[X] ...but that grudge is still there, whether he's clean or dirty or whatever you'd call it in-between.
-[X] Speak up
[X] Press "Particularly when my own testimony should be more than sufficient..."
[X] ...but that grudge is still there, whether he's clean or dirty or whatever you'd call it in-between.
-[X] Speak up
[X] Press "Particularly when my own testimony should be more than sufficient..."
The past few days have been...harrowing and mind-numbing, to say the least. But at least both computers are back in working order now, so I just need a few hours to finally get myself unwound (I seriously feel like a squashed spring right now) and get the ol' turnabouts rolling in my head again.
In other words...
I'm fine now!
...Or at least, I will be soon. At least Spirit of Justice comes out tomorrow...
No wonder, I would've pressed the new statement first and then decided whether to speak up or not. But, since everyone is doing it:
[X] ...but that grudge is still there, whether he's clean or dirty or whatever you'd call it in-between.
-[X] Speak up
[X] Press "Particularly when my own testimony should be more than sufficient..."
[X] ...but that grudge is still there, whether he's clean or dirty or whatever you'd call it in-between.
-[X] Speak up Ema Your Majesty, the power to personally assign each working subject their job...and the power to take those same jobs away with just a wave of your hand... Are you seriously claiming you have such overreaching powers? Not exactly tools a benevolent ruler would use, I have to say.
King Dedede Over...reaching?
[One of Dedede's eyes starts to twitch.]
Ema That much absolute control can easily go to one's head, no matter how infallible they think they are.
King Dedede In-infallible?!
[Dedede's fists begin shaking erratically.]
Ema And I think I can reasonably claim that you, King Dedede...are very fallible, indeed.
King Dedede You... You DARE accuse me of such a thing?! You... YOU...! This is an insult to the crown! Disrespect, I say! DISRESPEEEEEECTFUULLLL!!
[Dedede stomps the ground in sheer rage!]
Ema (Wait..."insult"..."disrespect"...?!) (*gasp* Oh, no...!) (I think I remember reading about this when I was studying abroad in Europe! "Laize-majesty", I think?) (No, wait, it was "lese-majesty": the crime of violating a monarch's dignity!) (Ema, you foot-mouthed idiot! You've gone and done it now!)
King Dedede Unforgivable... Absolutely UNFORGIVABLE!!! Guards! Throw her in chains! NOW!!
[The Waddle Dees begin advancing on me, brandishing their oh-so-pointy spears at me!]
Ema H-hey, wait! Hang on! (Nnngh... What do I do... What do I do?! Think, Ema, think!)
!!!!!
[] Defend yourself with words (Write-in plan of defense)
[] Defend yourself with actions (Write-in plan of defense)
[] Go quietly !!!!! Uh oh, the dreaded interrupt. Only when this is resolved will things continue as normal.
In hindsight though... I mean, come on, saying something like that to Dedede's face, and Anime!Dedede at that? However, that being said, you do have what you need to get Ema through this sudden crisis, even if you have her pull a courtroom antic or two, or lose your last bag of Snackoos in the process.
I just hope I don't get thrown in SV jail for this...
Just as planned. Continue to crack that composure until he suffers a break-down. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
All proceeds according to my designs. SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT
So then, I suppose it's time to pull out our trump card. In order for us to DOUBLE DOWN. Because if his head explodes from rage, he can't arrest us. Flawless plan, utterly perfect.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidence that more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just a statement of cold, hard fact.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidence that more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just a statement of cold, hard fact.
Just as planned. Continue to crack that composure until he suffers a break-down. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
All proceeds according to my designs. SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT
So then, I suppose it's time to pull out our trump card. In order for us to DOUBLE DOWN. Because if his head explodes from rage, he can't arrest us. Flawless plan, utterly perfect.
[X] Defend yourself with actions: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidence that more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just a statement of cold, hard fact.
[X] Defend yourself with actions: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidence that more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just a statement of cold, hard fact.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidencethat more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just astatement of cold, hard fact.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidencethat more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I sayyou're fallible, there is no disrespect.Just astatement of cold, hard fact.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidencethat more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just astatement of cold, hard fact.
Well, he probably would have just said that Bookem would give a conflicting testimony anyway, just to spite Dedede in general, but it would have cast doubt on his argument.
[X] Defend yourself with words: OBJECTION into Monster Attack Files. Not only do we have Bookem's notes, we have hard evidencethat more or less backs up his version of events, whereas all we have from your side is just your word. It is far more likely that you are the one who is giving false information, deliberately or otherwise. When I say you're fallible, there is no disrespect. Just astatement of cold, hard fact. Ema (......Wait a minute! Wait a minute!! Why am I even thinking about lese-majesty?! I'm just jumping to conclusions here!)
[Dedede stops moving!]
[The spear-wielding Waddle Dees stop moving!]
[...Even the fountain stops making noise? ...Nah, couldn't be.]
Ema Not so fast, Your Majesty! On what grounds exactly, are you having me arrested?
King Dedede Whaaaat?! I seriously have to spell it out for you?! You insulted the Great King of Dream Land! His dignity! His character! If that's not a crime, I don't know what is!
Ema You're right. That is a crime, called "lese-majesty."
King Dedede Huh. Thought it was treason...
Ema However...that doesn't apply to me. (At least...I HOPE it doesn't...)
King Dedede ...Come again?
Ema (Here goes...!) During my time here, I noticed a rather surprising similarity between the laws that run your kingdom, and the set of laws I'm familiar with back home.
King Dedede And what's your point?!
Ema Never, in American history, has there ever been a case of lese-majesty charged or tried on native soil! It doesn't exist in our country! Which means...
[Riding the feeling welling up from within myself, an almost instinctual feeling...I point my finger at him dramatically!]
Ema You can't legally charge me for disrespecting you!
[King Dedede's jaw practically drops to the ground in shock! For a second, I can swear I feel the ground shaking as it happens.]
King Dedede Im... Impossible!!
Ema (Yes! I broke through his guard again! My next hit had better be a knockout blow...!) (Or he'll have enough time to realize I don't actually know any of Dream Land's laws...) And furthermore.. I have more proof that the correct account on Kirby is Chief Bookem's. Decisive proof.
[King Dedede is starting to sweat!]
King Dedede Nnnn...ngh... No! I don't believe you! Show me! If you really do have decisive proof, what is it?! I demand to see it!
[I quickly dig through my bag, and...]
Ema I'd like you to have a look at these, Your Majesty.
King Dedede And what are those files supposed to be?
Ema Hard, definitive proof. These are case files describing the monster attacks that were plaguing Dream Land until fairly recently.
[King Dedede is visibly shocked!]
King Dedede !!
Ema I see you remember them. It's funny... I thought the castle looked pretty spiffy and clean when I first got here. Back then, I figured you must've just pulled out all the stops to make a good first impression. But I suppose it's easy to have your castle be clean when it's brand-new, right?
King Dedede ............
Ema Care to tell a new arrival like me what happened to your old castle, or shall we read these together and find out for ourselves?
[King Dedede is sweating profusely!]
King Dedede I... Y-you... See next post for the rest.
Continued from the previous post. [I stop moving!]
[Dedede stops moving!]
[The spear-wielding Waddle Dees stop moving!]
[As if out of nowhere, Escargoon appears, pointing an accusing finger at me! (I think it's one at least; hard to tell when everyone either has mitten-hands or stubs.]
Escargoon Just what do you think you're doing, Detective?! How dare you antagonize His Speechlessness instead of being out there cuffing that Kirby!
King Dedede Es... Escargoon!
Ema I'm getting to the bottom of this case, THAT'S what I'm doing! And I have evidence that disproves the king's criminal story!
Escargoon Oh you do, do ya? Care to share with the rest of the class?
Ema Sure, but you won't like the grade I'm about to throw do—
[Suddenly, the main gates burst open, revealing an out-of-breath Waddle Doo. Somehow, between his wheezes (how can he do that with no mouth?), he manages to salute his king with no trouble at all.]
Waddle Doo Your Majesty! There's been an incident!
King Dedede B-bwuh? An incident?
Ema (Oh, what's next? Is Chief Bookem gonna suddenly show up five minutes from now?! This is ridiculous!)
Escargoon Well, what are you waiting for, a written invitation?! Spit it out, Captain!
Waddle Doo Your Majesty... There's been an explosion at the gas station in Cappy Town!
Ema (Wh...... Whaaat?! Exploded?! Wait, that tremor...)
—[Flashback]—
Ema You can't legally charge me for disrespecting you!
[King Dedede's jaw practically drops to the ground in shock! For a second, I can swear I feel the ground shaking as it happens.]
King Dedede Im... Impossible!!
—[/Flashback]—
[King Dedede's face has gone pale.]
Ema (So that tremor was real...?! It must've been from the explosion! Just how much gas did they have?!)
Waddle Doo I have a platoon of Waddle Dees over there putting out the fire, but it appears that several of the townspeople have suffered critical injuries from the explosion, with possible fatalities. And when I had left, Kirby had just arrived and was assisting in keeping the fire under control.
King Dedede In...injuries...? F-fatalities...? I...I...
[His expression goes blank as he stares into space.]
Escargoon And since we can't understand those Waddle Dees, you ran up here instead of sending one of them out. Well, run back down there! We can't let Kirby run around like he owns the place! Isn't that right, Your Majesty?
King Dedede ......I...I...
Escargoon ...Your...Majesty?
[Escargoon waves his hand in front of Dedede's face, but the king's eyes don't even track its movement. Snapping his fingers produces similar results. The snail then angrily turns to me.]
Escargoon Now look what you've done, you detective! You broke His Majesty! And unfortunately for you, the warranty expired a long time ago!
Ema ("Warranty"? Did they seriously buy Dedede at a store or something?) I'm pretty sure I had nothing to do with this, Dr. Escargoon. Now in case you didn't hear your captain, you have an emergency on your hands. People could be—ARE hurt. Whether your king allows it or not, I'm going to Cappy Town to investigate.
Waddle Doo Please, allow me to drive you there, Miss Skye! We can take His Majesty's tank! Follow me!
Ema Oh, really? Th-thank yo... Wait, did you say "tank"?! (I think I was wrong to call Dedede a tyrant! He's a bona fide dictator!)
Escargoon Hey, His Catatonicness didn't give you permission to take the keys, you miniature cyclops! Get back here!
[Escargoon attempted to give chase, but Waddle Doo and I were long gone.]
Ema (Looks like King Dedede's lies and Kirby's true nature are gonna be the least of my problems now...) (An exploding gas station... Just what is going on in this kingdom? And how in the world did I get so involved that I'm actually doing my job?) (Guess there's only one way I'm gonna solve all these mysteries...and that's by grasping the truth with my own two hands! Science, don't fail me now...!)
To be continued.
And that, my friends, ends act one of case one. Bet you thought I forgot all about that gas station in the opening "cinematic"? What should we expect in act two...? Actual investigating sequences? You bet! Arguing with more people? Of course! Breaking through mistakes and contradictions? How can I say no?! Finally meeting Kirby face-to-face? Uhhh...as long as the Snackoos are safe and secure at the bottom of Ema's bag... We'll see.
Now I'd like to address a few possible concerns. For all intents and purposes, this was the tutorial section of the quest. Our future opponents won't be as easy to crack as ol' King Dedede was. With that in mind, I have renamed the "No-Longer-Relevant Material" section to "Discarded Material". Everything that ends up in this section still won't have that much bearing on the case anymore, but it's still nice to have references on what we've learned so far. Logic nuggets in this section will also have their "parentage" shown, if they had any "parents."
I know I kinda just came back from one, but there will be a short break before I start act two. I need to finish fleshing out the system mechanics for the Investigation phases, because it's gonna be pretty hard to describe all these scenes with text alone, unless I've been looking at this all wrong (which is entirely possible and quite ironic, given the source material's insistence on "thinking outside the box when you're backed into a corner").
Making these Profile, Evidence and Logic icons? That doesn't take me very long at all.
Whole backgrounds from scratch? That's another story entirely as far as my spriting skills are concerned.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, suggestions, critiques, omakes, fanart... Lay it on me, and I'll answer what I can. (as he mentioned the latter two, Pandora's box doth open, the QM blissfully unaware of what he has unleashed) No "can this character be in plz" questions will be answered whatsoever; just figured I'd rip that bandage right off. I'm not gonna make promises like that and risk writing myself into a dead-end.
Wondering if this time we'll get around to questioning everyone again, again more so if the Dedede vs Kirby 'case' will still be an issue despite the explosion... cause he might try to twist that event too... maybe not but that wouldn't be surprising.
Should probably go over the laws again to make sure we don't get caught on a technicality. Though... it seems kinda boring, hopefully not too much for Ema though.
Probably going to meet Kirby if we get there soon enough then huh?
Here are a couple clues for a new Investigation phase "gameplay" feature:
Try to figure out what the "gameplay" feature will be about before I start act two, and I'll whip up something special for you guys. You look like you needed something to do anyway.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, suggestions, critiques, omakes, fanart... Lay it on me, and I'll answer what I can. (as he mentioned the latter two, Pandora's box doth open, the QM blissfully unaware of what he has unleashed) No "can this character be in plz" questions will be answered whatsoever; just figured I'd rip that bandage right off. I'm not gonna make promises like that and risk writing myself into a dead-end.
I actually have one: if Ema was this shocked when she heard Dedede had a tank, what will she think when she hears he has an armed airship either built or under construction?
But, since everyone is doing it:
