#and maybe trucy and apollo find out about thalassa

[artish-boi]

Pretty much everyone agrees that it'd be fun for a case where Apollo defends Klavier, as a parallel to 1-4, and giving Klavier closure and development

It's a classic, however, consider flipping it, just for fun. After AA4, Apollo gets arrested, and the only person he trusts enough to help him is Klavier, because he doesn't trust anyone really, and the closest person he knows to a defense lawyer is Phoenix, who he has a,,,, rocky relationship with, and who is still disbarred. There's a bit of a parallel with 3-5, where Phoenix asks Edgeworth to take his place in court, it fits with the 1-4 parallel, and it matches with Apollos trust issues.

Trucys could still be a weird girl, we'd inevitably get interactions with Phoenix, and we'd get to see the difference between Klaviers inner monologues and his mask.

[ind1c0lite]

FINALLY yall get to see this lmao, basically Ive had an au (??) rattling around in my head where Apollo decides to hire Kay, a private investigator, to help him find and track down his birth mother, shenanigans ensue, some more things abt it under the cut (feel free to ask anything abt it it lives rent free in my head JHKLJ)

-Most likely takes place a year after SOJ- Though I havent actually watched it for myself yet so Im just going off of info from the wiki HGJKHL

-Kay is 26! shes been a PI for about 3 years now and has gained a rep for being VERY good at her job

-Apollo approaches her with basically nO info or leads and while its gonna Make their job MUCH harder, Kay decides to take it on anyways on the condition that Apollo acts as her assistant during this case

-Basically this is just Apollos lil secret mission for himself, he doesnt tell anyone else abt it since its so emotionally heavy for him

-Im not sure exactly /how/ theyd do it, but I do know that Apollos bracelet would be the best bet after looking through way too much paperwork, probably via finding out what its made out of it since its a special kind of metal

- Basically it'd go like: Find out who commissioned said bracelet > turns out it was Magnifi Gramarye > Uh Oh.PNG > Theres only one woman who was in Troupe Gramarye > Apollo crisis whenever he sees Trucy now > He needs more proof though beside that > Kay finds an older recording of Troupe Gramarye, Thalassa is seen out of costume, wearing both bracelets > Well it cant be just coincidence now > He Is Now a lil Magician man > Now they have to find Thalassa > Turns out shes dead > find out that she didnt ACTUALLY die, Magnifi faked her death> not sure how they would get from here to finding out Thalassa is Lamiroir > Also find out that Phoenix has knwon this entire time and didnt tell either trucy or Apollo > mixed emotions over aLL of it but GOD Apollo is just happy to know his mother is still alive

-I like to think that Trucy joins Apollo and kay at some point in their investigation since shes directly involved at that point

-Maybe a small side plot where Apollo hasnt told Kay about the perceive thing and so he knows shes lying about /something/ unrelated to their case (the whole being the yatagarasu deal)

-overall I think Kay and Apollo would be good friends they could ABSOLUTELY match each others energy and it'd be a good time, they're trans girl trans guy solidarity

-It /c o u l d/ be like an Investigations like plot wheres theres different cases that all tie into the greater mystery OR finding his mom is the focus of it Im not totally sure yet hjgkhlj

[burnmyloveaway]

Since the Apollo Justice brainrot is kidnapping my brain again and I desperately need canon resolve that will never be released, how would you, reading this post, handle The Reveal considering that:

1. Apollo could easily channel Jove through Queen Amara if he wanted (I think that she'd gladly do it for him after what Apollo did for the kingdom) and just ask him who's her mother;

2. He's still in Khur'ain (it's been a while and I can't remember the spelling whoops) but he could go back to Japanifornia for any (?) reason which would perhaps prevent him from asking for Amara's help (?);

3. Apparently neither Apollo nor Trucy realized they're the only people (to their knowledge) with their ability yet. However, Trucy is smart and could manage to put 2 and 2 together;

4. Trucy could also ask Pearl if not Maya (since they're closer) to channel her mom and find out she's in fact alive;

5. Thalassa and Apollo's bracelets are probably one of a kind and may have been manufactured specifically for her and probably at her father's request/commission or as family heirlooms (?). Again, Trucy might find that picture of hers with the bracelets that Phoenix kept stored for his investigation in AA4. Magnifi probably died along with all his secrets but what if the guy who manufactured the bracelets is alive and maybe involved in a murder either as the victim or the culprit?

6. Involving Athena: she's smart and the type of person who would notice something odd immediately given her ability. What if, upon Apollo's return to Japanifornia, she gives a random glance at Apollo and Trucy after a while of not seeing them together noticing their resemblance? Let's suppose she jokingly brings it up either to them or to Phoenix. In the latter case what if he gives out an almost imperceptible reaction she would totally pick up on?

7. That Brushel journalist - the only other person aside from Phoenix who knows that Thalassa had a son before Trucy - is still alive. If Trucy's revival of the Gramarye Troupe exhibitions gets attention, would he do/say something about it?

8. Valant is still alive and the last time we saw him he brought up the matter of Thalassa's death as suspicious. What if he decides to reach out to her and for any reason he gets involved in something that may get him killed?

9. Thalassa herself may end up as either the victim of the culprit of the first murder Apollo may take care of as his first case on his return to Japanifornia. If Thalassa ends up as the culprit to defend, a case like this could set up Apollo as her lawyer and Trucy as his assistant in a case tributing AA4 with Klavier's return as the prosecutor. However, Thalassa still poses as Lamiroir and this case should force her to reveal her real identity. From there, other clues may direct Apollo to find out she's his mother as well;

10. Apollo is still the only person of the Wright Anything Agency who hasn't been arrested as the presumed culprit of a murder case. Involving Thalassa and maybe having one of them or both injured could create a misunderstanding if DNA tests are needed (i.e: both presumed culprits or the presumed culprit and the victim are mother and son). This would involve Ema but also Athena as his lawyer and Trucy as the assistant if Phoenix doesn't step in for any reason.

Feel free to add in to the possible scenarios and from there, how should the reveal be handled at best/how would you like it to be handled ^^

[letapollojusticesayfuck]

thinking about the Gramaryes and legacy and family ties. the troupe is a “family” publicly—they share last names and project the appearance of a cohesive unit. But Zak and Valant aren’t blood related—to each other or to Magnifi, whose only blood relative in the Troupe is Thalassa. Magnifi passed on his “magic” by mentoring Zak and Valant, but the true magical talent was something only inheritable by actual bloodlines—the Perceive ability. this throws the whole dynamic into conflict, especially when the heightened senses associated with Perceive are integral to certain magic acts. The gramaryes aren’t the cohesive family they pretend to be—and that’s not even getting into everything to do with Thalassa and the in-group romances.

you’ve also got their disbandment and the way that Trucy is left trying desperately to carry on the legacy of the troupe—something she’s doing without Magnifi’s teachings, but something she’s doing based on her inherited Perceive ability and senses, plus whatever she remembers from her childhood with the troupe. in contrast again, there’s Valant Gramarye, trying to carry on based purely on a name and lingering reputation. it was good enough to get him a gig with the Gavinners, but clearly his performances lack the certain spark that the old Troupe Gramarye embodied—the spark that likely came from the real “magic” of those within the gramarye bloodline.

but the gramarye bloodline isn’t necessarily a good thing to be part of—because why would Thalassa run away? as a teenager who’s grown up starring in a family magic show, what was it about that life that made her flee when she realized she was about to bring forth another generation of the gramarye line? She returns to the troupe eventually—but without her son Apollo, who it’s possible Magnifi never knew existed, or at least never knew survived to adulthood. Without taking AA6 into account (because that backstory wasn’t thought of yet when AA4 was made), we can theorize—maybe Thalassa realized she couldn’t get by on her own, and that she had to return to the security of the troupe, but didn’t want Apollo to be exploited for his bloodline-given gift the way she had been, and therefore gave him up? Was Trucy a sign that she’d later changed her mind about the Troupe—or was she never planned to begin with?

and where does Apollo fit into this legacy, in the end? he doesn’t know he should fit, but he knows that he shares Perceive with Trucy, and he likely wonders about its origins. He isn’t burdened by being part of the legacy of the Troupe, but he’s burdened by having unclear origins. and he’s technically one of the final members of the gramarye bloodline—which begs the question of whether the important part of Troupe membership was by birth or by adoption.

aa4 in general is a game all about family ties—the gramaryes, yes, but also kristoph and klavier, the kitakis, the mishams, even trucy and phoenix. i think, in the end, it tries to communicate a message about family legacies not defining you, but embracing the family you choose. (even if part of your family of choice happens to be a member of your real life family that you don’t find out is related to you….ever, apparently).

theoretically all of this is basically an entire actual essay if i start talking about the other families but…i don’t know if i have enough time, post space, or desire to type this up entirely on my phone to make that happen. so instead you get my slightly more organized versions of a draft full of disorganized thoughts

[shadowgeist-stars]

There's something I wish we talked more about...

Everyone likes wondering about how the big "Lamiroir is actually Thalassa Gramarye and Trucy and Apollo are her kids" reveal would affect our oblivious pair of half-siblings. But I noticed that a grand total of NO ONE thinks about how certain other characters would also take the news. Mainly in Apollo's Khura'in family. (There will be SoJ spoilers below)

Let's start with an easy one. Datz.

He already knows Apollo (as "AJ"), and it looks like he meets Trucy when saving Apollo and Dhurke from the undersea cavern. Obviously a generally fun-loving fellow who I bet would happily call Trucy an honorary Defiant Dragon if he caught wind of her being Apollo's sister. Doubly so when remembering she managed to stow away in Edgeworth's luggage to reach Khura'in. (Rule-breakers need to stick together!) He'd probably also assign her some kind of nickname like TW or something, and consider himself her new uncle. He also seems like the only one crazy enough to willfully be Trucy's magic assistant/guinea pig, which would spare Apollo and Athena.

Then comes Rayfa, our dear crown princess.

While not as emotionally invested as her brother (and we'll get to him), it would be a surprise to learn that "Horn Head" has a little sister. And it just so happens to be the girl with the strange blue hat who was watching from the gallery during the trial that got Ga'ran deposed. While a bit upset that she never really got to talk to her back then, Rayfa would be fairly alright with seeing Trucy as a sister of some kind... and discuss with her the ways of pestering both of their brothers all in good fun.

Of course, Trucy would be over the moon to the mere idea of calling Rayfa her little sister, especially when she's a literal princess on the road to being queen. Their personalities could bounce off of each other surprisingly well, and maybe Trucy can help Rayfa swallow enough of her pride to actually call either of the boys "brother." And thanks to Phoenix's connections to Maya and Pearl, Trucy knows other spirit mediums who might be able to help Rayfa in her training.

And now we get to someone with a bit more... complicated stake in the matter, and honestly the meat and potatoes for this whole post: Nahyuta.

Being completely honest here, I think our dear Last Rites Prosecutor would take this news as a complete slap in the face. "Let it go and move on" mantra be damned, he'd basically be told "Hey, remember your first case against Apollo? With that magician girl you tried to get convicted for murder who turned out to have been framed? Yeah, she's actually your brother's sister, which also kinda makes her your sister by proxy. You unknowingly tried to get your own sister condemned for murder and quite possibly put on death row." (Since, y'know, capital punishment's still a thing in Ace Attorney L.A.)

Even if we almost never see our Not Guilty defendants hold a grudge against the prosecutors, Nahyuta's entire deal in Spirit of Justice was doing everything he possibly could to protect his baby sister and his mom, being unnecessarily harsh with the defense and the accused in the process. So finding out that he tried to condemn someone who could be considered part of his family on a false charge wouldn't be without consequence. (Turnabout Revolution only proved that because of his parents' direct involvement.)

Undoubtedly, he'd see fit to apologize to Trucy personally upon learning about her being Apollo's little sister, and would do so at his earliest convenience. But we can all be certain that she'd gladly accept him as another big brother regardless of any perceived "past transgressions." There would be hugs involved, I'm sure, and Nahyuta would be able to... possibly bring out the protective and caring big brother he was supposed to be from the very beginning.

Side note: Y'know this here lightning thing you see with Amara when she gets mad? And also Dhurke's dragon glare when he goes Mad Dad on Paul Atishon?

I get the feeling Nahyuta would inherit either or both of their little tricks to some extent when his big brother instinct REALLY kicks into high gear.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

This may be a mess, and I could very well be viewing this wrong, but here it goes.

I'm not sure if how Apollo's character has been handled in not the best way comes down to the change in writers/gamerunners or not, but I can't think about it for too long without being frustrated.

In AJ:AA, he was at least allowed to be outright resentful towards Phoenix for the bloody ace debacle as well as jerking him around with no regard to his feelings on the matter, which is something Phoenix NEVER apologizes for. Then Phoenix gives that nice little promise to Thalassa on how he'll look after Apollo because he grew fond of him.

And then Dual Destinies happens, which is where the meat of my complaints take place.

Apollo's best friend has been murdered and all the evidence is pointing towards another friend of his. He had serious injuries from the courtroom bombing and then got assaulted not long after. On a way more minor note, everyone's dunking on him and roasting him constantly, and *tinfoil hat moment*, he sees how differently Phoenix treats Athena compared to him. And outside of lipservice comments about what all he's been through, no one outside of Athena and Trucy truly seems worried about him.

Apollo takes his leave of absence, and everyone's reaction is basically the Surprised Pikachu Face meme.

That made me want to hit my head against the wall, because what the fuck did they expect? He's still recovering from his injuries, his BEST FRIEND was murdered, and he doesn't trust Phoenix to help find the truth. What did they really expect him to do? Maybe it was just bad writing, but I'm not sure.

In a similar vein, when Apollo is confronted with Nahyuta and Dhurke coming back into his life, it's treated as yet another thing to make of him about, despite him clearly not wanting to talk about them and having trauma/negative feelings associated with them. He's left in the dark YET AGAIN when it comes to Maya's kidnapping (I do like that he called Athena out on this), Dhurke DIES and no one besides Nahyuta seems to care about how it affects Apollo. Then he decides to leave the WAA for good in SOJ, everyone's clamoring for him not to go, and I'm just like, are you fucking kidding me?

Then Phoenix comes out of fucking nowhere with his "I'm so proud of Apollo" platitude, RIGHT AFTER Apollo found out that Phoenix considered him to be untrustworthy and unreliable. This is coming from a man who has used him and hid so much from him.

I love Ace Attorney, and God knows I love Apollo and his trust issues/trauma, but I wished they were properly acknowledged.

Laid out like that, yeah - most people are major dicks to Apollo most of the time. Props to Beanix for taking that uppercut on the chin - he deserved it - but that's only the beginning.

I think I've complained about how the WAA - Phoenix and Athena mainly - treat Apollo when he announces his leave of abscence. The last case he was meant to be a part of, he was blown up badly enough to need full-body bandages, passed out because of his wounds, then got hit on the head by a rock that could have just as easily killed him... and they still chew him out for leaving. I get that their focus is on him straying from the path of unconditional trust that Phoenix set up. But the man has suffered physically and lost the one person in his life he could confidently say didn't have anything to hide from him (Clay); they should not be surprised or offended in the least!

The "Phoenix treats Athena very differently from Apollo" point I have seen and I do agree with it. I do think it comes from Phoenix seeing a bit of himself in both of them and reacted in opposite directions based on his current situation. Maybe he decided to be softer on Athena because he realised he made a huge mistake with Apollo, but it doesn't seem to translate to treating Apollo that much better until he sets his mind right about Clay's death.

I guess when you've survived falling off a burning bridge into a running river, you forget that people can still be grievously hurt and might need to take time off work to heal!

That could have been an easy way to keep their concern without making them look like dicks. Phoenix could be the one encouraging a leave of abscence for the sake of recovering from the physical and psychological damage Apollo has endured, only to find he's instead fueling his own paranoia while ignoring his injuries. It's the fact that Apollo is practically torturing himself for this that should be the main source of worry, not that he's taking time off from the office at all.

Not that they aren't concerned about his mental well-being, it just comes across that like they're treating "leave of abscence" as a resignation at best and a mutiny at worst (it's neither of those things, Apollo would still be an employee under a leave of abscence).

Yeah. Yeah. The WAA's attitude around Apollo's leave really does bug me.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Trip- ensemble

Return to File

Recovery date: July 22nd, 2020

Description:  vacation to Khura’in

Notes: An entry from my 2020 research project into the universe of Ace Attorney. You can find the next entry here.

Word count: 584

Back to directory

“Daddy! Where’s my fall jacket? Ema says I’ll need it,” Trucy yelled from her room, across the hall.

“It’s in the coat closet, same as always. Mind bringing me mine?” Phoenix yelled back.

“Nope!” Trucy said, as she stepped out into the hall and skipped off to the door. “When’s uncle Miles coming? Who else is driving with us?”

“He should be here soon. Maya and Pearl are coming with him.”

Trucy poked her head into his room and handed him his jacket. “What about the others?”

“Uh, I think prosecutor Gavin was driving Athena and Simon, you know, less cars the better.” Trucy nodded before returning to her room.

The Wright’s were currently packing their suitcases for a trip to Khura’in to see Apollo, along with everyone else. It’d been almost a year since Apollo decided to stay in Khura’in, but only a few months since they’d last seen him. He’d come back to L.A for christmas and new years. So, they were going to take a week vacation to see him. It wasn’t a surprise visit, just a regular, fully planned visit. Trucy even had a plane ticket both ways.

Although it was technically summer in the northern hemisphere, Ema and Apollo had warned them it was still pretty cold. Apparently, Khura’in very rarely got above ten celcius.

“Hey daddy?” Trcuy poked her head back in.

“No you can’t bring your knives, if you can’t get it past security, it’s not coming,” he laughed before looking up and seeing a relatively serious look on Trucy’s face. “Something wrong?”

“I was just wondering… is mom coming?”

“I don’t know, why?”

“It’s just, I feel like Polly wants to get to know her. Well, I mean, we talked about it together, and we both want to- I guess… give her a chance. But Polly is living in Khura’in so it’s hard for him, and I thought…”

“If she isn’t coming this time, we can maybe arrange a visit for just the two of you.” Trucy smiled. “But for now, let’s finish packing. Miles should-”

“Nick!” Maya yelled, as she opened his front door.

“Aunt Maya!” Trucy, bolted towards the entry.

“Finish packing!”

The car ride to the airport was hectic, to say the least. Maya spent the ride catching up with the two men in the front seat, while Pearl and Trucy discussed school. Thankfully though, airport security wasn’t too hard. Phoenix had unknowingly held his breath the whole time Trucy went through, just waiting for them to find a knife. He could tell Miles did the same when they checked his bag. “With my luck either Kay, or a dead body will be there,” he’d said.

Once through, they made their way to the waiting area. Earlier, Miles had mentioned the others were already at the airport, going through security. Apparently, Athena had texted him in annoyance at the work for Simon’s katana. She hadn’t even been sure it was possible. Now that they were through, they found that the three weren’t the only ones waiting. Trucy dropped her suitcase immediately, and tackled her mother.

“I hope you don’t mind Mr. Wright, Mr. Edgeworth, Apollo asked me to join you,” Thalassa said, still hugging Trucy.

“Not at all,” Miles said, “The more the merrier as they say.”

“Please go to gate 3 for boarding of the 12:30 flight from L.A to Khura’in,” a voice came over the PA system.

“Let’s go!” Athena cheered. “I wanna get this flight over with.”

[palant1r]

please hit me with a lore infodump about your 'apollo pulls a godot au' , is Suryasta gonna get to threaten someone with his sword?

OKAY OKAY SO

disclaimer we havent played spirit of justice and ive heard it sucks so i kinda dont want to so we know like nothing about khurain. the only character from there that we know about is nahyuta. also this au has developed more into an "apollo pulls a thalassa" au but. tag's already set

this got long so im putting it under a readmore

-the leadup to the au is a bit vague so far, but basically. phoenix doesn't get disbarred, apollo is friends with him before the turnabout trump trial, maybe even works for him. he also knows klavier. in some versions of this au, him and klavier were dating

-yes there are multiple versions of this au, almost every au @vivi4n-c and i create has very little singular plot beyond an excuse to draw fun character designs and talk about angst scenarios

-kristoph still frames phoenix for murder, but apollo figures him out. kristoph flees, taking apollo as a hostage to europe. and then injures him in anger, giving him plenty of scars, including a large burn scar on the side of his face. the combination of smoke inhalation and khurain throat surgery for an injury kristoph gave him to his vocal cords permanently alters his voice. no more chords of steel :(

-also broke his hip, making apollo walk with a cane sometimes since it was already half-healed by the time he got to actually get surgery

-one of the injuries kristoph gives him is a head injury that leaves apollo with no memories past his childhood in khurain. so he assumes thats where he lived

-kristoph leaves behind a photo of apollo after said injury for the investigators to find. apollo looks dead in the photo, and kristoph tells them he is

-klavier quits music and throws himself into prosecuting and investigating, determined to catch his brother and bring him to justice

-phoenix and trucy take apollo's death REALLY hard, phoenix especially. he almost quits law

-before they can be found, apollo kills kristoph, robs all the stuff from his house including his old bracelet, and flees to khurain

-where he is reunited with his brother! yay!

-apollo didn't take the name "apollo" before going to america. before that, those he knew in khurain called him by the gender neutral name "suryasta." so thats what he thinks his name is, and what nahyuta calls him

-apollo finds the law familiar. between that and how easy it was to kill kristoph, plus his upbringing on the run, he assumes that he used to live a life of crime. he decides his memory loss is an opportunity for a fresh start, and studies to be a prosecutor, being his brother's co counsel in the meantime. he wears the mask all the time because he thinks anyone who recognizes him might wish him harm. either that, or they'll be happy to see him until they realize he has no idea who he is or who they are

-everything's great, he's starting his new life...and then an american diplomatic delegation shows up. the wright anything agency plus prosecutors edgeworth and gavin

-suryasta does NOT like them at all. the only american he remembers is kristoph, so to have his brother show up with a delegation of americans? he's immediately hostile. and nahyuta is even more so

-absolutely suryasta gets to threaten klavier with his sword, positioning it under his chin and warning him if he gives any indication that he's anything like his brother, they'll never stop finding the body

-naturally this fucks klavier up. someone he cared about a whole lot was killed by his brother, and now, halfway across the world, people think he's just like his brother.

-nahyuta is somehow even more hostile to klavier. he has gone full protective older brother mode

-in the moment klavier is too scared and angry to find a sword being under him hot but he catches suryasta doing his sparring training later, biceps on show, and is like. i love the kind of man who will literally just kill me

-klavier is determined to show suryasta that he's nothing like kristoph. dials the charm up to 11. and somehow, despite his wariness, suryasta finds himself warming up to klavier. far too fast. as if he's known him for far longer...

-somewhere along the way, klavier starts to fall for suryasta. feels like he can finally get over apollo and move on

-and suryasta gets an overwhelming sense of deja vu

-maybe klavier catches him humming songs he's never supposed to have heard. songs he wrote for apollo

-also this is an ace attorney au so comedy and hijinks ensue

-klavier: did phoenix ever tell you about the time the man he loved died and then came back

suryasta: no??? that sounds like a mindfuck omg

klavier: i know right haha, kinda a once in a lifetime thing amirite

-trucy brings mikeko to khurain. mikeko has become a crotchety little beast in her father's absence but she immediately runs to suryasta, winding around his legs and meeping so happily

-phoenix gives a very indirect shovel talk to suryasta while nahyuta gives the most direct shovel talk of all time to klavier

-phoenix: klavier you told me your least favorite musical was the phantom of the opera so whats the deal with ur new crush

-there are 3 different versions of how apollo's survival is exposed: the calm way, the angsty way, and the sexy way. ok never mind 4 and thats the "the wrights are a menace to society" way

-i shant elaborate

[craftypeaceturtle]

Ace Attorney Fic Rec (Apollo)

To anyone looking for something to do in the random timeless void between christmas and the new year, here’s a list of really good fics that I read recently.

.

stupid sexy stranger by shepherd (6,000 words)

Klapollo, written for the prompt 'we take the same elevator every day and due to a misunderstanding I assumed you didn’t speak english and I’ve been talking to my friend about how hot you are for three weeks and apparently my friend has known from the start but you agreed not to tell me bc you both think its hilarious what the fuck'.

There's a cute guy in the elevators in the prosecutor's office, and frankly, everything just falls apart from there.

I just loved this one. It’s so stupid and a really fun idea. The idea of Apollo just outright saying who he thinks is cute is an idea that just really tickles me for some reason!

*

Overcoming precendent by offensiveagentpie (6,000 words)

Apollo hasn't had a lot of luck with romance, in fact his only experiences involve being asked out as a joke. So when Klavier confesses and Apollo's bracelet tightens as it detects a lie, he's understandably upset.

But, not all lies are what they seem.

Gotta love some hurt/comfort while also getting together. This was so well written, it’s so emotional and (ahem) really relatable the struggle and thoughts that Apollo has. Also, the scene when he explains what happened to his friends is so funny!!

*

A Boy at the Airport by KrisseyCrystal (IceCreAMS) (21,000)

"A boy at the airport with a face trying too hard to be too brave, save for the tears squeezing out the corners of his eyes… I couldn’t just walk away, you know?”

So Phoenix finds Apollo. Or maybe it is that Apollo finds Phoenix. Or maybe it is they find each other and Miles is reluctantly brought along for the ride. Somehow, they all change each other.

This idea is so creative and executed so brilliantly!!!!!!! Also I just love when people write about the idea of there being a language difference between Japan/America and Khu’rain. Definitely worth a read!

*

At Least You’re There by analyticamethyst (17,000 words)

“I don’t know, Polly,” Trucy says at last. “On one hand… she’s my mom. She’s our mom. I’ve missed her since I was very little. And I know she had no idea we existed for the longest time. But…”

“But she knew, and she waited so long to tell us,” Apollo finished. “She made Mr. Wright keep her secret, too.”

“Yeah,” Trucy sighs. “Polly, I… I want to know her. Daddy- My old Daddy, that is- and Uncle Valant told me such amazing stories about her. I’ve dreamed of knowing her most of my life. And she was so nice when we met her as Lamiroir… but it hurts.”

“Betrayal hurts,” Apollo echoes. “When someone keeps a big secret from you, it… it hurts.” -- The day Thalassa Gramarye finally decides to break her silence, and the fallout that follows.

Okay. Okay. This is one everyone needs to read. Maybe this is my projecting as someone coming from a divorced family but this was so well written and so realistic. Someone abruptly coming in and demanding to be part of your family is immediately upsetting regardless of how nice you are. Plus, the person trying to be your family will be feeling that toughness too. That ending scene where Apollo states that he doesn’t need a mother spoke to my very soul. Sometimes, even if there is an absence in your life, it won’t need filling. There’s nothing wrong with you if you don’t have a certain parent figure.

*

The Long Game by ValueTurtle (3,000 words)

Apollo has a bad day at work. Phoenix takes him out for ice cream.

Such a brilliant and short exploration of Apollo and Kristoph’s relationship, while then really proving that Phoenix genuinely cares for Apollo. Really uplifting. ValueTurtle does have a few other fics that explore similar themes but they are NSFW so enter if you dare, haha!

*

[graedari]

PLEASE get started on the Apollo and Trucy siblings thing or the relationship with Klavier cause motherfucker u r GOOD at this shit

(Either/or, I do not care this shit makes me so happy)

OKAY Sooooo... Long post

Apollo and Trucy being siblings:

This should’ve been acknowledged by now- it’s been three games, given it’s been hinted at at the end of Apollo Justice (ALSO CAPCOM STOP MAKING CHARACTERS JOKE ABOUT THEM BEING A COUPLE. IT’S GROSS)

I’m very much on the bandwagon that Phoenix should tell them- at the very least Trucy- that is his daughter. I don’t care that Thalassa/Lamiroir asked him not to. He knew as soon as he saw Apollo use the Perceive ability and his bracelet that Trucy and him were related- Fuck you Capcom. Phoenix would have told Trucy at the very least he has the information and that there are circumstances preventing him from revealing the whole truth AT LEAST

Also- I believe Apollo would have figured it out after Spirit of Justice at the very least. I’m not sure if he knew his dad’s name before then, but during the last case, he has a picture of Jove, he learns his name at the very least by then. There is nothing stopping Apollo from checking public records to find out who his dad was married to, or at least do some digging to find out possibilities by seeing who Jove performed with (since Dhurke mentions that Jove was traveling at the time with another group of performers). (I can’t remember if Jove and Thalassa were ever technically married? I’m too lazy to check rn)

BUT THEY DESERVE TO KNOW- Trucy deserves to know she has another family, one that isn’t going to leave her, and one that she knows cares for her whole-heartedly

And Apollo deserves to know about his past! He deserves to know that he has biological family left! He deserves closure on his weird family life where he never really got closure on any of his parental figure’s deaths!

I also just want to see Thalassa/Lamiroir repairing her relationship with the two- maybe not quite a mother role, but definitely the role of a trusted adult who supports them in all they do (attending Trucy’s shows and possibly Apollo’s cases. Reminiscing once her memory’s back so that they can possibly both know about their pasts)

AS FOR KLAVIER AND PHOENIX’S RELATIONSHIP:

You can look me dead in the eye and I will always go on the route of angst before happiness

so obviously both are gonna be awkward af around one another

but both are superior at hiding their true emotions- so anytime they interact, you would legit not be able to tell there was something underlying (unless you the office of lie-detectors of the WAA, who feel like they’re suffocating anytime the two talk)

But hear me out- Klavier and Phoenix both logically know it wasn’t Klavier’s fault that the incident happened, however; Klavier can’t bring himself to accept that he didn’t play a /willing/ part in disbarring Phoenix and Phoenix can’t bring himself to completely brush it off as he barely knows the kid

Eventually, Phoenix is the first one to get over it, mostly by the time he get’s his badge back in Dual Destinies

And he can tell Klavier wants to say something- everytime there’s a moment alone between them, Phoenix wants to bring it up- he wants to clear the room and make this poor kid stop blaming himself for something that was, in the end, out of his hands

Klavier won’t let him

Eventually, I think Phoenix would finally track him down- maybe even by the end of Spirit of Justice. Apollo’s making his own path to correcting some things, and Phoenix wants to go make sure he’s left everything right in Japanifornia (I refuse to say the setting is either America or Japan)

So he finally sits Klavier down and they have a Talk

I think things would definitely still be awkward for awhile, but I like to think that Phoenix definitely considers Klavier to be in his band of children (and had for awhile)

But yeah- lots of thoughts. I will always be here to rant about AA

[greentrickster]

How does Trucy, Athena and Pearl communicate with the other three?

They’re in the same dimension as Apollo and Nahyuta, since they live in Khura’in, and as Guardians of Khura’in they have a lot more official and ceremonial responsibilities than the other two generations had (real talk, that ceremony was supposed to result in teenaged or even fully-grown guardians, not young children), so their base of operations is actually the royal palace! That means they have easy access to both of the previously mentioned second gen members, who can pass messages along to people in other dimensions for them, as well as various artifacts used to communicate between dimensions.

Things get complicated due to the fact that Guardians are supposed to stay in the dimension they’re guarding, so they’re not allowed to leave, Athena not wanting to stop being a guardian because it’s a pretty sweet gig for her, and also the Phantom sneaking about possessing people. Did I mention the Phantom can possess more than one person at a time in this AU? Because it totally can, it’s a faceless, nameless entity that really shouldn’t be in any of the dimensions, it is nothing given will, and it wants to make everything a part of it.

Real talk, there are a lot of people who wind up possessed for varying lengths of time, up to and including Thalassa, Jove, and Metis. The Phantom gets her maybe an hour before someone contacts her to explain what’s going on with the girls, and, as a result, she indicates she’s fine with the situation but mostly disinterested, and would prefer not to be bothered again unless it’s an actual emergency. This fans the issues between Athena and her mom, because holy wow does that make Metis look like she really doesn’t see Athena as anything but a test subject, and also means that the current Guardians of Khura’in are young and inexperienced, and thus likely easier to defeat, allowing the Phantom to throw Khura’in into chaos and then consume the entire dimension into itself. Good times, good times-

Only not, because the Phantom didn’t count on the third gen’s unique powers being extreme forms of various perception. Turn that on its ear, and they can also sense the emptiness/silence the Phantom’s presence causes in the people it possesses. And they can force it back out of a person, and, once they do, the Phantom can’t possess that person again. Meaning that, for the first time ever, there are people who can accurately, reliably sense when the Phantom is possessing someone once they figure out what it is they’re sensing. And once Amara and Dhurke find this out, and also that the Phantom is both real and gunning for their kingdom, they have to keep the girls around - they are literally the only chance for Khura’in’s survival and the possible defeat of the Phantom.

The trick is, the girls have to be physically with the possessed person to tell if they’re possessed, over the phone or a magic mirror or Skype it won’t work. The Phantom figures this out pretty quickly and starts working around it, and figuring out ways to make itself less noticeable.

One of the ways it can make itself less noticeable is to not take full control over a person, be more of a voice in their head, that sort of thing, and also to only take full control every now and then when it most needs to.

The thing is? If you have a strong enough will, and the Phantom’s not focusing on fully controlling you at the moment, you can shake off its grasp for a short period of time. And Metis has a very strong will indeed.

Which is why one night, about three quarters into the story, Aura’s in her lab, working a little late, got a cool new idea for robotic finger joints to make them more nimble, gotta get it all on paper so she doesn’t lose it, and suddenly Metis slams into the room, looking like she’s just fought a war with herself, wild-eyed. “Aura, you have to warn them, I’m not myself, it’s been controlling me, you have to warn my daughter, the Phantom-!”

Then she does a full-body shake, head dropping, and when she looks up again she’s smiling slightly, with a look in her eyes that isn’t Metis at all. “Oh dear, it seems that Earthlings can be stronger than I game them credit for. Oh well, this woman has done what I needed her to, and my power only grows-”

This is the point where Aura tries to brain it with the robot arm she was working on. The Phantom just catches the blow with one hand and stops it dead, with zero effort.

“What a cruel little thing you are, to try and murder the woman you love. This is still her body, after all. I think I’ll take it with me, as insurance of your silence. Try to tell anyone, anyone at all, what she’s told you and what happened tonight, and I’ll kill her the next second, and come for your whole world the one after.”

“You- you can’t-! I’ll stop you myself!”

“You’re welcome to fail.”

And the Phantom vanishes, taking Metis with it, letting her have her own mind back juuuuuust long enough for her to scream Aura’s name and desperately reach for her before she vanishes. You know, just twist the knife in nice and deep, make sure she remembers what’s at stake.

The next day, everyone at the Space Center is under the impression that Metis is on a business trip in Japan, has been for a week, and will be gone for an indefinite period of time. No one remembers Athena or Simon. The Phantom wasn’t joking when it said it was getting really powerful, and it takes less power to nudge a whole bunch of peoples’ minds like this than it does to possess even one person.

Aura gives herself one day to have an utter meltdown. The next day she starts working. It takes her exactly until the final battle to figure out interdimensional travel and build an absolutely terrifying bazooka, plus a few gizmos that are a little less obvious, and then march to war on her own without hesitation to get her family back.

And she faces Metis on the battlefield, still under the control of the Phantom, and gives that speech I mentioned in another post, and she’s crying but she’s not wavering. And Metis was already struggling against the Phantom hard at this point, even moreso for being forced to fight her own daughter, whom she loves so incredibly much, and suddenly here is Aura, who she also loves so incredibly much, if in a different way-

And the Phantom’s hold on her shatters. Because, for an instant, for just long enough, every single part of Metis was full of love for her family, and there was no space left for emptiness.

Then Metis accepts and returns Aura’s feelings, and they kiss, and Athena gets a big double hug and told how much they both love her, and then Athena continues on with her team towards their final confrontation with the Phantom and Aura and Metis go back to back against a bunch of minions, and it’s all unspeakably cool and romantic.

...this ask got kind of off-topic, but hopefully I answered your question in there somewhere and you also enjoyed it!

Thanks for the ask!

[mimikyufriend]

something really important to me wrt trucy's adoption are that she knew about her biological family (obviously she was old enough to understand but still) but doesn't feel the need to clarify that phoenix is her adoptive father unless it like... comes up

and I think that's what makes thalassa's choice to wait to tell trucy and apollo that she's their mother so painful like finding out that your family has been hiding things from you is a painful experience especially when you're a teenager and don't really understand why the adults in your life are acting like that and add to that the fact that trucy expresses the desire for a mother multiple times (jokingly yes, but I think her genuine desire for one shows through)

I imagine thalassa just didn't know how to face her own children after so long and maybe wanted to become someone she thought they could look up to but I just want to reach through the screen and tell her that there will never be a "right moment" to tell them and she just needs to be there for them, that's all that matters

[eleccy]

aa7 predictions / speculations (spoilers for all aa games within)

in aa7 phoenix will die (?) (murdered??) / go into a coma and go to the spirit world where he will meet mia and the spirits of other murder victims from past games (gregory edgeworth, dhurke, zak gramarye, misty fey, drew misham, clay terran, bobby fulbright and metis cykes at least). also he will meet the souls of their murderers / the villains who have been executed (dahlia, von karma, engarde, kristoph etc)

athena will initially be traumatized by phoenix’ “death” (or if he’s just in the hospital in a coma, perhaps he was defending a case and the real culprit attacked him in an attempted but failed murder) especially if she perceives whatever happened to phoenix as being her fault, so it will take her a little time until she feels like she can defend. (i def want her to defend though!!!) trucy will nab phoenix’s badge or a new character will step up to the plate to defend cases. edgeworth will help out by loaning franziska, klavier, simon and nahyuta (and... sebastian... ok not gonna happen because he’s still not localized but let me dream...) to the waa as defenders and co counsel on various cases that come up spiralling out of whatever happened to phoenix.

the gimmick will be that phoenix can obtain direct testimony from the deceased victims of the cases from the spirit world, as opposed to rayfa’s divination seance which only shows their final moments with no context. he can then somehow communicate this to the defender of the real-world case, but only in a vague way like he can’t send words, he has to maybe move the evidence around like a poltergeist and they have to deduce what he’s trying to do or something lol iunno. 

but then, on the spirit world side there’s always a villain spirit looking for revenge against phoenix, and they can mess with / distort the signal of the message going to the real world. so it’s like there’s two trials going on at the same time, one in the spirit world and one in the real world and you have to manage the information from both of them and decide what is the most important information to send over to the defender in the real world and how to interpret it once it’s received, kind of like playing telephone with ghosts.

eventually mid game they find out that it IS actually phoenix trying to communicate from the spirit world, like maya channels him or something.

final case involves thalassa, apollo visiting from khurain, sibling reveal happens we know they are teasing it, and phoenix gets better and wakes up with his family around him :)

then full klapollo dlc case. just unabashed fanservice like what turnabout time traveler was for narumitsu. phoenix and apollo confirmed for smash, full aa4 anime adaptation. on my desk monday.

why do i think this? ok so yamazaki has left capcom and his team generally took the approach that spoiling past games is bad and that fanservice for the sake of fanservice / shipping / bringing back characters just to bring back characters is a no no. takumi would be open to doing more of these things with his own characters as well as bringing in new characters, and we know he already spearheaded dgs 1+2 at capcom. this would be the perfect time to put the mainline ace attorney games back in takumi’s hands. he never even got to clear up all of the plot threads from aa4 even though it’s obvious that aa4 has made an indelible impact on the series, from trucy to apollo to the waa.

and the leaks followed through PERFECTLY, the dgs 1+2 localization and trilogy bundle is coming just like they said it would, a little later than we thought, but that’s perfectly understandable what with covid and all. this means the leaks about aa7 must also be real. the original release target for the 20th anniversary in fall of this year might be a little delayed or it might be on track as something they really want to hit. either way, we are going to be hearing about this SOON. if dgs localization was announced 3 months ahead of release, we may hear about aa7 even earlier than that. perhaps as soon as this june or july in just a few months!!!!

after such a long drought and joining the fandom in the MIDDLE of the drought, im so. HYPE.

[askaceattorney]

Dear Inferno,

Essay?  You just said the magic word.

Trucy’s a bit of a lengthy character to unpack, but I’ll see what I can pull out of my hat.

Trucy Wright, CEO, magic extraordinaire, and maiden of mystery, formerly Trucy Gramarye, the 8-year-old prodigy magician.  She’s the kind of character who never forgets to smile (that’s part of her creed, in fact), and always has a magic trick up her sleeve.  Or her magic panties, in this case.

This optimism and charm of hers do a lot to make her likable, both as the second non-Maya assistant in the series and as a side character who provides some comedy relief for the agency when morale is low.

But interestingly enough, this isn’t the sort of character she’s introduced as.

Trucy’s first ��magic act” is to appear out of nowhere as Apollo is trying to contemplate how his boss suddenly became a murder suspect.  Rather than offering a smile and an encouraging message, she decides to play the role of a mysterious fortuneteller.

If I didn’t know who was saying this, I might think it was a Toad from Super Mario Bros. 3.

So far, all she is to Apollo (and us) is a mysterious messenger trying to help her father...until he realizes just who her father is.

This presents a new mystery for Apollo (and for us): How did a young magician wind up in the custody of an ex-lawyer?  And on top of that, why was a locket with her picture in the possession of a shady drifter...and why did Phoenix feel the need to take it from his dead body?

Unfortunately, Phoenix is just as cryptic as Trucy in her debut game, but it’s far from the end of Apollo’s interaction with them.

After two months of coping with the loss of his first position as an attorney and considering Phoenix’s offer to work at the legendary Wright & Co. Law Offices, Apollo finally shows up there to discover that it not only went through a name chance, but now has it’s own CEO -- the same mysterious girl he ran into before!

Before he knows it, he’s being interviewed for the Wright Talent Agency by a magician whose energetic and professional attitude completely contradicts her father’s calm, laid-back personality.  It isn’t until his misunderstanding is cleared up that she finally introduces herself:

It’s here that we also hear Trucy’s theme, “Child of Magic,” for the first time, which does a great job of conveying the sort of delightful, peppy aura Trucy creates just by being herself.  Speaking of which, Apollo gets to “enjoy” a bunch more of her optimism as she explains her and Phoenix’s current situation.  According to her, the former law office was converted into an agency for acquiring talented individuals.

She also describes what might be her most important role in Phoenix’s life, whether she knows it or not.

And so she did.  She may not have actually cooked for him (or maybe she did, we don’t know), but she did provide Phoenix, a well-respected lawyer who’d just been cheated out of his badge, with exactly what he needed at the time: a reason to keep going.  It’s hard to imagine what his life would’ve been like without her making her entrance into it, so to speak, but because of her, he was compelled to pull himself together, find a job, and begin to move on from one of the darkest moments of his life.  In short, Trucy became a light in his darkness.  Pretty impressive for an 8-year-old, huh?

We’ll get to that in due time, though.  The next thing we learn about Trucy comes from her Daddy, and once again, it’s pretty vague.

What could this “talent” of hers be?  Besides being a talented magician and motivator, that is?  We don’t find that out until after she’s spent some time as Apollo’s investigating assistant.

Thus she officially becomes Apollo’s “Maya,” a role she fills remarkably well, being just as cute, perky, annoying, and naive as Maya ever was.

Every good lawyer needs one of those, after all.

Then, when Apollo finally gets his first *cough* normal case, we get to see what Trucy’s capable of in the courtroom.  ...Well, after a quick diversion.

Has Professor Layton gone rogue and joined the mafia?  Nope, it’s just one of Trucy’s best tricks -- the Amazing Mr. Hat!

Not even going to ask how that works.

After this hilarious sideshow, Trucy reveals what her special “talent” is, and how it can help Apollo.

For the first time in the series, we have a courtroom mechanic that doesn’t involve pressing someone, presenting evidence, or asking the right questions -- instead we get to use a brand-new technique to slow time down and spot witnesses’ nervous habits when they tell lies, and our young magician friend is just the one to introduce it to us (much like Pearl introduced the Psyche-Lock mechanic to Phoenix).

She apparently knows about Apollo’s “perceive” ability from Phoenix, but how does she happen to have the same gift herself?  That remains a mystery until we learn about her past, which doesn’t happen until near the end of the game.

Thankfully, we aren’t playing the game here, so we can just skip ahead to that part.

During the third case, Trucy’s real father, Zak Gramarye, is given a brief mention, but all we learn about him is that he’s a magician who once belonged to Troupe Gramarye.  Who is he today, though?

It turns out his identity is none other than Shadi Smith, the card-playing drifter who was murdered by Kristoph (and the one partly responsible for Phoenix’s disbarment).  We could get into his *ah-HEM* wonderful fathering technique, but the important thing here is what we learn from him about Trucy and Apollo’s gift.

Whatever this strange ability is, it’s apparently hereditary, passed down from Trucy’s mother.  Also, as Phoenix deduces, Apollo shares this ability because, shocker of shockers, the two of them share the same mother, Thalassa Gramarye.

Who’d have thunk it?  Not even Phoenix, even though he’s a good thunker.

Speaking of Phoenix, let’s go back to his first meeting with young Trucy.

When she first entered his life, she was a famous magician’s daughter whose first “performance” was to help him escape a Guilty verdict.  She of course didn’t know at the time how long it would be before she saw him again, or the lawyer she was talking to would soon be replacing him.  It’s here, by the way, that we learn we she gets her charming grin from.

And then...tragedy.

With her father missing and no living relatives to take care of her, Trucy’s future looks even bleaker than Phoenix’s (which is saying a lot).  Thankfully, he offers to let her stay with him until her father comes back, and does his best to help her feel comfortable.  Luckily for both of them, her father already gave her some advice.

Then comes the big switcheroo.  As mentioned before, Trucy provided Phoenix with a reason to keep going after losing his job, but when we see how it actually took place, it becomes clear that she took it a step further than that -- she practically led him forward by the hand.

This makes me wonder something: could her vigorous encouragement have reminded Phoenix of another young woman who came into his life just after a tragedy occurred?

Maybe it’s just speculation, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Maya had crossed his mind.  He even told Trucy she could call him “Nick” if she wanted to.  If nothing else, that provided some serious heartfelt nostalgia.

One other thing I loved about AJ: AA is how it showed Trucy’s more fragile side near the end.  Things worked out pretty well for her after the ordeal with her father, but that doesn’t mean she felt no emotion about it.

We’ll never know how much of her sadness is due to her father’s death and how much is due to his sudden disappearance, but at least we’re given a chance to see her being less magical and more human.

And finally, let us fast-forward past Trucy’s adoption, her accidental reunion with her half-brother, and her antics in the courtroom to the final (and in my opinion, the best) big moment for her: The Magical Turnabout.  Here we get to see, through the magic of animation and voice-overs, how expertly Trucy performs and how confidently she speaks for the first time.

But just when things seem to be going better than ever for her and the new Troupe Gramarye...

What a way to go, huh?

Thankfully, that situation was an imaginary one (and she came out on top, as always), but then a real disaster occurs.

She’s lucky enough to have Apollo and Athena there to help her, but she’s left to wonder if Mr. Reus’s death was due to a fatal accident on her part.  If so, it would be a devastating blow to her magic career, besides destroying Troupe Gramarye’s reputation after it had just made a recovery.  Luckily, there’s one person who doesn’t believe she could make such a mistake, and who can see through her fake smile.

Then we get one more glimpse of Trucy’s human side, but for a completely different reason: Apollo’s faith in her performing ability, even as she struggles to believe in herself.

Unlike her previous crying scene, this one is more bittersweet than sad.  Having faith in your friends might be a cliche, but it’s moments like this when you see just how much it matters.

Things go from bad to worse when she suddenly finds herself in the Accused of Murder Club while her Daddy’s out of the country, but like always, the truth comes out in the end.  But here’s what I love most about this case: Trucy herself gets to play a role in proving her innocence, simply by doing what she does best: performing magic!

Besides giving her defense team new evidence to work with, her trick completely turns the room around.  Even Apollo couldn’t detect the sword switch with his kinetic vision.  Not bad for an impromptu performance, huh?

And if that wasn’t beautiful enough, the judge himself asks Trucy a favor before announcing a verdict:

Looks like she’s officially earned the title, hasn’t she?

So with all this in mind, what’s the best way to describe Trucy?  She’s a great magician, a strong motivator, a bringer of joy and encouragement to those around her, a comedy relief when one is needed, and...  Oh yeah, I forgot -- it turns out she’s also a bit of a sadist.

Sort of a weird character quirk for Capcom to give her, in my opinion, but not too hard to believe, I guess.

But most importantly, she’s a true entertainer, much like her old Daddy, and someone who knows how to smile even in the darkest of times and who has an eye (two, in fact) for the truth, much like her new Daddy.  You could say she represents the best of both worlds.

You’re still a jerk, though, Zak.

-The Co-Mod

[letapollojusticesayfuck]

I’ve recently been thinking about what I would want out of a potential AA7, and have come up with some Ideas as to how to fix the myriad of dropped plot threads and other issues that plague the 3DS games (which are, actually, my least favorite ace attorney games—full disclosure). 

Basically, for AA7 to Work, I think it actually needs to be Two Games, taking place simultaneously: Athena Cykes: Ace Attorney, and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney 2. (probably with better names, but hey, that’s not My Job)

My main complaint with Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice is that they try to do too much—they’re balancing three protagonists and trying to do character development with all of them, while Also trying to have an overarching plot for the individual game. It’s too many things for one game to keep track of, and so you run into issues where Athena feels like a slightly-elevated investigation assistant, and Apollo gets out-of-nowhere backstories, while storylines introduced in earlier games (like almost everything from aa4) get overlooked entirely apart from some minor references (the entire Manov Mistree case in aa6 was practically painful to play, because it seemed like it could be the perfect opportunity to resolve the Gramarye Siblings issue, but no—it never happened). So, the ideal solution here is to revert back to the single-protagonist-per-game model (and the reason I’m only proposing two games and not three is because Phoenix has been the protagonist of So Many Games Already, and he deserves a break. In my hypothetical aa7, I’m sending him off on a trip with Edgeworth. Maybe they’re on their honeymoon, I don’t know. It’s my hypothetical scenario and I make the rules)

Anyway. So, two games—one following Athena, one following Apollo. The Athena game would ideally introduce a lot of new recurring characters unique to her—as well as cameos from characters like Juniper Woods and Aura Blackquill. Maybe there’s a new prosecutor for her to face, or maybe she just faces Simon Blackquill the whole time—the important thing here is that she’s the one behind the defense bench, with maybe Trucy as her co-counsel. She gets to interpret the Mood Matrix herself, without having other people pointing out the contradictions (which was one of the things that annoyed me the most in Dual Destinies—literally, every time she uses it, it’s either Phoenix or Apollo who has to do the interpretation for her). Anyway, the point is that she gets an entire game to herself. 

The Apollo game would follow him defending cases in Khura’in, because it’d present more of a problem to just bring him back to the WAA between games. I’ve got much more of an Actual Concrete Plot Idea for this one, mainly because I want it to resolve a lot of what’s been left open-ended so far. The main thing would be that characters from his past keep popping up while Apollo’s trying to do his job—like, he’s defending a person, and it turns out that two witnesses to the crime were Machi Tobaye and Lamiroir, there to do a concert, or he has to defend Valant Gramarye, who was in the country to study some traditional magic tricks or something. And somewhere along the way, he gets a letter from Trucy about how she’s being interviewed for a documentary about the Gramaryes (and there’s a conspiracy about how Thalassa had two children, not one). There’s so many Apollo-centric plot threads to tie up that you’d need a whole game with him as the only protagonist to do so. Everything would culminate in the final case in this game, which would come about when Apollo gets a phone call from Trucy and Athena, to inform him that Klavier Gavin was arrested for the murder of Kristoph Gavin, who was found dead in his cell in solitary confinement. Athena can’t take the case because she’s already got a trial on (which is one that you play in the Athena game), and nobody else will take the case, so Apollo gets on the next flight from Khura’in and comes back to defend Klavier, because he Knows there’s something up. And basically this serves as a way to give us the Gavin Bros Backstory we’ve always wanted, as well as a dramatic climax for the story and parallels with Trials and Tribulations, and also somewhere along the line in this case Trucy doing the documentary leads to her finding out that Apollo was Thalassa Gramarye’s son. And so we’d get closure on the whole Super Interesting sibling relationship parallels thing that AJ:AA set up and then never got to follow through on.

That’s basically it—two games that either resolve long-abandoned mysteries, or set up more story arcs to continue on with. Is it likely? Not at all! But it’s what I would do. (also I would return to the 2D animation style but that’s a whole different discussion. and I’d make it canonically gay because in this hypothetical scenario where capcom has handed ME the reins, I’d be able to do whatever I want)

[heaven-s-black-box]

Wright Anything Agency + Prosecutors Office= Chaos chpt.2 extra

Return to File

Recovery date: May 26th, 2020

Description: The WAA's air conditioner breaks during an LA summer, so they go to the only place they can think of... the prosecutors office. Chaos ensues led by the youngest members of the Wright and Edgeworth families.

Notes: A entry series involving a descendant of a traveler, following the death of her mother it was determined Sky would be better off staying with Miles Edgeworth. This is an OC insert, the fantastical technobabble is just for looks

Related works: Miles adopts Sky, Trucy meets Sky

Chapters: 1 2 2.5 3 4 5 5.5

Word count: 372

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“Are you happy with yourself?” Miles asked, eyes never leaving the road.

“Very,” Sky hummed, staring out the window.

They were on their way home from the office. Miles wasn’t mad at her, if anything he was quite amused. Her and Trucy usually caused chaos together, it was nice to see them getting along so well. Miles remembered the time Franziska said they looked like sisters. It was before him and Phoenix had started dating, and he’d gone red and almost spat out his tea. Now, it was a thought he entertained almost daily. Maybe someday they could be sisters, and maybe someday Trucy and Apollo would find out they were related. Wait… that would mean all three of them would be siblings. For some reason that sounded overly chaotic.

“Something on your mind?” Sky asked, she had turned to look at him.

He smiled, he’d have to talk to Wright and Ms. Thalassa about it, “How was your trip? Did anything interesting happen?”

She looked thoughtful for a second, “Not really. Just the usual, Aunt Fran whipped some people, and I got to help solve a case. But it was nice being back in Europe for a bit!”

“Maybe we can try to have Christmas there this year?”

“But I promised Trucy I’d help her with her Christmas special show,” she whined. “Although I think it’s like the weekend before along with the WAA’s christmas party,” her sudden tone change made him smile, “so maybe. What are we doing for dinner?”

“I was thinking we could stop for chinese food?”

“Yes!” She did a little fist pump, “Chinese food and RVB, best movie night ever. Do you remember what season we were on?”

“I believe so, I think it was season nine.”

“Oooo, you get to meet the freelancers! Y’know, the WAA and the prosecutor’s office are totally the reds and blues. Interpool are the freelancers.”

“How so?”

“Aunt Fran is Tex, Kay is… Washington. Cause she has little thief and little thief is kinda like Delta. Plus Wash seems to have his shit together, but he’s just as much as a dork as the others.” She turned back to the window and Miles smiled, he really did love his daughter.