There are currently two of your letters in the queue, and theyâre right next to each other -- one to Apollo, and one to Klavier. We can delete either or both of those if youâd like us to. Itâs hard to say how many letters are from the same people, but we definitely have a few consistent writers -- some who send them at least every other day. (I canât blame them, of course, since I used to do the same thing.)
Also, I honestly didnât realize how changing one word in this blogâs name would give it the same initials as the Wright Anything Agency. Itâs too late to actually change it at this point, but thatâs still pretty fun to think about.
Glad you brought this up, because thatâs one of the last things we want to convey about ourselves or this blog. Sexuality is a topic I generally try to steer away from when answering letters, partly because itâs one that I only have a limited understanding of and I want to avoid saying something that can be easily misinterpreted (again), and partly because itâs a fiercely debated topic, and I donât want to perpetuate that debate here.
And partly because itâs a discussion Iâve rarely come out of without some serious sparks flying...
With that in mind, unless a characterâs sexuality, political views, religion, etc. has been explicitly defined in the game(s) theyâre from, we can only make our best guesses about them. In Athenaâs case, judging by what weâve seen of her in the games (her reaction to Hugh OâConnerâs claim that she likes him, her history of getting love letters meant for Junie, etc.), she seems like a guy kind of girl to me. Thereâs every chance that Iâm wrong, of course -- in fact, she may not even know herself -- but I imagine thatâs at least how she views herself.
...Woah, that got Persona-esque all of a sudden.
In any case, if anything we post here comes off as homophobic, you have my word that it isnât meant to be. We also donât want to emphasize one headcanon over another (whether itâs mine, yours, the Modthorneâs, or the Modâs), but sometimes we just have to pick one and stay consistent with it. If it disagrees with yours, then itâll just have to disagree, but thatâs our reasoning behind it.
Really? Huh... That was how it looked when I found it in the queue, so unless youâre thinking of a different letter, I have no idea how that happened. Sorry.
I always assumed it was something the Mod came up with for Apolloâs hair. I can check to see if itâs based on an actu--
I donât feel so good...
Please do! And thank you very much for helping to increase our audienceâs scope this way. Itâs very considerate and humbling for us when someone offers to do something like that. Much appreciated!
My physical response to this letter was way more emotional than that, by the way. It looked something like this:
(Only without the hair-touching.)
I didnât realize who you were, actually. Â Good on you for joining Tumblr!
I do my best to keep an open mind with how Capcom develops its characters, but if I were in charge of how Athenaâs life and career continued on from Spirit of Justice, itâd probably be something along these lines:
Weâd see her a few months after the events in Khuraâin, looking as cheery and confident as ever, but slightly older and more mature-looking.  As we heard her voice narrating, sheâd shove the doors of the courthouse open with a look of pure confidence, wave to the policemen as she climbed the stairs (being extra careful to watch her step), and wait for her moment to enter the courtroom. Sheâd then walk up to the defenseâs bench with a smile, slam her fist into her hand, and announce proudly, âThe defense is ready to go, Your Honor!!â
Then Widget would ruin the mood by blurting out, âIâm so sleepy!â
During the trial, sheâd learn that her defendant is from somewhere in Europe (whatever country you prefer), that he/she is a friend of her family there, and that some unusual things have been going on with them. This would lead her to request a leave of absence so she can visit them, perhaps taking Phoenix or Simon along as a chaperone. From there, sheâd find herself in a series of new situations, including (but not limited to) having to defend a member of her family from murder charges, having Widget stolen from her and being forced to do a therapy session without him, discovering a hidden crime ring (that a member of her family might be involved in), and so on. In the end, sheâd come out of it with more knowledge about herself, being a lawyer, and holding on to her faith in others until the bitter end.
It could be that Iâm just anxious to see what sort of people sheâs related to and if theyâre as wild and energetic as she is, but Iâd also love to see how Athena handles herself in a new environment, especially one as culturally (and visually) diverse as Europe. Thatâs just my idea of a good Athena-centered game, though -- Iâm sure there are plenty of others out there that would be just as exciting to see. I mean, it is the Cykester weâre talking about here.
Here are a couple of letters that I found particularly heartfelt, plus another that was heartfelt and silly at the same time. There are plenty more that were written before I got here, of course, such as this one and this one. I love how this blog gives us a chance to see how some touching non-canon character conversations might take place.
Youâre correct. Theyâre called Happy-Happyists, which is probably the most ironic name possible for a cult that wanted to âpaint the town blue.â Or maybe that was on purpose. Who knows?
The tag was actually referring to the cult of Athena, which apparently existed in different parts of ancient Greece. I was completely unaware of the Aum Shinrikyo cult and the parallels that could be drawn between them and the one in Earthbound. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction, isnât it?
Yep, it has the link in there. Thanks for asking.
P. S. The Modthorneâs on vacation, in case youâre wondering. Sheâll be back next week!