I like to think that movie night is something Zack and Ivy establish early on when they find out Carmen hadn't seen any movies like... ever. At first they'd beg Carmen/Player to play the selected movie on Carmen's laptop, while they huddled in whichever hotel bed they found the comfiest and ordered room service.
After they got the base? The first thing Zack and Ivy got to work on was a room where they could watch movies on. They bought the biggest television V.I.L.E.'s money could buy (or at least they tried to before Carmen gave them the look, and they opted by a smaller but equally above average model). At first Shadow-san doesn't join them for movie night, preferring to retreat himself to his quieter room; but after "The Stockholm Syndrome Caper", when Carmen was getting better, they have the first movie night in weeks, when Carmen asks for one.
They wanna take it easy and pick a fun cheesy movie, and despite not being a fan of the whole movie night concept in general, we all know Shadow-san only left Carmen's side, after the incident, when he absolutely had to - to stop bad guys (V.I.L.E.) - so he stays.
Before he joined V.I.L.E., more than 20 years prior, movies looked a lot different, and he wasn't a huge fan back then either; that first movie night he barely payed attention to the movie, more focused on Carmen's well being, so it comes to a shock when Red Team all starts crying (because he's missed the plot).
Ivy is cursing Zack for picking a sad movie when they were trying to take it easy; Zack is crying his eyes out while trying to justify he didn't know it was a sad movie, he just picked it cause he thought the dog was cute; Shadow-san is trying to comfort Carmen; and they all point out how Shadow-san's nerves are made of steal cause he didn't even seemed phased (he is ashamed to admit he wasn't paying attention).
Before they can have another movie night Shadow-san get's sent on a mission, so he asks player if he could possibly put the dog movie they had watched before on the laptop (he was curious). When he starts crying (silently) Player asks if he's doing ok. Shadow-san closes the laptop at the end of the movie, wipes his tears, and does a prayer for Hachi - a dog with the honor of a samurai and a heart of gold.
He does ask Player not to tell the rest of the team about his impromptu movie session tho...
So I've had a bunch of ideas for episodes on a possible fanmade S5 of Carmen Sandiego; It's mostly just food for thought and grounds for a fanfic I might make (post-canon).
One of the episodes/chapters I'd call "The El-Dorado Caper", based off of myths and legends of undiscovered lakes and ancient cities within the Amazonian jungle, in the Venezuelan/Brazilian border.
I don't have the whole thing finished but I made the drawing above and I wanted to share the context behind it.
Also I was listening to this song when I thought of it.
The plot goes:
V.I.L.E. activity in Brazil and Venezuela indicates they're planning a caper of sorts, although it is unknown what they're planning to steal their activity seems to be just a tad too close to the protected areas near the region to leave unchecked.
Carmen and Red Team part to Venezuela, a country on the northern coast of South America with diverse natural attractions. The 26 states that make up Venezuela offer a wide array of habitats to explore, such as towering mountains, cloud forests, scrublands, plains, river deltas, lush rainforests and beaches. It is home to the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls and the second longest river in South America, the Orinoco. It also has the longest coastline to the Caribbean sea.
This wouldn't be the first episode/chapter so, I'd have explained why Ivy, Zack and Shadow-san are back in the crew (I might post about those encounters later).
While doing reconnaissance, to try and find out more about V.I.L.E.'s plans the gang gets caught in a boat chase along the Orinoco and it's many branches; It's a given since this is a fanwork and not canon, but I've changed the way V.I.L.E. operates in order to have higher stakes, so operatives now have guns! and they shoot them at Red Crew. Zack and Ivy get split off from Shadow-san and Carmen (who end up in a branch of the river that leads to a waterfall.
They seek refuge in the caves of the area, after their boat crashes. They hide for a while and stalk the opening (they came in through) waiting for their allies, but most importantly, for the V.I.L.E. operatives to leave the premises (they didn't want to get shot at again). V.I.L.E. stays there to clean up the evidence (the crashed boats) and as a measure in case Shadow-san and Carmen hadn't died i the crash.
In the dark Shadow-san stumbles a bit for his usual ninja self and Carmen questions it.
Shadow-san, however refuses to make a big deal out of it, remaining silent and eventually relenting and saying "It's just a scratch." when Carmen's worried eyes remain on him.
Eventually she questions if the reason he doesn't trust her anymore is because of what happened at the end of S4, when she was brain washed. He denies this and finally shows her the scratch that was bleeding from his side. - In the boat chase, when they had first been shot at, he had pushed her out of the way and ducked them both under cover. - Carmen reaches the conclusion that's where the scratch came from.
Carmen and Shadow-san stumble upon why V.I.L.E. had been stalking the area. Because the operatives with guns were taking a long time to leave the main entrance they had used before, they opt to look for other ways to leave and find a secret passage that leads to a cave full of ancient gold.
On top of the cave there's a opening to the outside, so they climb out and call Player. They escape the area (know the location of the treasure) and send that information the local authorities.
V.I.L.E. leaves before the cops arrive ofc but they aren't able to even sniff a piece of that treasure. Another win for Red Team.
I made some other sketches for the scene between Carmen and Shadow-san too:
Here's a wip of the writing too:
"You got shot? And you weren't going to tell me?" She sounded angry.
Not like the angry she had sounded like when they had butted heads in Rio, nor the betrayed angry she had sounded like when she thought he had went to Japan to complete the daishō, nor even the hurt angry she had sounded like when she thought he might've killed her father. It was a far more gentle, far more worried angry. She was worried about him.
"Like I said, it's just a scratch, and it does not impede from my duties. It's nothing to worry about." Stubborn as always he keept his ground.
"But I am worried! Doesn't it hurt?" Carmen sounded exasperated.
He stayed silent for a second, he had been clutching his side from the strain of moving while the wound was still bleeding, although small, it was painful plenty, but he wasn't going to tell her that. "I can manage." He answers instead.
She was not happy with that answer.
This is all I have so far! Let me know if you'd like to see more! :O
Y'all seemed to like my "The El-Dorado Caper" so I'd thought I'd talk about the other episodes as well (in order this time).
Do keep in mind this is all a fanwork, possibly a fanfic or fancomic I might make in the future (taking place post-cannon in the Carmen Sandiego universe - a fanmade S5 per say). Oh yeah, and... This is a long one... so strap on.
S5 Ep1 - "The Jail Break Caper"
This episode would consist of finding out how V.I.L.E. managed to get back into action after the events of S4, through the eyes of Carmen as Player recounts to her the most important parts of V.I.L.E.'s escapes.
Some background to begin:
In the last episode of Carmen Sandiego S4 Ep8 "The Dark Red Caper" one of the last lines in the show suggests V.I.L.E. is back at it, due to some "prison breaks", but we never get details about any of it except for Paper Star's capture aided by some mysterious Red wearing figure we're lead to believe is Carmen.
Although the show had a very melancholic yet "feel good" ending with all the villains either in jail or living happy lives somewhere else (El Topo & Le Chèvre for example), I don't think everything would play out so well in real life. First off trials can be really complicated, and with the amount of resources an organization such as V.I.L.E. is supposed to have, especially. Also, since the point is to have them out and about causing chaos, I think we should try to get the biggest amount of captured operatives out "legitimately" (including faculty).
We can assume the two year skip, where Carmen spends time with her mom, Shadow-san with his brother, Player goes through school (lmao), and the twins enlist in ACHME, is also the amount of time all of the trials go for, as well as the jail break takes place and V.I.L.E. plans whatever caper it was Paper Star was up to at the end of the show.
I know that's a lot to cover, but if you're up for it, I hope we can have fun figuring this out together!
New Characters (in this ep):
Sorry but, this is a fanwork and we have a very limited amount of known characters working with V.I.L.E., a supposed international league of villains (and let's face it, the world is full of bad people who would know about it, and want to participate as well - specially if a MI5 member - the Deputy Director of MI5 - is one of our known villains), so it's only fair I add a couple of my own oc's to the roster.
Mysterious Shadow figure - Code name: Raven
One of V.I.L.E.'s former investors, they remain anonymous for most of the season - not knowing who they are adds to the mystery and danger - their business ventures flunked immensely after V.I.L.E.'S temporary pause in activity, so they're looking forward to the restitution of the organization. They provide resources for the trials.
Emily Fallon - Code name: The Lawyer
As her code name might suggest, she's not only the owner of a lawyer firm but she's also one of the best lawyers in her country. She's the one hired to defend V.I.L.E. operatives in the trials. She works in tandem with other known V.I.L.E. contacts (such as the counterfeiter from S3 Ep 3 "The Haunted Bayou Caper" and The Troll), and forms a plan to have most of the known operatives released.
The Plot:
Basically we hear from Player (recounting this to Carmen) the strategy V.I.L.E. used in the trials.
From what we know, we have seven known V.I.L.E. members officially locked up: Coach Brunt, Doctor Saira Bellum, Countess Cleo, Roundabout, Professor Gunnar Maelstrom, Mime Bomb and Tigress.
The first trial was Countess Cleo's, and her trial not only served as the basis for the following trials, but also served to deal with the first elephant in the room - the exports company V.I.L.E. was feigning to be.
For Cleo's trial, the evidence against her is compiled on her presence in the Castle in Scotland where ACHME apprehended all of the other faculty, the kidnaping of Julia, who will for sure be a big witness (as well as Devineaux), presence in the party where Devineaux found Carmen Sandiego with the stolen Vermeer paintings and the the Poitiers estate.
Even if Cleo was convicted of kidnaping after what she did to Julia, it was essencial that she was liberated of all other accounts of theft, because it would serve the basis for the other trials with no other solid evidence.
Ignoring the kidnaping charges then, there are three big pieces of evidence to deal with:
The Castle in Scotland;
The Poitiers estate;
The stolen Vermeer's.
Starting with the Castle: since Roundabout had made efforts to assign it to faculty unbeknownst to anyone (government) in the first episode of S3, after V.I.L.E. academy had been blown up, I think it's safe to assume the "owners" of this historic construct were the mysterious company V.I.L.E. had been hiding their warehouses and estates under (the one's Devineaux made an effort to stalk when stuck with Interpol paperwork S2 Ep8 "The African Ice Caper").
Having ownership of that building and using Devineaux's testimony on Cleo's presence in the mansion in S1 Ep5 "The Duke of Vermeer Caper", Cleo could be used as the scapegoat for the exports company. So, for the trial, Cleo is presented as an expert on antiques and the owner of this company, who had been extremely successful back in the day but slowly lost more and more clients for unknown reasons.
Cleo will claim she did not own the mansion where the stolen artworks were but that she was invited there (due to her known expertise) by someone claiming to be a Duke. - In evidence, the defence team will show the invite letter of that Duke. They will argue they can't show any documents because the estate never belonged to their client. She was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time.
She'll claim to have owned the estate in Poitiers, but needing to sell it out of necessity,and because she had a good offer from someone called "Shadow-san". - In evidence, defence will present a forge contract passing the ownership of the estate to Shadow-san, dating months before S1 Ep1, where Interpol agents found stolen items inside. As well as forged transitions to confirm payment.
And finally, she'll say she bought the castle in Scotland as a failed attempt to transform it into a tourist attraction. - Evidence will consist of the legitimate documents of the castle Roundabout had done the favour of acquiring back in the day, altered to address Cleo alone; Cleo's entire plan (a made up document of course) of the tourism project, of course dating before the ACHME search; Invites for the grand opening addressing all present (will be useful for other trials) as well as pamphlets, employees contracts, and all the forged documents necessary to make this castle into the most innocent place on earth; Adulterated security footage of the castle's grand opening mixed with ACHME's entry and apprehension of guests; Fake testimonies of all the "employees" who ACHME didn't capture (former operatives and random people who didn't mind lying for a quick buck); The troll even made a website dedicated to the Castle as a coy for this "tourist trap" they were trying to make, with random people commenting on the website about their experience (bots or random people who got payed like 5£).
When questioned about the Vermeer's, she'd claim she never saw a painting all evening. The video footage could verify that they only had dinner.
When questioned about Shadow-san, Cleo correctly identified his appearance but denied speaking to the man beside their interaction, evolving the purchase of the building.
When questioned about the stolen items, she claimed to have no idea what the new proprietor of the estate did in the building.
When questioned about the many empty buildings and fake business Interpol found the company to own along the years, she'll claim they had been previous businesses that failed and she ended up closing or selling, for fear of bankruptcy. Of course, if any documentation proving those sales or financial issues was needed within the time limit, the defence team would provide those documents.
When questioned about the castle all her testimony was in accordance to all the evidence presented.
When questioned about ACHME apprehension, she'd feign, having felt confusion and fear as the tape would indicate.
The defence team will also question the ACHME agents involved, and because they can only disclose certain information, the lawyers take that to their advantage to discredit their actions. Claiming that the apprehensions in Scotland came from an unknown and seemingly incorrect source.
When interrogating Devineaux about the Vermeer's, the lawyers ask if he ever saw any paintings in the mansion (he fif not). And they will also ask who he remembers seeing that night (Devineaux will say he remembers Cleo, the Duke she described, two creepy servants, a bunch more guests and Carmen Sandiego).
When questioned about Poitiers, the defence team asked Devineaux if he'd ever seen Cleo in that building (his answe is "Non.") And if he recalls any other important people he saw in the estate (Devineaux negates, not wanting to talk about his kidnaping, nor finding that information relevant). The prosecution will ask for relevance when the defence claims the witness is unresponsive and the defence drops it (this is a setup for Brunt's trial - a bit of emotional warfare if you will).
Cleo is found innocent of theft of the Vermeer's and all the other objects present in Poitiers.
But not everything is white roses because with these two accusations out of the way, it was finally time to talk about Egypt.
As always, they make up a story (if you didn't notice already, all the mentions of Carmen Sandiego and her crew on this trial are setups for future trials where they will try to incriminate her; I'll explain further, later).
An unknown investor asked for collaboration on Cleo's expertise for a grand historical treasure found in Egypt. They were having issues discovering it and needed all the help they could get. They offered to pay her, and because she was having financial issues at the time, she agreed.
It's then she's "introduced" to the investors, an Argentinean woman dressed in red, who didn't introduce herself, an American with green hair who also refused to say her name, and the person they partnered up with - Tigress.
She recounts how they struggled for weeks until finding clear information on the precise matter of study they were having trouble with, discussed by a scholar - Julia Argent.
Cleo confesses to suggesting seeking Miss Argent's help, but she denies any involvement until Julia is in Egypt. She claims Tigress said she'd take care of it and claims disapproving when she saw what happened. She claims Tigress threatened her, and for that reason, she remained submissive.
Julia's testimony and questioning directly contradicts this because Julia said Cleo evidently seemed to be the boss.
Cleo's response to that (when asked by the lawyers) is that with her expertise and previous managing skills, the way she tried to end the situation as fast as possible by getting their search over with so everyone could be set free, it might’ve seemed from a different perspective, that she was the one in charge when in fact she was in as much danger as Julia. Her testimony is so convincing that even Julia herself has trouble not believing it (Devineaux reassures her).
Cleo claims the Argentinean woman who contracted her joined them in Egypt, unaware Miss Argent had joined them and started complaining about involving an agent of Interpol in the case. - Julia's trial is similar, she saw Carmen in Egypt but she tries to say Cleo and her didn't seem friends, the defence lawyers don't let her do that due to her phrasing, objecting to hearsay.
Devineaux's testimony is something else... he recounts getting Carmen’s help to rescue Miss Argent, his fight with Tigress, how he revealed the location of the vault to authorities and how Carmen vanished right after.
When questioned about Tigress he recounted their fight.
When questioned about Miss Argent's testimony about Cleo's involvement in the kidnaping, he can confirm he saw her in the tomb and leaving with the men who tried to attack him.
"Do you find it odd that Miss Carmen left the premises at the same time as everyone else you've described as being part of this criminal organisation you claim exists?" Devineaux can't answer the question with objectivity, so he settles with: "All I know is that they all left after authorities were dispatched."
Defence tries to make a connection between Carmen and the other criminals but for once prosecution objects to hearsay as well.
Since all the evidence they had on the kidnaping case seemed only to prove Cleo was indeed in the places she claimed to be, and in the end it was Julia's word against Cleo's: Defence pleads False imprisonment.
Cleo is found guilty of Flase imprisonment and is made to pay to the victim Miss Julia Argent compensatory charges as well as face 12 months in jail. (She does just that - it's enough time to go through the other trials - Cleo is not happy.)
That concludes Cleo's trial. Its a lot of text but in the episode it wouldn’t take a lot of time, I'm just taking effort in explaining my logic, cause for one legal stuff is fun and coming up with a plausible reason for compelling arguments for the trial was both difficult and entertaining.
In this moment in the episode, Player takes a break from explaining things to Carmen, who clarifies why she wasn't part of these trials (or Shadow-san).
Although she stole to return the items V.I.L.E. was trying to make a profit out of the truth was she was still committing crimes by stealing those items, and despite having good intentions, there was enough evidence to lock her up as well. So if V.I.L.E. ever got out (because they could definitely find the means to), she'd be stuck in jail for trying to stop them the only way she knew how.
Yes, ACHME didn't apprehend her, but she couldn’t extend the same trust to Interpol or any other police forces. She couldn’t interfere in the trials.
Up next was, the trial of Professor Gunnar Maelstrom. The charges against him were involvement on the criminal organisation known as V.I.L.E., having been sent to a mental institution for criminals due to his mental condition.
No evidence of the first charge was ever found except for his presence on what (on the previous public trial - public due to the items found in Poitiers being of international importance) was proven to be a tourist attraction falsely approached by ACHME - and according to the report ACHME presented as evidence, Gunnar was out of the castle, roaming the premises.
In his testimony he claimed he was just arriving when he was captured. - The defence presents as evidence, the testimonies of the agents of ACHME for Cleo's trial as a means to make them seem unreliable on their testimony. They did this by asking the same questions as before, and because they had a bad experience with uncertainty on Cleo's trial, the agents were more careful with thier words this time around, so when the testimonies didn't coincide, defence pointed that out.
Finally, they forged a psychological evaluation and brought a fake psychologist to give a statement on Gunnar's "excellent" mental condition.
Professor Gunnar Maelstrom was found innocent of all charges.
Up next, Doctor Saira Bellum, accused of theft by association to the organization of V.I.L.E. and construction of illegal weapons (the crackle rod).
For the first time, Graham is brought in for questioning. He's the only one who can connect Bellum to V.I.L.E. especially after the failure of the previous trials.
Because he's ACME's witness, and they're getting desperate to prove V.I.L.E. is a real organization, seeing that the export company façade had managed to get suspicion away; he's first interrogated by prosecution. He's told to speak about as much as he can about V.I.L.E. without connecting himself to them (his kidnaping by Boris and Vlad, his presence in Bellum's lair - and the connection to Maelstrom that could possibly constitute as new evidence to open a new trial against him).
So he talks about those experiences and how Bellum had lots of weaponry in her lab (the robots) and the crackle rod as well, that caused his injury (when Carmen blasted him, but he omitted that detail). - Prosecution presents the device as evidence.
He spoke about his amnesia and how Bellum was responsible for it with her device. And connected Maelstrom to the case because he was the one who had told him about V.I.L.E. in the first place. - Prosecution presents the hospital records and nurses' testimonies for Graham's cover-up story.
Things seem to turn around with Graham's testimony and video security footage of Bellum's robot stealing the golden crown from the Singaporean science museum.
Defense absolutely shreds through his testimony, tho. Because the case was turning around, instead of the assigned lawyer, Emily takes over, giving ACME a taste of her cunning. Actually, I think showing you the questions would be the best in this case:
>> "Good morning, Mr. Callaway, prosecution, ladies, and gentlemen of the jury. We've just covered a lot of information, so I apologize for going over it again, but there are a few things that seemed to be unexplained. Mr. Callaway, you claimed Dr. Saira Bellum worked for the organization you're calling V.I.L.E., correct?"
>> "That is correct."
>> "Could you explain in your own words, what is V.I.L.E.?"
>> "Well, V.I.L.E. is a criminal organization of thiefs who steal things from all over the world."
>> "And what does the acronym stand for?"
>> "Uhmm, Villain's International League of Evil?"
>> Emily pauses, letting that sentence sink in. The jury starts looking at each other, wondering why she stopped asking questions. Gray sits uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "Villain's International League of Evil... is that correct?"
>> "Y-yes, that's what I said."
In this part The Lawyer is trying to make V.I.L.E. seem like a fairy tale, made up by ACME; that's why she pauses and let's people think on how ridiculous "Villains League of Evil" sounds.
>> "Little on the nose, but very well, and how did you learn about this League of Evil, Mr. Callaway?"
>> Gray looks at the prosecution lawyer, who nods at him. "Like I said before, I was taken to Dr. Bellum's lab in the Himalayas, where Professor Maelstrom told me about V.I.L.E."
>> "And before that incident, did you have any knowledge about the organization?"
>> "I... I had amnesia, and I didn't remember a good portion of my life."
>> "But now you do?"
>> "E-excuse me?"
>> "You said you had amnesia. Does that mean you have recovered?"
>> "..." he looks at the lawyer again, who shakes their head.
In this part, the prosecution lawyer - on ACME's side is trying to make Graham avoid the question, so he doesn't mention ACME's own memory device.
>> "Is there a reason why you can't answer the question?" Gray considers this, yes, if he spoke about his earlier involvement in V.I.L.E. it could frame him for working with them as well, but if he confessed he worked for them, proving that Bellum, Maelstrom and everyone else involved in the case was also part of V.I.L.E. would be a piece of cake, and despite going to jail with them... maybe it was a small price to pay for all the bad thing's he'd done.
>> "I used to be a V.I.L.E. operative before I lost my memory."
>> The court gasps not having expected that. Emily pauses for effect again, before asking him to elaborate.
>> Gray replies: "Despite having my memory back, believe it or not, some details are still fuzzy but Professor Maelstrom showed me a tape of my interview for when I enlisted V.I.L.E. I wanted to take part on the organization because I didn't like my job and I thought I could make a better living by stealing."
>> "Is that tape available anywhere?"
>> "I don't think so?"
>> "Can you tell us about the incident that made you lose your memories?"
>> "I always thought it had been a flaw in my work at the opera house, but the agents at ACME told me it was actually Bellum's doing, and when I went to the Himalayas I found out it was true."
>> "ACME told you Bellum was responsible for your memory loss?"
This was a mistake by Graham's phrasing, he's not familiar with courthouse wording and The Lawyer is purposefully mistaking what he means when he's speaking in order to twist his words.
>> "No! No, I mean, they told me it was weird my medical records were off and the nurses didn't remember me, so they offered to help me get my memories back. I guess I figured Bellum messed with my memories on my own after they told me about it."
>> "Who told you about it?"
>> "Uhmm...Bellum and Maelstrom?"
>> "Are you sure?"
>> "Yes, of course I am."
In here Emily is trying to get Graham to seem confused and unsure about his testimony, despite only trying to correct himself, it already seems like he's lying because he changed what he said.
>> "How exactly did ACME help you get your memories back?"
>> The lawyer was waving and sighing for him to not speak about it so this time Gray finally listened despite ignoring him for this long. Noticing this, Emily points it out. "Your honor the witness is purposefully hiding information at the orders of prosecution! How am I expected to do my work if prosecution interferes?"
>> The judge warns the prosecution the behavior will not be allowed and asks that Gray answers the question.
>> Gray still tries to not give away any incriminatory information responding carefully. "They, uhh... helped me retrace my steps..."
>> "How kind, tell me, why do you keep looking at the prosecution lawyer Mr. Callaway?"
>> "Uh... well I... I don't want to say the wrong thing?" - Do keep in mind this is a high stakes situation and Graham is under a lot of stress.
>> "Why would you say the wrong thing? aren't you supposed to tell the truth?
>> Prosecution objects hearsay, the judge overrules the objection. Gray, of course doesn't have an answer. Emily, very happy with this outcome, let's the court sit in silence for a while waiting for the reply that wouldn't come, before moving on.
This is one of my fav parts, because it shows how sometimes court isn't exactly just and a difference a good lawyer can make. People need to be very careful in court with what they're saying because it can all be thrown back at them - specially with a really good lawyer. This part was actually inspired by Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp trial, mainly Depp's lawyer who was very smart and always remembered Amber's testimony to throw it back at her.
>> "You claim you discovered on your own that Dr. Bellum was responsible for your memory loss. How exactly did she accomplish that?"
>> "With a machine that wipes people's memories."
>> "What does that machine look like?"
>> "I don't know."
>> "How does it work?"
>> "I don't know."
>> "How did you find out about it?"
>> "Maelstrom told me about it."
>> "So was it Professor Maelstrom who took your memories or was it Dr. Bellum?"
>> "Sorry?"
>> "You keep mentioning Professor Maelstrom in your testimony but you insist Bellum is the one responsible for this incident, despite never mentioning her, and may I add, Professor Maelstrom has already been proven innocent of his involvement with V.I.L.E." Emily faces the jury. "If I recall correctly, this League of Villains you're accusing my client of being part of, isn't even something to be proven to exist so on what grounds can your testimony even stand on?"
>> "Well, Bellum made the machine that caused my memory loss, even if she didn't use it, and she made the crackle rod as well!"
>> "How do we know this machine is even real? Do you have proof a machine like this could even exist?"
>> "Well, ACME has one just like it!"
This, is where the tides change.
>> Emily let's that answer sit in silence. "What does their machine look like?"
>> Gray stays quiet, he know he fucked up.
>> "Did you say the wrong thing, Mr. Callaway?" Prosecution objects leading, judge overrules.
Again with the smart throwing the witness' words against them.
>> "Did ACME use their machine on you?"
>> The judge forces Gray to respond, he figures, might as well tell the truth, he could barely remember the truth let alone make up an half decent lie in the spot. "Yes."
>> "When did they use it?"
>> "When I was in Iceland, they took me for questioning and used it on me when I said I couldn't remember anything. But I allowed them to use it!"
>> "Why did they take you for questioning?" -shit.
>> "Because they saw me involved with Carmen Sandiego."
>> "Involved how?"
>> "She asked me to light up an opera for a children's charity in New Zeeland."
Since V.I.L.E. is trying to frame Carmen for a bunch of their shit, Emily tries to pick at this detail but for once, prosecution stops it. Worth the attempt tho.
>> "When did this happen?" Prosecution objects relevance, judge sustains it. So instead Emily asks. "Can you tells us more about your experience with the mentioned device ACME used on you?" to witch Gray recounts all we know from the episode "The Robo Rober" (S4 Ep3), including his imprisonment and escape. "You're sure all of this happened? You mentioned ACME used a machine to mess with your memories. How do you know what's real and what's fake?" Prosecution objects leading, it is overruled.
>> "It's all real."
>> "How do you know?"
>> Gray's silence is unintentional, but it speaks volumes when he finally says "I don't know."
Finally, defense asks about the crackle rod, and Gray (knowing a lot about the device, gives a detailed explanation about it's innerworkings - it's on character for him, specially when he's under stress).
Now if this doesn't seem bad to you, it came time for Bellum's side of the story.
She was instructed by The Lawyer to play dumb and talk about science stuff, but not about the crackle rod - witch she would take no credit for, nor the memory machine. HOWEVER, as a science expert she'll give her opinion on the possibility of creating a machine as such and it's purpose to alter people's memories, further leading to the narrative that ACME planted all that information on Gray's mind.
Time for cross examination:
When asked about V.I.L.E. she feigned ignorance, never heard of it before and found the name "League of Evil" childish and ridiculous (that part was actually true, despite liking the word "VILE" the acronym was never to her tastes).
When asked about the exports company she claimed to know nothing about it, except for the owner, who was a know expert in all things historic (them knowing each other was a reason for Bellum's invite into the castle in Scotland). - evidence can constitute the invitation letter received for the grand opening ACME seemingly crashed.
When asked about the memory device again, she claimed it might be possible (because she can be considered an expert her opinion can be constituted as evidence) but she never attempted to do anything of the sort. She claims her usual inventions have in mind innovation and comfort (her jetpack being one of them). - in evidence she presents her jetpack blue prints and several other meaningless small inoffensive inventions she'd done over the years.
When asked about the crackle rod she claims she had never seen it before but that she really appreciated the detailed explanation Mr. Calloway had provided. Despite not knowing the device, she could guess his explanation had been on point by her knowledge on machinery. (aka everything Gray said had made sense)
When asked about Mr. Callaway and Maelstrom she claimed she never saw the two in her life, she only knew Cleo from the castle and she heard Maelstrom had been invited as a local scholar but she never got to see him in person.
When asked about the Robo Rober (this was the most difficult part for her because she basically denounced her child), she claimed such a technological feat was not possible and in the footage what they called "a robot" could very much be someone in a costume (saying this broke her heart but it was necessary).
In the end what really sold it, was a fake witness: a psychologist who testified as an expert in mental health and gave their opinion on Graham's condition - False memories can arise from misattribution, suggestion, or bias, and are a normal part of everyday memory. Examining these memory distortions can help us better understand normal memory and its reconstructive nature. False memories, although inaccurate, are often just as compelling as true memories. - "obviously planted by ACME".
With no real evidence to tie Bellum to the accusations and enough evidence to discard Graham's testimony:
Doctor Saira Bellum was found innocent of all charges.
I wanted to add Mime Bomb's trial in this post because it's a fairly short one to explain; the lawyer was just someone from the firm Emily own's and not much happens. There's no proof surrounding Mime Bomb aside from an eye witness seeing him in the crime scene in S3 Ep4 "The Masks of Venice Caper".
It was dark, he was dressed as a mime, and no one could prove he was the very same mime. The witness takes one look at the guy being accused and goes "I don't know him" because he's not recognizable without the mime make up; of course e won't put the mime make up for the trial;
There are no fingerprints, there is no footage of his face, nor witnesses, he has done nothing wrong and all the places he had appeared on were proper places where a mim could be performing on the street.
Devineaux gives his testimony about the S1 Ep8 "The Lucky Cat Caper" where he had apprehended Mime Bomb suspecting him to work with Carmen; and later saw him speaking to Tigress, but he can't prove the guy in court is the same person because they had never seen his face under the make up.
It's innocent until proven guilty not the other way around so:
Mime Bomb was found innocent of all charges.
So I know I said this was going to be long; but all the additional explanations I'm adding to make this as realistic as possible is making it really really long, so I've decided to split it into two parts;
In the next part I will cover Coach Brunt's, Tigress' and Roundabout's trials (Roundabout will be the biggest).
I hope you had fun reading trough my silly little trial knockouts; I had a blast putting this together!
Carmen Sandiego Spotify Playlist and what/who each Song reminds me of:
Warning, spoilers for every season of CS; If you haven't watched it yet, why haven't you?
Strange Sight - This song is from the Tinkerbell movies from Disney but it's so GOOD. It reminds me of the end of S1 and S2, particularly the integration of Shadow-san to Red Team. This song hits the feels EVERYTIME and I want to make a fanfiction about it. Particularly, it makes me think of the Rio caper, the Japan episode and boy's night with Zack, hahaha...
Cast the Bronze - By Raynes. Yet another Dadowsan song, this just reminds me of everything he's been through and everything he's willing to go through for Carmen after she changed his life. NO, I'M NOT OK, OK? I keep thinking of the last episode of the show ;_;
Mile Magnificent - By molly ofgeography. It is Carmen vibes all the way through. It just reminds me of Carmen and her journey in V.I.L.E. and how she became the person she is and took the path of good rather than choosing the easy way out.
I'm Okay - By Honest Men. Honestly it reminds me of the entire Red Team. It makes me think of the shenanigans they might've got themselves on while redecorating the warehouse, the impromptu movie nights, the a capela karaoke sessions between the twins, the times where each member orders different take out and they do takeout bufes. Just them having an overall good time together despite the circumstances and their individual pasts. <3
Innocently Annoying - By Elysewood. Reminds me of Graham, weirdly enough. Not just him but all of Carmen's former friends from V.I.L.E. after finding out why she left and starting to go up against her on missions. It's a little heartbreaking considering that other than Tigress they all got along very well, and we even see Le Chèvre and El Topo not wanting to fight her (and yet the one who's supposed to care for her most - the one she saw as a brother - tried to kill her on that train). Without context, I imagine the "friends" she left behind didn't understand her decisions.
All Eyes on You - By Smash Into Pieces. Carmen Song. Particularly the feeling she must've gotten from when she started to take on V.I.L.E. head on. She had Player but it's not like they had ever met. She got the twins but at that point they weren't really family. I think their relationships grew a lot and very fast, but Carmen was still the one with the target on her back (and the V.I.L.E. nightmares).
Suspicious Minds - By Elvis Presley. THIS ONE IS JUST FUNNY. Someone I talked to about the playlist called it "iconic", I think they put it best. Ofc it reminds me of S2 Ep3, but also you know Zack and Ivy would play that at the karaoke just to annoy Shadow-san, and he'd be secretly happy about it. I just know it!
More Than a Feeling - By Boston. Y'all, the official lyrics for this are "till I see Shadow-san walk awayyyy! ... I see my Shadow-san walking awayyyy..." and NO ONE can fight me about this.
Icarus - By Bastille. Reminds me of everyone in their own way. Carmen from going against V.I.L.E., it can't be an easy decision and from all the close calls she's had that we've seen... Zack with his recklessness and specially in the backstory episode - my heart was on my throat as well as Ivy's when his car capsized. Man I know Player says he has parents, but my boy acts like he lives with his grandma or something... By far the scene in the end of S4 broke my heart beyond belief. Shadow-san, I'd rant about my boy every and any day but I'll repeat myself too much. Ivy, gosh. Her insecurities are so palpable and relatable, I love her, how capable she is and yet how she puts Carmen in a pedestal she could never reach by comparison. As a bonus, Julia, from standing up to her beliefs despite having everyone go against her & Devineaux for all the danger he's been on, and I know him getting hurt is played for laughs and giggles in the show, but this man has suffered a lot and never, ever gave up. That's strength.
Wolves of the Revolution - By The Arcadian Wild. Red Team angst. Zack and Ivy's, Carmen and Shadow-san's individual upbringings, their struggles, their insecurities. The way they find solace in each other just enough to keep going. I think of the episode the twins got the offer to race for Mr. Sterling Sterling and when Carmen was recovering from Stockholm specifically.
Battle Cry - By The Family Crest. Gosh this song hits hard. I'm a Shadow-san and Carmen super fan, so ofc this reminds me of them. Specially I think how in the latter episodes Shadow-san seemed more reckless and getting hurt more? Letting Roudabout hit him (his line "I'm here for Carmen"), Lady Dokuso hit him with the ninja star, falling from the roof as well, breaking his leg; almost getting buried in ice after fighting Brunt (his line "Your constant treats to Carmen end here.") BRO. The song's lyrics? "I will fight for you, I would die for you" If that's not Shadow-san in the last episode of the show I don't know what is.
Liar - By The Arcadian Wild. Second Arcadian Wild song, it's not my fault their vibes fit Red Team. I'd argue Carmen song, but honestly it fits a bunch of people. Carmen, Shadow-san, Zack, Devineaux... This show is full of complex and interesting characters, what did you expect? But ultimately I think this song fits Devineaux particularly well- If you ship Chase x Julia is a pretty good song for that ship too!
House a Habit - By We Are the Guests. Red Team, post 2 year skip at the end? They all go back to San Diego (including Carmen's mom or not) and live together because GIVE ME BACK MY FOUND FAMILY DAMNIT!
Abandon Ship - By finn. AU where Shadow-san makes it to the boat and slowly adopts the rest of Red Team. Dadowsan vibes through the roof, he adopts Graham, he adopts Le Chèvre and El Topo, one big anti-V.I.L.E. happy family.
Ship In a Bottle - By finn. I needed to add this song too. This is Carmen song, lyrics, music, it's just her. The way she packs lightly because she has nothing to her name and doesn't know anything about her family for the longest time. S1 Carmen allegory.
Will I Find My Home - By Juniper Vale & Van Izak. Found Family Allegory.
Rule #9 - Child of the Stars - By Fish in a Birdcage. Shadow-san about Carmen. Her bright eyes, her soft hands, ready to take on the world, it just fits.
Rule #23 - Birds of a Feather - By Fish in a Birdcage. Another Carmen song. Specially the first part.
Never Love an Anchor - By The Crane Wives. Lot's of Dadowsan songs in this but hey, I got a type ig... This one really hits on the feels of Shadow-san always being cold towards young Carmen,
Northen Star - By Dom Fera. Finally a Player song. Just Player thoughts when he is helping Carmen.
Carnivore - By Bear Attack! Ok, hear me out... Just Carmen dealing with the feelings of aftermath when Graham keeps flirting with her despite her not being interest in him or Carmen upset at Graham for his betrayal in the first episode, specially because she saw him as a big brother, and he blames her for interfering in their mission when she's the one doing the right thing. Could be platonic or ship.
The Graduate - By Arcadian Wild. The guitar in their songs really do fit Carmen's vibes. This just reminds me of young Carmen growing up in V.I.L.E. island and stepping out from that life after finding out the truth. The name of the song also has a cool ring to it "graduate" as if her failing the graduation from thief school, made her graduate in something else...
Tightrope - This is a song from The Greatest Showman musical (a movie). I think this could easily be a ship song for any ship in this show, honestly, specially because it's supposed to be a romantic song in the movie, but it's not just that, you know? It's a family song as well, so I see it as a good song for Red Team and their found family!
Providence - By Poor Man's Poison. This song is just a vibe. Honestly feels like a V.I.L.E. song, lowkey? Just the vibes of joining the school and abandoning your morals to get rich and "official" join the league of villains after graduation, must be a weird feeling right?
Wish you the Worse - By Ryan Mack. Same vibes as Carnivore by Bear Attack! (earlier on the playlist), but more chill I'd say. Reminds me of Carmen antagonizing Shadow-san in S1, talking smack about him and feeling proud of showing him how good of a thief she really is, but still having nightmares about him; proving she does care about his opinion. The line "Fuck you and all your friends" I just imagine Carmen saying that to Shadow-san "all your friends" being the rest of the faculty, who, aside from Brunt, Carmen doesn't give enough of a shit about to mention.
Lost - By finn. Spotify tends to recommend songs from the same artists to your playlists, it's not my fault they fi, so yeah multiple songs from the same people. The Chorus motif with the guitar is SO GOOD, it fits Carmen's evasive personality amazingly. This song just reminds me of her reluctance to have a base building, and traveling the worlds with no clue where to end up next. "If I'm found I'll end up lost." If I settle in a place, it'll remind me too much of V.I.L.E., aside from that last year, she grew up in the place, no wonder she's conflicted about it, despite going against their ideals.
Noseblead Seats - By Vansire. Travelling around the world, by plane or car, I assume Team Red got at least ONE road trip on their pasts and this is the song I imagine playing thorough it.
Inkpot Gods - By The Amazing Devil. Shadow-san/Carmen song each respectively to their "dad". Take that as you will.
Mostly - By Vian Izak & Juniper Vale. A moment of vulnerability between the team. Here's what I'm picturing. One night, Carmen Zack Ivy and Shdoaw-san are on call with Player and they start talking about one of V.I.L.E.'s current plans and somehow, the twins clumsiness comes up. Ivy and Zack then confess they don't feel ready, they never have, they're just wigging it and it's showing; all the comments they've been hearings, all the failures they've been through are starting to get to them and they feel... worthless. So, Carmen confesses she doesn't always know what to do either, that she too feels unprepared, like she's not enough, and that the reason she powers through and that she can keep going is because of the amazing people that she's met along the way and that have supported her. Player also let's them know, he's always scared, scared he'll fail, or won't be on time, or that there's nothing he can do as he hears his friends struggle through the speakers. Finally, Shadow-san let's them know they're doing great and that, through his life, he's made so many mistakes, he's failed time and time over and his decisions disappoint him beyond measuring, but for everything he's been through, for all the moments he felt desperate because he didn't know what to do... he's glad he lived the life the way he did, because it led him there, to that moment with those people, and he couldn't be more grateful for it.
I'm going to end it there for now, I hope you guys can enjoy at least some of the songs with me! :)
The header and profile picture I drew for my new blog: Carmen Sadiego Paranormal AU!
It's going to be a blog hosting my HC's for this alternate universe as well as a comic! So consider taking a look if you're interested in it.
For context on this, I've done one to two posts about my fanmade season 5.
I've clarified that the "The Jail Break Capper", parts 1 and 2, would likely be either the first episode or the the first two episodes;
I haven't talked about episode three at all... in which case I present: "The Mamushi Assassination Capper", a preview:
She stepped with velvet care so as to not cause any unwanted attention. Mr. Hideo had let her slip through the back door into a small but beautiful garden. Birds were singing, the wind was fluttering... on the wooden fence stood a single lazy cat, taking in the sun.
From all the places they had visited, she didn't expect to find him here at all... yet there he was. Sitting by a plane tree, surrounded by rose bushes and sakura tree petals that had flown from the street.
Mr. Hideo had mentioned that his brother would take to himself somedays, when he didn't have to work. In Carmen’s opinion, he never needed to work, after everything either of them had been through...
Shadow-san doesn't take notice of her, and if he does, he doesn't say anything. She approaches further.
Just then, her mind goes blank, supplying her with no reason for her sudden appearance in his life. What was she going to say to him? "Remember how you told me to find a new path? Well, what if I don't? Remember how you said other people could fight the good fight? Did you mean just me, or were you including yourself in that? Does that mean you won't help me get back into old habits?" The closer she gets, the harder it becomes to breathe.
What if the reason he had sent her away, was because he actually despised her? What if the reason he found her mom was that she wouldn't be his problem anymore?
She stops in her tracks when she catches a glimpse of his face... he had been sleeping? In the middle of the day? His posture is lax, he leans back on his hands (maybe not sleeping after all), in this position she could get a clear view of his face. He almost looked younger, deeply rooted stress lines softened by the afternoon glow. But most importantly of all, he looked happy.
A weight pulls down her chest. He looked happy. He looked happy. Happier than she'd ever seen him. And it was all due to her absence. Maybe not all but in part it was true. Their life as thiefs had become a burden to him a long, long time ago. He had made his choices in the past and he chose to get away from it all, yet here she was, ready to ask him to go back to that life. The life that granted him no sleep. The life that made him stressed to breath. The life that took his youth away. The life he abandoned in order to find happiness.
She feels her chest swell unbearably so. Tears pickled her eyes. No, nope, not here, come on Carmen, hold it together.
"Red?" Player calls through the intercom. "Everything alright? Did you find our ninja?"
She wants to answer but she doesn't want Shadow-san to hear her. She steps away through the shadows and slips over the fence.
"Red?"
"Player, I-i can't."
"What's going on?"
"He looks so happy... I can't take that from him, I can't ask him to join me. I don't even know if he wants to see me! I don't even know if..." She keeps her voice hushed.
"Red? Shouldn't that be something he gets to decide too? I mean, you came over all the way to Japan and you're not even gonna let him see you?"
"I-" "Carmen?" She turns around in an instant, her neck cracks from the force of it. "Shadow-san?" But, how?
He smiles softly. "I thought that was you."
"How did you?"
"You startled the cat when you jumped the fence." Had he took notice of her just then? Or much earlier...
"I-i came to visit, but I felt like I was intru-" She doesn't get to finish what she was saying. Shadow-san pulls her into a hug. He ends it as soon as he feels her freeze, however.
"Apologies, I should have asked." He steps back. "I missed you."
Those three words. Spoken as softly as they had been. Under the cool shadows easing the blazing afternoon sun. A sakura blossom petal lands on top of his head. It makes her want to giggle. Not all her worries are relieved, but the biggest one sure had been. She tackles him, returning the hug. Neither comment on the tiny tear on the corner of her eye. "I missed you too." Player smiles through the intercom.
And there you have it!!
I hope you liked my preview!
I've been stuffed from work, but I already have 8 episodes for fanmade season 5 planned!
I want to do art for them as well so it might take a bit (plus I'm still working on Paranormal Sandiego), but I hope they turn out fun!
I think it's about time I made an intro post. My name is Around Problems, you can call me one or the other, or even AP. I'm 22 y/o and I go by they/them.
I like drawing and talking about my favorite things and hyperfixations.
My current fandoms are Carmen Sandiego, Care Bears, Sonic The Hedgehog, Club Penguin. Might also share stuff from other fandoms. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My tags are:
#aproblemsart (fo my drawings, check it out why don't you)
#aproblemswriting (fo all my wonderous takes and any actually good writing I do)
#aroundrants (other stuff, I don't actually use this tag that much)
I'll use the tags in this post for easy access, yw.
Message me anytime, asks are open, come talk to meeee :P
