azalawa-scroggs

[azalawa-scroggs]

To be fair I've come to actually really enjoy this situation - the untwist, to me, doesn't work in that it muddies the waters of what the game is telling us the situation is with regards to Edgeworth, and I think an "Edgeworth isn't actually dead and everyone knows it" reading would have worked better establishing Edgeworth is dead and having Phoenix and Franziska make dissonant yet believable statements about it, until it's revealed retroactively that he wasn't dead and that neither of them were fooled - we were just operating on a wrong assumption. Another way to make it clearer would have been to simply say Edgeworth "disappeared," without bringing up that note which seems to very unambiguously refer to a suicide.

But as someone who actually enjoys reading the game as "they believed he was dead and were in denial, it just so happened their denial was right," I do really enjoy the way it's written, for all its ambiguity. To me it feels like they wanted to explore all those messy feelings of Phoenix and Franziska mourning him, but without actually saying that Edgeworth had considered, attempted, or made people believe in his suicide. And I think that's interesting too, in a way. Plausible deniability - yet the real presence of those themes in the game.

In the end the important themes of the game imo are more about redefining one's wrong expectations and worldview, about Phoenix, Franziska and Edgeworth having to redefine their view of both Edgeworth as a person rather than as an ideal, and of the way all of them approach their work within the justice system. I think that works no matter what way you choose to read it, and that it's pretty solid in its execution. But while I think the ambiguity is a little confusing I do enjoy the possibility of adding this colour - admittedly darker than an Ace Attorney game is probably comfortable with - to the reading.

The thing with this whole question, "did Phoenix and Franziska believe Edgeworth was dead during JFA," is that, while the game does make both of them answer it somewhat straightforwardly, the narrative itself seems to want it two different ways at once.

Edgeworth's disappearance, for all first three cases of JFA, is treated as a mystery. We don't know what happened; Maya tries her best to get Phoenix to tell her, but Phoenix seems too drowning in anger and grief to answer her. Then we finally get an answer to that question - Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death. Suicide? No, Franziska immediately says, no, he's still alive. The next in-game day, she's proven right; we see a very alive Edgeworth on the phone with Gumshoe. And then he of course comes back for Farewell, the whole case develops, we learn about the truth and fighting for more than personal pride and not being heroes and saviours, just men.

My question is: if it's that straightforward. If Phoenix unambiguously wrote off a very alive Edgeworth because he couldn't accept that real-life Edgeworth didn't resemble the Edgeworth in his head. If Franziska's certainty that he is alive doesn't stem from the denial of grief, but simply of her knowing so. If the only one fooled by this whole thing is the player, then why does the game make such a mystery of Edgeworth's death in the first place?

It would have been far more efficient to clearly establish Edgeworth being dead at the beginning, show Phoenix grieving him, in all his anger and rejection and blatant misinterpretation of Edgeworth's reason for doing what he did - and use it to foreshadow the real twist, not the fake one. Franziska's insistence that he is alive would also have felt even more like mere denial - while giving us our first actual hint that she is, in fact, right. His return would have been a true surprise, properly woven into the story, unhindered by the confusion of mixed messages, and we could have had the masterful conclusion of Farewell clarifying everything, putting everything in its right place just like it does in the original game.

Instead we get two cases wracked with loss, with grief, with betrayal and revenge. And in the middle of all that pain, the mystery above our heads, "what became of Edgeworth," is looming. It seems unavoidable that we will have to accept he is gone, but the game doesn't tell us why or how, it pushes it back, seemingly waiting for the most emotional moment to hit us with that painful truth.

But when you put the two together, it doesn't really work all that well. Three out of four cases in the game seem to set up the revelation of Edgeworth's death, then the fourth case is about how he wasn't truly dead, when we... barely had any time to react to him being dead in the first place. It's a double twist, but instead of the second making the first more meaningful, it just kind of cancels its emotional impact instead.

I think this is why there's such a confusion about whether Franziska and Phoenix believe Edgeworth was dead. Because it would have worked bloody well better if someone was allowed to. Phoenix and Franziska are grieving so openly, in such a raw manner - and no one will tell us why, and when we're finally told why it's not even the truth. So maybe we're searching for a bit of truth there, anyway. Edgeworth's "death" didn't have time to hit us before being subverted, so what should we believe? The first three cases, or the last one?

Besides, Franziska's statement can easily be read as denial.

I don't believe it. He's still alive. I'm sure of it... Somewhere in this world, he's still alive.

Phoenix's is a little more clear-cut, but even his words can be interpreted as grief for someone's suicide:

(You really let me down...) When you disappeared, I felt... betrayed. The reason I decided to become a lawyer to begin with... Was because I believed in the things you said to me, all those years ago... And you... You betrayed your own words. That's why... one year ago, I made up my mind. I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died... ...At least, that's what I told myself.

Note that he never says "when you left" he says "when you disappeared." Edgeworth is the one claiming Phoenix can't forgive "the man who went into hiding," Phoenix doesn't confirm or deny it. Being "let down" or "betrayed" are actually also feelings people have been known to experience regarding a suicide, even though it's very unfair to the person who died. Even "at least, that's what I told myself" is a relatively ambiguous statement - is "Miles Edgeworth is dead" the thing he told himself knowing it wasn't true, or is it "You betrayed your own words by leaving/disappearing/apparently killing yourself, and I decided that's why you had no longer been the person I'd once known"?

The way it's worded does make it feel like the authorial intent is that neither Phoenix nor Franziska actually believed Edgeworth died. But not to the extent that it would be completely out of the question for them to be saying the exact same words had they believed it. Especially when for most of the game, we see them react in pretty much the exact way you'd expect from people grieving an actual suicide. Especially when in its very construction, all the way up until Edgeworth's return, the game had genuinely seemed to gear up to tell us he had truly killed himself.

The themes of the surrounding cases are also extremely ambiguous as to what they're trying to make you believe. In Reunion and Turnabout, you have a sister claiming to want revenge, before the case's turnabout reveals that revenge was not her motive at all. You have Mimi, who everyone believed died in a tragic accident that may or may not have been caused by guilt and outside pressure, revealed not to be actually dead, but to have become someone else in order to start over in life; furthermore, Mimi actually did lose her sibling. Putting her story aside Edgeworth's and Franziska's thus rather lends credence to the theory that he was truly believed to be dead. Morgan, Maya and Pearl's situation parallels almost exactly Manfred, Miles and Franziska's, with Reunion being the Fey's version of Turnabout Goodbyes, but no sudden disappearance ensues here, and so it brings us no insight on this question, though it is very interesting in other ways. In Turnabout Big Top, you have Regina, a young girl stuck in denial, incapable to realise her only family is dead. You have Acro, blinded by grief and rage for a sibling, driven to revenge against a target that doesn't deserve it - and it is worth noting that the conversation we have with Franziska, where she reveals her "revenge" is not for her father but for her brother and accuses Phoenix of being the reason he's gone, happens right before meeting Acro for the first time. Bat is not dead, but he may as well be, plunged for six months in a deep coma, and Acro states that his only reason to keep living is the hope of seeing him open his eyes again, which again, may or may not be denial - in this case, the comparison can be taken both ways. And of course the most obvious parallel is in Farewell, my Turnabout, where you have a woman dependent on her mentor and destroyed when she died - by suicide, the very reason we were told Edgeworth had "died" by, something that's briefly touched upon in Acro's case and heavily explored in Adrian and Celeste's. The game itself draws the parallel between these two and Franziska and Manfred, in that Franziska was "dependent" on Manfred's tactics, but it's completely transparent Adrian and Celeste's situation could also parallel Franziska and Miles, or even Miles and Manfred. Hell, Edgeworth puts his own words in Adrian's mouth.

Andrews: Please! Please STOP!! I beg you!! If people find out [about my suicide attempt]... If people find out... I... I'll... Edgeworth: If you're going to say you would "choose death", that is of no concern to me.

That seems pretty on the nose to me.

All the themes of Phoenix having to accept his saviour complex is a flaw, of Franziska having to accept the pursuit of perfection is unhealthy and unsustainable, of the both of them needing to confront this new Edgeworth who doesn't conform to their expectations, they still work if they truly believed he was dead, too. It's quite common for suicide to be unexpected, for people not to be able to believe someone could do it; that was already something they would have struggled to reconcile with the person they thought they knew, upsetting their whole idea of him in ways they may not have wished. Furthermore, Edgeworth spends an entire case confronting the both of them with the new him anyway, telling them "look, I'm not the person you thought I was, I have changed" while they struggle with their own worldviews falling around themselves, the way it happened to him a year earlier. Their beliefs prior to that don't fundamentally change anything to those themes. So it's not like this interpretation is breaking anything anyway, it is just a different colour to the overall same story, and one that can, in fact, also be read within and between the lines of canon.

[azalawa-scroggs]

The thing with this whole question, "did Phoenix and Franziska believe Edgeworth was dead during JFA," is that, while the game does make both of them answer it somewhat straightforwardly, the narrative itself seems to want it two different ways at once.

Edgeworth's disappearance, for all first three cases of JFA, is treated as a mystery. We don't know what happened; Maya tries her best to get Phoenix to tell her, but Phoenix seems too drowning in anger and grief to answer her. Then we finally get an answer to that question - Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth chooses death. Suicide? No, Franziska immediately says, no, he's still alive. The next in-game day, she's proven right; we see a very alive Edgeworth on the phone with Gumshoe. And then he of course comes back for Farewell, the whole case develops, we learn about the truth and fighting for more than personal pride and not being heroes and saviours, just men.

My question is: if it's that straightforward. If Phoenix unambiguously wrote off a very alive Edgeworth because he couldn't accept that real-life Edgeworth didn't resemble the Edgeworth in his head. If Franziska's certainty that he is alive doesn't stem from the denial of grief, but simply of her knowing so. If the only one fooled by this whole thing is the player, then why does the game make such a mystery of Edgeworth's death in the first place?

It would have been far more efficient to clearly establish Edgeworth being dead at the beginning, show Phoenix grieving him, in all his anger and rejection and blatant misinterpretation of Edgeworth's reason for doing what he did - and use it to foreshadow the real twist, not the fake one. Franziska's insistence that he is alive would also have felt even more like mere denial - while giving us our first actual hint that she is, in fact, right. His return would have been a true surprise, properly woven into the story, unhindered by the confusion of mixed messages, and we could have had the masterful conclusion of Farewell clarifying everything, putting everything in its right place just like it does in the original game.

Instead we get two cases wracked with loss, with grief, with betrayal and revenge. And in the middle of all that pain, the mystery above our heads, "what became of Edgeworth," is looming. It seems unavoidable that we will have to accept he is gone, but the game doesn't tell us why or how, it pushes it back, seemingly waiting for the most emotional moment to hit us with that painful truth.

But when you put the two together, it doesn't really work all that well. Three out of four cases in the game seem to set up the revelation of Edgeworth's death, then the fourth case is about how he wasn't truly dead, when we... barely had any time to react to him being dead in the first place. It's a double twist, but instead of the second making the first more meaningful, it just kind of cancels its emotional impact instead.

I think this is why there's such a confusion about whether Franziska and Phoenix believe Edgeworth was dead. Because it would have worked bloody well better if someone was allowed to. Phoenix and Franziska are grieving so openly, in such a raw manner - and no one will tell us why, and when we're finally told why it's not even the truth. So maybe we're searching for a bit of truth there, anyway. Edgeworth's "death" didn't have time to hit us before being subverted, so what should we believe? The first three cases, or the last one?

Besides, Franziska's statement can easily be read as denial.

I don't believe it. He's still alive. I'm sure of it... Somewhere in this world, he's still alive.

Phoenix's is a little more clear-cut, but even his words can be interpreted as grief for someone's suicide:

(You really let me down...) When you disappeared, I felt... betrayed. The reason I decided to become a lawyer to begin with... Was because I believed in the things you said to me, all those years ago... And you... You betrayed your own words. That's why... one year ago, I made up my mind. I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died... ...At least, that's what I told myself.

Note that he never says "when you left" he says "when you disappeared." Edgeworth is the one claiming Phoenix can't forgive "the man who went into hiding," Phoenix doesn't confirm or deny it. Being "let down" or "betrayed" are actually also feelings people have been known to experience regarding a suicide, even though it's very unfair to the person who died. Even "at least, that's what I told myself" is a relatively ambiguous statement - is "Miles Edgeworth is dead" the thing he told himself knowing it wasn't true, or is it "You betrayed your own words by leaving/disappearing/apparently killing yourself, and I decided that's why you had no longer been the person I'd once known"?

The way it's worded does make it feel like the authorial intent is that neither Phoenix nor Franziska actually believed Edgeworth died. But not to the extent that it would be completely out of the question for them to be saying the exact same words had they believed it. Especially when for most of the game, we see them react in pretty much the exact way you'd expect from people grieving an actual suicide. Especially when in its very construction, all the way up until Edgeworth's return, the game had genuinely seemed to gear up to tell us he had truly killed himself.

The themes of the surrounding cases are also extremely ambiguous as to what they're trying to make you believe. In Reunion and Turnabout, you have a sister claiming to want revenge, before the case's turnabout reveals that revenge was not her motive at all. You have Mimi, who everyone believed died in a tragic accident that may or may not have been caused by guilt and outside pressure, revealed not to be actually dead, but to have become someone else in order to start over in life; furthermore, Mimi actually did lose her sibling. Putting her story aside Edgeworth's and Franziska's thus rather lends credence to the theory that he was truly believed to be dead. Morgan, Maya and Pearl's situation parallels almost exactly Manfred, Miles and Franziska's, with Reunion being the Fey's version of Turnabout Goodbyes, but no sudden disappearance ensues here, and so it brings us no insight on this question, though it is very interesting in other ways. In Turnabout Big Top, you have Regina, a young girl stuck in denial, incapable to realise her only family is dead. You have Acro, blinded by grief and rage for a sibling, driven to revenge against a target that doesn't deserve it - and it is worth noting that the conversation we have with Franziska, where she reveals her "revenge" is not for her father but for her brother and accuses Phoenix of being the reason he's gone, happens right before meeting Acro for the first time. Bat is not dead, but he may as well be, plunged for six months in a deep coma, and Acro states that his only reason to keep living is the hope of seeing him open his eyes again, which again, may or may not be denial - in this case, the comparison can be taken both ways. And of course the most obvious parallel is in Farewell, my Turnabout, where you have a woman dependent on her mentor and destroyed when she died - by suicide, the very reason we were told Edgeworth had "died" by, something that's briefly touched upon in Acro's case and heavily explored in Adrian and Celeste's. The game itself draws the parallel between these two and Franziska and Manfred, in that Franziska was "dependent" on Manfred's tactics, but it's completely transparent Adrian and Celeste's situation could also parallel Franziska and Miles, or even Miles and Manfred. Hell, Edgeworth puts his own words in Adrian's mouth.

Andrews: Please! Please STOP!! I beg you!! If people find out [about my suicide attempt]... If people find out... I... I'll... Edgeworth: If you're going to say you would "choose death", that is of no concern to me.

That seems pretty on the nose to me.

All the themes of Phoenix having to accept his saviour complex is a flaw, of Franziska having to accept the pursuit of perfection is unhealthy and unsustainable, of the both of them needing to confront this new Edgeworth who doesn't conform to their expectations, they still work if they truly believed he was dead, too. It's quite common for suicide to be unexpected, for people not to be able to believe someone could do it; that was already something they would have struggled to reconcile with the person they thought they knew, upsetting their whole idea of him in ways they may not have wished. Furthermore, Edgeworth spends an entire case confronting the both of them with the new him anyway, telling them "look, I'm not the person you thought I was, I have changed" while they struggle with their own worldviews falling around themselves, the way it happened to him a year earlier. Their beliefs prior to that don't fundamentally change anything to those themes. So it's not like this interpretation is breaking anything anyway, it is just a different colour to the overall same story, and one that can, in fact, also be read within and between the lines of canon.

[azalawa-scroggs]

I and a few friends started a Discord server dedicated to Manfred von Karma, Franziska von Karma and Miles Edgeworth! We have spaces for all sorts of discussion about the family, for sharing your creative works, as well as shipping spaces, an adult-exclusive NSFW section and specific channels for heavier topics. We'd love to have you!

DM @azalawa-scroggs, @wrightandco or @weena-mercator for a link to the server!

/!\ Please note that this server allows discussion of any fictional topic allowed by Discord's Terms of Service. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of darker topics, ships or kinks being discussed, consider that this may not be the right space for you.

Thank you!

[azalawa-scroggs]

Omg thank you!! I'm sorry for pushing you - you did such a great job!!! My heart is broken. I love it. ❤️ Thanks for writing this for me! :D

Kiss n°60 for narumitsu. Are you surprised? :P thanks!!!

Not going to lie, it took a lot for me to write this lol!! It eventually came to a coin toss to choose which one I wanted to absolutely destroy <3 Prompts are right here!! And here's another one for good measure!! :D CW Major Character Death under the cut!!

“Miles! Look out!”

It happened like lightning. It was just a flash, and that awful shot rang out in the courtroom.

And then everyone was screaming.

The chief prosecutor was just motionless after Wright pushed him down. Edgeworth’s ears rang and his body was tense, he felt small, like he was stuck in that elevator all of those years ago. Slowly, he pushed himself up, his glasses were cracked. Edgeworth turned, only to face true horror.

The bailiffs were at work tackling the witness at the stand, the smoking gun had clattered to the floor. He could not care less about that, not when Wright was clutching his stomach and writhing in pain.

“No… no, Wright, no!” Edgeworth gasped, he crawled over to the attorney and pulled him close.

Wright smiled weakly, his hand was stained red, and his waistcoat was absolutely ruined. His forehead was sweaty and clammy, his skin was pale, and his lips were white. Still, he smiled at Edgeworth, and he laughed quietly.

“Shit… your glasses…” was all he could sputter out.

“Wright, what were you thinking?!” Miles gasped, he brushed the hair out of the attorney’s eyes. “God damn you!”

“’m sorry, Miles…” he replied, his eyelids fluttered.

“Phoenix, don’t you dare apologize,” Edgeworth snapped. “Stay with me, please!”

Edgeworth pressed his hand over Phoenix’s, he tried desperately to keep pressure on his abdomen, for Phoenix was losing more and more strength.

“Don’t leave me,” Wright shuddered. “It’s cold here…”

Edgeworth swallowed the lump in his throat, he couldn’t hold back his tears. With his free hand, he cupped Wright’s cheek, and he kissed him.

“I won’t leave you, I swear,” Edgeworth whispered.

Wright’s eyes were hazy, and he smiled serenely. Edgeworth did not dare move a muscle, even when Wright’s breathing grew more and more shallow. Despite the chaos, Edgeworth could not bring himself to care about anything else.

And he kissed Wright one last time.

[azalawa-scroggs]

Thank you for those emotes they're absolutely the cutest <3

Some emojis I made for a Von Karmas centric discord server. :) It's the whole family!

[azalawa-scroggs]

I and a few friends started a Discord server dedicated to Manfred von Karma, Franziska von Karma and Miles Edgeworth! We have spaces for all sorts of discussion about the family, for sharing your creative works, as well as shipping spaces, an adult-exclusive NSFW section and specific channels for heavier topics. We'd love to have you!

DM @azalawa-scroggs, @wrightandco or @weena-mercator for a link to the server!

/!\ Please note that this server allows discussion of any fictional topic allowed by Discord's Terms of Service. If you are uncomfortable with the idea of darker topics, ships or kinks being discussed, consider that this may not be the right space for you.

Thank you!

[azalawa-scroggs]

@wrightandco did you see? :3

Narumitsu /Ace Attorney fic rec: Mini Binge edition!

Have you ever gone on an author binge?

If not, I got a good one lined up for you!!!

All works by by kuraintrain

1. Do you trust me?

Rating: M, Words: 13,547

Let’s start off with a classic Narumitsu feels fic. Phoenix and Miles meet up at a conference and just really, really enjoy each other’s company. I was sad when it was over because I wanted more time with them. Read and reread for wonderful banter and feels. Highly recommended.

*featuring the true story of ´The Rat Trials of 1508´

~

2. Vengeful Spirit

Rating: M, Words: 2,586

The one where Pearls and Trucy have a sleep over and Pearls accidentally channels Manfred von Karma. In part terrifying and also hilarious. A short read (approx 10 min) and worth your time! I lol’ed more than once!

~

3. Mistrial

Rating: G, Words: 6,101

I loved ‘Do You Trust Me’ but this fic secures Kuraintrain as a ‘Narumitsu Master’ in my eyes. This one tackles Miles��� absolute <em>frustration </em> with Phoenix and it’s eventual resolution. Come for the ridiculous ‘Phoenix on a tractor scenario,’ stay for the delicious delivery of an angry, frustrated, possessive and yet loving Miles, and an apologetic and wonderfully written emotionally intuitive, tender Phoenix ❤️💙 (and yes, there are many LOLs along the way 😊

~

4. matrimonium decernere

Rating: E, Words: 16,620

Woo! The one where we get some smut! Kidding (ok, maybe not kidding ;) ) This is a proposal trope fic. However it is written with such sensitivity to the characters, their present and what they went through in the past that while fluffy, it doesn’t get <em>too </em>sweet. It strikes a good balance of fluff, angst, smut and romance with beautifully written moments and dialogue that give us those tasty character development moments we crave. It’s a nice one to round off your Kuraintrain Ace Attorney binge with (at least for now - as I sincerely hope they write more).

Enjoy!

[azalawa-scroggs]

Very very belated addition to my @killacharacterbingo card from last year. Happy ides of March!

proditio

Rating: T Major Character Death Gen Miles Edgeworth & Manfred von Karma, Miles Edgeworth & Bodhidharma Kanis Tags: Betrayal, Murder, Stabbing

After the Joe Darke case, the Prosecutor's Office starts giving Miles Edgeworth more cases of serial murder or of known assassins. Next in line is Bodhidharma Kanis, and Edgeworth is determined to catch him even if it means taking dangerous risks…

The warehouse was dark. Miles's footsteps echoed in the emptiness, between containers taller than himself. An ambush would be so easy here...

Miles gritted his teeth, trying to swallow his discomfort at the thought that he had brought nothing to defend himself. Mr. von Karma always had his taser on him, Franziska her whip; exceptionally, Miles could have asked to borrow a handgun from someone on the force, but the idea filled it with immense distaste. There was the knife in his trunk, but that was more of an utilitarian tool than a defensive one.

It didn't matter. If all went well, the police would sweep in before Kanis could do a single thing.

They had been after him for more than a year now. A different prosecutor had originally been in charge of the case, but family obligations had forced him to surrender it, as it was particularly dangerous, stressful and time-consuming. After his success in the Joe Darke case, it was only natural this other serial killing case fell to Miles. Murder for hire was significantly different than serial killing in several aspects, but not enough for Miles not to want to ride the wave of his newfound notoriety.

Which was also why he wanted to make an arrest as soon as he could. He'd figured out everything, modus operandi, general area, how to contact him. All he needed now was proof, cold hard proof. And the criminal in custody, naturally.

The downside was that the plan was very risky. Miles had talked it over with his mentor, who had seemed extremely reluctant to give him his blessing.

“You had an answer from the assassin?” he asked him without greeting him when Miles came into his office to tell him about it.

“Yes,” Miles replied, approaching to stand in front of Mr. von Karma's desk. A few days earlier, he had used the information he had gathered to send a false hit request on Detective Gumshoe, with the latter's consent, of course. “The reply was... not what I expected, to say the least.”

Mr. von Karma frowned. “Go on.”

Miles took a deep breath. “He wants us to meet to discuss the hit in person.”

Mr. von Karma's eyebrows shot up. “He didn't give you any other details?”

“No, nothing. Just a meeting place and several possible time slots.”

Mr. von Karma let out an annoyed huff. “Well, the lack of written evidence was to be expected, although it is irksome. What are your alternate courses of action?”

That was the moment Miles feared. He swallowed.

“I want to go to the meeting.”

Mr. von Karma blinked. “What?”

“With recording equipment,” Miles hastened to explain himself. “I can discuss the hit with him, have him arrested, hopefully obtain a confession from him, and if he doesn't, then use the recording as evidence in court, passing it off under –”

“The art. 352 exception to get it admitted despite its illegal aspect, yes,” Mr. von Karma cut him off. He waited for a second, then delivered his verdict, categorical. “You will not go.”

“What?” Miles said, taken aback. “But, sir –”

“You reckless, foolish boy,” Mr. von Karma scoffed. “You may have considered all the legal implications of your thoughtless plan, but you failed to take your personal safety into account. Meeting alone with a professional assassin!”

“Analyses showed the risk to be relatively benign, sir,” Miles said, careful not to set him off more. Part of him felt pleased by his mentor's concern; for him to express it was a rare thing. “He's been shown to be precise; he rarely kills people who aren't his targets. And I will have police back-up at hand.”

“You are his enemy.”

“He won't know that until I catch him.”

Mr. von Karma stared him down with a thoughtful air, looking up from where he was sitting at his desk. Miles held his gaze, doing his best not to shift on his feet. His mentor's sharp gaze always made him feel like he saw the deepest parts of his soul.

Even so, this was unusual. Mr. von Karma was a man of action. Contemplation – hesitation, even, Miles would say if he didn't know any better – wasn't a mood he was accustomed to wear.

“This is dangerous, Miles. Do not overestimate yourself.”

Miles started at the use of his first name. Very, very rarely had Mr. von Karma used it ever since Miles had become an adult and come back from his studies in Germany.

“I won't, sir.”

Strangely, that didn't seem to placate him. Mr. von Karma simply looked at him for a little while longer, and for a second Miles thought he was torn about something. Then his face closed off, and he looked down at the brief he was redacting once again.

“Do as you wish.”

It was a dismissal, plain and simple, like Miles had received hundreds of times from him. And yet something seemed off about it. His mentor's quiet voice, his unreadable expression, the way he wouldn't look up from his work, not even a glance to see Miles off. Miles couldn't put his finger on it, but the foreboding feeling remained, cloying, even as he inclined his head in farewell and exited the room.

The exchange stayed with him even now, as he made his way through the deserted warehouse. His heart was beating a little too fast, his hands sweated a little. This was unfortunate. He hoped he could conceal his anxiety from the assassin, or at least pass it off as the nerves of doing something illegal.

Detective Gumshoe would be listening in on the conversation, he reminded himself. He was a mere sentence away from running to his help.

At last he reached a smaller room, this one with the lights on. Miles wondered if they were for his sake, considering the assassin was blind. Kanis was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, his hands palms up on his knees as though in meditation.

The only detail breaking that impression was the knife set down on his right palm, bell dangling from the grip, silent. Miles shivered.

As though he had heard even that, Kanis raised his head and set his empty eyes on Miles, startling him. An unsettling, amused smile slowly grew on his tanned face.

“Come in,” he said, without otherwise moving.

Awkwardly, Miles came closer, aware of the way the other could hear each of his movements, the shift of his clothes. Only then did he realise the presence of the dog in the corner of the room, black in the backdrop of the shadows, as immobile as its master, the infamous twin little bell hanging from its collar.

Miles swallowed and sat down on his knees facing him. It felt a little like facing Death, he thought briefly, before banishing the fanciful and irrational musing.

“Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Kanis,” he said. He hoped his voice didn't betray his fear.

“Of course. I hear you have a job you want done?”

His voice was gravelly, thinner than Miles had expected. He took a deep breath. This was it.

“Yes. A man by the name of Dick Gumshoe. I would have brought a picture, but...”

Kanis laughed a strange laugh, which held a sinister echo in the empty room.

“No matter. I have my sources. What I'm curious about is... why a man like you would go to such lengths to have his faithful work partner dead, Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.”

Miles blanched.

“Ngh – I – I don't know what you're talking about,” he vainly tried. “My name is Benjamin Bayttrap, I'm not –”

“Come now. We've danced this song and dance together for long enough; we both know this will bring you nowhere. I respect your intelligence, Mr. Edgeworth. Please give mine some credit.”

Miles flinched. He was right, of course. Miles didn't know what he had expected.

He took deep breaths, trying to calm his pounding heart and think more clearly. Gumshoe would have heard about it now. He and the others would be on their way to get Miles out of this situation. All he had to do was buy time.

“If you know my identity, then you must be aware of my true motive for bringing you here. Frankly, I am surprised you haven't stood me up.”

“Keh heh heh. It would have been the most sensible thing to do, wouldn't it? Unless... You are a smart man, Mr. Edgeworth. I appreciate that. I am certain you can work it out for yourself.”

Miles pondered, taking his time. Kanis knew of the danger this would be for himself. It would have been so easy to send Miles on a wild goose chase, never to let him see his face... unless Kanis needed to meet with Miles. And that could only be true if...

Miles blanched. The dog sitting motionless in his back. The knife in Kanis's hand. Suddenly he felt trapped, the meeting room becoming a prison cell he knew he could not escape.

Play dumb. Buy time He seems to enjoy the mental spar. The police are on their way.

Kanis smiled, eerily, uncannily, as though he had been able to read Miles's thoughts.

“You figured it out, didn't you? I can hear your breath quickening, smell the fear growing in you. So young, such potential... It truly is a shame. I regret doing this, but business is business.”

“Who?” Miles asked, both in a desperate attempt to draw this out and in a sudden, terrible need to know. His voice shook in the slightest, but he couldn't bring himself to care. “Who hired you for this?”

Kanis inclined his head to the side.

“It is against policy to tell you, of course. But I like you, Mr. Edgeworth. This person is, from my understanding, close to you. It would be better for you not to know.”

Miles frowned. His hands were shaking. “What do you mean?”

“Is there no one in your life who follows your career closely, who knew about this meeting, and could have used it get rid of you? They, too, used a false name, and yet from our meeting I could gather that their identity would hurt you nearly more than what I am about to do to you.”

Miles swallowed. He tried to think, but the panic of his situation was settling in, and it was growing difficult. Only one person fitting that description came to his mind, one man he respected above all others, which was absurd, ridiculous, and surely if everything in Miles wasn't screaming to flee he would be able to figure out who Kanis was really talking about...

“I'm sorry, Mr. Edgeworth.”

Kanis closed his hand on his knife. The bell rang, a small, tinkling sound.

The last sound his victims ever heard.

Terror finally overcame Miles. He jumped to his feet, turned around to run towards the door. Before he could take more than a step, the dog sprang from where it sat in the corner. Its paws hit the middle of Miles's chest, and he fell down, his back and head both hitting the hard floor. He saw stars, tears gathering in his eyes from the pain.

Something hit his stomach, once, twice, thrice. Kanis was above him now, his knife in his hand. His hand came into Miles's hair, pulling his head backwards, and Miles's breath caught upon feeling the edge of cold steel on the skin of his throat. Those damn bells were ringing in his ears, ominous, gloomy, inescapable. He closed his eyes in terror, bracing himself against the break of skin, against the blood that would flood his mouth.

Then Kanis froze. Miles heard them then, the police sirens coming ever closer. The sound of his salvation.

“Helmut, heel,” Kanis said.

The pressure on Miles's chest let up. A flurry of robes later, he was alone and the room was silent, the bells long gone.

Miles lay motionless for a long while, taking deep breaths, in shock of what just happened. I'm alive. I'm alive. It felt like a miracle. Never, not even in his worst nightmares, had he ever experienced such absolute terror.

Slowly, he rolled onto his side and pushed himself to his feet. His vision whited out, black spots in his eyes, and the powerful wave of dizziness brought him to his knees, a hand bracing against the wall. His mouth tasted like blood, the smell powerful and unpleasant.

His stomach was still hurting, the pain dull yet enough to shorten his breath. He pressed his arm against it as he carefully sat down.

When he brought his hand away, it was wet, viscous and red.

He didn't dare look down at his stomach. He remembered Kanis's hand, closing on his knife. The song of bells rang in his ears again.

It sprung up on Miles like a certainty. I'm still alive, but not for long. He wrapped his hand around his midsection again to attempt to delay the inevitable, but he felt weak, his entire body trembling. He was cold, so cold.

Mr. von Karma's face swam up in his thoughts, the conflict in his gaze in that earlier meeting. He had warned him of the peril, told him not to go. Maybe he had figured it out even if Miles hadn't? That must be it. It couldn't be that he had – that he was the one who had – no, that was ludicrous. He would never – not anyone, not Miles...

He hadn't met Miles's eyes on his way out. Do as you wish.

No. It was impossible.

His mind was buzzing with pain and light-headedness. Thinking was growing difficult. Miles closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, drawing difficult, open-mouthed breaths.

He didn't move even as a commotion came closer outside. Heavy footsteps ran into the room.

“Mr. Edgeworth! Mr. Edgeworth, sir!”

A beat, a sharp breath as the detective took in the scene in front of him. Then he bellowed to his subordinates, “Someone call an ambulance! Now!”

He threw himself on his knees next to Miles, shook off his wide green coat and gently, carefully moved Miles to wrap it around his shoulders, then lay him down on his side, an arm cushioning his head. The movement made Miles wince, open his eyes to look up at him. Gumshoe let out a sigh of relief at the sign of life.

“Oh, good, you're conscious,” he said. “Help is coming, you gotta stay with me until then, sir, alright? Stay awake.”

Miles let out a whimper. His stomach hurt more than before, and he reflexively tried to move away.

“Shhh, it's okay, sir, I know it hurts, but I gotta do it to keep your blood in your body, see? It's all good. You're gonna be okay.”

Oh. Of course. Miles should have figured it out himself. He forced himself to stop moving, to stop trying to escape the harrowing pressure, even though it made it difficult to breathe, even though it felt as if it was killing him even faster.

Gumshoe was still talking, and Miles did his best to focus on his words despite the fog in his head, despite the bells in his ears, the drumming of his heart in his skull.

“They got 'im, by the way. Mr. von Karma smelled something funny and ordered the troops to station around all the exits of the building instead of storming in right away. I just – I just wish we got here earlier, yknow?”

Miles swallowed, tried to nod, although even his head felt too heavy to move. His chest was hurting, he felt strangely thirsty. “He – he's here..?”

Speaking felt like a momentous effort, and his voice sounded so thin and weak. It came to his ears as if he was underwater.

“Yes, he's questioning the guy right now. I'm sure he's heard of your condition by now, he'll be there soon, don't worry about it, sir.”

Miles, this time, didn't try to speak. He knew that wasn't true – knew Mr. von Karma would never let himself be torn away from work for something like sentiment. In truth, he wasn't sure if he wanted his mentor here, if he wanted him to see him like this, weak, on death's door. Part of him, a small, scared, nine-year-old part of him, craved for him to be there, to hold him and comfort him, to say he was proud of him, even though he knew he would never bring himself down to do such a thing...

Wanted him to confirm he wasn't the one behind this. It couldn't be him. It was impossible. He'd warned him off. Deep down, Miles knew he cared.

Gumshoe's voice was coming from farther and farther away. Miles's eyelids were so heavy. He felt so tired, and a strange kind of grief had taken hold of him, as though he was a child again, lost and afraid and inconsolable, so terribly alone. Father... I miss you...

“Sir – sir, please,” Gumshoe said above him. “The paramedics are nearly there, stay awake...”

And Miles knew it was true, just like he knew that he couldn't hold on long enough and they would be too late. He was tempted to apologise, though he didn't know to whom, didn't know for what, and he could no longer speak anyway. He just wanted to rest.

He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him.

[azalawa-scroggs]

That's what really happened after AA2 😏

[azalawa-scroggs]

@fitia I'm going to take it to a real post because this is getting really long for tags and idk if I should keep clogging OP's notifs.

(TL;DR: this is about the question of taking the Japanese Gyakuten Saiban and the English Ace Attorney as two entirely different works vs. letting Gyakuten Saiban, by virtue of it being the original, influence or even override interpretation of the English version)

You make an excellent point too about accessibility. Not everyone can or wants to learn another language just to understand a piece of media and the great majority of the Western audience for Ace Attorney (me included) doesn't speak Japanese, and it's unfair to expect that of anyone. The game very much stands on its own, and the localisation does a pretty good work of separating the game enough from its original cultural context (as much as possible) for knowledge of said original context not to be necessary to understand it.

At the same time I also feel like they couldn't make it work perfectly, precisely because that's not how the work was conceived in the first place. Janet Hsu's "this is California if the Japanese community had been more implanted and less persecuted in the mid-20th century" setting is indeed a really clever way to do this, but ultimately this was not meant to be America, and so there will always be discrepancies between the real-world America and Ace Attorney's America that cannot be explained away by the setting, as alternate as it may be. Ace Attorney uses the same assets, the same plot beats, the same lines than Gyakuten Saiban, albeit culturally adapted and liberally translated. Ultimately, I do think Ace Attorney remains a translation more than an adaptation, even though I admit this is debatable as it certainly skirts the line between those two things. I think the difference is felt mostly in all the small things I outlined in my previous tags; Gregory and Phoenix working on Christmas, Europe somehow being both more advanced in working with juries and also having less worker protections as America, Germany and the German language for some reason seeming popular, snow in California, etc., all those things that are at the root of the "eat your hamburgers, Apollo" meme.

(Besides, I will argue that even the reading of an adaptation is enriched from looking at the material it is adapting. But I don't think anyone ever really argued the contrary anyway.)

There are also differences that have nothing to do with culture, but rather with the temporal context in which it was created, like technology being very different from what it "should" realistically be in the time setting the game it set in, between the archaic Nokia-brick-type phones Phoenix and Edgeworth tout and Kay's futuristic Little Thief, all of this in the mid-late 2010s.

So what I'm saying here is, I feel like there is room for creativity in one direction like in the other, and ultimately I don't think one approach is more "correct" than the other. I feel like it makes as much sense to read Ace Attorney on its own with only the text itself as basis for interpretation, as it does to prioritise the context of the original game to understand it, as it does to mixing and matching and doing everything in between. Personally, I like doing a little bit of both; to use (what Japanese speakers have to say about) the original work to understand better things that may seem strange to me about the localisation, or to enrich my understanding of the characters' behaviour, and better understand the very deliberate choices that the translation made without dismissing those as anything but choices that are very much a part of the work itself.

I understand the original post as being a reaction to certain "gotcha!" posts that seek to discredit the localisation by using the original, which I agree is in bad faith because the original and the localisation do exist as two different and separate objects. At the same time I think it's also a bit of a fallacy to truly consider the two objects entirely distinct, considering their very close link.

[azalawa-scroggs]

My take is that there is enough difference in context and narrative between "Gyakuten Saiban" and "Ace Attorney" that I consider them separate games, and feel that the direct translation of "Gyakuten Saiban" is only relevant to the interpretation of "Ace Attorney" if you want it to be.

Gyakuten Saiban takes place in a reasonably close approximation of "real life" Japan and in the current day.

Ace Attorney takes place in an alternate future dystopia where the American legal system has changed significantly, and many historical events are seemingly different, including a Los Angeles that has been heavily influenced by Japanese-American culture.

The dystopian alternate history setting is actually one of the things about Ace Attorney that appeals to me personally, and I find it interesting and rewarding to interpret the characters and situations presented in the narrative while keeping that setting in mind.

For me, it's interesting to note the differences between the Japanese original, and the American localization, but largely the Japanese original doesn't change my interpretation of the American version.

For me, interpreting Gyakuten Saiban and Ace Attorney separately is a lot like interpreting the film of the book, separate from the original novel-- like Spider-Man. Spider-Man the comic and Spider-Man the movies are separate pieces of media-- the one stems from the other, but they can be interpreted as different works.

Or, if you want to be funny-- compare Spider-Man the comic, and Spider-Man the Japanese tokusatsu series.

[azalawa-scroggs]

Bratboss thats been a long time in the makings...

[azalawa-scroggs]

.... Well, my hand slipped. I saw @rendevok's new royal AU art and talked about it with them a little bit, and two days later there was this sappy little thing :3 Fair warning that this is MUCH mushier than my usual... if you're not into very shippy stuff, stop here. xD Also tagging @anotherfangirlsworld without whom there would be nothing :3

Miles was exhausted. The campaign had been long and harrowing, ending with a merciless siege of several weeks. They'd eventually won the battle thanks to a desperate and risky scheme of Miles's, but they had lost so many people, and those that had survived were so exhausted that Miles nearly wondered if it had been worth it.

It had been, though. That was what all his advisors had said upon his return, congratulating him about his sagacity in his clever victory when Miles had all but begged for them to make sure, though foreign politics or better logistics, that such a painful war would not be be needed again.

Now, at last, after hours spent in that meeting, Miles was free. He dreamed of a good bath, of clean night robes and the luxury of feather pillows and soft bedsheets, but he knew he wouldn't be ready to sleep until a long time yet, too wired by the argument he'd had with his advisors – chiefly, one – and the hardships of the past few months.

So he found himself headed to one of his favourite places in the castle, the library. There was, hidden at the turn of a staircase, a little alcove there which held works by a favourite author of his; evocative poetry, philosophical plays, even a few treatises on art and political memoirs. Those books reminded him of home, of love, of the idealism he had lost in great part at his father's death, and it seemed, a little more every day since. It was where he always sought refuge when he felt too weary or too weighed down by life.

Those books, he often thought privately, for those were not musings fit to be heard by any others, had saved his life on more than one occasion.

He untied the fastening of his ceremonial cape and draped it over his arm, sighing as the weight fell of his shoulders. He would set it down on the back of a chair as he sat down in the quiet peace of the library. Or perhaps he would take the books back with him to his quarters, throw the cape on his desk to be picked up by his manservant, and settle in his favourite armchair to read by the firelight.

It turned out he did neither of those things.

There, in the shadows, standing in front of the hidden shelves, was the last person he expected to see: Phoenix Wright, grand duke of Borschinia and supposedly attending important matters in his own country. He seemed in deep thought, a hand on his chin, pondering the titles. Affection surged in Miles at the familiar mannerisms in the middle of all his questions, and his step hurried nearly despite himself.

Phoenix heard his approach even muffled as it was by the carpet. He turned towards him, gave him a blinding smile, and caught him into an embrace, kissing him deeply.

Miles stumbled backwards under the strength of Phoenix's kiss, one foot up the little step leading to the alcove, one foot down, but he didn't mind. Too welcome was the warm hand in his back, and even the one holding his wrist to prevent Miles from making a clumsy gesture in his haste. That one soon relented its grip when Miles slid his arms behind his neck, slotting himself deeper in his arms. Behind his back, Phoenix's arm tightened its hold, bringing Miles even closer.

“You're here... Goddess, Miles, you're here,” Phoenix whispered in awe between kisses, looking at him with stars in his eyes. His now free hand had climbed behind Miles's neck, untying his ribbon and drawing small circles at the base of his skull, his fingers tangling in his hair, much longer now than it used to be the last time they saw each other. Miles hadn't exactly found the time to get it cut. “I can't believe it.”

Miles laughed, melting into Phoenix's touch, somewhat drunk on tiredness and on the warmth of his lover all around him, the delicious sensation of his fingers at the base of his neck. “I will have you know this is my home,” he replied. “I should be the one in wonder you are here. I thought you had an important council to hold with the Feys in the coming weeks?”

“Yes, but... oh, Miles,” Phoenix replied, his voice thick with emotion. He closed his eyes and swallowed as he leaned his forehead against Miles, clearly fighting back tears. Miles frowned, taken aback. “I thought I was coming to attend your funeral.”

Ice fell into Miles's guts. Only then did he realise the way Phoenix was dressed, his uniform as official as his own. He, either, hadn't even discarded his cape.

“When did you arrive?”

“Only a few hours ago. Imagine my relief when I heard you were alive and in a meeting, for a change,” Phoenix answered with a fond smile. “But I couldn't fully shake my fear until I held you in my arms...”

He leaned down for another kiss. Miles indulged him with delight, his own heart heavy at the thought.

How he'd missed this. How he'd missed him... Despite everything, he couldn't fully regret this turn of events, if it meant Phoenix was here to welcome him home when he most needed it.

“I'm so sorry, my love,” he whispered. “I faked my death as a ploy to lower the enemy's defences, but I never expected the news to leave the battlefield... my officers had firm instructions not to write home about it.”

“Yet someone must have done it,” Phoenix said, frowning. “I imagine Lord von Karma was all too delighted to pound on the opportunity.”

Miles let out a groan.

“Of course. He's the one who would profit the most from my death. But if he was made aware, I cannot imagine he didn't know all of my plot, so why...?”

“Well, had you come back any later than you did, he would have put the full regency in place rather than the limited powers your mere absence allows him, and who knows what edicts you would have had to undo when you took back your place,” Phoenix replied. Miles couldn't help smiling at his judicious observations. Phoenix knew the laws of his country nearly as well as Miles himself did, and Miles knew he'd studied all of it to prove to the court he was the strongest suitor.

Miles sighed, rested his head against Phoenix's chest, which he could do without bending his back too much with the way Phoenix was still standing a full step higher than him.

“You're right, of course,” he said. “My death would be even more advantageous to him than marrying me off to Franziska. I'm starting to wonder if I should start looking out for assassination plots.”

He didn't really mean it, of course. Lord von Karma had all but raised him in the wake of his father's death. It was clear the man disagreed with him on many policies, now that Miles was old enough to have a mind of his own, but Miles didn't think he would truly plot to kill him.

Phoenix brought him closer and kissed him again.

“Enough talk about your death,” he murmured, and Miles, too late, remembered the grief Phoenix had gone through until this moment. “You're here. You're alive. And I want to marry you tomorrow.”

Miles's heart ached. They should have been married years ago. They were betrothed as children, an alliance decided under the blessing of King Gregory and Misty Fey of Kurain. But the death of the former, the disappearance of the latter and the opposition of Lord von Karma to the marriage, seeking to unite Miles with his house instead, had thrown a wrench in those plans.

“Soon now, love,” Miles replied, as he always did when Phoenix expressed both of their yearning, even though neither of them knew when that would be possible.

“Tomorrow,” Phoenix insisted. “We'll storm through the court and cause a scandal, I don't care, elope if we must. I'm sick of waiting, Miles. I'm sick of being afraid to lose you...”

“I know,” Miles said. He felt the same. They both felt this way, and they both knew it. “I know. If I could, I would summon an officiant to these chambers immediately.”

“Immediately?” Phoenix's eyes sparkled in the way they always did when he had a mad idea, or even when he was just indulging Miles, like now. Miles couldn't help his foolish grin.

“Yes,” he went on. “I'd call them here, in this very place, to perform the ceremony. We'd stand here,” he gently pushed Phoenix back to climb the step into the alcove. “Between the bookshelf and the window. It wouldn't take the half of an hour. Wouldn't that be lovely?”

“Very,” Phoenix said, who hadn't let go of Miles throughout this little demonstration, both hands on his hips. “I would improvise my vows, you know I don't mind speaking spontaneously. But what about you? You much prefer to have your speeches planned.”

“I've had my vows ready since I took the throne, Phoenix. I'd merely have to fetch them from my chambers.”

Phoenix let out a wordless little keen, which was extremely satisfying to hear, since Miles was the one usually prone to embarrassing noises. He kissed Miles's lips with ferocity, then his cheeks, his nose, his eyes.

“Tomorrow,” he repeated once more. “I'm serious, Miles. I can't wait any longer.”

“This year,” Miles offered back. “Since I came back before Lord von Karma could consolidate his power, this move looks very poorly on him, like the greedy grab for power it was. Stay with me a while as we keep up our efforts to remind the court of my late father's wishes. It is already apparent you would make an ideal consort, and your rushing here has only proved it further – I doubt Franziska fell for the ploy like you did, and in this instance it plays in our favour. In three months at most, we will be united.”

Phoenix nodded, looking a bit settled. They'd made such promises to each other countless times before, but this time Miles was determined to see it through.

Phoenix was right. They'd waited long enough.

“I cannot wait for the day I no longer have to be parted from you,” Phoenix murmured into Miles's ear, his breath hot and tickling. He punctuated his sentence by lightly biting on Miles's lobe, the caress of his hands in his back growing slower, heavier. “When I can live here, by your side, yours openly...”

Heat started to pool into Miles's guts. His knees weakened, and he stumbled backwards a little, holding on to Phoenix's neck. Phoenix was unrelenting, pushing him until Miles could lean on the clover wall, right next to the bookshelf, then pressing his body against Miles, his hands wandering all over his back and sides, his mouth sucking and kissing into the curves of his neck. Miles's fingers curled into the fabric of Phoenix's uniform jacket, holding on desperately.

“Phoenix...” he breathed. “My quarters – not here –”

“There's no one here,” Phoenix retorted between two kisses. “Only us...”

He pulled the curtain a few inches, hiding them from sight, plunging them more into intimate obscurity, and Miles surrendered to his touch.

[azalawa-scroggs]

The lovers’ embrace ❤️

A royal nrmt commission for @anotherfangirlsworld

[azalawa-scroggs]

Yes, more times than I can count, and it changed very slightly each time I did :D

Summary: An extensive character study of Manfred von Karma, from the DL-6 incident to its resolution fifteen years later.

Author: @azelda-scroggs

Note from submitter: One of my fav MvK characterizations 

[azalawa-scroggs]

gregory edgeworth really is the character of all time. he haunts the entire narrative. he's a perfectly normal single dad. he's the doomed hero of a shakespearean tragedy. he just wants his son to make friends. the fatal flaw that dooms him is his determination to fight for others at the expense of making powerful enemies that would have ended him even if the elevator hadn't broken down. he apologizes to witnesses for asking them to recall potentially traumatic memories. he's an oathbreaker paladin. he wonders what kind of candy animal a witness thinks he would be. he's the ruin of the fey clan. there's a non-canon story where he hears that his client is having skin problems in the detention center and he immediately gets up and leaves to buy some hand cream for her. he would, and did, break the world for his son.