#can you tell I just finished aa4?

[ballpointpensuperfan]

Mods asleep, post Klavier getting the hug he deserves

[pumpkinsouppe]

I haven’t played all of AA4 yet but I was thinking a lot about how uneasy the first case made me feel (in a good way) and I finally figured out why. (AA 4-1 spoilers btw) Part of it of course is the overall scheme: what happened 7 years ago and what are the answers to all these unresolved questions. But I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen a more accurate depiction of how I experienced GAD and social anxiety than I have with Apollo Justice.

Thankfully, I have learned to stand up for myself and I’ve controlled the majority of my anxiety but I can very clearly see that Apollo has not done that, at least yet. I am hoping hoping hoping we get to see him grow in this game because I know that AA5 and 6 won’t do that justice (lol). All throughout the first case, Apollo rarely spoke for himself. He was very much a follower and wanted approval, ergo he was very easy to manipulate. Kristoph and Phoenix both recognized this about him and were able to both use Apollo as their own puppets. He followed Kristoph’s orders whenever he gave them (‘expose phoenix’s lies’ ‘don’t embarrass me’) but he also was very willing to follow Phoenix’s orders too (‘point on the map for us’ ‘name the fourth person/killer’ ‘accuse Kristoph’). He followed who he thought was seeking the truth but he had to be told that doing these actions was for the truth.

I never was manipulated in court like Apollo experienced, but I was VERY quick to abandon plans for something else or act in ways if someone told me to. I remember sometimes even saying yes to things that made me super uncomfortable because I didn’t think for myself and didn’t want to disappoint or make anyone mad. And you can tell that Apollo really looked up to both Kristoph and Phoenix in that trial. He wasn’t sure who to believe so he followed both simultaneously until at the end when he realized both were assholes. I LOVE the unease I felt during the first case. It felt so real to me how Apollo was able to be so easily manipulated and how that was able to be used as a very interesting way to set up a new game and protagonist.

It’s amplified especially if you played all the past Phoenix Wright games. Hell, I finished PLvsPW an hour before picking up AA4 and that really influenced how much I wanted to also follow and believe Phoenix. So I absolutely love how this trial was used not only to play with the heart and mind of Apollo, but the players as well. There’s less reason to follow Kristoph since the players don’t have the same bond Kristoph and Apollo have since this was our first time meeting him, but because he’s our boss and he’s standing at the defense with us like Mia has, that adds to his credibility. Which is even better that Phoenix took Kristoph’s spot behind the defense bench when Kristoph was summoned to the stand. “Don’t believe that other guy, look at where he is now. Believe me instead, the person who just left that same spot.” You want to believe him, it’s Phoenix Wright! Teaching us the ways just like Mia. But what he’s actually done is replace Kristoph as the supposed voice of reason in Apollo’s ear. Yes that’s the spot for mentors, but does every mentor have your best intentions in mind? Are you able to distinguish genuine advice versus motivated advice?

I am truly fascinated and captivated by the writing. You can tell how much Shu Takumi has grown as a writer compared to the original AA1. I am so excited to play the rest of this game.

[zombolouge]

Finished AA4 last night, still embroiled in feelings about it all. I am just so obsessed with the way AA can take a dark tone and paint over it with bright colors, but actually blend the two fairly well. Comedic and serious about the traumatic topics, all at once.

Like, there's definitely lots of points where I crave more context and a deeper dive into things, but I've gotten to where I don't mind when media sources don't cover every minute detail, because that's where the fandom spore colonies can take root and thrive. Where would the AA fandom even BE without the glory of the almost completely undefined 7-year gap?! That's free real estate! We can do anything!

I could definitely level some criticisms at the games in the latter trilogy, but there's SO MUCH there to work with in terms of context and adding your own readings of the canon moments. AA is particularly good at delivering ambiguity on a lot of fronts without much concrete getting confirmed, so that you can apply a variety of different reads to every case and not break canon. What a delicious playground for a fic author, let me tell you.

[bronanlynch]

it took me over nine months to finish ace attorney 5 but here we are with the lawyer rankings (of whose file clerk I'd rather be)

athena: once again I draw the line at working for a teenager, and also I would be so uncomfortable if she ever tried to tell me what emotion she knew I was feeling. cannot stress how miserable that would be for me, and also a discrimination lawsuit waiting to happen. also, emotions-based lawyering doesn't seem likely to produce as much paperwork as I would like, since that leaves me with less to do. 2/10, of course there's discord in my heart I'm at work leave me alone.

apollo: if he started his own firm I would work for him in a heartbeat but unfortunately him leaving and then coming back to the wright anything agency is not great in terms of like, job security for his hypothetical file clerk. like, do I get laid off when he leaves and then brought back when he returns a few days later? I want a little more stability than that, sorry. 7/10, he would at least help get my benefits paperwork sorted out and I appreciate that in a boss.

phoenix: Idk has he learned how to pay his staff yet because judging by the repetition of the ending bit abt how he doesn't want to buy them noodles the answer seems to be no. "your bonus this year is a pizza party" kind of boss except you have to buy your own pizza. sure he's learned how to be a more supportive mentor to athena than he was to apollo but my boss's faith in me will not pay my rent. 3/10, phoenix you're dating the chief prosecutor surely you can do better than this.

edgeworth: he's gotten his shit together in a way that makes me very proud of him, and he does seem to care abt his employees. also he looks good in those glasses. 8/10, if he can get blackquill's conviction overturned he can make sure I have dental insurance.

payne: the thing about payne is that he doesn't listen to the things people tell him and he doesn't seem to learn anything ever, and that's a very frustrating quality in a boss. the kind of boss that tells you to do something but explains it badly and when you ask a clarifying question he responds with even more incomprehensible bullshit. half of your email responses to him are just copying and pasting things you've already told him. 2/10, every interaction with him is a sisyphean nightmare.

blackquill: trying to process the ethics of an imprisoned prosecutor (they make him wear a shock collar in court jesus fucking christ) makes my brain short-circuit but that's also just the ace attorney experience. other than that he seems like a decent boss, as long as you can overlook some of his uh dramatic tendencies and also as long as he doesn't sic taka on you. but I think if you had a good rapport with him it would be fine, even if it would probably mean a lot of transcribing bc presumably he'd have to hand-write anything he wants to file with the court and send them to you via bird and then you'd have to type them up and actually submit them. 6/10, honestly he gains several points just because I want to pet taka.

professor means: he's so smug, is the thing. he's just the smuggest man and he treats his students like idiots so I can't imagine he'd be any better and less condescending to his employees. he's probably looking for every excuse to be like "gotcha! you made one (1) minor error (that isn't even actually an error, it's just that he personally would have done it differently" and because everything has to be a Teaching Moment he'll bring it up in department meetings and also use you as an example in his classes. 3/10, he gains a few points for his awareness that the legal system is fucked up and rigged in favor of the prosecution and then loses most of those points for being a condescending asshole.

klavier: he would be fine probably. presumably his office is in the same state as it was in aa4, which is not ideal, as it stresses me out when filing cabinets are so full/disorganized that you can't close the drawers. on the other hand maybe that was just because he hadn't gotten around to dealing with it yet and he's not living like that on purpose and he would appreciate a file clerk to help him get his shit together. 7/10, just don't call me fraulein and we'll be fine.

( aa1 | aa2 | aa3 | aa4 | aai | dgs1 | dgs2 )

[leighsartworks216]

Strawberry Lip Balm

Klavier Gavin x gn!reader

Okay so I'm aroace so I have no idea what crushes are like but I tried my best?? I've also never written for Klavier before but I just finished aa4 and I couldn't resist lol

Translations at the end :)

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1393

Masterlist

AO3

You don't know how such a stupid, blurted-out question brought you to this moment, but sitting in the God of Rock's lap with his hands set on your hips to support you, you couldn't find it in yourself to care.

"Can I do your makeup?"

It was a stupid question. He had his head in your lap, guitar across his stomach as he loosely tried out melodies, and you lost yourself admiring his features. You weren't thinking - you really expected him to laugh in your face and tease you for it. Instead, he took it like it was any other question.

With a slight grin, he remembered he had a makeup bag tucked away in his unnecessarily tall filing cabinet. So he got up from the couch, propped his guitar safely in its glass case, and rifled through the endless drawers while you sat there trying to collect yourself. He found the case, plopped back on the couch, and after several minutes of struggling to position yourself to do anything to his handsome features, he told you to just sit in his lap.

It took a moment of adjusting. To be honest, you couldn’t tell if he was just doing this to mess with you or if he was being genuine. It was better not to think about it too much.

His makeup bag contained some basic things - dark pencil liner, some concealer, an eyebrow brush. But tucked down toward the bottom was a bold liquid liner, mascara, even a couple round containers of blush and eyeshadow.

Klavier was essentially putty in your hands. You decided to try out some eyeshadow and asked him to close his eyes, and he obligingly shut them. His grin never faltered, even for a second.

With a brush from the bag, you very carefully worked to apply a brown shade to his lid. It complimented his tan skin exceptionally well, and you tried not to get stuck just admiring him there. The trust he was putting in you to do this…

Warm hands squeezed your hips playfully, startling you.

“Don’t forget to breathe, schatzi,” he teased. “You’ll have plenty of time to admire me when you’ve finished.”

You scoffed, desperately ignoring the way your cheeks burned. Still, he kept his eyes closed, so at least he wouldn’t see how flustered you were. “I could make you look hideous on purpose, Klav,” you threatened. “You’re lucky I won’t.”

He huffed a laugh. It resonated through you. “I am grateful, liebling. I would hate to frighten my fans.”

Once the eyeshadow was even (enough), you put away the container and brushes. You picked up the pencil liner, then considered the liquid liner. It was hard enough to get even lines on yourself, but… It was just for fun, right? It wouldn’t matter. He’d probably wash it off once you left.

“Trouble?”

You grabbed the liquid liner. “Nope. Now shut your eyes.”

The brush was thin, perfect for sharp lines. The rich black glided across his lashline and into an “elegant” wing. You leaned in closer in your concentration. Joke or not, you were going to get this perfect. Klavier waited in perfect silence as he felt the cool, wet ink define his eyes. He also felt how you went back and forth between both eyes, and heard when you cussed quietly under your breath before adjusting one or the other.

As he sat there, acting as the perfect subject, his mind wandered. When he first met you on a crime scene several years ago, you’d tried to stop him from entering. You didn’t realize the famous Klavier Gavin of the Gavinners was also Klavier Gavin the prosecutor. You’d apologized profusely for the confusion, but he just laughed it off. Somehow, you became friends. Similar to Prosecutor Edgeworth and Detective Gumshoe, you became stuck to his side. He requested you to lead investigations when he was working the case, you would testify the lay-down of the events during trials, and he took you out to dinner when he “won” (though he was always more interested in the truth than winning).

Somewhere along the way, he couldn’t quite figure out when, his thoughts would constantly shift to you. What did you do when you weren’t working? What was your favorite color? Favorite food? Did you like scary movies or were you the kind of person to hide behind a pillow the whole time? He wanted to know so much about you, always. Maybe that’s how these get-togethers started. Maybe he asked if you wanted to hang out after investigations or trials to get to know you better. The real you. The you that didn’t hide behind your badge.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t hesitate to indulge your stupid question. Maybe that’s why he let you sit in his lap. Maybe that’s why he held onto you, even if you didn’t need the support.

“Klav?”

Ripped from his thoughts, he carefully opened his eyes, worried the liner could still be wet. He didn’t realize you finished his eyes several minutes ago, and had filled in his eyebrows and touched his cheek-bones with blush while he zoned out.

You were still there, sitting in his lap. He almost forgot you were really there. You turned a small tube around in your hands, looking for a label. He hummed, getting your attention. You held the small container to him so he could look, too.

“What is this?”

He removed a hand from your hip to take it from you. The warmth lingered behind, but you missed the weight it provided.

“I think…” Skillfully, with one hand, he opened the tube. He smelled the whitish wax inside. “Ah! It’s my strawberry lip balm. I thought I lost it.”

“Strawberry?”

He hummed, holding it out for you to smell. You leaned forward and held the back of his hand as you cautiously sniffed it. He hoped the way his cheeks tinged pink was hidden by the blush.

“Oh, it does smell like strawberries!”

“It tastes like strawberries, too, schatzi,” he mused. “Put it on, try it.”

You swore your whole face was red. “A-Are you sure?”

“Ja. I can always buy more if I need to.”

You carefully took the lip balm from his hand and twisted it to expose more of the wax, looking away to save yourself the embarrassment. All the while, Klavier felt his heart stutter as he watched you carefully apply it to your lips. Watching the movement entranced him. It was like being on stage and watching as the crowd coordinated into a wave of fluid movement, energizing him even more. His pupils blew wide as you tentatively rubbed your lips together and licked slightly, tasting the strawberry flavor.

A thumb and index finger gently grabbed your chin, urging you to face him again. He had to force himself to stop staring at your lips that now gleamed in the late-afternoon light spilling into his office, but he was just as stunned by the way your eyes sparkled with the orange sun’s rays.

“Can I try it, liebling?” His voice was a low whisper. No one would think this is the man that regularly belted out his soul on stage.

He waited, waited until you gave him your answer with the slightest nod, almost imperceptible if he did not feel the movement between his fingers.

He guided your face closer, eyes becoming half-lidded as he pulled you in. His mind raced, thinking only of what you would taste like through the sweet strawberry lip balm. Of what you would feel like against his lips. His eyes shut the instant your lips brushed his.

The kiss was barely-there, like a butterfly’s wing fluttering against sun-kissed summer skin. It didn’t last that way forever, though. Klavier pulled away, before going back in with more vigor, eagerly angling his head to reach every inch of your lips he could.

His hand reached around to cradle the back of your neck. Cold rings sent shivers down your spine, and you felt the way he grinned. You slid a hand up and over his shoulder, around his neck and into his long hair. He groaned into the kiss, pulling you closer with the hand on your hip; he despised the space between your bodies, desperate to feel all of you.

Strawberry was his new favorite flavor.

--

Translations:

Schatzi - treasure

Liebling - darling

Ja - yes

[sieglinde-freud]

1,3,5,6 and 15! I love women <3

hi faye!! 🩷 i already know this gonna be long hooboy

1. One of your favorite female characters?

frederica aesfrost triangle strategy. that is my GIRL. i dont know how many of you guys have played triangle strategy but me personally it changed my life. not gonna say too much because i dont wanna spoil it, but shes such a great female lead. shes basically fighting for the liberation of her people, the roselle, who the society of the game has basically condemned for no reason so if you go through her arc, you see how she deals with the pressure of having to free them, how hard it hurts to witness them in the state that theyre in, and the sacrifices she has to make to get what she wants and GOD. its so good. shes so good. also she cant fucking cook. me too girl.

3. What’s a female character you look up to?

ema skye ace attorney, specifically in aa4-6. ive never seen a character that made me go ‘GOD shes just like me fr’ like her (and apollo justice. but this isnt about him). i feel like it’s rare to see main characters like her really love something, and then FAIL pathetically at it. over and over. not that i enjoy seeing her not getting her forensic license, but it just feels so real. sometimes you love something and you’re so passionate about it but you just dont get it. and how does she react? is she still the bubbly ema you see in rfta with a “we’ll get em next time!” attitude? no!! no she’s not, she’s bitter, grumpy, snarky, dealing with the most annoying prosecutor of all time, and she’s so fucking real. be frustrated! be angry! life hands you shit cards you can be mad about how you have to play it! it’s nice seeing characters who pick themselves back up so easily, but most people arent like that and im certainly not, and seeing a character who’s just so honest about that is really refreshing. of course, she finally gets her dream in aa6, but that doesnt come without years and years of trying. in a universe where people are becoming lawyers at 18, it’s nice to see someone realistic. (im also trying to step foot into the forensic field eventually sooo… the fact that shes on the same path as me just kinda makes it hit harder, you know?)

5. A female villain you love?

pissing off both sides of the argument by calling her a villain and saying i love her but edelgard von hresvelg. before anyone says anything my favorite lord is yuri leclerc and the rest of them are equal in my heart <3 but edelgard clearly takes on more of a villain role in every route except her own, and even then she’s not entirely morally correct (duh). but i dont know. i wont say too much on your ask faye cuz i know you havent finished the other routes yet, but even when i played azure moon i couldnt bring myself to dislike her. her past with dimitri, the way she kept the dagger, and everything she reveals to you on her own path and how her past shaped her into who she is and what she wants and how she will stop at nothing to get it. i dont agree with the ends justifying the means, but i love characters who believe in that because it’s just so interesting. you want this thing so bad, nothing will stop you? your friends, your family, knowing you’re doing wrong because you think it’ll turn out right? what if it goes wrong. what if it blows up in your face? what if history remembers you as the villain forever? you’re already too deep in it i guess, so just keep going. shes so… ggrarghj. edelgard 🥹

6. A female character who got done dirty by the narrative?

athena cykes ace attorney. you’re telling me the entirety of aa5 is revolves around HER story, HER past, HER relationships, and it’s called “Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies”? the dual, by the way, refers to apollo. and you dont even play as athena during the climax of the game, you play as phoenix and shes just WATCHING. will they redeem her in aa6? you mean “Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice?” you mean the game where she gets ONE case on her own and it’s a FILLER CASE? admittedly a pretty good filler case but still. god. what the hell. i get phoenix sells but if you’re make new lawyers to take on his legacy, maybe? let them do that???

15. Female character you would defend with your life?

as usual there are so many to pick from. but i think this time i’m gonna pick nyx fire emblem. now, dont get me wrong. i will not defend her design. fates’ female dark mage design is pretty bad, especially since its used on ophelia and nyx. as much as i sincerely dont think nyx looks like a child as opposed to just a pretty short young woman, it’s…. blerghh. but aside from that? i cant STAND when people say shes just generic loli bait that acts like a child. because where? WHERE? point to where in her supports she acts like a child seriously. i know in her supports with charlotte she attempts to try it, but the point is that its unnatural and uncomfortable for her to do so. she is just. not like that. she doesnt try to play around like nowi or myrrh. shes not a child in dragon years or anything. shes just an older woman stuck in the body of a younger one, and if you would just READ one support, literally any of them, you would know that. but fates haters dont read, do they? clearly not. and its just a huge disservice to the rest of her character, which i think is incredibly beautifully written. shes such a standout in fates and i cant stand people ignoring that because “waaah nowi clone!” fuck you.

[sapphire-wine]

Heavy on your Tongue

Like Icarus flying too close to the sun - Here it is. The second person POV nrmt cock warming fic. Spoilers: not a lot of cock warming. Not read! 850 words give or take. Post aa4 and all that.

You'd been working for a while now, looking through readings to study for the bar once more.

It'd taken some convincing to get you to start, you'd thought that part of your life was far behind you. The many reasons to go through with the decision had been listed over multiple dinners and late nights. And you were happy with it, truly.

That didn't mean it wasn't exhausting though. And tedious.

Luckily, some things made it much better.

You'd just finished one of the many unit tests laying on your desk, given to you courtesy of one Chief Prosecutor.

You set your pencil down on the desk, looking down and smiling fondly.

"Miles?" You croon, brushing his hair back from where it fell over his face.

He doesn't seem to notice, eyes half-lidded.

"Miles." You repeat, sliding your hand down until it cups his cheek. He nuzzles into your hand, a hum coming from his mouth.

It reverberates straight on your cock, still tucked between his lips.

"I'm finished."

He hums once more in acknowledgement, but makes no other movements. He looks up at you through his eyelashes and it seems like this is the only place he wants to be.

It's sweet, really. You're the only one who's seen him like this, he's told you himself. There was a certain vulnerability he said he despised, like it was something to be extracted lest it be paraded around.

And yet, here he is. And here you are. Together at last. Where there were no false rumors or oaths of secrecy to keep you apart.

You slip from his mouth. Laugh at the confused noise he makes. He looks for all the world like a puppy who's gotten his toy taken away.

"I said I'm done." You wonder if he'll take the hint. It was his idea, after all.

You run your hand through his hair once more.

His head rests against your thigh, motionlessly content.

You swipe up the drool across his chin with your hand, rubbing it across your sweatpants in a manner that if Miles were any more lucid, he'd be horrified with.

You both stay like that for a few moments, running a hand through his hair as he kneels before you. And as much as you hate to ruin the moment between you, you open your mouth.

"Wanna grade it?" You ask, trying once more to hold up your end of the bargain. Though, it seems your companion didn't remember that much at all.

He blinks. "Hmm? Oh, sure."

He removes himself from your leg slowly, stretches languidly. The softest groan leaves his mouth and you wish you could still feel it in your core.

You push out the desk chair to allow him enough room to stand. He does so and turns, taking the paper in his hand.

Your hands wrap around his middle and pulls him back to you. He lets you do this without complaint, settling into your lap.

"Let's see here..." He says, trying to sound nonchalant about the way you fiddle with his belt. He goes through your papers in relative silence, offering no praise or complaint besides the occasional "that rusty on evidence law, Wright?" and "that was an intentionally obtuse question, good job."

By that point you've removed his cock from his pants, even gotten him to stand slightly to slide his boxers down his thighs.

"You starred this question." Miles says, somewhat breathless despite not moving for several minutes.

You can't blame him exactly, with your fingers running featherlight touches over his length.

"Yeah. I wasn't sure about it."

"You got it wrong." He says, most unhelpfully.

"Well, can you tell me why? Last I heard that's the standard." You lean forward, head on his shoulder.

"It's be-cause...It's because two years ago another case overrode the precedent set in- ngh." He trails off, evidently distracted by the teeth running over his earlobe.

"Interesting." You say, and continue.

"Wright."

You hum in acknowledgement.

"Wright." He hisses.

"What?"

"You should pay attention."

"This is how I best pay attention. Plus, I already did my part, yeah? The test is filled out, you're the one who hasn't finished it."

"Perhaps because I have someone distracting me."

"Are you calling me distracting?" You grin.

"Extremely." He says dryly. You back off slightly, giving one last squeeze to his member just to hear him inhale sharply. Then you lean back and let him work, red pen that he brought from home flying through the questions.

It's a bit difficult though, having a lapful of prosecutor and nowhere to put that energy. Your hands seem to have a mind of their own, meandering over his sides and landing at his hips.

You've just begun running a finger down his spine, starting to dip lower, when he slams the paper onto the table. He stands with a speed you weren't anticipating, sending the chair backwards a few inches.

He turns to face you, eyes blazing. "You passed." He says, before he drops down to his knees and takes you whole.

"Oh, fuck."

Some things just made the hours of studying worth it.

[melloggd]

Review: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Capcom • Capcom • 2007 • Nintendo DS Read it on Backloggd: (x)

So, here we are. Having written my Dual Destinies review (one of my favorites I've written, still) and almost being finished with Spirit of Justice, I feel its about time I toss my hat into the ring regarding AA4, possibly the most discussed Ace Attorney game of them all. There's a lot to unpack with AA4, and a lot of different ways to unpack it.

After AA1/2/3 wrapped up as a pretty much perfect, concluded trilogy, the 4th game had to be one to really break some sort of new ground, to not just seem as if the franchise was being stretched thin. And to outsiders looking in, be assured: They did far more than just give us a new protagonist. You meet Phoenix only to find out that he's completely changed, the perception of what makes a good defense lawyer has changed, your relation to the prosecution has changed, the story being told and, indeed, the very world of the game has shifted wholly. Its a remarkably ambitious game: One that, rather than just telling another story of a new character's growth like the old trilogy did, chose to readjust the lens of the series to focus far more on the law world at large, whilst subverting player expectations along the way.

I'll drop the dramatics and be blunt: In terms of ambition, ideas and themes, AA4 ranks as possibly my favorite game in the series. But as the finished game we got, I consider it the least enjoyable game in the series I've played.

Yet I can't even be sure if that's a bad thing. Because with so many of the issues I take with the game, there's a fascinating viewpoint that changes it into an interesting positive that also fits right in with the game's general direction of…well, misdirection, and subversion. Simply put, its an artsy game. For example, I noted halfway through my playthrough that the game's repertoire of characters are all mostly annoying, mean, or hard to work with, which leads to me as a player feeling miffed. Yet at the same time, Apollo is living in a new age of distrust and darkness in the legal world. He's living in an age where few feel like they can trust in others anymore, because people like Kristoph who desire results far above truth or fairness rule the justice system: The idea of "evidence" is so easily manipulated, that anyone can escape justice. Thus, Apollo's unable to have his perfect storybook journey of growth and support like Phoenix had because the world around him has changed to be hostile. So, is it really right of me to complain about the game doing what it sets out to do exceptionally well?

On the topic of Apollo himself, its very interesting that he himself is such a passive and static figure throughout most of the game, which underwhelmed me at first. But like I said: This isn't a character-driven story like the Trilogy, so is Apollo's lack of focus a BAD thing? Is the game trying to subvert what came before, rather than running with the tried-and-true optimistic hero's journey, a bad thing? Its a lot of these dilemmas I run into when thinking about the game, and its the reason why I respect it so highly despite the actual process of playing it being a lot more middling than the rest of the series in my eyes.

With all that being said, for as much intent as the game may otherwise have, it IS still Ace Attorney and comes with all the pros and cons of that. The animation is gorgeous, music is stellar, most of the overall mysteries are still pretty fun to unravel, and the whole gameplay of untangling testimonies is as fun as ever. The great fundamentals are still here and keep it enjoyable to play to a degree, and you can even sort of tell a new director is at the helm with this project.

Mitsuru Endo, previously a game designer first and foremost on games like Breath of Fire and Sengoku Basara, really rubs off his love for new gameplay systems and quirks in this game. Like usual for the series though, these systems end up being a mixed bag. Investigating evidence can be pretty fun and is a natural fit for the series, and Percieving is a cool and distinct power, iconic to Apollo. Yet then you have stuff like Ema's Forensics minigames, which feel really out of place and are uninteresting to engage with. There's no puzzle to them, just a good ol' DS touchscreen game. You get the feeling a lot of these things, and the systems exclusive to the third and fourth case, were added as a novelty, as fun toys for the player to engage with rather than being anything substantial…yet at the same time, as a game themed around magic tricks, isn't that heightened interactivity also part of the point?

In terms of writing and general direction, the main thing I think Takumi's games (those being the Ace Attorney Trilogy and The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles) are worse at than his peers' is linking cases together to form a cohesive whole. Takumi excels in writing amazing and deviously clever singular cases, but in all his games its as if he can't resist including one or two bonus cases solely for how cool their mysteries are, rather than thinking of how their inclusion will affect the pacing of the game in its totality. Samurai, Big Top, Masked, Recipe, a lot of the individual mysteries in Ghost Trick, Speckled Band, Clouded Kokoro, the first two cases entirely in The Great Ace Attorney 2…don't get me wrong, I think his works are almost universally fantastic, but at times they can feel disjointed to progress through due to his unashamed love of "filler".

Under Endo's directing, meanwhile, it does feel like effort was placed on giving all cases purpose, reigning in Takumi's style of writing just enough to get the best of both worlds. All cases have substantial meaning, yet are able to be as zany and clever as Takumi always loves to write them. Beyond being a crazy case of solving several crimes at once, 4-2 serves to highlight how much Phoenix has changed and how Trucy helps him. 4-3 features a murder that takes place during a series of live stage performances, asking you to rewatch its footage to catch specific details related to witness testimony. At the same time, it also has a great focus on Klavier as a character, and the corrupt police-force that's been able to thrive in this new age, asking questions on if the law is always just in what it stands for. Yet that being said, we run back to the original issue of fun: Despite its cool themes and depth, 4-3 remains the worst case in any Ace Attorney game to actually play, both because of poor gameplay pacing, but also because the writing doesn't feel fleshed out enough to properly convey its brilliant ideas.

The lack of Psyche-Lockes as well honestly destroys the fun of investigating, and the pacing across all three cases featuring investigations is honestly dreadful. The only substitute present for the lack of Psyche-Lockes is the aforementioned mind-numbing forensics minigames, which do little to help things. Now, I noted in my Dual Destinies review that that game also had underwhelming gameplay, but it to me was salvaged by still having a rock solid, well-paced story pace where things were always happening. The game lacks Psyche-Lockes (for most of it) as well but makes up for it with a steadier stream of discoveries, more interesting 3D crime scene investigations, and so on. Due to AA4s insistence on finding meaning in the mundane, it ends up far less fun to play.

So, its a really tough call. I don't think AA5 or 6 are as ambitious or nuanced in what they want to convey as AA4, yet but they make up for it by having more engaging story events and better pacing across the board, leading to a more enjoyable experience for me. They're stories that are told in a tighter and more fun way than AA4, yet it feels wrong to label the game as "the worst Ace Attorney!!" because, again, it tries so hard and has such a unique flair as by far the most artistic game in the series.

Had this been the final Ace Attorney as originally intended, it would've been an impactful note to end on. But I am glad we did get more games in the series, and it led to great things. The murky law world of AA4 begins to heal across the events of AA5, and AA6 gives you an insight into just how badly it could have escalated, emphasizing a theme of preparing the new generation to solve the issues that are inevitably going to occur through the old generation's stubbornness and evil. Apollo finally becomes a character with agency and goals, Trucy's relationship to the Gramarye's is given a sweet bookend, we get to see how Edgeworth and Klavier handle the growingly unjust law world, Ema is, there, and Phoenix takes on the mentor role he was destined to do.

What I'm saying is: I'm really happy with how AA4, 5 and 6 turned out as a trilogy, even though it makes AA4's ambition stick out in hindsight, and now just exists as "that one weird game" rather than "the crazy rug-pull finale of the series". Despite my grievances with it, I do still love AA4, and I'm glad its resonated with so many people. But its overambition alongside its stumbles, from pretty shallow gameplay additions to bad pacing, keep me from loving it wholesale and having it click entirely. Simply put, a lot of its "but its like this way on purpose"-isms just don't land with me the way they do in games like Suda51's work. Yet it remains Ace Attorney at its core, and the simple fact that they even tried in a series otherwise aiming for as much mass appeal as this one, is worth so much respect. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is forever going to be a standout game in the series, and for me that's both for better and for worse. Basically, I'm just glad it exists, even if its not for me.

[Play Time: 35 Hours] [Key Word: Overzealous]

[cornertheculprit]

oooh could u do krisnix or klapollo for the bingo thing? :o only if u want, ofc. love your blog!

krisnix:

ah man. ah god. krisnix. they've started taking up so much of my brain space it's insane. because while i DO love krisnix toxic moments and i DO think a part of kristoph was just trying to keep phoenix under his heel in a desperate play for control of the situation so he could cover up the events of the gramarye trial (and phoenix was Letting Him) i also think they were actually genuinely friends. it's so present in the Way that they talk to each other. fucking "...you look well, phoenix wright." "you, too...gavin."/"i killed a man named "smith" with a bottle because i am an evil human being. ...isn't that enough?" "(...not for me, it isn't. i need to know why you did it, gavin.)"/"for seven years we've been friends... ...and yet, i still don't understand you." "but wright, your "friendship" toward me was never pure. ...you suspected me then as you still do now, don't you?" "...honestly, right now, i'm not sure what i think."/"...after that, he was killed. and i asked you to help me. ...because i remembered your kindness back when everyone had turned on me." DO YOU SEE!!!! DO YOU SEE. and kristoph automatically assumes that phoenix suspected him all this time and phoenix is HONEST with him and tells him he isn't even sure about it himself. phoenix doesn't understand him but KRISTOPH DOESN'T UNDERSTAND PHOENIX EITHER!!! they never understood each other but phoenix WANTS to even after everything but kristoph Will Not Let Him it's insane they're insane they're both obsessive freaks who should never involve anyone else in whatever they've got going on but dear GOD. vibrating out of my skin thinking about them

klapollo:

okay i'll be entirely honest i actually haven't really thought about klapollo that much but that's because their stories were never really finished. i circled the "is it really just subtext at this point" because they WERE pretty much flirting with each other the whole game and i can honestly see it happening but klavier during aa4 is having the worst year of his life and apollo may want to "pull the darkness out of him" as it may be but his story was not complete enough to want to deal with the train wreck of emotions klavier is going to be left with after turnabout succession. doesn't mean he won't give it a shot though i believe in them

[violexides]

so i finished turnabout succession, meaning i’ve watched all of the cases in aa4 excluding the first case - which i am considering watching at some point but likely in the distant future, seeing as trucy and klavier are not yet introduced in it and i already know the plot of the case. many thoughts on ace attorney 4 but i am just going to talk about klavier gavin real quick because. i need to.

[if you don’t want spoilers but are still reading these posts i’m REALLY going into spoilers so like. guys please]

i really wish Capcom had done more with klavier both in the sense of backstory but also in the sense of future games, since iirc he only appears once or twice in dual destinies and not at all in spirit of justice. what i CAN say though is that despite all this, they gave an amazingly written character to us - even if he, again, only predominantly exists in three cases.

i really cannot get over the tragedy of each one of them, though. turnabout corner, where he faces off and loses in a trial - his first trial returning to prosecuting - to the disciple/employee of his older brother. who aforementioned employee had imprisoned for murder. and he’s extremely kind compared to other prosecutors, willing to help out, and also among one of the most well-prepared ones. he’s fun and melodramatic and he doesn’t throw a fit at losing.

and then you IMMEDIATELY go to fucking turnabout serenade, where he has a concert in which basically everything goes wrong for him, including the performance not meeting his high standards and someone literally dying DURING HIS CONCERT. in which his guitar ALSO set on fire mid concert btw. and he’s very emotionally attached to them. and then you find out all this, on top of the fact that it was not only his second guitarist but his BEST FRIEND of at LEAST seven years who committed the murder. someone he deeply trusted, and he has to be the one to take him off the case and put him on the stand.

and then THREE MONTHS PASS, and he is put on the trial for the jurist system, a system created by phoenix wright. he knows from the start that despite his desires for a simple case, it’s going to be complex because of wright’s involvement. and then it turns out that the current murder provides insight into the events of seven years ago, a trial he had prosecuted on in which he got someone disbarred with information he shouldn’t have had and became CONSUMED WITH DARKNESS FOR SEVEN FUCKING YEARS to the point that he LEAVES THE PROSECUTION JOB TEMPORARILY. and then he is told, by apollo justice - former employee of his brother, frequent court rival, person who put his best friend AND brother behind bars, and current employee of phoenix wright the attorney that KLAVIER HELPED DISBAR - that the events that transpired seven years ago, when klavier was SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD, were manipulated by his brother. 

and he STILL wants to believe in kristoph. and that’s what gets me - we know next to NOTHING about these guys’ history. and yet we see it in everything - klavier and kristoph finishing each other’s thoughts as klavier fights harder than ever against apollo in the cross examination, klavier and kristoph showing superficial levels of affection that sink deeper for klavier but fall apart at the top level for kristoph, the respective distrust and resentment they have for one another, the fact that kristoph tells klavier to CALM DOWN and CALLS HIM USELESS and implies he’s IRRATIONAL over and over and OVER again even trying to THREATEN him into not saying anything - up until the moment that klavier says that it’s time for them to empty their family closet. 

up until the last line said in the court trial for kristoph gavin - in which klavier looks his brother in the eye and says “you are not needed anymore.”

and then it shows post credit scenes in which he’s like hey lol the gavinners are breaking up but i’m excited to go back into court again soon ^_^ LITERALLY HOW YOUR ENTIRE LIFE HAS BEEN RUINED BY THIS MAN . OR I GUESS LIBERATED . I HATE GAY PEOPLE 

anyway I love klavier gavin and we should have gotten more of him in later games but for now i’m going to go uhhh read fanfiction. or no shit i should do homework. read fic AND do homework. yeah :] 

[alynnl]

TGAAC Case 2-2 finished!

And like many flashback cases of Ace Attorney, it was actually more complex than it appeared. It also delivered quite the emotional punch.

At first I thought it was silly that Soseki Natsume was Ryunosuke's client again, and I wrote this case off as a one-off filler. But then as I got deeper into the case and started collecting all the facts, it spelled out a greater tragedy for for the characters involved. In the end it's Shamspeare who's mostly responsible for all the tragedy of course.

But Olive Green made her mistakes too. She wasn't being blackmailed into staying quiet. She could have gone to Scotland Yard or even Sholmes to talk about the suspicious death of her fiance, but she chose to take the law into her own hands instead. I understand her motives but at the same time, she still did some attempted murder.

And poor Soseki. He was literally caught in the middle. When he wasn't nearly being poisoned by gas, he stood accused of murder again. All by the same clown-like actor.

This goes to show that you really can't trust people in the performing arts in Ace Attorney. They are almost always up to something shady (Unless they are a pure cinnamon roll like Will Powers, or a salty cinnamon bun like John Marsh from Investigations 2.) Maybe there's a reason a lot of Ace Attorney culprits are performers of some kind? They use their acting/stage skills to appear innocent? Am I onto something here?

But the actual culprits aren't the only suspicious ones here.

Herlock Sholmes is mostly a good person from what I've seen so far, but he's been very cagey when it comes to one (maybe two?) of his cases. There's been at least two incidents where he tells Iris not to write stories based off them. Whether they're two cases, or two events related to the same case remains to be seen...

But Sholmes's secrecy kind of has me doubting him.

If he's a Villain All Along I will absolutely raise Hell.

If he's morally dubious for a "good reason" (like Phoenix in his "Beanix" era of AA4) I will be quite ambivalent about him.

But if he's traumatized by a case where he failed (the culprit escaped, his client died, and he blames himself,) I'll be way more sympathetic.

There are so many directions that Sholmes and his writing can go, and I'll have to wait and see what happens.

The same can apply to Barok Van Zieks. It's still hard to put together just what happened in his past, and why he starts off as being a smug, arrogant Brit who always seems to side with the truth at the very end of every case. I guess he has his own moral compass, however strangely it may be pointed.

Case 2-3 will be next when I pick the game up again.

[planeoftheeclectic]

Oh, do tell more about "Columbo: Turnabout's Fair Play".

oh geez ok I don't know how much I can say because I have been trying so hard not to spoil the mystery but let's go.

There are a few people who know how it will end/what the twist is, most of whom don't care much about Ace Attorney and were unlikely to ever read it in the first place and one of whom cares negatively about spoilers. This is because I was very anxious that the twist leading to the break in the case was too contrived and I wanted an outside opinion.

This was because I began writing TFP before I finished playing Bridge to the Turnabout. All subsequent worries about "realism" and "physics" and "the laws of science" have since been summarily dismissed.

I am currently working on some things that are very close to what will go in the epilogue and I really can't say more than that or I'm worried you'll figure it out immediately. Suffice to say: I like mirroring.

In the past 24 hours I have discovered two musical themes from AA4 that I will absolutely be using as writing ambiance because they are exactly what I've been looking for. One is Phoenix's theme, one is ostensibly the Gramarye's theme but honestly might as well work for Phoenix, both are embedded below for your convenience.

Honestly, the name of that second one is perfect for Phoenix. Man I can't wait until we get there.

Hmmm...I think the only reason I can get away with writing this fic is because I am very good at mimicking other people's vocal patterns - to the point where I have come home from Shakespeare plays speaking in iambic pentameter. (In fairness, that's less hard than it sounds - English is made for that kind of thing.) But Peter Falk is so integral to the concept of Columbo that if you can't nail his patter, your work is just going to be missing something, imo.

Hmm, what else...I think you in particular will be delighted by the ending, which is why I had to stop talking about it with you the moment I realized what it was going to be lol. Which is infuriating because I love our talks and value your contributions so much but I can't and it's driving me insane ahhhhhhhh!! That said! I relish the look on your face when you finally get there, and that expression (multiplied by the other people who read it, which is way more than I expected when I first posted it tbh) is what keeps me going. It's going to be so good. I can't wait. Why isn't it done yet. What do you mean I have to write it first.

I'm still desperately tempted to write the alternative setup I initially proposed, aka "Maya Fey hires her friend the retired detective to get those idiots together it's been like 20 years guys, geez." I probably will write it as totally separate from TFP but man can you imagine.

If I ever write the jokingly hypothetical Klapollo sequel it will be after we've finished at least aa4 and possibly the whole sequel trilogy. Which is probably for the best, given I have palutena trap to work on. That said, I've grown exceptionally fond of Klavier. Possibly because I keep murdering his brother and making horrible things happen to him. ...Sorry about that, buddy.

I somewhat doubt that Phoenix has an official breakdown sprite (excluding the head-on-desk and nervous sweating varieties) but I need to start picturing it, because that scene is coming up sooner than I can imagine. And also farther away. But at least there's only one more Edgeworth chapter forecast. That should help contain their combined loquacious verbosity to a manageable length.

I may have said this before, but I am trying very hard to write everything from the narrative point of view of the TV camera. That's defining chapter breaks, POV's. information delivered, and general tone. It's very fun, and an excellent writing exercise. I get whiplash whenever I go back to palutena trap, which has a much more standard 3rd person limited view (the character's). I would definitely recommend this sort of thing if you want to experiment with your writing style!

Hmm, now for a fun fact to end it on...well, this isn't TFP specific, but I'd like to imagine that Gumshoe is on vacation at a beach somewhere and brought one of his metal detectors and finds a buried treasure chest that is for once not connected to a murder and so he strikes it rich and can finally retire to live a life of luxury eating slightly fancier instant ramen and that's why we never see him after the 7-year gap.

[timeskip]

Well! I finished Ace Attorney: Investigations 1!! What a wild ride.

(Here’s my thoughts from before I started the final case)

As for my CURRENT thoughts on the game, I really liked it overall!! I thought a lot of the stuff it did with the Yatagarasu was REALLY great, I love Kay, and Lang endeared himself to me by the end lol. I like how he’s like. intensely gay and mean but also he cares a lot about his “pack.” Talk about an alpha male. AND KAY IS SO. She’s so silly she’s just trying her best. She really adopted Edgeworth as her dad. And he keeps telling her not to commit crimes but she wants to do crime so so SO bad.

But my FAVORITE part of AAI was Edgeworth’s thoughts on justice and truth. Obviously it relates to his past with Manfred von Karma and how he was taught to be a prosecutor, but also the way he forms his own identity and realizes that some people are above the law, but he still believes that the truth has to come out and stop them. I think it forms a great parallel of sorts to Phoenix in AA4, if that makes any sense. Like, themes of using evidence you’re not supposed to use, how you have to break the rules to win... But also changing the game for the truth.

Also, I think it’s hilarious that it takes place over the course of like, three days tops, and Edgeworth finds what, four or five dead bodies in that time? What bad luck.

A few more spoilery things under the cut

My least favorite thing about the last case was how LONG it took to get Alba. Like it was just over and over and over him denying anything. It wasn’t fun!!! But I understand why they wrote it like that. They needed him to be confident, for him to be a foe who’s near-impossible to take down. But by the time they showed the THIRD contrivance that SUDDENLY gave them more evidence when ALL HOPE SEEMED LOST!!! I felt exhausted. And then it just KEPT. HAPPENING.

Worth it for Edgeworth going “what would [Phoenix Wright] do? Someone who can turn around any situation...” though!!! I loved that!!!

My big issue I guess is that while I was VERY interested in the Yatagarasu case, and how Callisto Yew BECAME SHIH-NA and FUCKED EVERYTHING UP, it felt like the smuggling thing was important, but wasn’t, like, EMOTIONALLY important to me. So while Alba getting caught is a win, I definitely think it took too long, because the big emotional climax for me was Yew getting caught and the GUN BEING HELD TO KAY’S HEAD. Literally so cool.

Still!!! Overall very cool!!!

Also Franziska’s presence in the game is perfect thank you Franziska for being there and being condescending to your “subordinate” Edgeworth.

[aro-attorneys]

Oh the complicated...state of Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice.

I'm not sure how to word this well so I guess this will just be a rambly essay or something.

I feel like my expectations were already lowered, which helped me enjoy any mainline game after the trilogy more (probably). I'm leaving AA4/AJ out of this though because it feels a lot more like Good Old Ace Attorney game that is clearly a follow-up after the trilogy and has the "retro" Nintendo aesthetic (can't believe I can call it retro. god).

Going into the Trilogy, I knew almost nothing about AA aside from "people ship the blue and red/pink guy" and a few memes. None of that knowledge came even close to the True AA experience, so I was rather blown away by the quality of the games.

Moving my way into the fandom after finishing AA3/TaT made sure that getting "spoilers" is inevitable. A combination of Fandom Exposure and having Friends who already played the games caused me to kind of receive...mixed reviews for post-trilogy games? DD and SoJ were the most controversial (I guess AJ just aged really well bc I mostly see praise for it nowadays). The overall impression I got was "not bad bad but also Not That Good either". (some takes were more on the negative side but some of them were more on the..."forgiving" side.

I really loved AJ, so I was wondering how DD and SoJ would hold up in that case. Like...maybe it wouldn't be that bad or something, you know? And the overall impression they gave me was Kind of a Drag but Not Bad.

Cases felt a lot longer. I guess that was only natural after moving to a better Nintendo system with more memory and processing power. But sometimes Cases that are Longer are Bad. It felt like they had more padding just to fill up some time and it made me move through the storyline incredibly slow; I got distracted easily because they failed to keep my attention. I know, big surprise from someone with ADHD lol. But the Trilogy simply held my attention better because with the limited space they had, everything had to kind of Move Faster for the plot to happen and every line contained important information.

Anyway, that's mostly a mechanical issue. I think another issue, one that most people probably agree on, is that it's very sterile. The first 4 mainline games clearly took more risks. They wanted to tell their story and felt more experimental; it felt more integer in a way. The games had a story to tell, a direction they wanted to follow. Whereas DD and SoJ so far feel very...safe. I'm sure others before me explained it better than I can, but I will try regardless:

The Trilogy and AJ didn't shy away from letting characters react pretty intensely to the situation around them, especially Phoenix. Because things were stressful! There wasn't a constant yelling of course but you could feel how stressful the final cases were for everyone involved.

I think the best example I can think of is Trucy. She was introduced in AJ and they made her instantly likeable to me. You're also immediately invested in her since she's the daughter of Phoenix. And you want to know what happened! How did she end up in Phoenix's care? Is she hiding something? Who were her biological parents? And by the time you unravel that mystery, you're invested enough that you can emotionally feel the importance of the bond between Trucy and Phoenix. AJ even ends with Phoenix stating how well he knows her as her adoptive father! You get a little glimpse of how both of them truly feel and it's just...so good.

And all of that was thrown out the window in DD (and SoJ by extend). They barely interact, they don't even mention any of the terrible things they went through together.

And that's the impression I have throughout both DD and SoJ. They do have compelling characters that I care about. I loved Athena's storyline! And I liked going against Blackquill! And so far I really like Apollo and Dhurke's storyline as well! But none of them really have the same lasting impact on me as the Trilogy and AJ had on me. I would say it's just AA Fatigue (I've been playing these games for so long lol), but even then. I've worn myself out during TGAAC too and yet its impact on me is much greater.

I know this "playing it safe" actually pissed some people off, or at the very least made them stop playing the game. To me, they are still enjoyable. But that is also about it. The only exception for me was doing Athena's trial in 5-5 which gave me the same excitement + stress feeling I had during the trilogy sometimes. There's also some other moments in both games that are actually really good. But if I had to give an overall expression, it would be Enjoyable at best and Dragging at worst.

Tl;dr: DD and SoJ are not Bad to me, but it does disappoint me a bit that once they knew they could just get money with a Safe AA game, they stopped taking creative risks and made Just Average Games.

Last side-note: I am aware of the rumor that Shu Takumi said to ignore AJ as much as possible due to its controversy. Ironically, I see most fans nowadays really like AJ so uh...hm.

[bronanlynch]

back at it again ranking aa4 lawyers based on how terrible I think they would be to work for if you were their file clerk. I’ve basically known how this was going to go since 4-2 but it still took over two weeks after finishing the game to make this post. I have a normal amount of thoughts & feelings I promise

phoenix: I was gonna say that since he’s not practicing he doesn’t need a file clerk anyway but actually I do think reforming the legal system takes quite a bit of paperwork and he could probably use a hand. still would absolutely not work for him tho. I prefer being compensated for my labor, especially if my boss is always either mysteriously absent or spouting cryptic bullshit. 0/10. not even a pity point this time. rip apollo

apollo: would be fine if he weren’t working for phoenix tbh. like if he had his own office and a slightly more well-established career I would absolutely work for him. he’s considerate, he seems horrified by the state of the WAA which is a green flag Imo, and he’s just. a decent guy and a good lawyer. also he had that line abt enjoying tedious procedure so I think we would get along, and more importantly, that tells me that he would be reasonably neat with his own files and not make my job more difficult either accidentally or on purpose. 7/10 would befriend him on l*nkedin just in case he ever starts his own firm

payne: look, the vibes aren’t great and I’m running out of jokes abt this guy. I will say that I think it’s incredibly funny how thoroughly he gets ignored in his own trial and being able to make fun of your boss with your coworkers (which you would have bc there’s no way there’s just one file clerk for the entire prosecutor’s office, y’know?) is a very important aspect of surviving a shitty workplace so. there’s that. 3/10, could survive it by mocking him but not ideal

klavier: he doesn’t even have a desk. he’s working on at least 3 cases at once but he keeps his cds and his guitars nicer and neater than his books or his case files. there are papers all over his floor and falling out of his filing cabinet. his one advantage over the real attorney I worked with who had an office approximately that messy is that at least klavier probably knows exactly where everything is himself, which is great for him but not especially helpful to the poor beleaguered file clerk trying to get his files updated as quickly as possible so they can escape his office with minimal hearing damage. 6/10, at least he’s like. friendly

kristoph: the best-case situation here is that you work for him for maybe a few years, overlapping with the beginning of apollo’s career as his assistant, because then you have the bonus of also having apollo as a coworker (see above), and then you leave for normal reasons, get him to give you a good reference for your next job while he’s still widely respected, and when you read abt the events of 4-1 in the news a few months later you go “damn that’s wild” and move on with your life

ok. listen. listen. obviously a boss who has committed murder is not ideal, for several obvious reasons including that murder is bad and also that if your boss goes to jail and his law firm closes you no longer have a job (rip apollo). but at least you could probably get unemployment for that, since it’s not your fault you don’t have a job anymore. anyway. the main point is, unfortunately, I do think he would be the best boss of any of these people (except probably apollo in a few years). he prob has a very specific filing system and he likes things to be done exactly right, but because he wants things to be done right, because having your files organized and up-to-date so that you can meet deadlines is how you avoid making yourself look like an idiot to the courts, it will be made very clear to you what the right way is, and that’s like. what you want when you’re organizing someone’s shit Imo. 8.5/10, he gets .5 taken off for each murder attempt

( aa1 | aa2 | aa3 )

[contritecactite]

🥺, 🛒, ✨ , 💖 , 🤩, and 💞 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ahhhh 🥺🥺 astri, ty for asking!! Even though there were Problems™️ pffffhaha

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Oooohhh. I absolutely love a "we haven't seen each other in a long time and we parted on weird terms" reunion. It's the awkward greeting and the slow slip back into warmth and familiar patterns, the edge of awareness that something has changed but both parties are trying not to call attention to it. I... think the fandoms I gravitate toward are the ones made for this (looks at nrmt looks at post-aa4 klapollo looks at ineffable spouses-)

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Plants! Plant imagery all over the place, both for growth and decay. I love dealing with the passing of time, so I get a lot of mileage out of both. I did just finish something with heavy water imagery that I also enjoyed, especially thinking about water as both nurturing and destructive and an allegory for change.

Also, any time I can slap some people in a kitchen setting, I'm gonna do it. There are conversations that I think can only happen when the speakers are engrossed in shared tasks, and kitchens see so much of human life even independent of food/eating that they basically feel like characters to me.

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

Maybe this is a cop-out, but my favorite thing about my writing right now is that I can see it improving. I was out of the game for a long time, so seeing a style start to take shape again makes me happy.

💖 What made you start writing?

Wow! Uh, I have no idea! I've been doing it since I was a kid, like a really little one. I started out writing songs, then moved to poetry, and then had a brief jog into creative writing before falling into the pit of academic writing. Most recently, what made me come back to creative writing was the lack of emotional closure in Ace Attorney games, haha.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

Oh, basil, how dare!!! I have no idea how to answer this except to say that my favorite character to write is the one who's best equipped to tell the story. I know that sounds pretentious as hell, but I love trying new character voices. I do have an extra soft spot for whatever grumpy or disgruntled guy* is closest to a situation.

💞 Who's your comfort character?

I don't know that I have one 🤔 I understand the feeling, but I'm not sure it's really attached to a specific character for me!