#Not even talking about just the villains like Manfred or Dahlia‚ they do it with beloved characters too!

[reddbuster]

I've talked about this before but I don't think I worded it all that well so I kinda want to try again to articulate what it is that bothers me about Dahlia's writing cause I have some thoughts.

We really aren't supposed to like Dahlia. The text does not like her. She is supposed to be an evil, manipulative girl. A wolf in sheep's clothing. This is made very clear. From the moment we are introduced to her character, Mia herself very clearly doesn't like her. She is written to be a difficult and frustrating witness, having already wrapped most of the courtroom around her finger. Cross examining her is even more of an uphill battle than usual. The first time we beat her in turnabout memories is satisfying to the player, because we know justice is being served. Even when we learn her story, we aren't really lead to closely examine or to sympathize with it. Because Ace Attorney is not a game in which we decide if someone deserves to go to jail. It's a game where we deduce whether or not someone is a criminal. And Dahlia, by definition, is undoubtedly a criminal. She's a liar, and a manipulator, and a serial murderer. Mind you, the game isn’t COMPLETELY unsympathetic to her situation. Iris, her twin and narrative foil of a sort, Is an example of the kind of person Dahlia could have become if her circumstances were different. Iris even says as much herself. Ace Attorney acknowledges that Dahlia is a victim of her circumstances, at least to an extent. But it also treats her as if she’s too far gone to be worthy of any kind of closure. And more than anything else that's what bothers me about her story. Because if you take a minute to think about her at all beyond this very orthodox formalist lens she's SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. She's suuuuch an interesting and complex and compelling character if you look below the surface but the game really doesn't encourage you to do that and that makes me really sad honestly. From a psychoanalytic lens I personally think that agency (or the perceived lack-thereof) is a big point in her story and that more than anything is what makes me want to write about her from a feminist lens, because agency is a really big point of feminist literary theory.

I've seen a couple people say that they don't think Dahlia needs to be thought about deeply because they see her as a cartoonish sort of villain character like Manfred and Engarde. And obviously this isn't an objectively wrong reading, anyone who follows me knows that I'm the first person to tell you that are multiple good and valid readings of a text. But PERSONALLY I disagree with this. I think Manfred is easier to read like that because he doesn't really have an.. understandable reason for any of his crimes? Like lets be real the murder of Gregory Edgeworth was petty as hell. Personally I think he's pretty interesting himself and worth thinking about deeper esp after watching the anime but I also thinks he fulfills the role of capital V Villain in the game really well so you don't need to if he doesn't compel you that much. Engarde imo is much more interesting as a character if you view him as a culmination of the game's themes, or as a device to cause conflict within other characters. Ofc you can psychoanalyze him to hell and back if that's what you wanna do, but you really don't need to at all. Dahlia on the other hand.. way too much has happened to her for me to comfortably read her as just Girlboss Manipulator Villain™. The more I think about Dahlia the more I appreciate her as a character, and it makes aa3 even better to me. Of course it also brings to light some of my issues with the game, but even so everything just hits harder when you consider the ending of aa3 from everyone's perspective. It's just such a bittersweet conclusion it hits me in the feels very time.

anyway TLDR I support women's wrongs and I personally think Dahlia deserved better from the story. I dunno the more I think about her the more her story just makes me sad and I just wish they gave her some kind of closure in the end. This is just my take tho don't come after me ok thankies

[cala-aceattorney]

Ok I just finished replaying AA4, right? And I just want to say how incredibly unfair it is that Kristoph is so HOT. Like why does AA gotta make their villains so hot?! Unfair!!!

Anyways I've been THINKING abt Kristoph- abt him being legitimately nice. Like wholesome-ish Kristoph is actually my kryptonite.

i should simp for Klavier instead. Hes hot. But Kristoph 👀👀👀

Imagine the Gavin brothers fighting over you or both flirting with u to see who wins!!

Hi, thanks for the ask!

Does kristoph qualify as hot? Actually what villain in aa is genuinely hot? I'm thinking dahlia but she's more porcelain-doll-pretty than like. Sexually attractive. Kristoph is crystal-immaculate AND he's a big whore (Sorry not sorry) but again. Hot? I think the only really "hot" villain would be matt engarde. (Not that i experience sexual attraction.) (I also refuse to mention manfred von karma.) but why are the villains so pretty! (Not manfred fuck off manfred)

Kristoph being nice is all that i live for btw ! i think when he was just a teen and klavier was a child i think he genuinely cared for his little brother? I think he still does actually but they've grown so distant and kristoph only feels the need to be perfect so he'll use anyone at his disposal as a stepping stone. He's just a bit unhinged. Just like me <3 /j

Klavier is attractive actually. He's great! I should do a little meta analysis on him and how he pushes the game forward. Again, no sexual attraction here so i cant comment.

And no, i cant imagine the brothers fighting over anyone really. They've probably got very different taste in men. And im not that masc-looking anyways. And I'd rather go through the Manipulative Brother Experience™️ than be a romantic partner? (Also i am OBLIVIOUS to flirting. Not that anyone would flirt with me. I've seen two people flirt in front of me but i couldn't even notice so i just kept on talking about whatever i was talking about while not knowing i was a third wheel. So that's great :D)

Or did i get that wrong. Were you trying to get me to write something about the gav bros x reader or something. In that case im sorry idk how to write x reader :,)

[rage-against-the-dying-of-light]

Ace Attorney, Professor Layton fans, we need to have a fucking talking about Johnny Smiles.

This is a fucking hate post. I despise this fucking man. Like I wanted him to be the villain because then I would’ve had the satisfaction of defeating him in court.

I hear what you’re saying: “But El, there are so many worse people than Johnny! Manfred von Karma is an abusive murderous fuck, Matt Engarde is a pretentious spoiled little child who makes everyone else do his dirty work, and Dahlia left a trail of bodies a half dozen strong, oh and was abusive to Phoenix during their relationship.”

Yes. Yes this is all true. I agree with you, random AA fan. But. But. All of those characters were eventually brought to justice by my hand. Johnny. Fucking. Smiles. And his stupid gross chocolate bar, getting all over his stupid flashlight, wearing his stupid sunglasses on a dark ship at night and just being all around useless, annoying, incompetent and gross.

The only ppl I hate more is everyone from Turnabout Big Top who hit on/tried be in a relationship with Regina Berry, and even that wasn’t so bad, bc Franziska von Karma was there to punish half of them for being gross!

Johnny is the worst AA character and I hate him.

[demonprosecutor]

TURNABOUT HEROES AU! A COMPREHENSIVE POST

BASIC PREMISE:

Miles Edgeworth is a big-shot prosecutor who, much like his mentor, specialized in the prosecution of super-powered individuals, more specifically, heroes and villains. He doesn’t have any powers; however, it does not dissuade from the fact that he has considerable influence to ensure that retribution is often a rarity in his line of work 

(far too often he’s heard stories about his colleagues being offed by a vengeful loved one or a villain who managed to smuggle in a weapon)

However, his luck was bound to run out anyways. After sending too many of their colleagues’ into high-security prison, Miles finds himself the unfortunate target to many villains and unfortunately takes up a new role of ‘Damsel-in-Distress’ if he wanted to play with cliches.

But even with his string of bad luck, the mysterious Firebird is someone who always seems to know when and if he’s in trouble. At the same time, Phoenix Wright had somehow reappeared in his life and now? He’s being SAVED on both ends, what does a man have to do in order to get a semblance of peace around these parts.

Or, as I like to call it, the “oh no, i fell in love with a superhero AND their secret identity unknowingly and i am in a crisis 24/7 about it” au

WORLDBUILDING:

The world is composed of individuals who have powers and who don’t. Generally, there is peaceful co-existence between these two groups - however, there are spots of tension between the two that culminates in trouble. Sometimes, powered individuals use their abilities for evil and others use their powers for good. Non-powered individuals are usually stuck in the middle LMAO

ROUGH TIMELINE:

Gregory Edgeworth is a non-powered defense attorney that specializes in crimes that are committed by powered individuals because they have the tendency to be indicted more harshly than non-powered individuals. He, while not too famous like his enemy, has steadily been growing in fame in terms of his willingness to help anyone no matter what, something that Miles, as a child, cherished.

As a kid, Miles, who is non-powered as well, is someone who grew up in a very loving environment. In spite of the fact that his father was a single father and sometimes came home late, he was always surrounded with a wealth of love and care from his father and his uncle. During this time, Phoenix and Larry, both powered individuals (and whose powers I will explain further downwards), were his tentative friends at the beginning - that is until the dreaded class trial. Phoenix was accused of stealing Miles’ money and the teacher + class was unfairly going against him, citing his powers as being evidence towards motivation for crime. But Miles stood up for him, his dad as inspiration, and told everyone off because you can’t accuse people without proof. From that moment on, these three were inseparable. 

They would always go to each other’s houses, always pair together for group projects, and always hang out - they were thick as thieves.

But tragedy struck around Christmas. Miles does not know exactly what happens, but all he knows is that when he woke up from fading consciousness, a moment of time seared in his mind for eternity is throwing the gun, the ear-splitting gunshot and a blink later, his father slumped dead on against the elevator wall.

From that moment on, it just goes downhill for Miles. He gets taken under Manfred’s wing and has the ideals of always getting a guilty verdict and people with powers are bad. For years and years, he grew up with this poisonous mindset with his adopted sister, Franziska, and together, they grew up to be the second-most feared prosecutors (the first being Manfred).

Meanwhile, Phoenix is desperately trying to find miles, trying to see if he could reconnect with him, but he never does. So in college, he ends up with Dahlia and gets subsequently accused of murder of Doug Swallow. He gets poisoned in the trial, a gift from Dahlia’s powers, but miraculously heals - figuring out another facet of his powers.

It is then when Phoenix meets up with Mia, determined after seeing that newspaper with Miles in it, she takes him under her wing and teaches him everything she knows about being both a defense attorney and a hero. Together, they make the dynamic duo of Firebird and Spirit! They fight crime on both sides of the law for years, while Phoenix thinks about his goal of reaching Miles.

Years later, Mia gets murdered by Redd White after obtaining information that could stop him and his company.

The trail for Mia’s murder is the first time Phoenix and Miles meet again. Instead of Winston taking the role of prosecution, it’s Miles!

Miles completely ignores Phoenix initially and focuses on the investigation and having the perfect trial. He does a lot more hands on investigations because sometimes, the police have a tendency to misplace evidence or not find things that he needs, so he’s at the crime scenes frequently. The night before the first trial, Miles goes to the crime scene where he first meets the hero Firebird. He is a bit of a jerk to Firebird before Miles writes him down as a potential suspect.

After his first loss, Miles is completely stunned. Before chalking it up to beginner’s luck. It doesn’t help that Manfred reprimands him very harshly for losing to a green attorney.

But for some reason, after that first trial, Miles ends up seeing more of Phoenix and Firebird around. Phoenix has the tendency to take cases that Miles is prosecuting for chances to talk to him and Firebird is always around the crime scene - he’s sure that they’re in cahoots with each other.

It’s difficult for Miles to talk to Phoenix because it brings up too many memories that he had repressed for his own mental health. But for some reason, Firebird is much easier to talk to.

It’s like Miles has a target at his back because he cannot go a few days without being kidnapped, being held at gunpoint, being used as hostage, and being rescued by Firebird, that insufferable flirt. However, Miles is reassured that he has someone out there who is willing to save him because not many would, especially since he would judiciously prosecute them without much guilt.

Firebird; however, is another story. 

He talks to Firebird and Phoenix about each other and it’s clear over the years that he’s slowly being less cold and more warm -- and it’s hard to not fall in love! Firebird is the one who falls in love first because if Phoenix is being honest, he’s been in love with Miles since forever, but it’s easier to confess behind a mask. And this was during a time where Miles hated powered people, so it was always left with taunts. But Phoenix never let that deter him, he had always cared for Miles, no matter what.

Eventually, Miles ends up falling for both Firebird and Phoenix and he spends many sleepless nights thinking about the hero who saves his life literally and his rival/best friend who saves his life emotionally.

NOTABLE CHARACTERS:

Phoenix Wright AKA Firebird:

His powers are pyrokinesis, healing, flight, and regeneration

Body is the same fragility of humans, but if he dies, he crumples to ashes and comes back to life brand new and without injuries!

Miles Edgeworth, non-powered:

A prosecutor trained under Manfred von Karma, specializing in powered crime

Terribly unlucky to the point where people wondered if bad luck was his superpower

Franziska von Karma, powered, but repressing her abilities:

A prosecutor trained under Manfred von Karma, specializing in powered crime - eventually upgrades to international prosecutor

Her abilities, once found out, are ice powers!

Dating Maya

Maya Fey, non-powered:

A journalist charged with protecting the secret of the Kurain Village - which is a place for resting heroes or villains who wish to reform!

Dating Franziska

Pearl Fey, powered:

Her powers are super-strength, extreme durability, and extreme endurance

Literally the strongest AA character

Iris Fey, non-powered:

The twin of Dahlia and aided her charade with Phoenix back at college

Now she works at Kurain Village with Dahlia in the reformation of villains.

Dahlia Hawthorne AKA Sweet Tooth, powered:

Her powers are poison control!

She used to be a villain, but reformed

Works at Kurain Village with Iris in helping villains reform

Morgan Fey, powered:

Her powers are the same as Pearl’s; however, they are a LOT weaker than her daughter’s

Very scary

Larry Butz AKA Toy Soldier, powered:

Powers: brings inanimate objects to life

But he prefers to bring toys to life as puppets, not really an effective fighter, but he’s trying and that’s what counts!

The Phantom, powered:

Powers: can shapeshift perfectly down to their voices. They can also steal memories

They are the perfect assassin

Gumshoe, non-powered or is he? huehuehue

The detective partner of Edgeworth’s 

Very loyal and energetic! He is such a sweetheart

Manfred von Karma, non-powered

One of the best prosecutors for powered crime

An asshole jerk

Trucy Wright, powered:

Powers: teleportation

She uses her teleportation for her magic tricks, but shhh, don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret!

Apollo Justice AKA Chords of Steel, powered:

Powers: sound manipulation

His chords of steel are sometimes A BIT MUCH!

But he could manipulate sound to make his footsteps quieter, his ability is really versatile

He can only SCREAM

Klavier Gavin AKA Piano Man, powered:

Powers: sound manipulation

BUT HE CAN ONLY SING IT!!!

Can charm/mind control people, but NEVER EVER does it because he knows how bad it can get!

Kristoph Gavin, powered:

Powers: charm

Can charm/mind control people hehehe

Ema Skye, powered:

Powers: perception

She can see the gross nasty fluids from a crime that can be seen with the human eye, she loves it

Lana Skye, non-powered:

Once the Chief Prosecutor, but now jailed

Currently, she is on parole and is going to be soon let out for good behaviour

Athena, powered:

Powers: She has the capability of knowing someone’s TRUE emotions and their deepest desires

It’s honestly a curse because she frequently gets overstimulated by crowds

Blackquill, non-powered:

A fearsome prosecutor that was jailed for crimes not of his own making

He seeks the phantom and wishes to either put them in jail or kill them, whichever comes first.

Mia Fey AKA Spirit, powered:

Powers: psychokinesis + phasing

LIKE A GHOST

Phoenix’s mentor as both a defense attorney and as a hero

[youngbounty]

Getting sick of me talking about Manfred Von Karma yet? Heehee I’m going to do another one. This time, I want to talk about perhaps the best adaptation of Manfred Von Karma from the game. That would be the live action movie of Ace Attorney. I’ve always expected the live action movie to give me what I wanted, that is the best adaptation of a Phoenix Wright movie, but it went far and beyond. The actors did a fantastic job nailing the characters, but I have to give a hat to Manfred Von Karma’s performance.

The biggest issue with making Manfred Von Karma is how easy it is to fall into the stereotype or making him the biggest, most evil villain. It’s easy, because of the fact he is the mentor of Miles Edgeworth, who has become everyone’s cinnamon bun. I object to that! He is Phoenix’s cinnamon bun, but jokes aside, making Manfred Von Karma so vindictive that he becomes the abusive dad or mentor to Miles Edgeworth or Franziska Von Karma does not make him more evil. Anyone, who knows his character well, would know that can only go to Blaise Debeste. Seriously though, Manfred Von Karma is a little more complex than that.

What makes Manfred Von Karma as evil and twisted as he is, is the fact he’s human. He is a good father to his children, a good grandfather to his grandchildren, a wonderful husband that takes pride in his wife no matter how unprofessional she is at something, a great mentor to Miles and Franziska and much more. Manfred Von Karma was not the kind of guy you would hate. He’s the kind of guy you’d want to have dinner or go bowling with. Yes, he was strict, but if you were ever in a pinch, he was always the guy you turn to for protection. He didn’t take Miles under his wing to cover up his crimes, they were already covered up, but because he did see potential and wanted Miles to grow. It’s clear he knew Miles had issues with his phobias and trauma, yet was willing to take him in instead of letting him rot. That’s not something you’d expect the other Ace Attorney villains to do, because why would any villain want to help their enemy, unless it benefitted them? I’m looking at you Kristoph Gavn, Dahlia Hawthorn, Blaise Debeste, Damon Gant and the Phantom aka Bobby Fullbright. 

Manfred Von Karma hits us hard, because he’s a genuinely good person capable of horrific acts of evil such as murder and corruption. In the live action movie, Manfred Von Karma was a genuinely good person that believed in perfection, because he wanted to rid the world of criminals. This is a very human trait each of us can relate to. When an injustice happens, all of us want to get rid of the one responsible for those injustices, whether it’d be murder, attacks on innocent people, animal cruelty, child abuse, police brutality, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism and the list goes on. Manfred Von Karma is the kind of person that would stand for those injustices. You heard me! But, that’s what makes him so twisted. In real life, many of the most notably virtuous people that consider themselves perfect and will stand for the injustices have done some of the cruelest acts of evil. People like Manfred Von Karma make themselves more evil than Matt Engard, because at least he has a façade. Manfred Von Karma does not. He’s both a genuinely good person and the most cruel human being on the face of the earth, no masks, façades or fronts he’s putting up. 

In the live action movie, when Miles Edgeworth loses his first case, instead of chastising him like most fans often predict, his mentor Manfred Von Karma gives him words of wisdom or encouragement. When he first meets Phoenix, he’s very polite and even greets him with a smile and handshake. That doesn’t sound like the kind of person you’d expect to frame his star pupil for murder or murder his own father in cold blood. Yet, that is exactly what Manfred Von Karma did. His obsession for perfection had pushed him, because he believed that was the only way to punish criminals, instead of finding the truth. Phoenix’s speech about the truth being much more important shows both humility and why Manfred Von Karma is such a complex villain. His fault was thinking and doing things in his own way instead of admitting or reflecting on his own imperfections. Anyone, who sees themselves perfect and flawless, will always be blind to their own flaws. Those who see themselves too flawed will prove to be wiser than most. 

Those of us that see Manfred Von Karma as the worst human being incapable of being kind have completely missed what makes him as evil and twisted as he is. He is kind and loving, but that’s all he sees himself as. Manfred Von Karma is not the kind of man that wants to be evil. He’s a man that wants to be good, but trying to be flawless and refusing to see his own flaws are what led to his downfall. They are what make him so twisted and evil, because that is how a majority of the most cruel human beings today are like. Aren’t hypocrites those that we consider more evil than the most evil of criminals? How is Manfred Von Karma any different? He is someone that is genuinely kind, loving and generous, but by refusing to see his own faults, he is someone that people would consider the most evil human being in Ace Attorney, even though he’s not. The fact he murdered out of the heat of the moment that would be considered Voluntary Manslaughter in the United States does not erase the fact all of us believe he deserves the death penalty, even if we may not believe in it. 

Manfred Von Karma is one of my favorite villains just because he represents the true evil of today. Sure, you may have your crazies and those who want to do evil, but that’s only a small portion of them. Most of the most evil human beings today are like Manfred Von Karma. They are the politicians, Hollywood Elites and Bill Cosby’s that we look up to that turn out to be the most wicked human beings on earth for preaching to us what is right and wrong, while doing the complete opposite.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

After going the Ace Attorney games again, here are my rankings of the six main series prosecutors:

(Side note: Still haven’t played any of the Investigations games or the Great Ace Attorney series)

6) Nahyuta Sahdmadhi

Poor Nahyuta. I hate to place him in the last place slot but after going through Spirit of Justice again, he still hasn’t grown on me. Let me just say, I don’t really like Spirit of Justice. There are a lot of aspects of that game I was not fond of, such as the final case being a repeat of Farewell, My Turnabout and the underwhelming Khura’in Civil War storyline. However, in Nahyuta’s defense, I don’t hate the character.

Nahyuta has a decent storyline and he has a unique gimmick. It’s just when compared to the other 5 prosecutors, he doesn’t really do anything for me. His storyline with Apollo feels like a rehash of the previous games (oh, the prosecutor was close friends with the defense attorney? Hmm, where have I heard that before *coughPhoenixandMilescough* *coughAthenaandSimoncough*). Also, he’s not as fun or as interesting as his counterparts. 

Basically, I don’t think Nahyuta’s a bad character, he’s just my least favorite of the prosecutors.  

5) Franziska von Karma

This one hurt me, mainly because I love Franziska. She seems like a fun character outside of the main Ace Attorney games based on her appearances in the Investigations series. However, if we’re going purely with her role as prosecutor in the main series, then I have to place her in the 5th place slot. But it’s not because I think she’s a bad character. She’s great! She’s a fun character to interact with and she has an interesting backstory. The problem is Justice for All.

In my opinion, Justice for All is the worst Ace Attorney game in the main series. It’s to the point that it affected my placement of Franziska on this list. First off, it’s already bad that one of the main cases she’s the prosecutor in is Turnabout Big Top aka the worst case in the entire franchise. But then there’s Farewell, My Turnabout, which absolutely screws over her character by making Miles Edgeworth the focus of the finale. 

Now let me back up. Before you Miles Edgeworth fans jump down my throat, I am aware that Miles is not the prosecutor for the final case in the first game. I am NOT saying that Franziska needed to be the prosecutor in Farewell, My Turnabout. I am NOT saying Miles ruined the story. The point I’m making is that even though Miles wasn’t the prosecutor in Turnabout Goodbyes, he was still the main focus. Everything in that episode revolved around Miles’ past and his relationship with Manfred von Karma. He still got a complete character arc even though he wasn’t the rival. 

In Farewell, My Turnabout, Capcom just went and said, “Go fuck yourself Franziska” and made everything about Miles again. Franziska was barely a presence in that final episode and by the time the game ended, her arc felt incomplete. Yes, the writers attempted to make her relevant to the story by having her be the one to deliver the evidence but just think about that for a second. She’s the main prosecutor of the 2nd game and the most significant thing she did in the finale was deliver items. I honestly feel her appearance in Trials and Tribulations was damage control for how shit she was treated in Justice for All.

Thankfully, it looks like the Investigations games treated Franziska better. But as for the main series, she deserved a whole lot better. I’d love to place her higher but with the storyline she got, I have to mark her down.  

4) Klavier Gavin

I don’t have much to say about Klavier. I think he’s a cool character and he has a kickass gimmick. However, he’s just a mid-tier kind of character for me. Like with Franziska, it’s mainly to do with Apollo Justice / Ace Attorney 4.

People have already pointed this out but the storyline in Apollo Justice feels more like set-up for something bigger. When I first went through Apollo Justice, it felt like there was going to be more to Kristoph Gavin, more to Klavier Gavin. Phoenix Wright was at the start of a different kind of character arc and the Gramaryes/Trucy Wright would be the main focus of the Apollo Justice trilogy, just like how Maya and the Feys were the focus of Phoenix’s trilogy.

In fact, just going off on a little tangent, I already made a post about this but I was thinking that the abandoned Apollo Justice trilogy would lead to Phoenix becoming a Godot-type character. He had the seeds of that character arc planted, with his darker behavior, willingness to bend the legal system to get what he wants (using forged evidence and trapping Kristoph with the jurist system) and a similar reason to become an anti-villain (Godot was poisoned by Dahlia, Phoenix was disbarred thanks to Kristoph). He would then show up in the final game as the main rival, leading to a Phoenix and Apollo showdown.

Sorry, this was supposed to be about Klavier. The point I’m trying to make is, Klavier is a cool character but he feels wasted. Since the 5th and 6th games didn’t follow-up on the 4th game’s story, it feels like Klavier was left behind as a result. That’s why he’s low on the list. 

3) Simon Blackquill

Ah yes, the twisted samurai. For the record, Dual Destinies is my favorite Apollo Justice-era game, so it’s not a huge surprise that Simon is my favorite Apollo Justice-era prosecutor. For me, what makes Simon stand out is that he’s the most “complete” of the three AJ-era prosecutors.

My issue with Klav was that his storyline feels incomplete while my issue with Yuty was that he wasn’t that interesting of a character. Simon doesn’t have those problems. For one, he has the best gimmick between the three of them. It’s an interesting concept to have a prosecutor be an actual death row inmate. What’s cool about that is that the death row inmate gimmick worked for Simon’s character arc.

Dual Destinies set Simon up as the embodiment of the dark age of the law. He was a death row inmate who constantly talked about killing his foes. That’s why the reveal that he’s actually an honorable man who never killed anyone works so well, it’s a strong contrast to how he’s set up. Also, it’s a twist that works with Simon’s character as he’s supposed to be a psychology expert. He plays up his image of a crazy killer to intimidate his enemies. 

Other than that, I also feel like Simon had the best storyline of the AJ-era prosecutors. Also, even though his appearance in Spirit of Justice was a bit silly, it was still fun to see this character in a more lighter tone. 

2) Miles Edgeworth

Yeah, of course Edgey is this high up on the list. Like I wrote, I can’t count the Investigations games as I haven’t played them but even then, Miles had a pretty good run in the main series. He had a strong character arc in the first game, a decent return in the 2nd game, and a strong return in the 3rd game. It was great that you actually got to play as Miles in T&T and that he was the acting defense attorney. For me, Trials and Tribulations felt like the end of Miles’ character arc as he finally became a defense attorney, just like his dad. 

And honestly, Capcom should’ve left him at that. I’m not saying this is why he’s only 2nd on the list but I just want to say, I don’t think he needed to be in Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice. Yes, I am aware that Miles’ appearances in those games were just fun guest appearances for people who want that AA original trilogy nostalgia. However, I felt that his appearances in 5 and 6 slightly ruined his character arc. 

Why? Because he was back to being a prosecutor. Last time I checked, wasn’t his entire character arc about him becoming a defense attorney? He wanted to be a DA like his dad, he developed a misguided hatred of defense attorneys due to the DL-6 Incident, he was misled into believing that the number one goal of an attorney is to win court cases by Manfred von Karma, he was rescued by his friend Phoenix which led to him reassessing his life goals, he goes on a trip around the world to find himself, and then in the final game, he becomes Iris’ defense attorney, overcoming his initial hatred of DAs and fulfilling his childhood goal.

Maybe it’s just me but having Miles come back as a prosecutor in the AJ-era games feels like a step back in character development. But once again, that’s not the reason why he’s 2nd on the list. I like Miles, but I like the next guy even more. It should be obvious who it is by now.     

1) Godot

Yes, I know, this is potentially a controversial choice. I just wanna say, I don’t care if you love, like, dislike, or hate Godot. Let me write the reasons why Godot is my number one prosecutor.

When I was writing this list out, I was measuring the prosecutors based on several factors. Story, character arc, design, strength as a rival, humor and so on. Just to be clear, I don’t think Godot is the best of all those categories. For example, when it comes to strength as a rival, I’d say Miles and Franziska were stronger opponents. Godot is definitely a mid-tier rival, which makes sense as he’s supposed to be a rookie / defense attorney out of his league. 

So, why Godot then if he’s not the best in every category? Honestly...I’d say it’s the character overall. Regardless of your feelings towards the character, I feel that we can all agree that Godot’s story is the most tragic. 

Let’s recap; Godot’s story is of a good man who was destroyed by a wicked monster. He was then abandoned by the people around him and lost the love of his life. With no one to help him, he let his grief consume him to the point that he became a bitter shell of his former self, obsessed with shaming the people he feels are responsible for the death of his lover. It’s only at the end when he realizes that all of his hatred and anger was just him projecting his own self-hatred onto someone else. That even though it wasn’t his fault, he still holds himself responsible for his lover’s death. However, it’s too late to make amends as he’s damned himself. In a moment of blind rage, he doomed himself by committing murder. 

That is some HEAVY material for a game series that features the main character cross examining a parrot and conveniently developing amnesia just to set up a tutorial sequence. 

Going on another tangent, you know who Godot’s storyline reminded me of? Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy. Both characters started out as honorable men who were deeply in love. Then, tragedy struck. They lost the love of their lives and, in their final character arc, they took their rage out on everyone. Sons of Anarchy season 7 is still some of the most devastating TV I’ve ever watched and part of the reason was because of how sad it was to watch Jax fall. He fell so deep into his rage and anger that by the time he got his revenge, he burned so many bridges that the only place his character could go was death.

Same with Godot. He’s a damn Shakespearean tragic protagonist in that he was ultimately undone by his own rage and anger. You can sympathize with him based on how he came to be but at the same time, he destroyed himself. It’s a devastating character arc and, as someone who loves Shakespeare and all things theater, I absolutely loved it. It’s the one character arc that has stuck with me after going through all six games over again, even more so than Miles and Simon’s arcs.

In addition to all of this, the fact that Godot’s character arc tied the entire trilogy together is definitely worth noting. From his storyline, the game tied together Mia Fey’s death, highlighted Mia’s importance to the main storyline, and even set up Trials and Tribulations’ main villain, Dahlia Hawthorne. I love it when stories do that, when the character arcs actually work hand-in-hand with the story that the writer is trying to tell. 

On some smaller notes, Godot definitely has the best character design in my opinion. Also, the best character theme (I still have the Fragrance of Dark Coffee playing in my head). Lastly, he has the best case in the original trilogy (Bridge to the Turnabout), as well as the best moment (the original pursuit theme plays when you expose the knife wound underneath his mask). 

So yeah. In my opinion, Godot is the best Ace Attorney prosecutor. Those are my reasons, feel free to disagree if you want.   

[shalvis]

Ace Attorney | Narumitsu | Edgeworth >:3c its your turn

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: I love. Dick Gumshoe. So much. He is just a big puppy and he cares so much and tries his best.

Least Favorite character: Saying Manfred would be too obvious, so I’ll say April May, because she’s a cute design and I love the cat thing but they don’t do enough with those elements to make her anything but annoying to me.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Narumitsu, Gumworth, Franmaya, Cykesquill (I guess? I haven’t seen that game yet), Mia/Lana

Character I find most attractive: P...Phoenix....

Character I would marry: P..

Character I would be best friends with: Maya 

a random thought: Hobo Phoenix is the cutest of them all

An unpopular opinion: Edgeworth is Trans and Franziska is NB. Together they trans their genders and update autopsy reports

My Canon OTP: Narumitsu isn’t canon but might as well be

My Non-canon OTP: Franmaya

Most Badass Character: Franziska uwu

Most Epic Villain: IDK about epic but I really like the design of Wellington. He looks like Phoenix but if he was a JJBA character.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Narumayo

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): April May is already talked about but also I feel like Ema Skye is a little one dimensional in Rise From The Ashes. Maya said that she’s more fleshed out in a later game though so..

Favourite Friendship: Pheonix, Edgeworth, and Larry’s childhood shenanigans

Character I most identify with: who do you think

Character I wish I could be: again. who do you think

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: a long time before I even knew what Ace Attorney was. It’s one of those ships that is kind of just widely known.

My thoughts: I adore them. They balance each other out in so many ways and it’s just really nice to see Edgeworth opening up to literally anyone like. He doesn’t seem to do that a lot. The fact that he can open up to Phoenix and not be afraid of not being taken seriously is like. astronomical. Also I project a lot.

What makes me happy about them: Their canon very gay interactions. I think they like. Define the term coded. It seems way too obvious to suggest that the writers didn’t intend them to be very very gay. And for a game from 2001/2 that’s pretty damn impressive. So many shows and such have trouble now, in almost 2020, in coding characters without just turning it into queerbait. Even canon gay content fails in some areas but Ace Attorney like. Ran so these other medias could walk I guess.

What makes me sad about them: Edgeworth is so wound-up and traumatized that he can’t even rightfully accept an award for his performances. He probably could never believe that he is anything that Phoenix would be into, even if Phoenix came right up to him and told him that he’s gay and his type is tall-ish red lawyers with gray anime hair and ruffles. Edge would be like ‘...surely he means someone else with those features and not me.’ WHICH IS SAME HAT but also sad.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Just the sheer amount of abo stuff out there. And that one AU where basically every triggering thing out there is crammed into one fic. Also fics that turn them into the seme/uke trope but were written in 2018/19 like. Grow up.

Things I look for in fanfic: Pining!!!!1 Pining! Marriage, Edgeworth being Trucy’s dad, Phoenix and Edgeworth talk about trauma and understand each other, pining holy shit, being on a first-name basis with each other, edgeworth feeling understood for the first time in his life

My wishlist: Those things I just listed. 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Phoenix would end up with....man idk. it really seems that he and dahlia didn’t work out and that kind of poisoned dating for him. I don’t know if he’d even pursue anyone after that if Edgeworth wasn’t grandfathered in via their preexisting crushes on each other. Edgeworth would probably not pursue anyone either but he’d always be close with Gumshoe. (I feel like Phoenix would be the one to tell Edgeworth that it is okay to crush on Gumshoe so they wouldn’t likely be a thing without Phoenix)

My happily ever after for them: married, Trucy has two loving dads, one dog (pess) and one cat (phoenix affectionately names the cat edgey), they grow old together.

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: Kinny,

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Phoenix, Gumshoe, I jokingly rb’d one that ships him with blackquill but that’s only bc my boyfriend Gerry kinned blackquill and I was surprised that there was art of him with edgeworth so I tagged him in it.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Maya!!! also Franziska. 

My unpopular opinion about this character: He’s trans as hell, and has known this since he was a child.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Recovery from his trauma. Bonus points if he and Franziska recover together because they lived in the same household for a lot of it.

Favorite friendship for this character: Maya!1 they watch steel samurai reruns when edge feels down.

My crossover ship: Jokingly shipped him with Lunafreya once because Dex kins Lunafreya

[vonlipvig]

Ok, I’m in the mood to rant about some AA stuff, specifically some of the Big Baddies. Not an angry rant, by any means. I;m just full of AA Love right now.

(Spoilers for all games except both DGSs!)

Under a readmore cause it got LONG

Ok, so I’m replaying AAI2 right now, and I’m playing through case 4, and I honestly had forgotten how MUCH i hated Blaise Debeste (hate as in “You’re so fucking despicable”, not in the “I hate him as a character” way, I delight in hating him, as we all do, I suppose). And I guess that set me thinking about all of the Big Villains of AA, and how exactly I feel about them.

So I asked myself, “who are the scariest AA villains?”, and I think the answer to that--at least for me, of course--is Damon Gant and Blaise Debeste, with Quercus Alba nipping at their heels.

Now, hold your horses, let me explain. I think those three--but those two to a more certain degree--are the most terrifying antagonists in the games, and that’s because of one thing: power. These guys have the institutional power they need to do whatever it is they want, and that’s really fucking scary. And yes, you can have power and not use it for your own, selfish needs, but these guys do exactly that, and to perfection. Gant, for one, is terrifying just from his appearance, cause everything from his stance, to his stare just says “do not dare cross me” and that’s spine-chilling. I guess what’s also very scary about him is that somewhere in his mind, at the very beginning of his career, maybe he did want to do good? But I think his own selfishness overtook that from the moment of the Darke and Marshall murders. I don’t think he cared at all that he was killing an innocent person. he just cared about his own reputation.

And Blaise...god, talking about Blaise makes my skin crawl. just as Gant, Blaise also has a LOT of power (and I’m talking a LOT, this man has affected the lives of so many others), and he sees people as mere objects to use and discard as he pleases (I’m replaying AAI2 so my memory is not that fresh, but like, he made people disappear, even his wife I think). And what’s even scarier than Gant is that he truly looks as if he enjoys tormenting others, so it’s not just that he sees others as things, he just truly delights in causing others pain. AND SPEAKING OF CAUSING OTHERS PAIN, he also straight up abuses Sebastian, his own son. He fucking went so far as to ORDER HIS SON KIDNAPPED. I’m about to cry cause I just HATE HIM SO MUCH, OH MY GOD.

Ok, like the AAI stan that I am, I have to say that I also really enjoy Quercus Alba. I don’t know, I think he’s not as developed or as interesting as these others, in a way, but to me at least he seems like a really cool and really scary villain as well. Selfish, uncaring, and almost unbearably proud (GOD THOSE GODDAMN EXTRATERRITORIAL RIGHTS), I really loved the whole smuggling ring plot point from AAI, so I guess your enjoyment of him hinges on if you liked that or not. I did. Oh, and I just love his sprites, what a fucking tree bastard.

So I gotta talk about our friend Manny von Karma now, oh boy. THE OG bad boy. The thing with Manfred is that his “evilness” kiiiinda pales a bit once you know the events of AAI2. He got vital information kept away from him during the IS-7, courtesy of Blaise, so you get that sense of “oh, there was someone above him in the command chain”, and yeah, there was. But the man was still ruthless, and he was still not above forging and cheating to get what he wanted. In that respect, very much like the other guys. But what separates him from the others is that his big crime--the murder of Gregory Edgeworth--was much more passional than anything the other guys ever did. He didn’t murder Gregory because of money, or to keep his mouth shut, and it wasn’t even something he planned. The opportunity presented itself, and he was so full of rage for his wounded pride that he murdered him. In a way that makes him less scary to me, because I understand emotions, but I can’t understand cold, psychopathic calculation (ok, but he gains a lot more Evil Points with the whole “adopting the child of my enemy and raising it to be all that he despised” thing, YAKNOW?).

Morgan Fey, too, is another villain that is very passionate yet still cold and calculating. Her pride is everything to her, and the blow that was dealt to her by being cast aside as a “branch” member of the clan was devastating to her, and made her into the woman she is. What’s really interesting about Morgan is that we see the character of the doting mother at first in her with how she treats Pearl, but then we see that that could not be further from the truth. I think maybe she tries to convince herself that what she does, she does for her love of Pearl, but that’s not true at all. It’s great to see this side of the “mother” archetype.

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. None of them are actually my favorite villain. The one who I believe is the most compelling, entertaining, thought-provoking of all the AA killers is Simon Keyes. I mean, what does it tell you, that when I’m talking about a manipulative murderer the first that comes to mind is sadness because he got dealt a very bad hand in life? This is not me justifying his actions, because none of the things he did were justifiable in the slightest. But this man, this kid, had no-one (He had Dogen, actually, but hey, a great role model to have, right?). He felt betrayed by the ones who were supposed to be his closest protectors and friends, and that turned him sour. He’s as cold and calculating as the other baddies, but his story just shatters your heart, especially because it is paralleled so well by other AAI2 characters, in Sebastian, in Miles, in Kate Hall, etc. Basically, AAI2 best game.

And I could add Dahlia in the same category as Simon, I think. it’s...not the same, granted, but Dahlia’s background are incredibly interesting to mull about. She was born in the Fey Clan, so from the day she was born she carried an enormous burden on her shoulders. The whole thing with Misty and Morgan, which ended with her father taking her with him, left her very jaded and hateful (and betrayed, I believe, deep inside), and that set her on the path she would then take. Then she gets foiled my Mia, and that absolutely devastates her, and driver her to seek revenge. I think not only revenge because Mia managed to finally expose her crimes, but Mia also represents that “Main Branch” of the family, that which had been taken from her, and that which caused her so much pain. I really love Dahlia, I think she’s a bit more over the top than Simon, but I really enjoy her character.

An then there’s...well, the Phantom. I don’t know what to say about them, they really don’t have the depth that other villains have, as we don’t know anything about them except the “feels no emotions” thing. And I don’t know if I like that, as a character train. I don’t mean to say I don’t like characters that feel no emotions, cause hey, see the guys up top, but to make it such a gimmick was...meh. Oh, but I will say, that part where Aura says that one phrase and then you feel a deep chill in your spine because “oh my god i know who the phantom is”? Very good.

We also have Kristoph and Matt, and.......come on, I love them to bits, Farewell My Turnabout is one of my all time fave cases, and I think Turnabout Trump is SO GOOD for a first case, but...these guys are absolute clowns, they’re so fucking stupid, ok? At least von Karma was just like “OH HE’S UNCONSCIOUS THIS IS MY CHANCE”, these dudes went back to their sad lairs and concocted some dumbass plans. Ridiculous djfdhfjdhf.

And then there’s Ga’ran and I gotta say I don’t remember a single thing about her, The End.