raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end
hi! here i am!
It feels like a long time has passed, but really it’s been a normal amount of time, I was just in Texas for a bunch of it, which distorted the matter.
Austin is one of those places that I’ve never had a great deal of interest in visiting, mostly because I have a very clear perception of my own coolness, and Austin seems much cooler than me. (This isn’t a put-down! I am a generally boring person, and that is a-ok with me.) But my brother is in Austin, which outweighs all other considerations.
It was a good time, on the whole! Breakfast tacos grow on trees, practically. We went on a homes tour, which was a really rad way to experience a city. Some of the most interesting modern architecture I’ve seen! Plus, my brother works in a lovingly-restored mid-century building, filled with classic Knoll furniture.
Forward my mail to these womb chairs, please.
Notable Breakfast
the aforementioned breakfast tacos + watermelon agua fresca
Dog Thing
modeling a tiny Gargoyles illustration I commissioned from my pal Tait Howard!
Mixed Media
If you’ve spent much time on the internet, chances are you’ve seen the above graphic, probably accompanied by this pointy dude:
The dude is Phoenix Wright. The game? Ace Attorney.
I’ve had a lot of conversations about Ace Attorney recently, mostly because I am at all times willing to discuss the franchise, if given even the hint of an opportunity to do so. “This seems crazy,” you might be thinking, “but is this a series of games about.....lawyers?”
Yes, my friend. Yes, it is.
Ace Attorney is a truly brilliant series of games in which you play as a defense attorney–usually Phoenix Wright, but in later games they mix it up–and face off against prosecutors in the loopiest version of a court of law imaginable. There is no jury, it’s just you versus what is probably a very odd prosecutor (carrying a whip, perhaps, or accompanied by a hawk) trying to convince one dotty old judge that your client is innocent of the crime of murder. It’s always murder, because no other crimes exist in the world of Ace Attorney. Your client is also probably innocent, because the police are laughably bad at their jobs, and the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” simply doesn’t enter into it.
It’s you versus the ticking time bomb of a prison sentence, and the guilty verdict the judge is always too happy to send down. But it’s alright, because you, as a noble defense attorney, must above all believe in your client. That is the most important thing. Believing is generally a pretty easy thing to do, as half the time your client is a close personal friend. It is very easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in Ace Attorney.
Phoenix is accompanied by an assistant, who can be anyone from a teenage student of spirit channeling (yes) to, in later games, other actual attorneys. But the fun stuff is generally the show-downs between the attorneys and prosecutors, which can get pretty dramatic. Phoenix’s recurring adversary is Miles Edgeworth.
You’ve maybe heard this game referred to as the “Gay Lawyers Game.” This dude’s relationship with Phoenix is why. At this point I play all Ace Attorney games with the assumption that Miles and Phoenix are married, but just prefer to keep things professional in the courtroom. (Miles also has his own series of spin-off games now, only one of which has been released in the U.S., tragically.)
The Ace Attorney games basically logic games, with some fun point and click investigating and puzzles thrown in, but they’re very well written. The hook, for me, is (as always) the characters. They’re games with a lot of heart, and even if you don’t want Miles and Phoenix to kiss (you will), it’s hard to avoid being taken in by the sweet cast.
There’s the added appeal of the often hilarious Japan-to-U.S. localization. Plus, sometimes stuff like this happens:
The first three games are available in a bundle in the ios app store, so it’s super easy to get involved with this delightfully batshit series.
Also:
I’m still all-in on Yuri!!! On Ice, which has revealed itself to be really beautifully written and with a shocking depth of character. It’s the thing I look forward to watching the most, every week. The second season of Kuromukuro is now up on Netflix, and was just as fun and dramatic as the first. This was really just the 2nd half of the show, and ended very satisfyingly. Supergirl is back, and oh how I missed it! It’s such a fun, cheerful show, and by casting Tyler Hoechlin as Superman, they managed to find someone who can match Melissa Benoist beat for excited puppy beat.
I wrote a post about a mix tape my mom always seemed to have playing in the car when I was very, very small, which consequently was my first memory of music. It sent me down a rabbit hole of classic John Williams film scores. The Superman score was a particularly delightful rediscovery. Against Me!’s Shape Shift With Me is still my very favourite thing.
I saw The Accountant, because I was determined to see something at the Alamo Drafthouse while I was in Austin, and it was a slow week for movies. It was ultimately entertaining, but also very stupid. But, like, the sort of stupid that thinks it’s very clever, so there was a whole other level of entertainment there. I did genuinely enjoy Ben Affleck in it.
I’m playing the newest Ace Attorney game, Spirit of Justice, which partially takes place in a country in which defense attorneys are pretty much considered criminals, so the stakes have never been higher or more ridiculous. Naturally, I love it.
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
The Circus at the End of the World by mikkimouse Teen Wolf, sterek, post-apocalyptic au. This is a story within a framework of post-apocalypse and it has steampunk elements, neither of which are settings I particularly enjoy, but M’s writing is all-the-time out of this world, so it allllll works. Derek’s pack operates a traveling circus, which Stiles joins up with after his father is kidnapped. The pace and build of this fic are delightful, and you can absolutely tell that it’s something M worked on for a long time.
(M also wrote two ficlets about Teen Wolf’s Scott & Lydia this week, to my great delight.)
Definitely Good Weird by withpractice_ff Ace Attorney, Apollo & Trucy, post-AA4. This fic addresses the relationship between Apollo & Trucy that the game really leaves hanging, and does it in a very, very sweet way.
try if you can by aknightly Voltron, Lance/Keith, college au. Keith has been in love with Lance for so long at this point that he’s used to ignoring it. But when Lance comes back from winter vacation suddenly wanting to be with Keith all the time, he’s forced to address his emotions. I LOVED the way this fic dealt with Keith’s unrequited crush.
every night my mind is running around her by magnetic wave Stranger Things, Eleven/Dustin, future fic. The kids are all in college now, and have come home for Nancy’s wedding. It’s Dustin’s POV, which is a particular delight.
Interruptus by prospectkiss Ace Attorney, Phoenix/Miles. I generally avoid reccing fics which are mostly porn, out of a probably misguided effort of maintaining an air of dignity about this newsletter (I find nothing wrong with writing or reading porn, but my mom read these missives. So.), but this is a delightful romp of a fic, in which Phoenix and Miles just want two minutes to themselves, and their friends and colleagues keep interrupting.
untitled by notcaycepollard Captain America Civil War, Sam/Bucky. Sam and Bucky are both astronomy nerds, pass it on.
Lastly
Amazing on-point feminist material culture meme.
This 1932 photo of Katharine Hepburn has changed my life.
bye!!
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