#LET THEM OUT OF THE BASEMENT CAPCOM

[devonian-error]

I'm so angry about the Investigations series bc those games really gave us some of the best characters, all of whom had so many interesting directions the story could've taken their characters and then the series just never mentions any of them again

[shigurekino]

Happy Pride Month to these two kings 👑 (Capcom please let them out of your basement)

[hemingwaystan]

A Guide To Actually Portraying The Lords Part 2: House Beneviento

Hello, fellow RE8 fans, this is the second part of a rant/post/open letter/essay which I intend as a detailed essay with five parts on how they should've portrayed the lords and then Miranda, with more realism and nuance, because they are nuanced characters when you actually think but Capcom is so bad at showing it. This is my opinion, feel free to disagree.

This is the section I'd change the least of but that doesn't mean I don't have a ton of shit to say so here we go. I'd say the player shouldn't be lured to the manor, the Duke just tells you where it is, no Mia picture, assuming we keep Mia because honestly? Ethan as a single dad makes more sense. No Mia bashing it's just that a marriage, if we think with even a tiny bit of logic can't survive all that. Also single dad rep is so rare in media. Because the player being lured to the manor, to me, just feels illogical to her portrayal otherwise, think about it. Donna is portrayed as a recluse who almost never leaves her house right? She probably didn't even want to have a Rose flask. She's the least involved in Miranda's work. Why would she want to bring another person, let alone one set on killing her or at least from her perspective but honestly pretty much true, to her house? Why would she in any universe want a home-invasion. So the player arrives in the manor and begins tripping balls. I'd keep this mostly the same with a handful of major changes, Angie and Donna don't do anything that could be misinterpreted to cause the braindead infantilization of them some people have been doing.

Throughout the house you'll experience flashbacks, one of your life in the mannequin section, and 2-3 of Donna's life, besides that mostly general horror stuff but also those. You'll see a few major moments in Donna's life so the characterization isn't limited to just reading stuff. But right before the end, in a vision, she cries, she has no idea you're seeing this as with the others. These visions of her only happen after the player first gets a hit off on Angie (Donna) which I'll instead put around 65% in. Killing Angie is still the focus through this because as far as you know Angie is not secretly Donna and they're, of course, trying to kill you. This happens because it lessens her control over her powers which she had before but in the pain is also experiencing a spiral because like, wouldn't you if you were in this situation, especially if you already had Major Depression. So we see our own reflection in the proverbial mirror but we also see manifestations of Donna's life and emotions.

The player will also be attacked by groups of armed dolls more than once, maybe every time you break them in defense Angie gets angrier causing some kind of increase in danger. Just because you get one stab off on Angie early doesn't mean it will end quickly, because Angie could be anywhere, not just among the dolls, hiding in any number of places, maybe even in the basement at times although the baby would've already happened by now. Trying to destroy Angie is just the goal but you have to do all the other Resident Evil puzzle shit throughout as before. And I'll put this to rest, the baby is and will be a hallucination, being eaten by it is representative of losing your mind. Why the fuck would she keep a giant baby in her basement? This is kind of out there but toward the end their could be like a sanity meter that goes down slowly. Like 90% in, you're in the room where she said "You can't leave, I won't let you." earlier. And right as you're finally about to defeat Angie the mirror shatters and you see the actual world.

Donna is on the floor, the blood is still on the wall, but she's very much not dead, just very injured, she'd survive because Cadou regen if you don't continue. You see her face either way because the veil was knocked off during the fight so there'll be real emotion to see in her expression. She begs you not to kill her. It's your decision whether you do or not, if you don't she'll show you where she hid the Rose flask, this also means she might say a couple things to the player, maybe good luck or something, Angie will say something too so it's proven and not just obvious that they're independent entities that are closely connected. Maybe Donna gives you a really good defensive charm and if you do kill her you'll get Angie and a Donna crystal to sell to the Duke for like combined 1.5x what Angie is worth in game, you'll also get a horrible charm with a directly opposing bonus as the one she would give you in the spare route (this is more for storytelling purposes as opposed to the kill one being useful) but you will have to search the house for the flask which will be a fucking pain but still a puzzle with clues. But past the gameplay decision, the real, meaningful choice is, are you putting a mentally ill servant of Miranda that tried to murder you out of her misery or is she not evil, just a victim of Miranda that deserves to live.

[charleemoon]

this is what ive BEEN saying. save me popular x only person who doesn't care. capcom robbed us of so much interesting dynamics between them because they put klavier in the Basement.

why is it every prosecutor is crucial to their game and its cases and therefore get important character growth that affects their character permanently (edgeworth with dl6, starts to heal from his trauma + is able to open up again; simon with ur1, literally being freed from prison and starting to find peace and redemption; nahyuta with. i haven't played aa6 (or 5) BUT I KNOW HE GETS GROWTH + THE WHOLE LEGAL SYSTEM STARTS GETTING REFORM.) and then klaviers literal brother is the overarching serial killer of aa4 and then he like. doesn't do anything. and then fucking disappears and becomes woefully irrelevant.

they stand on the same backbone as wrightworth and THEN some. to have someone insist on you, to see through whatever lies you've told yourself for so long you've grown to believe them, to let guilt become your mentor, your friend, your refuge. EVERYTHING about klaviers character is built on entrusting himself to the few people who know him as klavier, not headliner of the gavineers, not prosecutor gavin, but klavier. and it seems like that was his brother and his band. within a few months he loses his ENTIRE foundation and found out his only space to exist as himself was with people who played him for a fool and took advantage of him in order to commit gruesome crimes out of selfish gain and pettiness, as far as we know.

people who told him how to feel, told him what he wanted to hear, who seemed to hold little value towards him and his instincts, feelings, values. (kristoph obvious gaslighting all the time, daryan referring to him as depressed, a perfectionist, basically calling him a tantrum thrower). people who actively took advantage of his two genuine passions in life as an extension and opportunity to benefit themselves (daryan with his music, killing at a show ; kristoph interfering with gramarye case and his prosecution to make sure phoenix's framing went through)

he genuinely loses EVERYTHING. and then there's apollo. the man who got his brother arrested. a pupil of wright, who he still partially believes is a forger and a liar. everything about him should be something klavier is against. instead he's honest, blunt, and outspoken. he doesn't buy klavier's charm or his facades, cares only about the truth, the ideal that klavier admired so much during his time at themis.

a unrelenting force that rips the veil off every haunting suspicion klavier has had about his brother, his career, himself. someone who helps him find the truth.

and he just. never experiences any of that. not in front of apollo at least. we don't see his grief, his panic, his paranoia, the damage this would've done to him. honestly, to BOTH of them. it's like 4-4 they just barrel through it all and pack it up. and i haven't played aa5 so i don't know exactly but it seems like his return in 5-3 just ignores all of that. he's mostly unaffected, save his disbanding of the gavineers.

like. WHY.??? even 2 games after 1-4, we still see edgeworth processing his grief. he has panic attacks, he has REAL lasting trauma because something TRAUMATIC happened to him. he was betrayed by a mentor, a father, watched his only family die and thought it was his fault. and phoenix saved him from that fate. that insistence on the truth.

EVEN IN TGAA, prosecutors are still deeply tied to case plots as per usual, and they have lasting developed trauma that is completely valid for what they've witnessed. a common theme with aa prosecutors is the guilt they carry with them, things that haunt them, that eventually find some kind of peace, solace, or retribution through the events of the game. THEY ONLY DO THIS TO KLAVIER. WHY 😭😭😭

i don't even remember what i said anymore actually. capcom hates klapollo

You ever think about Klavier Gavin, having grown up with someone as manipulative as Kristoph and then being thrown into stardom and being sweet talked by millions of fans who only love the idea of Klavier Gavin but dont know the real person under that mask he carefully build over time? Do you think about him finding Apollo Justice, who is blunt and honest to a fault and does not care about Klavier Gavin the Rockstar, he cares about Klavier Gavin the person and he will tell him so? He will tell him that he loves him? And Klavier Gavin will tell Apollo Justice that he loves him too?

[shevi-creates]

onward to the future

a present for @mimzy630 from last year!

commissions are open! check my pinned post for more information! please don’t use, edit, or repost without permission; thanks!

[lionbearfox]

not sure exactly which dots i'm connecting but i'm definitely connecting them

[gavinnrss]

klav and fran :)

[nuclearangelics]

i think the prodigy prosecutors with older brother related issues should talk

[cluescorner]

Miles: I can explain-

Simon and Sebastian: Capcom is giving you two character arcs and we’re only getting one?

Franziska and Nahyuta: One arc? We’re only getting 1/2 of an arc. 

Klavier: Wait, you guys are getting character development? 

[edgeworth-for-president]

Capcom let them be pals I beg

[pandoratheprocrasticreator]

capcom has locked klavier gumshoe franziska and every beloved character from investigations in a basement and wont let them out thats why it falls on me to write the fruity dramatic angsty murder case involving all of them that they deserve. too bad its like almost at the end of that dual destinies/spirit of justice rewrite i wanted to do and since i have a horrible track record of writing multichapter shit and also my ideas to rewrite dual destinies/spirit of justice are Bad the case that’s been rotating in my head for two years now will likely never see the light of day

[cuppawz]

FUCK I WISH SOJ WAS MORE POPULAR IM STRUGGLING TO FIND A NAHYUTA ICON CAPCOM LET THEM OUT OF UR BASEMENT GIVE ME ART . PLEASE.

[agonyaster]

You’re Just Before Your Time

Sebastian’s just trying to process this all in peace, but someone just has to come and meddle.

sebby beloved.. capcom let him out of your basement i beg

prefer ao3? read here! 

…

The sound of dripping water echoes off of the walls of the courthouse bathroom. It’s such a small thing, halfway across the room from him, but it rings loudly in Sebastian’s ears.

He doesn’t want to be here, but he doesn’t know where else to go; the prosecutor’s chamber is open to just about anyone who knows where it is. Everyone he doesn’t want to see knows where it is, so he cowers in the bathroom like a frightened child on the first day of school. He doubts it will stop Franziska or Kay once they realize he’s gone, but at least Justine has respect.

Thinking about her just makes his stomach roll, so Sebastian clamps his hands over his ears and tries to think of something— anything— to distract himself

It doesn’t work. All he can picture are her frightened eyes as she sits behind the judges bench, skin gaunt as her gaze flits between the door and Patricia; the guilty look on her face as she reaches out for him in the P.I.C. meeting room, her shaking voice growing fainter as he runs away.

He hopes she’s gone. He hopes she reunites with her son and thanks Edgeworth before going back home and leaving all this behind her. She’s probably relieved— now that Blaise is gone she’ll never have to deal with a Debeste again.

It’s just a testament to how stupid he is that he didn’t realize any of this earlier. His father, his grades, Justine. Why would a professional like her want to waste her time babysitting someone like him? She wouldn’t. God, he should’ve known.

It’s pathetic, really. Really, really pathetic.

His sobs reverberate off of the walls, the hand Sebastian’s clamped over his mouth not doing enough to muffle them. He tucks his knees into his chest, shoulders shuddering as he forces his breaths to slow.

The door creaks open and heavy footfalls announce the presence of someone new. Sebastian prays that they’ll leave him alone, to read the damn room and find somewhere else to do their business. But if he knows one thing, it’s that shitty days tend to get shittier. The stranger comes to a stop right in front of Sebastian, their scuffed shoes filling his vision.

“Please go away,” he pleads, “I want to be alone.”

“No you don’t, pal,” the stranger rumbles. Sebastian feels like he should recognize the voice. “You just don’t wanna be a bother.”

“Don’t tell me what I want.”

“Seems like people have been doing that all your life.”

“Wow, thanks.” Sebastian can feel himself tearing up again, but pulls his head up to glare at the stranger anyway. It’s then that he realizes how much worse this situation is than he thought, because the stranger isn’t a stranger at all— he’s that detective who works with Kay and Mr. Edgeworth.

Gumshoe scratches at the back of his neck, looking a little uncomfortable. “Listen pal, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Or as okay as you can be.”

“Well you checked in on me, can you leave now?”

“No can do, pal. There’s no way I’m leaving you alone.” Gumshoe sinks down onto the floor next to him and Sebastian can’t help but cringe away from him.

“Why do you even care? I’m nothing but a fuck up and I’m so stupid I didn’t even know it.”

“I’m not gonna say I know how hard it is to not be as good as you think you are, because I’ve never really been good at much. But I can’t imagine it’s easy, especially with all the other… stuff you’ve got going on.” He makes a vague hand gesture. “You’re allowed a good cry.”

“It’s pathetic.”

“Maybe, but you should be proud of yourself.”

Sebastian can’t help but laugh at that. “Why? My life is a lie, and nothing I’ve ever done was ever actually me.”

“That’s not true. You just won that trial back there, pal. Fair and square.”

“Everyone was helping me. It was one trial.” One damn trial, that von Karma actually did all the work in while he dug through garbage. “Why are you here, anyway? Don’t you hate me?”

“It was your dad’s trial, that couldn’t have been easy. And no, pal, I don’t hate you. You’re a kid who made some shitty decisions because you didn’t know any better.” Sebastian opens his mouth to protest, but the detective silences him with a sharp glare. “And before you say somethin’ stupid like ‘I should’ve known better!’ no, you really shouldn’t. The only person there to teach you that kind of stuff was a real dick.”

“But I’ve-”

“Done bad things? Sure. We all have. It happens, but at least you know now.” Gumshoe pauses, like he’s unsure he should say what he wants to. “I knew Edgeworth when he was your age, pal. He was already a lot more rotten than you ever were and he only got worse with time. He’s trying to make up for it, all those people he hurt in the past. Knowing him, he’ll still be trying when he’s on his deathbed.”

Sebastian stares down at the tile. The overhead lights reflect harshly in it. “At least he can prosecute properly.”

“Jesus christ- are you even listening to yourself? You’re seventeen!”

“And I should know what I’m doing.”

“No, you really shouldn’t! Not everyone can be a prodigy and no one really should!” Gumshoe grinds his teeth. “Everyone parades around Ms. von Karma for winning her first case at thirteen, but does no one realize how weird that is? She was a kid— still is! Why should she be deciding these people’s fates?”

“I don’t know.”

“Rhetorical question.” A crease appears between Sebastian’s brows as he tries to remember what that means. He knows it he does, it’s just there’s all this other stuff running around in his head and- “A question you’re not supposed to answer.”

“Oh.” Then, quieter. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, pal. Sorry about that, probably not somethin’ too important right now.”

“It’s okay. I get where you’re coming from.” After all, he’s the poor detective being forced to work with all these prosecutors. “I just… I should be better at this.”

“For crying out loud, you’re seventeen! You shouldn’t have all this stuff figured out— I’d be more concerned if you did!”

“But I-”

“No buts! My baby sister is nearly a decade older than you and she’s still got no idea what she wants to do with her life. She fell into teaching— she’s good at it, but she didn’t know what she was gonna do with her life fresh out of high school! She called me last week in the middle of an investigation because she wanted me to help her name her dinner like our pops always used to do.” He huffs out a sigh. “Is it wrong that she’s still figuring it out?”

“No.”

“Then why is it wrong that you still are?”

He hesitates before answering. Sebastian knows what he wants to say, but he needs a better answer than that. It isn’t a proper answer, not a good one. He says it anyway. “I dunno.”

“So there’s no reason for you to talk to yourself that way.”

The logic makes Sebastian’s skin crawl. It should make sense, it should, but-

“It’s just not fair to everyone else.” Gumshoe stares at him in confusion and Sebastian grips at his sleeve. “All the people who deserved the things I ‘did.’ T-this jacket was for the top student in the prosecutors course at Themis— I shouldn’t have even gotten in.”

Sebastian takes the red jacket off of his shoulders and stares at the prosecutor’s badge pinned to its lapel.

“There was a kid in my grade,” he starts, trying to remember the name. All he gets are hazy smudges of blonde hair and an accent he can’t quite place. Of course he couldn’t remember the name, probably didn’t even care enough to learn it. “He was good. He deserves this.”

“Maybe so, but there’s nothing you can do about that now.” Gumshoe fiddles with the pencil he had tucked behind his ear. “If you’re so worried about it, why don’t you work so you can face him again? Even if it’s just to apologize. Might be the closure you need.”

“You’re a lot smarter than I gave you credit for.”

“Thanks, pal.” He tucks the pencil back behind his ear. “And I know it's real easy to get caught up in the legal world, but you gotta remember there’s a world outside all this courtroom stuff. There’s other stuff that can fulfill you.”

Sebastian thinks of all the nights spent alone as a child, his father not coming home until the ungodly hours of the morning. “Shouldn’t my job be my priority?”

“When you’re doing it? ‘Course. But you wanna know what I call someone who works all the time?”

“Dedicated?”

“Sad. It’s great if you like your job, but when it's the only thing you got goin’ for yourself? Not so great.” Gumshoe looks up at the ceiling. “You don’t need to worry too much about that though, you’ve got your fancy stick.”

“What?”

“The thing you’re always waving around? And that you kept hittin’ yourself in the face with?”

“Oh. My baton.” Even now, it’s tucked up his sleeve. Sebastian can’t remember a time without it. “It’s for correcting- conducting, I mean. Music stuff.”

“So you like music?”

“Yeah. It always made sense to me.”

“Maybe it can help you make sense of prosecuting too- I dunno.” Gumshoe laughs heartily. “Not really my area of expertise, but if it makes you feel better it's enough, yeah?”

“I… Yeah.”

Silence falls over them, or as much silence as you can get in a place like this. Gumshoe’s laughter is still reverberating off of the walls, water still dripping into the sink. Beyond the door, the faint chatter of voices has died down.

It’s the detective who breaks the silence, clapping his hands together in some sort of call to action. “As nice as this place is, we should get going. Ms. Courtney’s worried herself sick over you.”

His words send anxiety clawing at Sebastian’s stomach. “Why?”

Gumshoe blinks in confusion. “She cares about you…?”

“Why?”

“I dunno. I don’t know her well enough to say anything, and even if I did I wouldn’t. That ain’t somethin’ for me to say for her. Besides, it’s hard to explain why you care about someone. You just do, yeah?”

“She should hate me.”

Gumshoe’s face is red again. “Well she doesn’t, and there’s not a whole lot you could do to change how she feels.” He huffs out a breath. “It stinks to get the rug pulled out from under you like that, and it’s gonna hurt for a while. I won’t lie to you and say it won’t. But it’s something you need. Everyone gets humbled one way or another.”

There’s a lot Sebastian wants to say to that, but he keeps his mouth shut. “You still didn’t tell me why you came to find me.”

“Because I’m not gonna sit here and watch you throw your life away because someone taught you that you don’t deserve love.”

Sebastian is quiet.

“I know it’s a lot more complicated than that but… that’s just the way I see it.” Gumshoe sighs. “If you really do wanna be left alone, I’ll find a way to get everyone out of the courthouse so you can get away.”

“Don’t do that. You’re right, I really should go talk to everyone.” He tugs at his gloves. “Justine, at the least.”

To say Gumshoe beams would be an understatement.

[kawaiionnna-moved]

@youngbounty you actually have a rlly good point. Kay could totally be Ray’s co council (since I think it’d be awesome to play as Ray for a case) then gummy could be detective.

Okay but consider this:

Ace attorney, but Ray Shields is the defence, Sebastian Debeste is prosecutor, Kay Faraday is the detective and Justine Courtney is the residing judge

[hollysoda]

I’m on my hands and knees begging for Capcom to let Franziska out of their basement because her return could be so good!!!

She shows up to the WAA without warning. Apollo answers the door, expecting a client, but instead mother fucking Franziska von Karma, one of the most internationally famous prosecutors ever, is standing there, asking for Phoenix’s whereabouts.

Both Apollo and Athena are stunned because they both know what Franziska is like, and they think their boss is in a lot of trouble so they’re hesitant on letting her in but then Phoenix comes through like “oh Prosecutor von Karma what brings you here? :)”

And the two of them start talking like old friends. Franziska calls Phoenix a fool for losing badge but is ultimately glad to see him back in his suit, Miles kept her updated, and Phoenix is lightly teasing her, still very wary of the whip that she still keeps attached to her hip. Then Trucy comes through like “hi aunty Fran :D”, because we all know Franziska would be the cool lesbian wine aunt, which freaks Athena and Apollo out even more.

They eventually get filled in on stuff that went on between Phoenix and Franziska, as well as why she’s Trucy’s cool aunt. Franziska reveals that she came back to America for a pretty big case which Phoenix happens to be the defence for, and just wanted to make sure he was up to facing her again after so long. Of course he is, he wants to see how much she’s improved after all. Apollo says something like “you do realise how many whip marks you’ll have right?” and Phoenix replies with “don’t worry I’m practically immune to them now :’)”

Anyways they meet each other in the courtroom after too many years!! Franziska still uses her whip wayy too much and calls everyone a fool, but she has matured a lot, and no longer resents Phoenix for what he did to Miles. Their rivalry is more akin to what Phoenix and Miles’ was like in Turnabout Samurai, she’s harsh on Phoenix but willing to work with him to uncover the truth as she’s no longer as preoccupied with the winning streak her father prided himself with.

Until Franziska returns I’ll always be kinda pissed with the Capcom writers. She and Phoenix had some really nice development during their short time investigating together in Bridge to a Turnabout, and not having them interact in canon ever again would just be a waste. They had such a silly dynamic in that case </3

[selfdestructivecat]

Idk if you’ve gotten this already, but for the headcanon ask game!! Klavier, perhaps?

OH MY GOSH WE GOT AN ACE ATTORNEY CHARACTER!!! AND IT’S BEST BOI GUITAR MAN!

Also this will contain lots of Klapollo because I can’t help myself, so if that’s not your cup of tea that’s totally cool!

Realistic Headcanon: Actual German Klav! I love the idea of him spending his childhood in Germany and him still being so in love with the culture and landmarks and just everything that he still sprinkles in German phrases into his speech. And yes, he does speak German fluently in my headcanon.

Unrealistic (but hilarious) Headcanon: Despite his name, he has no idea how to play the piano. In fact, he doesn’t know how to play any other instrument except the guitar. However, while Klavier can’t play the piano, Apollo absolutely can, and he can play it well. Apollo is thrilled when he learns this, excited to shove it in Klavier’s glimmerous rockstar face.

Except that Klavier is even more ecstatic than Apollo, begging him for piano lessons in exchange for guitar lessons for Apollo. (And hey, maybe Klavier isn’t as excited about learning piano as being able to hang out with Apollo, but that’s his little secret.)

…And yeah I can’t make any ace attorney headcanon without including Klapollo lol

(More Headcanons Below!)

Heart-Crushing and Awful Headcanon: In almost all of his past relationships (and all of them after he became famous), he would shower his partner in gifts and affection but get little in return. It’s gotten so bad that at this point he doesn’t expect anything, instead hoping that, if he keeps giving, it’ll make up for what his partner isn’t.

When Apollo comes to his office around lunch, only a few days into their blossoming relationship, with a bag of food from one of Klavier’s favorite places and a cup of coffee, Klavier literally bursts into tears. It takes time for him to learn to accept these gestures gracefully, but Apollo is patient. And Klavier is worth it.

Unrealistic Headcanon that will probably never happen: KLAVIER GOES TO KHURA’IN!!! HE PROSECUTES AGAINST APOLLO!!! HE MEETS THE ROYAL FAMILY!!! PLEASE CAPCOM LET KLAVIER OUT OF THE BASEMENT I MISS HIM.

Thank you so much for the ask! I love my Sanders Sides children but I also adore Ace Attorney (which is still very much a hyperfixation lol) and don’t get as many opportunities to ramble about them ^.^

Send Me Character Asks, and I’ll Give You Some Headcanons!