Episode 3
[(The steel samurai show cutscene) To save on animation, the majority of this episode is narrated on black screen.]
"The ones who will read this fic: tell me, apart from the opening cutscene and the backstory of the accident at the studios, what part of this case takes place on black screen? Exactly." one sin added
(Also, narration)
"You just called an episode of a series crucial to this case narration. Apart from the usual issue of narration not being a problem with the game, where the hell is the narration here?" one sin added.
(Why is there a TV in the office?)
"Because many lawyers have TVs at their office to watch during a break or while they wait for a client. Why do you ask?"
(It's almost like they knew ahead of time they wouldn't be getting many clients and needed something to distract them all day.)
"Oh, I get it. You are inventing things to be mad about. Is this really a problem with Phoenix Wright: ace attorney, Pierce? It's the 2000s! Everyone has a TV And besides…(Insert Dr. Eggman.) Nobody cares!" one sin added.
(Phoenix solves a case that gets tons of press coverage, defeats an undefeated prosecutor and took down a public figure, so naturally, his office is completely deserted in the month to follow.)
"Becoming famous as a lawyer and having clients swarming in is much more difficult than it seems. You have to do it for years, win almost every case and defend high-profile characters. You are not going to become Robert Shapiro by winning one important case." One sin added.
(Why does Will Powers want Phoenix as his lawyer? Does global studios not have a legal team on hand? If Will is as famous as the game thinks he is, he shouldn't need to hire a lawyer with only two cases under his belt. Is it because Phoenix is cheaper? I think he might be cheaper.)
"There is so much wrong in this one sentence, I need to grab a freaking knife and fork. First, you are suggesting Global studios would lend Powers their legal team after he is arrested for murdering one of their actors. That would only create a bigger scandal for them. You know nothing about big productions, do you? They only care about covering for their own skin. Second, it's almost as if this game is called Phoenix Wright: ace attorney and not Global studio's legal team: ace attorney. But the biggest issue here is that you just showed your hypocrisy. You literally admit you know Phoenix only has ever tried two cases and nobody would want him to defend them at this point, but in the previous sin you sinned the fact that he doesn't get any clients. You are speaking out of both sides of your mouth. Again!" three sins added.
[(Meeting Powers) contrary to what the game is trying to tell me, Will Powers looks too much like cowardly lion to be intimidating.]
"You are saying this as if the cowardly lion is not intimidating. Sure, once you get to know him, you can tell he is a really nice guy. But just by his appearance, he can give you a heart attack. That's the point of his character, that he doesn't like people fearing him for his appearance and that's the same point the game is making here. Powers is also nice, sensitive and good, but his appearance can be scary. People tend to judge others by looks and so, Powers is deemed a dangerous man. He doesn't want people to fear him, which is why he takes on roles that involve wearing masks." One sin added.
(Wendy Oldbag.)
"Sinning Oldbag. I love her. I know this may seem weird, but…guys. She is really funny. And her role in this game is pivotal. She literally makes a turn when she accepts Hammer's mistakes and helps Phoenix take Vasquez down." One sin added.
(Oldbag claims the studio with the most popular kids show in television is going downhill. I don't think she knows what going downhill means.)
"She wasn't being literal. She knows the studio is making tons of money. That's not her point. Her point is that the studio's values and morals have gone downhill. She says Hammer was forced to play the villain in kids' shows for peanuts, which is really unethical. We later discover Vasquez used the accident five years ago to force the studio bigwigs to do whatever she wants, ruining the value of the studio's productions and abusing all employees. So Oldbag was right." One sin added.
(Maya hurts Gumshoe's feelings.)
"She was right. Gumshoe was a bit sloppy and, deep down, he knows that. Which is why he makes a commendable effort to become a better officer in future cases. What Maya said was negative reinforcement." One sin added.
[(Penny Nichols.) introducing…the most forgettable character of the entire series. Poor girl.]
"I disagree. Penny has a very crucial role in this case. She gave us information we needed about the accident. She may not have a huge role, but she doesn't need to. It is usual in crime fiction to have characters that only appear for a few minutes and yet, they play an important part in the development of the case. As does Penny." One sin added.
[(In court) Edgeworth is still in demon mode.]
"And you are still sinning characterization. This is getting annoying. You have already played the games. That means you know Edgeworth's arc in this one and why he acts the way he does. Either you are dishonest of terrible at getting plot points. Pick one." One sin added.
(Gumshoe comes to the witness stand to tell the player everything they already know and that the prosecution could have included in their opening statement instead of testifying for…what reason?)
"Maybe because a member of the police coming to the stand to explain the basic facts of the case is standard procedure? It's done in the real world, and it's done here. Not all witnesses need to have a contradiction in their testimony. You are sinning the game for keeping up continuity. How would it look if Gumshoe testified in this case and the next one, but not in this one?" one sin added.
(Edgeworth can't get witnesses to say their names cliché.)
"Yup….she is still calling something that only ever happens in this series a cliché. And that's ironic since your use of the word cliché is well on its way to become its own cliché." One sin added.
(If Edgeworth is this surprised there is more evidence in this case than meets the eye, that means he was trying to get a conviction based on a photo of someone in a costume. My question isn't how Phoenix beats him, it's how Edgeworth went on this long without losing. Some rival he is!)
"This is another part of Edgeworth's character arc. He is facing a huge moral crisis in this case. On one hand he feels he has lost everything for failing to get a guilty verdict last time, but on the other hand he also begins to think that perhaps there is more to being a prosecutor than blindly accusing the defendant. For someone who claims to really like Edgeworth, you sure are terrible at getting his characterization. And for the ones that will claim it's a sin that he didn't even bother to look at the photograph, that's detective Gumshoe's fault for telling Oldbag not to show it as he thought it wasn't good as evidence. Edgeworth had nothing to do with it." One sin added.
(Oldbag knows the grate has been loose for a while and the kids can sneak into the studio that way, but literally nothing has been done about it thus far. Why?)
"lo and behold. Pierce blatantly lies to pad her sin count. Penny is shown to have tried fixing it after this trial ends. It didn't work, because she isn't good with handiwork. But it's clear the studio told Oldbag to try and fix it an she had Penny do the work. But I guess a literal murder occurring in the studio would make a loose grate to slip from your mind a bit. That's why Penny didn't think about doing it, until Oldbag called her and had her do it right away." One sin added.
[(In recess) Will Powers now knows that the studio is raided by fanboys on a daily basis, but still can't imagine why anyone would steal his samurai suit.]
"Why would a grade schooler try to steal his suit, Pierce? The kids want to get photographs and see the rehearsals, not get arrested. And not to mention the suit is huge. If they couldn't put it on, why even want to take it? You really need to think these things before saying them." One sin added.
(Phoenix knowingly accuses an innocent person to stall for time here, but in the next game, it's a huge moral crisis for him. Why?)
"Because in the next game, there was a serious chance of the other person being found guilty and sentenced to death while the true culprit got away. Phoenix here knows that Oldbag is innocent and that they will let her go pretty quickly. He basically accused her to get the opportunity to investigate another day, he never intended to go all the way." One sin added.
(Also, Edgeworth has no problems watching a witness get accused of murder with mere conjecture, simply because she is annoying. Edgeworth is a jerk at the expense of his case.)
"Well, he has nothing to say. Phoenix's arguments all stand and Edgeworth can't make a convincing rebuttal. Remember, Phoenix is not saying that Oldbag is guilty. Just that she should also be considered a suspect and the case calls for more investigating. Edgeworth cannot refute that." One sin added.
(Why does Phoenix wait until the next day to investigate? He had all afternoon yesterday.)
"What the hell are you talking about? The trial ends on October 18, the investigation begins on October 18. The next trial stars on October 19. You are literally lying to your readers and padding your sin count. I would give one sin here, but since you blatantly lied to sin the game for no reason…" ten sins added.
(Pointless conversation with Will Powers is pointless.)
"So Phoenix and Maya wanting to check on their client and see what he knows about the day of the murder is pointless? Sure, you don't get any useful information from it, but you still should talk to your clients. Or you think lawyers handle cases and don't speak with their clients?" one sin added.
[(Kicking open the grate.) Phoenix gives no fucks that Maya is vandalizing studio property.)]
"Yes, he does. He is shown feeling guilty about it. But he accepts there is nothing he can do. Maya was going to do it either way. No use crying over split milk. Not to mention it's thanks to that that the fanboy found his way into the studio and allowed them to turn the case around. Maya saved the case, girl!" one sin added.
(Cody Hackins.)
"What's wrong with him? I know he can be annoying, but he is a child. He is perfectly in character. Not to mention he is shown as having a very strong sense of right and wrong. He wants justice to be delivered and he helps Phoenix to turn the case around. Cody Hackins is an amazing character. The sin here is that he never appears again. Shoutout to fan-made game "conflict of interest" for making that happen." But one sin added here.
[(Meeting Dee Vasquez.) Dee Vasquez isn't quite as annoying as everyone else in this case. I would remove a sin if I wasn't an asshole with higher standards than this.)
"Do I even need to say anything here? I do? Yes, I don't make arbitrary sins. Okay…Pierce sins something she likes cliché." One sin added.
[(Finding the script.) Phoenix Wright does everyone else's chores instead of…I don't know, investigating?)
"Says the girl that later wonders why not more non-finale cases don't get extended into three days. Here's why. If you know why, why do you ask?" one sin added.
(It takes forever to move between locations in early ace attorney games.)
"Pierce exaggerating. You can get pretty quickly from one place to another. Unless you go to the wrong place and have to go all the way back. In which case…it's your fault." One sin added.
[(Maya channels Mia when the investigation hits a slump.) Mentor ex Machina.]
"If you had merely said that Mia only appears when it's convenient to the plot, I would agree with you there. But you are still misusing Deus ex Machina. Mia being channeled by Maya is a critical plot point set up in the previous case. By definition, she is not a Deus ex Machina. This sin would easily be avoided if you weren't so attached to this phrase." One sin added.
(Ten seconds of Oldbag panting.)
"Oldbag is….very, very old and she just spent a good amount of time chasing a 7 year old child, the chase ending with her falling down. It would be strange if she wasn't tuckered out and panting like that." One sin added.
(Game implies seven-year old boy is somehow seduced by a dead woman, and no one thinks that weird.)
"Maybe because Mia is really hot even as a spirit channeled by her little sister. Okay…it sounds weird when you say it out loud." So I won't sin.
(Penny is the only one who notices when Maya channels someone else. I mean, good on her, but sin on everyone else.)
"Maybe because Penny is the only person in this studio with a good head on her shoulders. Oldbag is focused only on finding Cody, Cody is only seven years old, Manella and Vasquez are lost in their own world and Powers is too worried about himself to worry about Maya. Besides, Penny even says that it is probably her imagination when Phoenix and Mia pretend they don't know what she is talking about.. That means that even if people notice Maya channeling Mia, they would think they were seeing things and not that a spirt channeling was taking place. What is most likely to cross your mind in this situation?" one sin added.
[(Penny mentions the accident revolving around Hammer.) is this the incident from x years ago is related to today cliché origin or it is the DL-6 incident? I can never be sure on this one.]
"That's not used often enough to be called a cliché. Name me more than five movies or series that do this. And don't say other games in this series! Don't make me say it again!" one sin added.
(Phoenix doesn't know what the big deal is about trading steel samurai cards, even though he drew up in a time when Pokémon cards were popular. So what's up with this?)
"Just because Pokémon cards were traded when he was a child doesn't mean he gave a shit about them. It was pretty popular when I was a child, but apart from Pikachu, I cannot name even one Pokémon because I do not care about them!" one sin added.
(Cody is impressed with his new digital camera…in 2016. I get the game was made in 2001, but that doesn't mean the characters should be impressed with 2001 technology.)
"The game was made in 2001. The people who made this game were as impressed by the digital camera as the characters are shown to be. The reason the game takes place in 2016 it because the developers wanted to show how Japan's legal system would end up if it didn't change. This game is social criticism. That necessarily led to a few weird things in the timeline. What did you want them to do? Travel through time to see 2016 technology?" one sin added.
(Phoenix wants to hide testimony from the court, even though he got all upset with Edgeworth and called him immoral for doing the same thing last episode. Hypocrite much?)
"He doesn't try to hide him. He merely says there is no reason to bring him to the stand to testify. If the police finds him, they can call them themselves (something that happens). Why would Phoenix call a witness that would damage his own case?" one sin added.
[(Gumshoe wants to interrogate a minor without his parents being present.) that's not legal]
"Gumshoe would probably let Cody call his parents from the station and tell them what happened. They could then choose to be present. Why his parents are not shown? Because nobody cares!" one sin added.
[(Back to court) Sal Manella on the witness stand.]
"Look, I agree Sal Manella is creepy and disgusting…but his testimony is crucial. It gives Phoenix the opportunity to create a time frame during which the crime could have been commited, preparing the ground for Cody's testimony." One sin added.
(The "Press one statement before pressing another to get a contradiction" is a great trick to use in cross-examinations, so naturally, none of the later games use it.)
"None of the later games, huh? You constantly diss on the later games for forgetting the implications of "Farewell my turnabout", but it seems you are also forgetting the part where Powers testified there. Who's the hypocrite now?" one sin added.
(Edgeworth has a problem with traumatizing grade school boys during a murder trial, but not mentally ill young women or teenage girls. I'm sure that makes to somebody, but it doesn't make sense to me.)
"Well, seeing as Cody burst into tears a lot in this trial…if Edgeworth was trying to keep the boy from being traumatized, he sucks at his job." One sin added.
(Edgeworth can't get witnesses…)
"Okay, look guys, every time she tries to say something like this I will skip it because I am over repeating myself." One sin added.
[(Mia tells us how to get through Cody's testimony.) More mentor ex Machina. And I thought Dual Destinies held your hand.]
"You know what the issue is here, right? Do I need to say it again? Please don't make me say it again." One sin added.
(Judge doesn't know what a digital camera is in 2016.)
"Aside from the fact that I already explained this above…the judge is shown as not knowing anything related with technology or the world in general. You cannot sin that if it's his character." One sin added.
[(I don't care if he's a child or a prosecuting attorney. No one should lie in court!) Is Phoenix being savage, or foreshadowing the finale for us? I can never be sure on this one.]
"Dude…there is no way you read this line and came to that conclusion. Phoenix was roasting Edgeworth for his lies in the previous case. Even a grade schooler can get that!" one sin added.
"Also, sinning this line." Two sins added.
(Mia is entirely too excited to break apart the testimony of a seven-year old.)
"The seven-year old in question was lying. It was this or Powers getting the chair." One sin added.
"Also, why are you saying Mia? Phoenix is doing all the work here. I hope this isn't a sly way to subconsciously pass your message about a Deus ex Machina again!" one sin added.
(Phoenix makes a seven-year old cry in court. An annoying seven-year old, but a seven-year old nonetheless.)
"You forgot lying. An annoying, lying seven-year old. That's an important detail." One sin added.
(Is this the only non-finale case to ever get extended into three days? I think this is the only non-finale case to ever get extended into three days. Why don't more cases do that?)
"See?! She already knows why cases don't get extended into three days because she already said it above-the case dissolving into a series of errands-but she still wants more cases to do this. She contradicts herself so many times, she would put Sahwit to shame!" one sin added.
(Both Mia and Phoenix tease their client about how many times they nearly left him for dead. Mia and Phoenix are jerks in this case.)
"You don't know about humor being used as a self-defense mechanism, do you? Mr. Powers is on very thin ice right now. They barely found something to latch onto and get another day to investigate. Powers is very nervous and so, Mia and Phoenix try to get his mind off the trial and help him relax by making some black humor. And it works. You can't argue with the result." One sin added.
[(At the office) Maya had a lawyer for a sister and was recently tried for a crime, but she still doesn't know what the initial trial system is…even thought it's been in place for years. They don't even need this for the players benefit, since the system was already explained. Maya plays dumb for no reason.]
"The first part of this sin is unnecessary information. What does Maya having a lawyer sister and being tried for a crime have to do with her not knowing about the initial trial system? Are you saying all defendants in a trial know about the legal system? Because that is stupid. And…was it ever established Mia and Maya talked about the legal system because Mia was a lawyer? I don't think it was ever established Mia and Maya talked about the legal system because Mia was a lawyer. You think lawyers only talk about law? So, Maya doesn't play dumb. She really doesn't know. And since this is the first case to get extended into three days, Phoenix decides to inform her this will be their last chance. It is kind of important." One sin added.
(No matter what day it is, Oldbag always has plenty of donuts at in her guard station. What an unhealthy cliché.)
"Making funs of cops liking donuts. And don't pretend you don't like donuts. Everyone does." One sin added.
(Game implies relationship between Dee Vasquez and Sal Manella. That is a fanfiction I never want to read.)
"To those of you who are wondering…no, Pierce is not pointing something wrong with the game. She is just explaining what just happened and making a cringey joke to show her personal opinion. In other words…Pierce points things on the screen cliché. I'm not surprised it happened. I'm actually surprised it took this long." One sin added.
(Penny has no surprised animation. This bothers me more than it should.)
"This game was made for a Gameboy. The memory card limitations were very small back then. They had to give each character specific animations. It was this or one of the characters getting cut off. Would you prefer somebody to get thrown out just so Penny would look surprised?" one sin added.
(Studio with the most popular kids show on television doesn't want to make kids' shows anymore, even thought it's probably making tons of money. Studio is an idiot.)
"She still can't understand how selfish productions companies can be. The murder of hammer and the arrest of one of their employees for it (Either Powers or Vasquez) will create a huge scandal. They want the steel samurai to be cancelled to make sure the story will get buried and forgotten. And the only way to accomplish that will be to divert from kids shows, which will remind people of the steel samurai, and change their programming. They don't care about the money they will lose. Avoiding a scandal that could destroy them is a top priority right now. They can still make money from adult shows and they don't care about the kids being heartbroken." One sin added.
(Phoenix forgets Penny's name five seconds after talking to her.)
"I don't think Penny ever told them her name. She should have, since it is written on the box above her textbox. That's a sin. It's also a sin that Maya somehow knows it despite never hearing it. But you choose to sin Phoenix for not knowing a name he never heard. So I sin you." One sin added.
[(Phoenix presents the photo to Vasquez.) Phoenix presents incriminating evidence to the killer outside of trial, and is surprised when it goes badly.]
"You are, once again, sinning characterization. That's part of Phoenix character. Allowing himself to be overtaken by his strong sense of justice and leaping into action without thinking it through. It is a big mistake, but he is such a beloved character because he makes those mistakes, not in spite of them. They are the ones that make him seem like a real person. People making mistakes and paying for them or trying to correct them is the plot of the entire series, fool!" one sin added.
(Nothing ever happens to Vasquez for calling on the mafia to erase people.)
"You are sinning the game for something you cannot know. Vasquez was brought to the station for questioning. She attended the trial as a witness to something unrelated and was exposed for murder. You cannot know what happened afterwards." One sin added.
[(Last day of trial) Vasquez bosses Phoenix, Edgeworth and the judge more than once in her testimony and literally no one cares.]
"Have you ever tried talking back to a person who is used to being the boss and nobody ever says "no" to? Don't. It's best to let them continue being the boss. I mean, Phoenix never calls witnesses out unless he can prove their guilt, the judge is a pushover and Edgeworth has had an entire case of witnesses being disobedient towards him and is now at a loss for words. Which one do you expect to try and talk back to a woman who only listens to herself?" One sin added.
[(I was hoping to come up with a question while I was objecting, Your Honor. I didn't.) frivolous objection…]
"Skip." One sin added.
(Watching Edgeworth struggle as much as Phoenix during a trial is slightly cathartic, but it actually reminds me of how little he actually does in this case until now. Way to waste the Edgeworth. Capcom."
"Waste? Edgeworth becomes the most important person in this case and the de facto main character of the whole game from this part alone. I know Phoenix is the protagonist, but Edgeworth is the game's focus for a good part." One sin added.
"Also, sinning this particular scene." Ten sins added.
[(Edgeworth essentially wins the case for us.) Can Phoenix win any cases for himself? This is the third time someone else has stepped up to deliver a major blow for him. And considering there's only been three cases so far, this isn't a good thing.]
"Edgeworth wins the case for us…when we point out Vasquez's slip-up about Powers' injury and prove her motive. Yeah, right." One sin added.
"Also, Pierce is still sinning this scene." another ten sins added.
(Will Powers introduces himself to Edgeworth here, despite having been prosecuted by him for the past five days…unless you're telling me Edgeworth took this case without even bothering to speak to his own suspect. Some rival he is!)
"Pierce thinks that police interrogation rooms are appropriate places for introductions. Powers feels grateful because Edgeworth played a part in his acquittal and wants to make a fresh start by introducing himself properly for the first time." One sin added.
[(Thanks to you, I am saddled with…unnecessary feelings.) Are we still talking about the case here?]
"No." one sin added.
(Phoenix became the talk of the town after this trial, but will still receive zero cases in the two months to come.)
"I already mentioned this in the beginning. I am not saying it again. Go see fourth sin." One sin added.
(Also, ending narration.)
"Also, this is the second sin all over again. I will add another sin for good measure." One sind added.
Total sin tally: 94
Sentence: skewered with samurai spear