Board 8 > Wifebolo plays Ace Attorney Trilogy [progressive spoilers]

(+) Yeah! (+)

congrats! looking forward to reading more!
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just as long as the job doesn't get in the way of you playing video games

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Thanks very much. First day in the office tomorrow, please wish me luck!!

Case 5-2 - The Monstrous Turnabout

So it turns out that Filch dressed up as Tenma Taro and accessed the Forbidden Chamber via an air vent. He disposed of the costume by dumping it out the window, where it flew away on the wind and made newspaper headlines. Filch said when he left the Forbidden Chamber, the light outside the door blinded him. Blackquill tries to pull a fast one and claim the person who opened the door is Mayor Tenma, but that isnt the case. Athena puts it together quickly and insists that LBelle take the stand, as his alibi no longer holds up.

Through a series of weird happenstances, we find that LBelle disguised himself in the room, not by hiding behind the screen as he claimed, but by posing as Mayor Tenma and wearing the wrestling mask of the Amazing Nine-Tails, knowing that Jinxie would never force him to remove it. Theres some switcheroo here about Mayor Tenma supposedly being the Amazing Nine-Tails instead of Alderman Kyubi.

Im very close to the end, I can feel it. More soon!

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Case 5-2 - The Monstrous Turnabout

So, as it turns out, LBelle was posing as the Mayor, disposed of the fox wrestler mask and forgot about his private brand of haircolor that washes out with only water. The white hair we found inside the washed-up mask wasnt Alderman Kyubis at all, but LBelles!

LBelle had his eye on the gold ingot Tenma Taro, which had been stolen generations ago by Mr Filchs grandfather. LBelle, mired in debt up to his eyeballs, needed a way to make money quickly. It was always a struggle to keep the gold ingot under lock and key, so a yokai needed to be made up to deter greedy people from trying to acquire it.

I loved the animation of Apollo thinking, and it gave us a decent chance to review the facts before presenting our evidence.

Still love Simon Blackquills Silence spoken line. And the grumpy way he leans, pointing himself away from the camera.

The cutscenes are so cute and I enjoy them.

WERE GOING TO ELDOONS NOODLES TO CELEBRATE! ALL HAIL THE REIGNING CHAMPION OF SODIUM!

On to 5-3 next time! See you then!

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i love the story behind tenma taro!
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5-2 is legitimately one of my favorite cases in the series. You think it's gonna be just some throwaway case when you see the murderer before the case ever begins, but then it turns into one of the wackiest, most complicated murder set-ups in the entire series. It has: one of the best defendants ever, a fantastic introduction to Blackquill, a ploy to get more time to investigate turn out to be completely false (first time ever), a wrestling subplot that subverts all expectations, the first revisualization (which is a great gameplay mechanic), and a great supporting cast.

There's not much else you can possibly ask for in a case!

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5-2 so good

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MrSmartGuy posted...

one of the best defendants ever,

in my mind, i don't think this often, but you're absolutely right. damian tenma is fucking awesome!
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yeah one of my favorite understated things about 5-2 is how Apollo makes a desperation theory to just barely escape at the end of day 1 and it turns out to be completely and utterly wrong

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5-2 is meh

5-3 though... now we're talking. Most underrated case in the series! Look forward to it.

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I feel like 5-3 is generally well liked!

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not enough!

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more 5-3

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thoughts and prayers for wifebolo
she appears to be having ptsd over a dress

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going up

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Thanks for your patience and bumping, yall are awesome. New job is filling my brain with more information and processing that, along with other logistics, has distracted me from game time. Not to worry! I am back in the saddle again.

Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Characters Ive met:

• Aristotle Means - professor at Themis Legal Academy, smile that will haunt my nightmares
• Constance Courte - deceased professor at Themis Legal Academy, victim in this case, seemed cool from what the other characters say about their memories of her
• Juniper Woods - seitokaichou/student council president of Themis Legal Academy, writer of the script for the school festivals mock trial, and primary suspect in this case
• Hugh OConner - fellow student, big jerk, defense in the mock trial, has a crush on Juniper and promised to confess if he won the trial
• Robin Newman - fellow student, sound the alarm, youre going to be UNCOMFORTABLY ENERGETIC, is definitely a boy despite a very pointy chin and 2, count them, TWO very distinct eyelashes, prosecutor in the mock trial, also has a crush on Juniper and promised to confess if he won the trial
• Klavier Gavin - former vocalist for the Gavinners, rock star prosecutor who looks way too good in 3-D modeling, goodness, have mercy on us CAPCOM

We visit Themis Legal Academy. Did you know its Themis Legal Academy? Were still at Themis Legal Academy! Could the text on the scene banners appear any slower, or could the name Themis Legal Academy be any longer? Could we have pitied the people who play this game and called it TLA after the first couple of times we mentioned Themis Legal Academy? Of course not! Because its Themis Legal Academy! Its O c t o b e r 2 4 and its Themis Legal Academy!

Anyway, we come here so Phoenix could give a lecture to the law students at his prestigious alma mater, and so Apollo and Athena could learn some things by observation. We meet the terrifying smiler Aristotle Means and unexpectedly run into Juniper Woods. Not only is Junie the student council prez, but shes singing at the school festivals concert later tonight - she shows us a sketch of her outfit and its THE BLIND LADY MOM OUTFIT. LAMIROIR FDASFJKL;AAAA this is where I had a BSOD and Tom had to report in.

Unfortunately, only one person can attend the famed mock trial, and Phoenix gives up his seat so Apollo can learn. Phoenix and Athena take a walking tour of the campus only to find the corpse of Professor Courte on the stage to be used for a concert later! Yeesh!

Klavier Gavin shows up because hes the famous prosecutor that Themis Legal Academy [did we note that this is Themis Legal Academy? Because its Themis Legal Academy. Okay, cool] invited to also give a lecture and put on a concert for the students. I had heard tell that Mr Edgeworth is not in this game, but JUST ONCE I wanted to see his pinched little face. Klaviers 3D model, on the other hand? Wow. I have nothing more coherent to say - I think they gave him a couple of other expressions and in 3D they look great o_o The hair movement is a nice touch. Its strange because I dont typically go for the tan/blond/impossibly charismatic types? IRL I find them off-putting in a way I cant quite put my finger on. Im looking forward to Mr Blackquills reappearance at the actual trial.

Klavier and Apollo decide to follow through on the mock trial hoping for some inspiration in investigating the real case [as Prof. Courte was killed in pretty much the same way described in the script which only she and Junie knew about, thus the suspicion]. Thats where Im at, thanks for reading.

We continue tomorrow with more!

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'l i t t l e m o n e y'

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really into Themis Legal Academy. I wish Themis Legal Academy was a real legal academy.

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Llarian posted...

'l i t t l e m o n e y'

Didn't expect that reference here.

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Characters Ive met:
Myriam Scuttlebutt - a Themis student aiming to become a judge, but shes currently presiding over sleazy tabloid reporting while doing her best Snake impression in a cardboard box

We have a troubling conversation with Aristotle Means, who firmly believes that the ends justify the means. Phoenix talks to us about the dark age of law in which prosecutors drum up false charges and defense lawyers forge evidence. Our little trio of Robin, Hugh, and Junie have a mutual goal of promoting fair and upstanding law as demonstrated by their mentor, the late Prof. Courte.

We talk to Hugh and he isnt very subtle or humble about his superior level of intelligence. Apparently Hugh saw Prof. Courtes body, but figured hed lose his chance to confess to Junie if the mock trial was cancelled because of a murder. Cold-blooded, but okay, you weirdo. Robins jumping out of his skin, as usual, but stops just long enough to tell us he made the sculptures of Klavier and Phoenix, now destroyed, that were gracing the stage-now-crime-scene for the concert.

The issue now is that Junie wont ever be a judge if you dont clear her innocence through this trial, putting an end to the trios dream of running fair trials together.

See you tomorrow for trial day 1!

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

It has been an adventure so far. Scuttlebutt claims on the stand that everything went down exactly like Junipers script, only no one else knew it aside from Junie and Prof. Courte.

We protest, because this sort of thing would point to Junie as the killer rather than something Junie would want to do herself. Myriam Scuttlebutt claims that her own script was going to be chosen instead, and thats when Junie flew into a rage and killed the professor. She provides us with her own suspicious photo of Juniper in her concert outfit, claiming she led Scuttlebutt to the body of Prof. Courte. We ask if Scuttlebutt photographed the body, because shes always out for a big scoop, and...she hasnt.

We can tell something is off, because in the Court Record we have the design of the concert outfit and the cape should have constellation designs on it - the one in this photo is a solid blue with no pattern. Apparently, Juniper had the cape inside-out to dry after having painted the inside [now outside] with fluorescent paint. Anyone other than Juniper would not have known this, and would have seen the cape on the mannequin and worn it as-is. Prosecutor Blackquill kindly provides us with a photo of the glowing fluorescence of the cape, for the Court Record.

We realize a photo in the Themis Herald features a photo of Juniper - and Robin Newman is in the background, his hands glowing with the fluorescent paint!!

Robin Newman takes the stand and we are really put through our paces on the Mood Matrix. Its much more difficult than usual to break through the emotional noise, as Robin admits to entering the art room and trying on the cape. The language keeps referring to it as a frilly scarf but Idk what thats about.

Heaven help us, I actually sorta predicted an Ace Attorney plot twist. Through the process of working through Robins feelings, he throws off his chest/arms brace and reveals himself to be - a girl! A recording made by Scuttlebutt in the art room on the day of the murder featured a female voice saying, Youre a goner! This was assumed to be Juniper as, of the trio, she was the only girl. Now that Robin is also known to be a girl, the suspicion is shifting.

Junie had leaked some of the scripts info to Robin to avoid getting into the love confession scenario with Hugh. We realize that Robin had expected the sweat suit Prof. Courte was wearing to be a different color.

Prosecutor Blackquill calls Hugh OConner to the stand, and after some cryptic threat, has him testify. Hes boring and full of himself, so well continue that next time.

Thanks for reading!

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Llarian posted...

Heaven help us, I actually sorta predicted an Ace Attorney plot twist.

very astute! i don't know of anyone else who caught this.
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miriam best girl


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SeabassDebeste posted...

very astute! i don't know of anyone else who caught this.

I suspected it because my anime trope senses were tingling.

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yeah i guess i don't watch enough anime with traps in it to catch it!
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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Omg you guys, the recording doesnt say Youre a goner! it says, Hugh OConner!

cue astonished gasps from the live studio audience

Anyway then these losers all start confessing like its going out of style and Idk well have to investigate some more.

Happy Thanksgiving, or if that doesnt apply, Happy Eating Food Day.

Ill write more when Ive investigated some more.

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I loved "you're a goner"

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It's an instance of a punny name having relevance to the plot, of course it's great!

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hey

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

So we convince Juniper to give us another shot, and start to explore the campus for clues as to what really happened. Theres a 3rd statue we had no idea about, theres a page from Prof. Courtes planner, and theres a big bloodstain on the schools crest banner, and the Gavinners banner had been partially burned.

We talk to Myriam again, after a catastrophic freakout where she deletes all but 2 of her journalistic photos, we offer her the use of our laptop. Ill-advised, but Im just the player.

I left off at talking to Hugh, although hes pretty tight-lipped about stuff. I cant wait to find out the dirt that Prosecutor Blackquill has on him.

I appreciate yall reading this little snippet. More to come.

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the end of court day one is a top AA moment

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what a great case

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

We point out that the stage was still being set up at the time that Prof. Courte and Juniper took that photo together - so the moon behind them is not the real moon in the sky, but the one from the stage background. We convince Not-Gumshoe to tell us that the voiceprint analysis on the Youre a goner!/Hugh OConner! snippet is confirmed to be Juniper Woods. I super cant care about this guy, hes enthusiastic but somehow not a lovable goof that I can get attached to.

We move over to the Lecture Hall and talk to Robin Newman, she confessed to protect Juniper, and she hasnt had any trouble with now being known as a girl on campus. Apparently, before the murder, she talked to Prof. Courte and the teacher had advocated for her with the school administration, easing the transition.

Robin tells us a creepy rumor about a snitch, who watches everything that goes on at the school and shares it with one of the professors. Theres even been stories about bribery, buying and selling grades. This is a big deal if it were to ever go public.

She seems to subscribe to Prof. Means ideal of the ends justify the means. In a swift pilfering, Robing takes hold of the costume-related items from our Court Record, rejoicing that she can now enjoy such feminine clothing openly.

We ask her about the painting in the School Camera Photo, and Robin confirms that the painting in the 7:00PM with moon outside photo was likely painted by Prof. Courte, mentioning something about her artistic sense.

Well have to dig deeper next time. See you tomorrow!

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Llarian posted...

I super cant care about this guy, hes enthusiastic but somehow not a lovable goof that I can get attached to.

how did you get so far in this series without a passion for JUSTICE!?

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I do like the part in this case where "Not Gumshoe" kind of shows up in the window of the art room out of nowhere and does like a goofy wave or something. Maybe I just completely made this up. His "shocked animation" cracks me up too

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colliding posted...

I do like the part in this case where "Not Gumshoe" kind of shows up in the window of the art room out of nowhere and does like a goofy wave or something. Maybe I just completely made this up. His "shocked animation" cracks me up too

Yes, that did indeed happen.

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Hrgh, okay. "art is weird" is not the hot take you think it is, game. Probably some tongue-in-cheek here. Prof. Courte's work clearly follows some cubist/abstract expressionism influence, if you're interested in learning more or seeing similar works. That original sculpture of Lady Justice though, whew.

Juniper was in control of the audio during the mock trial - so she was in the trial and also audio control room changing the music. Junie says the line, "You're a goner!" during the mock trial, so we start to suspect that the tape of the 'female voice' could be a fake meant to benefit the only male suspect.

Talk to Junie in the Detention Center, she feels uneasy. This stuff about being a good student who never causes trouble - it's like we learned nothing from Death Note.

We perceive a cough from Junie when she talks about Hugh 'never causing trouble'! Junie's the snitch to Prof. Courte!! Hugh figured it out and the rift formed. Junie suspected him from the beginning!

We found a page from Prof. Courte's planner referencing Hugh and 120... maybe she was accepting the bribe.

Also, Junie didn't leave at 6:00PM that day, she stayed later, and in a grisly and disturbing cutscene, she reveals that she saw Hugh with his hands dripping blood!

See you tomorrow!

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Heck yeah 5-3

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the cough augh
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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

I'm Llarian, and I'm FINE!!

Klavier offers to help recover the erased audio from the forged tape. In court, we find that Robin and Hugh have recanted their confessions. Blackquill is a cool character. I'm hoping we get to learn more about him in the future.

Hugh takes the stand, and talks about Junie moving the high jump mat in order to move Prof. Courte's body. This was super annoying to figure out - normally we get way more floorplans, so when Hugh said where he was, I had no way to figure it out. I presented the Mock Trial Script because it mentions you can see the whole quad from the Archery Club. Turns out, with a little help, it was the stage set up photos.

Hugh brushes this objection off easily by saying he wa son the same side of the barrier as Junie. This isn't quite true, as we ID him as the crane operator. Blackquill lays it all out - Hugh is 25 years old, he took a 7 year break from school. Oh, and the neckband we can see him wearing in the crane operator photo is one of a kind and handmade, not bought. Hugh is accused of operating the crane to move the body, but he reveals it's an activity that requires 2 hands, and as one of his required surgery, it relieves him of all suspicion.

Everything still seems to point to Junie. However, we recall something else goes between the art room and the stage! The wire for the hanging banners! We analyze the blood on the pottery in the art room, it's Hugh's. Myriam had spring-loaded a knife in with her script to prevent anyone but Prof. Courte from opening it without being injured. It caught Hugh peeking at the script and left him literally red-handed.

See you tomorrow!

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I hated Hugh until this part

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Llarian posted...

I'm Llarian, and I'm FINE!!

preemptive cringe

also hugh being 25 is hilarious and kinda creepy!
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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Hugh points out that lowering a body via the wire would have knocked over the statues. Also, the large crash happened during the mock trial. Hugh had seen the body before the trial, so it's a contradiction! Did he witness the body? Both sides, prosecution and defense, ask. Hugh admits he never saw the body in the first place.

The only freely moving entity during the trial was Junie because she was in charge of the audio! Hugh confesses again, except this time he's sweating bullets and not making sense! We elect to use Widget to extend the trial and avoid a verdict.

Prosecutor Blackquill leaves for a 'stroll' with "Fool Bright". If the fangirls weren't shipping before, they certainly are now.

We put this confession through the Mood Matrix - Hugh is overjoyed at the idea of Junie going free, and he has other emotional issues as the truth emerges.

I have to say, I love these moments when Blackquill breaks out of his shackles.

Hugh talks down about himself, because he realized his parents were paying for his grades. When he confronted them over the phone, Junie overheard and misunderstood. He wanted to clear her name to make it up to her for disappointing her like that. We draw attention to the proof of friendship, the band around Hugh's neck. It's sweet the way the three friends touch these friendship bands when they're giving their testimonies/being troubled.

We try to survive the most adorable cutscene where they each show that they're wearing their bands still.

See you tomorrow!

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Blackquill just leaving was excellent

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Hugh recants, his noise level down to 0%. He maintains that the balcony seat was empty, and that Prof. Means was not there. He must have pre-recorded the speech. Hugh says Prof. Means gave him a Tape Recorder and urged Hugh to turn it in to the police - saying that he, rather than Prof. M., had found it. This was the tape of Junie's voice that we suspected to be bogus earlier.

We call Aristotle Means to the stand and make sure he knows that we know that he knows. His speech must have been pre-recorded. He refers to the Lady Justice statue being white and in the footage of the mock trial, it's gold! The white version had been broken on the stage. We cross-examine Prof. Means, who suggests that Junie blackmailed him. We present the Tape Recorder when he tries to say protecting Juniper is humane - pointing out that we wouldn't have this piece of evidence if the not-so-good professor wasn't trying to frame Juniper for murder.

Now we get scary Prof. Means. He has a chalkboard, a mohawk, and a suspiciously marble-looking crack on his forehead. I always love these villain sprite transformations. That process of starting to suspect someone, then their sprite starts getting nervous, then angry or frustrated, then the full-on transformation. It's one of many things I love about this franchise. He calls roll and Blackquill is literally too cool for school.

Prof. Means tries to seal the deal by claiming he wasn't on campus the night of the 23rd after 6:00PM by saying he was at home. This patently isn't true based on the school set-up photos, but we gotta wait for Robin Newman to yell about it first.

Fun fact: I had a teacher in private elementary who would literally throw the 1" diameter pieces of chalk and Pink Pearl erasers at students who talked too much or otherwise didn't pay attention. He had deadly aim - once a student in the very back of class against a wall was talking too much and we all turned to stare at him. The chalk flew. The piece of chalk cracked in half against the wall at the exact place the kid's head would have been - if he hadn't sensed it coming and moved. Whew.

See you tomorrow!

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I like how Means goes from Athenian to Spartan

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Llarian posted...

I always love these villain sprite transformations. That process of starting to suspect someone, then their sprite starts getting nervous, then angry or frustrated, then the full-on transformation. It's one of many things I love about this franchise.

yesss. frank sahwit taking off his toupee was one of the seminal moments of the series
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Llarian posted...

Fun fact: I had a teacher in private elementary who would literally throw the 1" diameter pieces of chalk and Pink Pearl erasers at students who talked too much or otherwise didn't pay attention. He had deadly aim - once a student in the very back of class against a wall was talking too much and we all turned to stare at him. The chalk flew. The piece of chalk cracked in half against the wall at the exact place the kid's head would have been - if he hadn't sensed it coming and moved. Whew.

Sounds like a student with high proficiency.

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Case 5-3 - Turnabout Academy

Prof. Means claims to have finished the Phoenix Wright sculpture in 1.5 hrs, which, despite the casual treatment in-game, is absolutely hauling. You can clearly see the armature that Robin created, which is larger than life-size. You can see the big bag of clay - which needs at least a day or so to cure, and you can smooth/shape the slightly dry clay then. This is typically before firing, but obviously we don't have time for that since the concert was the next day.

Creating sculptures like the ones we saw on the stage, that are not only done but painted, would take quite some time and would not only be an additive process [e.g., adding clay only where you need it and not taking any off]. This took me out of the case almost completely. It was too much suspension of disbelief. It clearly wasn't air-dry compound either, because why would they leave the bag open if not for the player's benefit of knowing story details? Hrgh.

If the 2 statues were covered by sheets, Juniper straight up didn't see them, but this is dismissed. Anything, provided it's the right size and general shape, can be covered and assumed to be the objects they were before they were concealed.

The chalk tapping of Means' sprite really makes me feel like I'm ignoring someone when I go to check the Court Record. Clever AA shenanigans ensue - you gotta concede Prof. Means' claims to move forward - I needed some help here. We determine that the crime scene is wrong.

We sort out that instead of the art room, the murder must have taken place on the stage, where Prof. Means was so insistent that he remained in an effort to preserve his innocence. We sort out that the two banners were layered as they were in the stage set up photo, and the Gavinners' banner soaked up the majority of the blood, while the School Crest banner only took on a little bit. This was why the Gavinners' banner had to be burned in the incinerator - the evidence was right there.

See you tomorrow!

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Llarian posted...

Prof. Means claims to have finished the Phoenix Wright sculpture in 1.5 hrs, which, despite the casual treatment in-game, is absolutely hauling. You can clearly see the armature that Robin created, which is larger than life-size. You can see the big bag of clay - which needs at least a day or so to cure, and you can smooth/shape the slightly dry clay then. This is typically before firing, but obviously we don't have time for that since the concert was the next day.

Creating sculptures like the ones we saw on the stage, that are not only done but painted, would take quite some time and would not only be an additive process [e.g., adding clay only where you need it and not taking any off]. This took me out of the case almost completely. It was too much suspension of disbelief. It clearly wasn't air-dry compound either, because why would they leave the bag open if not for the player's benefit of knowing story details? Hrgh.

tell us how you really feel!
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