect her efforts, though nevertheless wary of the emotions he has kept under wraps for 7 years. Athena (& Phoenix I guess...) slowly dismantle his testimony in full-knowledge that he is lying for a reason - one that could potentially destroy her if proven true. Both of them are staring down the worst-case scenario for each other and trying desperately to keep the other away from that event.

Let's go over that testimony then, shall we? I'll go through it section by section.

Part 1: The False Confession

Simon's lie relies on people seeing him as a heartless killer. We see him build and reinforce that image in his trials, acting as beligerently and violently as he can muster without causing any real damage. By this point he's already slashed at & sicked his bird on just about everyone who's ever stood in court, save for Bobby Fulbright. He's had to be shocked by him just to stop.

Suffice to say it was pretty effective since it took a hostage situation to convince officials to give UR-1 a re-trial (even after the HAT-2 bombing implied that the crimes that day were purpetrated by another party).

To this end, he brought out every trick in the book to keep his true memories on the event at bay from prying eyes; his closed-off nature, his mastery of psychology, his training with blade and hawk alike, his time in prison exposed to the worst humanity had to offer. All of these were ample tools in ensuring that his image is not broken.

His anger and joy regarding his false murder are almost complete lies. At best, he's enraged that such a thing happened at all and glad that his scheme had worked to protect Athena. The phantom later on demonstrates that people can indeed fake their emotions, though some genuine feeling will slip through the cracks if you try.

Enter Athena. Not only does she have a keen ear for one's tone, she has studied psychology and put her mind towards applying her talent to the coutroom. Her Mood Matrix program makes what she hears apparent to even the least informed person and she's already cracked a good number of testimonies with this power (well, two in 5-3 since Apollo and Phoenix did all the others, though they couldn't have without her explaining things).

For most people, Simon's anger would overshadow the relief he felt when he found Athena in the laboratory. Just enough to keep his lie sound for the untrained ear. That same relief for Athena's safety is weaponised in the next two lines as he talks about how cathartic the act was, cementing his intentions to others.

His relief at Athena's safety did need some explaination - leaning on people's poor perceptions of Metis to help his story along - though aside from that? This testimony is practically impenetrable with only one easily explained oddity that only Athena could have ever picked up on.

As I said however, one's true emotions can't help but leak out. Even the best liars like Simon and the phantom can't help that.

Part 2: A Ronin's Remorse

Only two statements change at this point so those are the only ones I'll show here.

One, he's dropped the anger in the second line to focus on his relief. Before he only mentioned that he found her instead of Metis, using his anger to mask his thoughts as frustration that he had to wait for his plans to go through.

Two, his joy is replaced with intense sadness towards the act of plunging the katana into Metis. There's no mention of catharsis here; only describing what had happened to her. To that, he would feel a great sadness.

Naturally he would grieve Metis, though that would not track with his prior satisfaction with the act. So he leaned on Athena again to explain his emotions, and that does explain things rather cleanly.

Note that this is the only time his Noise Level drops, too. It goes from 100% to 40% here - it's the closest he's willing to get to how he truly felt about the event without giving the game away. Any closer and he would start revealing emotions that do not match his words in the slightest.

Part 3: Brief Shock

His noise level rises to 60% here, so the emotions displayed are less accurate to how he truly felt. Although his tale of grand homicide has shifted somewhat...

Now, his concern at the beginning wasn't killing Dr Cykes to rescue Athena; he entered the room because he heard that Athena was upset in the other room while looking for her in the Psychology Lab.

How true it is that Athena was crying at that moment is debatable given future revelations, though nothing's contradictary about this section. Perhaps at this point she hadn't thought to put Metis on the repair table having only just woken up, reacting much like any child would at the sight of her mother's body before the idea crossed her mind. We do have an hour's gap between Metis' death and Simon leaving the lab, after all.

In any case, Simon's relief has turned to shock in the moment he finds Athena in the Robotics Lab. Any mention of Athena at this stage is long gone - he only talks about his hurry to the Robotics Lab. It isn't clear what he would be so shocked by at this stage. Most anyone would know, not much was out of the ordinary when he walked into the room.

Look at how he hesitates before arriving at this explaination. His words are a lot shakier than they were for prior testimony, the excuse he gives a blatant lie to cover his tracks. The noise level goes up again with this as well, from 60% to a full 100%; Simon has completely obscured the events he witnessed once again.

This was the closest Athena and Phoenix got to poking at what he really saw in the lab and it clearly rattled him. Before, his reasoning was sound. Now, we're left wondering what he actually saw in there to result in that much shock...

Part 4: The Blade of Evidence

Unfortunately, this is where the Mood Matrix becomes useless. Simon has explained his contradictory emotions deftly up to this point; his relief at Athena's wellbeing, his grief at the loss of Metis Cykes, his surprise upon entering the lab. In stark contrast to a good few people subjected to Athena's therapy, Simon is the only one in the game that completely evades her attack. He knows how she operates & is well-versed in analytical psychology himself which shows in just how reasonable his explainations are up to this point.

But stacking lies upon lies only gets you so far until it begins to contradict the one thing he can't re-interpret; evidence.

This is the only time he takes damage during his entire time on the stand. When his words no longer match what is physically verifiable, there is no recourse - his psychological prowess cannot disprove cold, hard facts. Just as Athena's abilities cannot be used as hard proof, rather requiring proof in and of itself (usually in the form of a confession from the witness).

Simon can no longer lie about what it is he saw in the lab that day. There are no avenues through which he can explain his shock and by now Athena & Phoenix have dug through his thoughts quite extensively. With that decisive cut they've managed to open Simon to one last attack...

...saldy, by opening one of his deepest, most painful wounds.

Part 5: That Terrible Scene

By this point it's clear everyone is getting much more than they bargained for. Simon's shock was only the tip of the iceberg; a raging storm of emotions had been hidden from earshot for 7 long years, far away from even Athena's keen ears.

The fact she's surprised that Simon has been carrying this for so long shows just how early he's managed to keep this under a lid, that he's had to hide it from young Athena as well (who's hearing was much more sensitive than now).

Athena herself has managed to endure the sound of people's hearts this entire time, in stark contrast to when being around people too long made her dizzy to the point of needing headphones. We've only seen two emotions at most go overboard at once with Marlon Rimes and she managed just fine with that noise - the grief and anger associated with the loss of his lover Azura Summers (at that point her empathy is the only thing that really shows). Simon is different. He feels everything all at once with such intensity that it pains Athena to hear for the first time since her debut. It changes the Mood Matrix screen we see here to purple for the first time that wasn't her demonstrating something to her co-workers (see Yuri Cosmos' MM sequence). Beyond volume and intensity of emotion, the fact that the person she cared so much for as to practice law to save from death row is experiencing so much mental anguish himself is distressing. Something terrible happened that day. It shook the ever-stoic Simon into a state not seen in even the most wild witness so far. He's hidden it for Athena's sake this entire time, but... why?

He's intentionally vague about it this time, compared to his more detailed accounts of the events. "That terrible scene!" leaves a lot to the imagination and nothing that comes to mind is comforting.

We all know why Athena's the defendant in this trial; Aura thinks she killed Metis Cykes that day. Edgeworth supports her theory through evidence that even Phoenix can't counter up to this point. Simon intervened in order to stop their efforts to indict her by lying about what happened that day.

Lying about... what, exactly, is the most concerning question. At this point the only two plausible explainations are that either Simon or Athena had done it. Savvier players might remember that Clonco stops by for a recharge at 2PM, same time as the crime, though Simon and Athena left the room at 3PM. There's a SMALL chance that what he saw could contradict what's been posited so far, though chances aren't looking great.

Also note that his line "I had no choice but to kill my mentor!" has gotten shorter. No mention of not wanting to hand Athena over. Just declaring in sheer hysteria that he did it and had no choice but to do it.

Simon is in a panic. Athena is reeling from her old friend's inner turmoil. No one is quite sure if what's about to be revealed will be in their favour.

He's very obviously concerned with Athena first and foremost; this entire act goes against even his own sister's wants, after all. That's where the centre of his most complex emotions lie.

And what do we find at the eye of the storm?

Part 6: Fixing Her Mother

Dr Cykes was already dead. Athena stood before her body on the repair table, bloody katana not too far away from her. She's covered in blood and no doubt in shock, but otherwise safe and sound.

Then Simon drops the bombshell; Athena looked at him with this look on her face and told him the following:

So.

Allow me to impart how gut-wrenching this entire sequence is.

On its own, it's already dark as dark can be. A smiling, dead-eyed little girl covered in blood is a sight to shake the hardiest to their core (the suspension of disbelief not withstanding - this is a cartoon depiction). I'm not the biggest fan of how Dual Destinies tends to jump between 3D and 2D anime but it can work. And boy does this work.

In context, this is Athena looking at Simon when he finds her mother Metis dead on the repair table. There's a bloody katana right by her and a stab wound on Metis. Athena has her mothers blood on her. She's smiling. Completely detatched from what is going on around her while looking Simon dead in the eye, telling him that she's about to take her mother apart to "fix" her.

Simon is in a whirlwind of emotions over this; grief at his mentor's death and for Athena's loss, relief that she's alive and well, furious that Metis had been murdered, and shocked that not only that this happened, not only that it seemingly happened because of her daughter... but that she's smiling as she's telling him the most horrific thing he could hear after seeing all of this.

Although. Simon isn't the only one Athena is looking at in this image.

She's also looking at herself. Her older self, the one that's just been told she killed her mother and how she intended to "fix" the situation.

Athena has not processed what happened that day by this point - her memories are still tucked away behind 5 Black Psyche Locks as a truth even she isn't aware of. Some parts of that memory come back to her here; the memory of stabbing someone with a blade, telling Simon she's going to "fix" Metis... but nothing more. The phantom is still hidden away from view. So the only logical conclusion she can come to at this point is that she did kill her mother that day.

She processes all of that while looking at herself, dead in the eye, covered in her mother's blood and smiling as if nothing's wrong.

She's looking back at the most innocent form of herself during the single worst event in her life. And she's smiling back at her.

Even better, she's looking at YOU. The player. Taking all of these dreadful things in while you and Athena are forced to witness something that shook SIMON SODDING BLACKQUILL to his core, before Athena finally breaks and screams in a combination of denial and anguish that her worst fear had come to light.

It's only worse when Simon explains that Metis Cykes truly did love Athena. Everything that she had done - especially the headphones Athena hated oh so much - was done to help her lead a normal life in spite of her condition. Simon, being well attuned to the needs and motivations of others, picked up on this and saw the Cykes for more than what they appeared. He did not want to believe that Athena would so callously kill her mother and rip her apart on her own machine. Without any evidence to prove the contrary, he took the fall to save her from guilt he saw as unjust. It had to be some kind of mistake... right?

Athena, on top of reliving UR-1 under the worst possible context, is practically frozen in her shivering pose the entire time. Without any evidence to the contrary, she has no reason to believe it wasn't her. Her faith in herself has completely shattered at this point. She was brave in wanting to confront the truth Simon had hidden all these years - especially after what Aura said while she was in the Detention Centre. Unfortunately it only revealed the worst for both characters; Simon's drive to protect Metis' daughter had been for naught, and Athena now has to live with the knowledge that in the abscence of decisive evidence, she had set every terrible thing that happened to the her, Simon, and Aura in motion 7 years ago.

I could nark about Phoenix's involvement here. How he steals much of Athena's thunder and how she would have been more fitting to point out the flaws in Simon's testimony, perhaps even showing some growth as a standard evidence-presenting lawyer through disproving the Ponco explaination. I do wish he was written and utilised better, though I completely understand why Athena specifically is out of commission for this part of the re-trial, especially immediately after Aura and Simon's revelations about her part in UR-1.

The trauma Athena experienced has a significant affect on her throughout DD and she's shown that enough pressure being built on her is enough to shut her down completely. UR-1 itself is horrific enough to warrent such a total shutdown in the times it occurs - specifically in regards to not being able to save a friend from a false conviction. The game does a good job in building up to and justifying her reactions. Having her truck on in spite of this is very much in the Athena spirit but there's a clear breaking point; going past that would reduce the impact significantly.

I do still think it would have been more effective for her to pick apart Simon's testimony though. You can't have your faux-protagonist make a big hoo-ha about being given a chance and then hand the steering-wheel to the guy who only learned of Simon's situation THAT SAME DAY-

Ahem. Sorry about that.

My gripes aside, this is a very effective and powerful sequence that makes the triumph later on all the more impactful. This struggle between two people trying to save the other, briefly falling into the darkest moment of both their lives, then somehow coming back from it is the main reason I cried over Simon thanking Athena while she finally let loose those tears of joy.

Dual Destinies can be amazing when it isn't being stupid, you know?

#ace attorney #dual destinies #aa5 #ace attorney spoilers #dual destinies spoilers #aa5 spoilers #dual destinies analysis #athena cykes #simon blackquill #metis cykes #ur-1 #ur 1 #turnabout for tomorrow #thena thoughts #simon soliloquys #psych siblings #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH so glad to have this one off my chest!

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