kristophsshoes

[kristophsshoes]

kristophs name not being a pun or having a meaning throws me the fuck off. like i know that the more important characters don’t get those stupid pun names but their names still have meanings (apollo = god of truth, klavier = music, etc). what the hell does “kristoph gavin” even mean.

[kristophsshoes]

so, slright i've decided i've bitten slightly more than i could chew

i grew cold to this project but it's mostly finished so i'll publish it as it is adding missing lyrics

atroquinine, my love

that's such a beautiful caledoscope which's spinning wildly in my hands bringing memories from long forlorn right back into my aching head

it slithers in my blood and know i've learnt my lesson if it makes you better

sometimes im staring at the ceiling and seeing constellations in the cracks i used to think i knew things but i didn't and the realization hits like mace

[kristophsshoes]

No little german boy wearing red/pink! Don't go into the courtroom with you father!

[kristophsshoes]

showdown time 🃏

[kristophsshoes]

Blue blooded royal body Elegantly posed to death

[kristophsshoes]

🔪

[kristophsshoes]

Klavier Gavin wearing this:

You agree. Reblog.

[kristophsshoes]

Imagine being apollo justice n finding out ur half sisters dad is ur like former idol but not only that U not only have one but two little sisters from ur biological mom and one from ur adoptive dad n like ur mom is fucking alive btw??? Ur not an orphan. If that wasnt enough for u Ur former bosses little german rockstar prosecutor brother is still trying to get w u

[kristophsshoes]

(tw: flashing image)

rainbow Kristoph?

[kristophsshoes]

[kristophsshoes]

[kristophsshoes]

Kristoph Gavin is my blorbo (derogatory) but Klavier Gavin is my blorbo (affectionate)

[kristophsshoes]

Kristoph Gavin is going to jail for not putting top coat over his nail polish Requested by anon

[kristophsshoes]

i think we as a fandom need to collectively realize that kristoph is the ugliest mf in ace attorney hes got such a punchable insufferable irritating stupid fucking face i want to shake him like a piñata throw him around swing him like a baseball bat break his stupid glasses in half and feed them to him /hj (half-joke)

[kristophsshoes]

turnabout storyteller good

[kristophsshoes]

12 and Klavier Gavin?

12) lethargy - bastille

It takes seven years for a person to go from “missing” to “legally dead.” Klavier Gavin knows that all too well, thanks to his all too intimate involvement with State vs. Gramarye. He has plenty of time to resurface before it becomes a problem.

...Except it already is a problem, because he’s an international celebrity. Because nothing is easy.

There is exactly one person on the planet who knows where Klavier is at this exact second, and her name is Charlotte Gavin. The idea of completely vanishing into the mist has been calling to him for the past several years, but he’d be damned if he abandoned his one living family member.

Because that’s another thing. Kristoph is dead. Executed by the state of California on the counts of premeditated murder via poisoning, attempted murder, and second degree murder. And god knows what else.

His shoulders heave, and he exhales smoke from the lit cigarette held lackadaisically in his fingers. He can already hear the chastisement from his band mates, his agent, his vocal coach, his brother, about how it’ll ruin his singing voice.

Whatever. He quit music for a reason. Even the idea of playing the guitar these days makes him sick.

Klavier tears a hand through his hair, and only frowns a little bit as he realizes yet again that he chopped most of it off last night. It helps somewhat, not looking like a murderer, but part of him feels like it’s some kind of betrayal. As though he’s the one who failed, and not his brother. Not his brother who was a beacon of toxic waste and agony.

His phone vibrates. It’s a new one -- a cheap model he picked up for emergencies -- because he didn’t feel safe fucking off with the one attached to his name. It’s another text from Charlotte, asking if he’s getting enough to eat. Klavier doesn’t think about how much his body hurts as he taps out a quick reply. She responds just as he finishes typing.

[I’m really worried about you, Klavi. Every other article online is about your disappearance. I know you’re devastated about Kris, I am too, but is that all that’s eating you alive?]

Klavier turns off his phone and puts it in his pocket. He doesn’t have the energy to go through this again. It’s about Kristoph, about Daryan, about Courte, about every single fucking thing in his life that’s gone wrong.

Because it never gets any goddamn easier.

The phone vibrates again. Klavier pulls it out with the intent of shutting off the setting and moving on, but the sight of his sister’s highlighted text gives him pause.

[I got a call from a friend of yours. Apollo, I think he said his name was? He and his sister are desperately searching for you. I know you begged me to keep quiet, but can I least tell him you’re okay?]

He curses softly. If Apollo managed to dig up Charlotte’s existence and relation to him, considering how hidden from the public eye she’s always been, then it won’t be long before he’s knocking on the door of the shitty flat he rented in Malta.

Better to bite the bullet.

[Es tut mir Leid, Lottie.]

Klavier still knows Apollo’s number by heart, even though he shouldn’t. And it’s eleven o’clock at night in Los Angeles, so he doubts he’ll get an answer, but it doesn’t stop him from dialing. What the hell, right? Her certainly doesn’t expect Apollo to pick up on the second ring.

“You’ve reached Apollo Justice, attorney at law.”

It’s practically painful to hear his voice, tinny and distorted as it is. What does he say? How does he begin to say, “Sorry for spending the past year and a half in a tiny European country without telling anyone; I’m having an extended psychological breakdown!”

Apollo sounds both exhausted and pissed as he says, “Okay, if this is a scam call, can you feed me the line so I can yell at you and hang up? International calls aren’t cheap.”

“Scheiße,” Klavier mutters, having forgotten how much it must be costing Apollo to listen to the ambient noise in the flat. That’s another thing to add to the list of things he’s fucked up.

Apollo splutters, as though he’s choking on his saliva, and then shouts, “Klavier?!”

A miserable, treacherous smile pokes onto his face at the sound of his name in such a startled, relieved tone. “Guten tag, Forehead. I missed you.”

[kristophsshoes]

The Problem with Apollo’s Backstories

It’s very rare I see this. So far, I’ve only seen two posts on Tumblr about this, but I’ve noticed a few posts that make mention about Phoenix Wright having no backstory. Now, whether they were made as a joke to not be taken seriously or not is something I cannot confirm. That being said, it did bring up something that does come up often: the problem with Apollo Justice having too many backstories. The thing is, Phoenix Wright has just as many backstories as Apollo, yet no one seems to make mention of it or perhaps are not aware. It made me question how this is possible. Certainly, if Apollo’s three backstories stick out like a sore thumb, wouldn’t Phoenix Wright’s three backstories stick out too? Shouldn’t Phoenix also have the same amount of complainers about having too many backstories?

I am a true believer that there is no such thing as a bad idea, but bad execution. I think Phoenix’s backstories are an example of Apollo’s backstories done correctly. To understand this, I’m going to go over each of Apollo’s and Phoenix’s three backstories, and explain where Phoenix got it right where Apollo did not.

With Apollo’s first backstory in the game Apollo Justice, where Apollo is introduced as the main protagonist of this game, we find out that he used to work for Kristoph Gavin at the Gavin Law Offices before finding out he murdered Shadi Smith. Later on, we find out his bracelet matches Thalassa Gramarye’s in her picture, proving that they are mother and son. Through Zak, we find out that Thalassa was once married to a different man before he passed away, believing that her first born had died with him. This draws the connection between Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright as being half brother and sister. And… that’s it. This information does not effect Apollo, since we don’t know his life outside of this during the time of the game’s release, and he does not know that Trucy is his half sister. This backstory does draw a connection between the two long lost siblings, but without any knowledge to create a reaction, it feels empty and shallow. It wasn’t until the two follow-up games that we get more of Apollo’s character and development that fans of the game began to care enough to demand the two half siblings discover their long lost relationship they are not aware of.

For Phoenix Wright, his backstory is the all-knowing class trial back in his elementary school. On one school day, Phoenix Wright was accused of stealing lunch money from a student, due to being sick and being dismissed from school that day, leaving him without an alibi. This lead to a class trial where everyone, including the teachers, shamed him, even though Phoenix claimed it wasn’t him, then crying over the humiliation and shaming. Just when Phoenix was about to forcibly apologize to this student, the student stands up and makes the claim that, since no proof was given that Phoenix had taken the money, he is innocent until proven guilty. A second student also defends him, leading to the teacher deciding to pay for the lunch money that was stolen. From that moment on, Phoenix became friends with the two students that stood up for him: Miles Edgeworth whose money was stolen and Larry Butz who was the second student to stand up for him.

The first thing that makes Phoenix’s backstory different is it creates a motivation and relatability. This backstory tells the story of what motivated Phoenix Wright to become a Defense Attorney. He had befriended the two boys that stood up for him when he was accused of theft at school. One of those friends grew up to become the Demon Prosecutor, Miles Edgeworth, who is known for falsifying and withholding evidence. When Phoenix tried to contact him, he would not answer. So, Phoenix Wright became a Defense Attorney both to meet with him and save him. With this, comes with relatability. Phoenix is someone longing for the friend he once lost, something most of us can relate to – if you’ve ever had a childhood friend, whose friendship broke apart over time. This creates motivation for Phoenix and the players to wish for Miles Edgeworth to return back to being Phoenix’s friend again. With Apollo, on the other hand, his first backstory doesn’t give us anything to relate or motivate us to want him and Trucy to discover their real mother or relation. The mention about Apollo’s biological father does come up, but not until Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice, which I will get into later. Because of how shallow and empty this backstory feels, it’s no longer Apollo was called a Gary-Sue when the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney first came out.

The second backstory for Apollo finally gives us something concrete. In this second backstory, Apollo had grown up with Clay Terran in a boarding school. We get a flashback of Clay crying because someone in his family died (I can’t remember who. Comment if you know). Apollo cheers him up with his “I’M FINE!” speech. This became a motto for him and Clay. From this backstory, we finally find out that Apollo had grown in a boarding school during his youth with Clay. We finally get a motivation and relatability from Apollo Justice to make us care and cheer for him. There’s just one problem… what does this have anything to do with Apollo’s connection to the Gramarye and his relation to Trucy? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. That’s where Phoenix’s second backstory differs.

For Phoenix Wright, his second backstory tells that he began studying at Ivy University to study on law and art. From there, he met a beautiful lady named Dahlia Hawthorn at the library inside the courthouse. She gave him a heart-shaped bottle as a token of their love and they hit it off. Having dated Dahlia for nine months, he began showing off his little gift to all his friends at the university, even when Dahlia asked him to give it back. Just then, Phoenix came across Dahlia’s ex boyfriend named Doug Swallow, who met with him to warn him that Dahlia was not who he thinks she is. Angry, Phoenix pushes him, then finds him dead not long afterwards. He is arrested for murder, defended by Mia Fey – who is an already established character, in the tutorial first case of the third game of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Through Mia’s defense, Phoenix realized that not only did Dahlia’s gift turn out to be evidence used to poison Mia’s boyfriend, but Dahlia had also tried to poison him with his cold medication and was the one responsible for Doug’s murder.

Just like with Apollo’s second backstory and Phoenix’s first, this creates relatability and motivation. It creates a motivation for why Phoenix was angry at Miles Edgeworth during the second game, why he trusts Mia so strongly and why he would go to Hazakura Temple, once he sees someone that looks like Dahlia. This also reveals one of Phoenix’s major flaws as someone that considers betrayal and murder by poison inexcusable actions, much like how Apollo’s second backstory reveals how and why Clay’s death pushes him to distrust his colleagues. Unfortunately, what Apollo’s second backstory does not show is any connection to the first. With Phoenix’s second backstory, it connects back to the first and second game. It explains how Phoenix met an already established character, explains why Phoenix was cross with Edgeworth in the second game and follows where the first backstory left off with wanting to become a Defense Attorney to meet with Miles Edgeworth. Aside from Apollo growing up in a Boarding School, confirming that he is an orphan, and why he always shouts “I’M FINE!” we get no connection or follow-up from the first backstory. There’s no connection to his former boss, Trucy or the Gramarye’s. Thus, Apollo’s second backstory feels like a separate story from the first, whereas Phoenix’s second backstory feels like a follow-up to the first.

Apollo’s third backstory is that Apollo’s father, Jove Justice, came to the Kingdom of Khura’in to play music inside Durke’s home. One day, a fire arose and Jove Justice was assumingly murdered. Dhurke had miraculously saved Jove’s infant son in the nick of time before the rest of his residence was burned, hiding in the mountains with his eldest son, Nahyuta. From there, Dhurke had raised Nahyuta and Apollo in the mountain as their father, watching them grow up. Unfortunately, because of the laws in the kingdom where Defense Attorneys were prisoned with any client declared Guilty and Dhurke being an outlaw, he sent Apollo to the United States. From there, Apollo never saw or heard from Dhurke or Nahyuta again, believing all his life that Dhurke had abandoned him.

Again, like the second backstory, this gives us relatability and motivation. Leaving any family is something all of us feel saddened about. It also follows up with the relatability of Phoenix’s first backstory of being close with someone, only to grow apart from them with age. But, again, there is no connection between this backstory or the other two. What does this backstory have anything to do with Apollo’s connection with the Gramarye, relation to Trucy, friendship with Clay, growing up in a boarding school as a youth or his reasons for saying “I’M FINE!” all the time? NOTHING! There’s not a single callback to any of these, not even to reoccurring characters from the fourth or fifth game. Nothing on Kristoph Gavin, the Space Center, nothing. There is mention of Jove Justice being Apollo’s biological father, but do we get anything on Thalassa or the Gramarye’s? Even a tiny bit? Nope! Any connection with Jove Justice and the Gramarye’s to explain how he may’ve met the daughter of the famous Magnify Gramarye and they may’ve fallen in love? Nope! Again, I get nothing. It’s sad, because the story could’ve also added Thalassa into the mix as being Jove’s singing partner, a subtle picture of her and explaining why she might be so talented in singing. The fact that the second case does involve the Gramarye, I think, is a missed opportunity to draw a connection to Apollo’s third and first backstory.

For Phoenix Wright, his third backstory is in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, believe it or not. This backstory takes place during the seven years between the third and fourth game. Phoenix Wright was defending Zak Gramarye for the murder of Magnify Gramarye. During this trial, he presents forged evidence unknowingly, which Klavier Gavin reveals to be forged via the surprising Witness. From there, Phoenix is disbarred from law and his client Zak disappears from site. Trucy, who is Zak’s daughter, is left behind and Phoenix cannot find any living relatives, thus decides to adopt her as his own daughter. From here, he turns his law offices into a Talent Agency for his new daughter and takes the job as a piano/poker player. He befriends the only Bar Associate that voted him to be innocent, Kristoph Gavin, who had used his friendship to stalk and watch him.

Again, this creates relatability and motivation as someone losing their job for unfair reasons, entering fatherhood and being manipulated by fake friends. This also is a great follow-up to the trilogy itself and confirming everything that’s already established canon such as Phoenix considering poison and betrayal to be inexcusable, which is what Kristoph does. It establishes the relationship and connection with Trucy and even Apollo. Even as weak as Apollo’s backstory is, it is enough to give Phoenix a strong motivation to take him in as a student. With how strong this third backstory to Phoenix is and its connection to the trilogy as a whole, it makes me wonder why he wasn’t the protagonist of this story. Though, it does conclude what this third backstory does so well that all of Apollo’s backstories do not do: continue where the previous left off.

With every backstory Phoenix gets, it always continues where the previous left off. They connect well like a puzzle. Each piece matches well and never feels separate. With each new backstory, it continues where the previous left off. The second backstory continues where the first and second game left off and the third backstory continues where the trilogy left off. With Apollo’s three backstory, they feel so disconnected, it’s like trying to fit three unmatching pieces together, while ignoring the rest of the 197 puzzle pieces. Sure, the third backstory might’ve mentioned Jove Justice as Apollo’s biological father, but we don’t know anything about Jove or Thalassa, their relationship, how they met or anything. Was Thalassa the lead singer when Jove played, like she is as Lamoure? I don’t know. Even Apollo growing up at a Boarding School or how he went there is never explained in the third backstory. Did Dhurke send Apollo there and pay for his classes? I don’t know.

In conclusion, Apollo’s problem with his backstories are not that there are too many, but that they do not connect. Backstories must fit together in order to work. There has to be a cause and effect. Phoenix Wright has full backstories that have always connected perfectly like puzzle pieces. He has one of the strongest established backstories in Ace Attorney, alongside Miles Edgeworth, who technically has four backstories. That just goes to show you can’t have too many backstories. Although, you can have botched up backstories that do not match up that makes it feel like there are too many backstories.

What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to comment, whether you agree or disagree. I might make a follow-up to this to explain how Apollo’s three backstories could be fixed to where they feel complete. It really depends.