Episode 2: turnabout sisters
[(Mia says she had to attend a pre-trial meeting in her phone call, but the series never mentions them again. Why is that?)]
"Because it isn't relevant to the plot. What kind of question is that? You are sinning the games for never addressing something that doesn't affect the plot in any way, but don't establish any reason why we should care." One sin added.
[(Mia doesn't run from, call the police on or try to attack a man's she's investigating as a dangerous criminal when he confronts her. So this is where Phoenix gets it.)]
"Blatant lie. She tried to run out of the office. He chased her and struck her down. That is a literal plot point in the trial. Also…how could she have called the police when a maniac was chasing her with a statue? And lastly…you just suggested Mia had a chance in a physical fight against White. Think about that for a moment." Three sins added.
[Mia is dead. I would sin this, but I am basically every time I utter the phrase mentor ex Machina, so…five sins anyway.)]
"And I would sin you right now for the completely wrong us of Deus ex Machina, but I will be doing that a lot throughout this fic, so…five sins anyway." Five sins added.
[Phoenix shows almost no strong emotions over his mentor being murdered. In other news, episode where someone dies every episode expects me to feel sadness over one woman's death. Instead, I feel frustration for the sheer number of times she mentor ex Machinas as a ghost, all because of this case.]
"You are getting a lot of sins for this nonsense. One, Phoenix showed strong emotions over Mia's death. He literally shouted his lungs off when he saw her. He tries to stifle them to focus on the investigation. Two, you clearly are not showing any emotions since you are calling Mia "One woman." And three, you again misuse Deus ex Machina. I would give you ten sins for disrespecting Mia alone, but this fic will have too many sins already, so…" ten sins added anyway.
(I remove sins for Gumshoe, then he arrests Maya after spending five seconds at a crime scene, looking at a paper.)
"And that's the point. What most of you players fail to realize is that the Ace attorney games are meant as criticizing towards Japan's legal system, which was in a terrible state back then. People got arrested on barely any evidence, the police was incredibly sloppy and quick to condemn people and defense attorneys most of the times lost as the system was unfair. If you cannot understand the game's premise, I have no idea why you are here." One sin added.
(Mia way overhypes the events of the first episode to Maya.)
"No, she's not. If you didn't get a rapid heartbeat when the pursuit theme started playing, something is wrong with you." One sin added.
(Maya says she has no one else to turn to…until the next game, when it's revealed she's had an aunt living with her in Khurain all along. Sure, I know what's going to come from that a year from now, but there is no way Maya knew that.)
"Maya is not staying in Khurain right now. She is staying in her own apartment, in LA. Even if she called her aunt to come, she probably would find some excuse to get out of it and let Maya rot in prison. And even if she did come, what more could she do? All she can do is go get Grossberg. And Phoenix can do that, why put the poor woman through so much trouble? Yes, she would deserve it, but…just sayin." One sin added.
(Game finds a way to get away with calling their detective a dick in this series.)
"If I was making this fic, I would probably joke about how both Dick and Gumshoe are slang words for "detective." I guess that would actually take talent though." One sin added.
[(Getting Maya's cellphone back) Gumshoe falls for this]
"Yes. You get it, Gumshoe is gullible. That's part of his character. It's not a sin if it's done intentionally. What's next? Are you also gonna sin Edgeworth for being a jerk or Phoenix for showing evidence to killers? Wait…" one sin added.
[(Visiting April May, Phoenix says: "I wonder what could be inside that drawer)Looks like a vibrator]
"Couldn't go without making a cringey sexual joke, could you? It's like speaking with another Jeremy." One sin added.
(Marvin Grossberg.)
"That's it? You are just gonna say a character's name and sin them without any excuse? No arbitrary sins here, just say what your problem is. Sure, I understand there can be a few good reasons to not like Grossberg, but until you say exactly what the issue is, I sin." One sin added.
(Grossberg says his painting is worth three million dollars, but is doing literally nothing to ensure it doesn't get taken or damaged. In other words, no way is this painting making it though the episode without being stolen.)
"You are phrasing that as if that's something that happened. It didn't. White used the information on Grossberg's involvement in DL-6 to blackmail him into giving him money and items, like the painting. That's why he cannot reveal that in court, as he would have to say what he did and the police would grab him." One sin added.
(That wiretap looks nothing like what was sticking out of the drawer. Not even the same color.)
"Maybe because what was sticking out of the drawer was not the wiretap, but the screwdriver used to place it inside Mia's phone. You need to get your eyes checked." One sin added.
(Miles Edgeworth in demon mode.)
"That's not a sin. That's who Edgeworth is. His father was murdered, the killer was let go and so he is trying to take out his hatred for criminals by not letting any defendants get away. You are sinning how this character is characterized. If it were up to you, there would be no antagonists, ever. Because they are all dicks. And, apparently, being a dick is something wrong with the game." One sin added.
(Updating the autopsy report.)
"Sinning the updated autopsy report. And that can only mean you haven't seen the meme. I mean, see Edgeworth shake his body like that and then come and tell me if this scene is sin worthy." One sin added.
(Edgeworth goes out of his way to insult someone who was just murdered.)
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Pierce is still sinning Edgeworth's characterization. That means you are shitting on one of the greatest character arcs of the entire series. Shame on you!" one sin added.
(April May drinks iced coffee at nine pm. Someone doesn't like sleeping.)
"It's almost as if she ordered that coffee to gain an alibi by having the bellboy see her and not to drink it. How can you get the game and not get it at the same time?" one sin added.
[(I object! That was…objectionable)frivolous objection cliché origin.]
"I…I'm sorry. I thought I was seeing things. Did you just…call a thing that has only ever happened in this game series a cliché? We already had Deus ex Machina, how many phrases are you gonna mess up here?" one sin added.
(I would just like to point out that Phoenix has no evidence to accuse the man with April May at this stage of the case. All he knows is that he checked in with April May at the time of the murder and wasn't in the room when it happened. For all we can prove right now, Redd White could have been in the bathroom.)
"But both April May and Edgeworth went to great lengths to hide the existence of that man. That makes him quite suspicious to anyone with a brain. And even if that wasn't the case, if he was actually in the room, he is still a witness. And that means the defense has the right to cross-examine him before the verdict is passed." One sin added.
(Maya thinks the guy trying to convict her of murdering her sister is attractive. After Oldbag, this is the weirdest "Chicks dig the Edgeworth" moment in the entire game.)
"Pierce thinks it is weird for women to dig Edgeworth. Have you even seen this man? And this is hypocritical since Pierce later admits she digs Edgeworth, too." One sin added.
(Visiting April May in detention was somehow considered a worthwhile way to waste game time. Phoenix just got her arrested? Who thought visiting her would be in any way productive?)
"Phoenix suspects the man with April May as the killer. But has no evidence to prove it. And he doesn't even know where to find him. He needs information and right now, April May is his only chance of getting it. A long shot, but it's still his only shot." One sin added.
(Talking to the bellboy is also pretty pointless. All he does is ask for photos…)
"And I'm gonna stop you right there because you just contradicted yourself. You are saying visiting the bellboy is pointless, but at the same time you mention you show him the photos, which is the only way you can prove the man with April May was the man in the photograph and the only way you can get her to spill the beans. You are speaking out of both sides of your mouth." One sin added.
[(That does it. When this case is over, I'm shaving my head.) Phoenix doesn't shave his head.]
"The spiky hair is Phoenix's trademark, and the most unique think about his appearance. Without it, he is…see Apollo justice. And you want him to shave it? I can already hear all hardcore Phoenix fans sharpening their swords. I might be one of them." One sin added.
(Redd White)
"Again with this…stop staying names of characters and expect us to agree with you. I know Redd White can be annoying. But he is supposed to be. He is a murderer and blackmailer! He believes he has made himself untouchable to the law, which is why he acts so cocky all the time! We want to take him to prison! But why would we feel satisfied from breaking him on the stand or throwing his ass in jail if he wasn't evil and despicable? Villains are evil and despicable!" One sin added.
(Redd White steals a three million dollar painting from someone and assaults Phoenix, but when he is brought down for murder, those charges never come up again, even though the dollar value of the painting easily makes it a felony.)
"It's almost as if Grossberg has a dirty hidden secret he cannot reveal, something he will have to do if he presses charges against White. And Phoenix would have to press charges for the assault. But since White is already going to prison for life, why bother?" one sin added.
(Grossberg says he's been paying Bluecorp money for fifteen years, but White says they've only been around for ten. So…which is it?)
"Those things are completely unrelated. Grossberg said he's been paying White for fifteen years, not Bluecorp. In order to establish Bluecorp, White would have needed money. Where do you think he got it? Or do you think he only started blackmailing people after his company was set up?" one sin added.
[(Call with the chief prosecutor) We know what Damon Gant was Blackmailing Lana Skye over, but what did Redd White have against her? This is never explained.]
"Mainly because that's not Lama Skye. The person White calls was not the same rank as Lana, but a different one. It was lost in the translation. It's clear by the tone of the words being typed that it's a male. If you had sinned the localization team for screwing up, I would let this slide. But since you fell for this mistake, I sin." One sin added.
(Arresting Phoenix right with absolutely zero evidence is probably the most unlawful arrests in the series. So, naturally, the legality of the matter is never questioned and no one is punished for it, even after White is arrested for the crime. Not to mention…what happens to Maya? Is she officially declared innocent because of this? This is never explained.)
"I give you the part about Maya. But it's clear you still don't get the point the game is trying to make. White is explicitly shown as having information on all powerful figures and blackmailing them to protect himself and abuse the law. He uses that influence to get Phoenix arrested without any questions. The point is that the legal system is so corrupt that nobody dares ignore orders from the superiors, no matter how questionable, and it can be easily played like a fiddle if you have power over it. Japan was screw up, y'all." One sin added.
(Edgeworth visits a man he knows was arrested on zero evidence and tells him he will be found guilty no matter what. I know this is pre-development Edgeworth, but…really?)
"Oh, right…it couldn't have anything to do with the literal judge that presides over the trail being in White's pocket, could it? This ain't the USA we know. In this universe, if you control the judge, you control everything, gal." One sin added.
(Hey, what happened on September 8th? Game jumps for 7th to 9th and thinks I won't notice."
"But you didn't notice. September 7th ends of Phoenix's arrest. 9th starts with the trial. The part where he decides to defend himself and has the talk with Maya takes place on the 8th. See?" one sin added.
(Edgeworth can't get witnesses to say their names cliché origin.)
"Where the Hell is that considered a cliché? You mean it only happens in this series? Huh…I wasn't aware something you do can be considered a cliché if you invented it." One sin added.
[(Redd White loses it after fifteen minutes of trial) and the award for the most over-inflated villain of the series goes to…]
"That's the point. Redd White is in fact a terrible villain. That's obvious by the evidence he left behind and the countless slip-ups he made on the stand. He has been able to get away with it all thanks to his influence. Once he got on the stand he became a man and was easily broken down. And don't tell me it still doesn't feel good to break him." One sin added.
(How does Phoenix not immediately remember that the light stand wasn't in the office a week before the murder? He works there every day!)
"Because Phoenix is not very observant. I mean, he didn't even think to turn the receipt around. That's part of his character. Because there are humans like him. Humans that don't notice or remember obvious things. And Phoenix being like this adds that quality that makes him feel like a person and not a robot." One sin added.
(Mentor ex Machina.)
"Okay, that is a bit closer to the actual definition, but still no. It would be if this had never been set up prior. Maya mentioning this during the investigation is setting this up. In other words, this is Chekov's gun and not Deus ex Machina." One sin added.
(Literally no one ever comments on Mia coming back from the dead.)
"Because they don't notice. I know they should, but…you would be surprised by how unobservant people can be." One sin added.
Total sin tally: 50
Sentence: Locked in a room with April May (In demon mode.)