#especially edgeworth he's so shaped...........

[azalawa-scroggs]

I don't think Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma were passive victims.

They are victims, don't mistake me. The ideology of absolute perfection is messed up and every single member of that family is a victim of it, though Manfred is a perpetrator too. Miles especially is a victim - his father murdered, his father's murderer taking him in, either with hatred in his heart or growing to hate him to the point of wanting his life destroyed. But I don't think either Miles or Franziska realised they were victims before Turnabout Goodbyes - Justice for All, for Franziska. I think they fully believed in the von Karma creed and all it entails and gave themselves to it fully and enthusiastically.

What I'm saying is, give me a five-year old Franziska begging to be allowed in law tutoring sessions with Miles. Give me a Miles bitter, disillusioned after DL-6, confiding in his mentor that he thinks he wants to be a prosecutor and not a defence attorney. Give me a Franziska whose "whims" are dismissed by her father, fighting to prove that yes she can be a prosecutor at thirteen - fighting to prove her worth. Give me a Miles more zealous than Manfred in his condemnation of criminals, fervently repeating precepts that Manfred dictates out of habit. Give me a Franziska raised by domestics who don't know how to handle her strong character and barely looked upon by her father, growing up indulged in everything but what she needs the most. Give me a Miles lost, grieving for his father and the moral beacon he represented; give me Miles latching onto Manfred as a new model role, burying an identity now painful and shameful to him to shape himself after Manfred, picking the same suit as him, imitating his every gesture; give me Miles calling him a god or prosecution not entirely out of fear but out of admiration. Give me Manfred looking on them with his head held high and the rare smile, distant but seemingly not inaccessible until they actually try. Give me a dynamic where they don't so much try to avoid his blows or his harsh words as they desperately seek his nod of approval. Give me a world in which they're terrified of him but they fear him out of love, not out of expectation of retribution. Give me a story where they don't rue their loneliness, but take pride in it.

Give me Miles and Franziska unknowing actors of their own unhappiness.

[box-dwelling]

KLARYAN KRISNIX PARALLELS PLEASEEEEE I HAVE SO SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT IT TOO BUT I CANT ARTICULATE THEM QUITE RIGHT PLEASE ADD YOUR VOICE TO MY INTERNAL BRAINROT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

@vexx-ation you also asked so here we go. (As have a few anons sorry this is long and it's taking a while to write everything down)

So my Klaryan take is kinda a mega theory that takes a lot of mini theories into consideration so here it is. This will be long. This will be unhinged. This is my Pepe silvia

Tw for discussions of substance abuse and abusive relationships

1) AA4 parallel foils

Ok so this is semi common knowledge. Every character in AA4 is ment to be a direct foil to a character in aa1. This is well documented and also applies to a lot of the witnesses too. Apollo is a foil for Phoenix, Ema is a foil for Gumshoe, Trucy is a foil for Maya, Klavier is a foil for Edgeworth. This goes on for almost every charcater in the game.

But here's the thing. The trilogy already has foils already. So some of these charcaters end up being massive parallels to eachother. A non relevent example I think about daily is that Trucy and Franziska are very similar but where this is relevant is Klapollo and Narumitsu. I have a post explaining this I'm more detail but basically while far from identical there are a lot of perhaps unintentional but at minimum unexplored parallels between Phoenix and Klavier and Apollo and Edgeworth. This is important.

2) Krisnix as an allegory for substance abuse

So first of my opinion of this doesn't really influence my take on grape juice but it's pretty undeniable that even if you don't think Beanix has addiction issues, hes almost coded to. There's the comment about Ema and the white powder and then the extent to which he's always surrounded by grape juice which at minimum looks like wine. In universe it's easy to see this as a part of his mask and that is my in universe take, he's trying to look in a bad way to hide how he's actually doing.

But I think we can take this further. Miles and Kristoph are superficially very very similar characters however underneath are deeply different and as such have a very different effect on Phoenix's mental state. Miles is absent during the 7yg at his request. And there's a miles shaped hole left in his life that he wants to fill with something that is superficially the same but is in it's effects very different and very bad for him.

Anyone who has dealt with addiction will likely recognise that pattern.

3) Klavier is on some level (whether he's in denial about it or not) aware that Kristoph is in some way dangerous or abusive and was running from him with the band

This is mostly just my take on how he acts in sucession and another very good post that I'll have to find that talks about how similar him joining the band was to the things the other people involved with the Gramarye trial did to try and evade Kristoph.

4) Phoenixs biggest flaw and how Kristoph tests it

So I basically never shut up about this in some places but might not have talked about it here so the tldr of this is that Phoenixs biggest flaw is that he is constantly trying to see the best in people. The final test of this is not breaking the black psyche locks and accepting that just because he's a human being with complexity, doesn't mean his actions are excused or that Phoenix has to forgive or protect him.

So this is where we can start bringing it together a bit.

Klavier and Phoenix are both very similar characters and both victims of Kristophs abuse. Phoenix has a relationship that exemplifies his harmful behaviour after the trial, it's pretty interesting to explore the same thing happening to Klavier.

Especially when we start to compare Daryan to Kristoph and find that they're superficially very different even if both of them turned out to be murders. Kristoph is reserved, Daryan is brash. Kristoph is classy, Daryan is flashy. Kristoph is well spoken and poetic, Daryan is straightforward. You get the idea.

And isn't that fucking fascinating? That Klavier ran to someone who was the complete opposite of his brother but ended up being just as dangerous? And also is it not really interesting that as Phoenix has to learn to accept Kristoph's humanity doesn't excuse his actions. If we take Klavier running to Daryan in this way to be him refusing to acknowledge the human side of his brother, that but running to the superficial opposite and not recognising what truly did make Kristoph dangerous, he fell into the arms of a murder.

And of course, the person he then falls for, is someone who is Apollo. Who is genuinely a good person but was Kristophs mentor and is very similar to him in a number of superficial ways. He has to stop running from his trauma and confront it head on.

Basically this interpreation means the klaryan/ Klapollo and Narumitsu/Krisnix love triangles function as basically a microcosm for how these two handle their trauma and how they have to over come it and each is a direct mirror of the other.

My take on Daryan

Ok people might have seen me joke that he's straight. Here's the thing. I think he definitely has been sleeping with Klavier. They are in some kind of relationship. Buuuuut, I do not think the feelings he has about the relationship are ever well traditionally romantic or sexual. I think it's driven from his side primarily by envy and rage that Klavier gets the spotlight more than him. He can never upstage Klavier on stage, but he can posses him. He can make him feel like shit as revenge.

My General Klayran timeline

They start whatever their weird thing is during the 7yg.

After 4-1 Klavier spirals a lot and it puts intense strain on their relationship because Daryan does not care about this bitch and does not want to support him

4-2 Klavier meets Apollo, sees him in court and kinda starts to develop a big old crush. He realises that Daryan is making him miserable and breaks it off after the case

4-3 newly broken up and it's taking its toll. Then we'll 4-3 happens and that's the end of them.

[ot3]

How do you think Edgeworth thought his return in 2-4 was going to go? It seems like he predicted Franziska’s reaction “right” but was a bit… taken aback by Nick’s. Like did he think it would be a happy reunion? Like a “thank god you are ok” kinda thing or more of a, “oh good you are back let’s get to work”, kinda deal?

Because I feel like Edgeworth, especially at this point, is more likely to underestimate how much positive emotion he generates in people, but in this case he didn’t expect the power of negative ones he created that CAME from the love Nick had for him turned into this wall of grief. So by underestimating the “positive” emotions he generates in Nick he then underestimates the power of the “negative” that got flipped and he got that math all wrong

i really just think that edgeworth was Unaware that he was that significant of a person in phoenix's life. Phoenix and edgeworth don't get to know each other super well during AA1 so edgeworth really has no reason not to believe that phoenix has a full and happy life outside of court that does not revolve around him in any way, shape, or form. but as we the player know this is clearly not the case.

edgeworth's experience with phoenix just pretty much goes like

have courtroom rival -> be a huge dick to him -> he is ultimately compassionate towards me and helps me anyway despite 15 years of absence from his life -> gain tentative friendship -> go away for only one year this time -> come back and try and help him sincerely -> now hes mad at me and tells me to go die

when you lay it out like that its so fucking funny. he really does not get that he absolutely ruined the last year of phoenix's life and made him miserable. so from his POV it's like the second he makes the most blatant overture of friendship he's ever made to phoenix, who by any rationale both really wants to be edgeworth's friend and could really use some help right now, phoenix does a complete 180 on him and tells him to go fuck himself.

[attorneys-against-court-violence]

Damon Gant scares the hell out of me.

This man. This. Sodding. Demon. It's been a few weeks since I beat Rise From the Ashes, but the events of that case and the actions of this character have made the name "Gant" borderline blasphemous. For how far I have gotten into Ace Attorney, he's probably the most terrifying of the villains so far. Yes, that includes Manfred.

Now, coming fresh off the fourth case like me, you may have wondered given his reputation; how can they make this goofy orange funny man more paralysing than THE Manfred von Karma himself? Old Karma set the bar pretty high after all - never was there a worse feeling than catching him in the Evidence Room with a taser after all the work you put in to incriminate him and his witness.

Karma was built from Edgeworth's reputation, the way he was talked up prior to the trial, and his control over the courtroom. He was introduced on a pedestal and kept there till the very end. You are *expected* to fear this man and plays him pretty straight. No ambiguity, he's just that terrifying.

Gant? He practically comes out of nowhere. Even Edgeworth is surprised (even fearful?) when he appears. And he introduces himself by... just standing there. Not even in ellipses as Karma did - he just stares at you until bursting into friendly dialogue. He indirectly helps you connect the SL-9 incident to the current case. He scolds Edgeworth with a smug grin.

You have no idea what to expect from this man. He hits you with so many conflicting signals that you can't tell what you're supposed to think of him. He seems friendly enough, I guess? Maybe he's just like good ol' Gumshoe right? But that stare and the way he taunts Edgeworth... it makes you wonder what's going on with the guy.

Your fears may be alleviated slightly when he lets you into the evidence room. Maybe that same, cold stare he gives you only raises your eyebrows. At best he's a very eccentric fellow, at worst you have no idea why he's keeping up such a façade... if there even is one.

Then the pieces start coming together. There's a good reason why he was so protective of his office; everything you find in there ties him into both cases in a very disturbing way. The way Lana is acting, why Jake Marshall is so interested in SL-9, everything that connects him to Ema especially paints him in a very ominous light. He was involved with all their lives and how they turned out and it isn't shaping up to be a very positive influence. Even smaller details - like how he blasts organ music at officers under his watch to punish them - paint him in an ominous light.

By the time he's standing as a witness for the second time, it becomes crystal clear. Damon Gant is a ruthless, selfish and thoroughly manipulative person. Everything, from SL-9 to now, was planned and thought-out by this horrid man to ensure he gets off scott-free. No matter how many lives he ruins in the process. He frames Ema for murder. He convinces Lana to help him cover up a fake crime. He kills Marshall's brother in the process. He gave Edgeworth false evidence when he took over as prosecutor for SL-9. He did his damndest to remove everyone who investigated SL-9 from power.

Bruce Goodman died because he was getting too close seeing Gants web of lies he had spent 2 years weaving and keeping at this rate. He pulls every string he has - Lana, Edgeworth, even Ema as a scapegoat - to make sure Bruce dies with his secrets. One wrong move from Phoenix and he would have walked out a free man.

Why?

Because he was desperate. They had their serial killer - Joe Darke - but no evidence to prove it. Right or wrong, Gant wanted someone to pay for these violent murders, so he sought justice through the most vile means possible. Manfred only did what he did because he's a perfectionist. Gant did what he did because he wanted justice - or at least the next best thing.

And yet he's still incredibly goofy, mentioning swimming at the slightest chance, giving people nicknames, the whole $50 thing... Manfred doesn't have many humanising moments in Ace Attorney, especially in the first game. Gant is presented as just another eccentric dude with a kind streak and is given plenty of opportunity to look human.

Which might be the scariest part about him.

He's an old and silly police chief who did some truly terrible things for the right reasons. His ruthlessness combined with his eccentric behaviour puts him in an uncanny valley of sorts. He's so close, but yet so far from being likeable as a person (compared to Manfred, who's the textbook definition of "love to hate").

I don't blame Edgeworth for being shaken by his final words.

[bloodofgrapes]

I’m so obsessed with the way you draw nrmt ;-; You draw them like actual men… it’s a huge problem among aa fans where one of the two of them (usually edgeworth) gets written or drawn as a tiny long-eyelashed hairless submissive twink and it’s like. They’re Grown Men. And no one will ever be able to convince me that edgeworth would let his guard down/let go of his control-freakiness enough for some of the shit he’s portrayed as doing lmfao 🫣 I’m certain a big part of it is that you’re gay and You Get It lmao.. I’ve sent you way too many asks in the past few days and i’m sorry if it’s weird but idk you’re my fav ace attorney artist and i appreciate you sm

Alrighty, finally free enough to tackle this anon. So, before I say anything, I want to preface this with my belief that there’s no right or wrong interpretation of a character in fandom—I love to see the immense variety of ways that characters are depicted, and I think it’s fascinating to get to see through the lens that people view them. What I will be talking about in this ask though, is my (and clearly anon’s) personal preference. I just wanted to get that out of the way, because I would be very unhappy if people read this and thought that I judge any interpretation of the characters I spend much of my time talking about on the hellsite.

With that out of the way, I do agree with you anon. I’ve hesitated to answer asks like this in the past (you’re not the first to say this), but you have put it in a way that I think fits how I feel about them. I am a gay man—I love men in any shape or form they come in, but I truly adore masculinity. Hairy belly and ass, boxy builds, square jaws and hands, receding hairlines, deep voice, the works. This is not to say that these characteristics cannot also be feminine, but I am approaching this in the context of speaking about male characters, and the things I enjoy from them—but make no mistake, I love effeminate men just as much, especially in the variety of ways that they can manifest.

Which is a good lead in to something I have always loved about Edgeworth, from the first time I played these games nearly twenty years ago: Edgeworth has always struck me as inherently traditionally masculine, even in spite (or perhaps because) of his more flamboyant tastes, such as wearing a bold pink suit, jabot, preference for frilly things and flowers, etc. He’s not what any boomer would call a man’s man, but I feel like a lot of fandom overlooks that he’s barrel chested, deep voiced, stoically cold, and prone to masking or outright shutting down his emotions. As a gay man these traits really resonate with me—I embody many of the same things, while also having a certain air of “fruitiness”, if you will.

I’m in my mid-thirties, and while I believe it’s never too late to have heroes or feelgood characters, it’s a little unusual for me to have a character that makes me feel “seen”, at least in the way he does. Being a trans man specifically, I’ve spent much of my life grappling with the inherent masculinity and femininity I was born with, so it’s always been a comfort to me (even if I didn’t quite realize it when I was younger) to see a man that sacrificed absolutely none of his masculinity while wearing frills and a bright pink suit. So I love depictions of him (and Phoenix, because I think he’s viewed not dissimilarly in this fandom) that lean away from the typical shiny smoothness of most anime, and more into making them standard 30-something males. As I said in the first paragraph of this, it's all personal preference, there’s no right or wrong way to vibe with these characters, but I appreciate you anon, because I do think that we’re in a very small minority in this fandom, and while that’s not a bad thing by any means, it’s nice to see a kindred spirit <3

[van-zieksy]

If Barok ever got his own Investigations game, what do you think his unique ability/mechanic would be? Every protagonist needs one :D

Hello my friend,

Thank you for your ask! I am going to try to keep this as short as possible (unlike usually ;-)).

When I think of Barok and potential abilities for him, why don’t we stay true to the cliché of a vampire, since he’s supposed to resemble one (among other things)? It’d be hilarious because his investigative allies who are aware of his unique abilities may lovingly tease him about being a vampire, to which he won’t know how to respond. He may not be the Reaper, but he isn’t quite normal either!

There are three abilities in particular that come to mind, as they would aid him in his investigations. Some may sound silly at first, but I find them to be very intriguing, and especially the second and third one would fit into the AA universe, which isn’t a stranger to paranormal abilities and techniques. So I may select one of those for him.

1. Shapeshifting, transformation, change in size:

This allows our investigating prosecutor to take on the shape of other people and even creatures (e.g. cats) in order to gain invaluable information. A change in size allows him to reach areas normal-sized humans may not be able to reach and hence discover hidden clues. This may or may not be a little too crazy even for AA, but come on, how much fun would it be?! "Has anyone seen Lord van Zieks?" "I think I saw him crawl into that hole right there earlier." or "Pray, what do you mean? I am standing right in front of you." "Heh? Are you alright inspector?" "!! Oh, wait, yes, I am the inspector! No, I do not know anything about Lord van Zieks' whereabouts."

2. Better sight, hearing, smell – heightened senses:

Because he has better senses, our man is able to pick up on even the tiniest hints and clues other investigating officials may miss out on. Barok can notice scent trails, which allows him to, for example, see the past movements of people who were at the crime scene. His unique eye sight ensures he is capable of locating the tiniest blood stains and other small objects or things people have left behind, which he can then use to logically connect the dots.

3. Telepathy/read and influence the minds of people:

Now, this one is somewhat similar to Apollo’s ability to perceive but goes further than that. AA characters are only humans, right? They lie, hide things and conceal important facts. Sometimes they do it on purpose, other times they may not even be aware of it as they can’t make sense of the situation themselves. With Barok being able to enter people’s minds, he can gain access to information an average human is not privy to, allowing him to uncover inconsistencies in statements, evidence and whatnot. Influencing someone’s thoughts can help him to get someone to provide him with the information he needs in order to carry out his investigations properly.

Of course, all of these abilities have their limits. He can’t just use them as much as he wants, as that would make the game too easy. Barok has an energy/life force bar, and whenever he uses his ability, a portion of his energy is being drained from him until eventually the investigation comes to an end, meaning he lost his chance to prosecute a potential culprit. This is because utilising his abilities takes a lot out of him.

The player also needs to know WHEN and HOW to use his unique ability. Sometimes they choose the wrong moment, sometimes they pick the wrong investigative area to focus on, other times they don’t pursue the correct train of thought of a witness, and sometimes they enter the mind of a person at the wrong time. The player needs to utilise their own senses/emotional intelligence/empathy to make proper use of Barok’s senses or other abilities. Barok becomes an extension of the player, which I think aligns with Edgeworth’s games, where the player is supposed to „become“ Edgeworth.

His life force bar is represented by a hallowed chalice full to the rim with wine. Every time he utilises his ability, some wine disappears from the chalice until nothing is left (if it ever gets to that point).

Thank you for the ask and have a great weekend! I especially hope the new path you have taken just a few days ago will be a good one! <3

With much love,

Zieksy

[curewhimsy]

Based on a dream I had

It was a rainy June day at the facility where we had summer camp. Water fell from the sky in heavy curtains. The ground was muddy and waterlogged and drenched with puddles. It was impossible to play outside.

Since everyone was stuck inside, a few kids decided to have a conversation-type game, debating which of two proposed characters would win in a fight.

More kids got drawn in, each pitting their favorite characters in, and defending them in the argument.

Some of the conversations were really funny, like when the kids decided the little pop-star Miku Hatsune could defeat Superman! How? Because she was involved with a company called Crypton, and Superman’s weakness was Kryptonite.

My name is Amelie Sugar. I’m just an average 9 year old girl who is often too passionate about things that don’t matter. I tend to get carried away often, and love to daydream.

It was finally time for me to argue which character I think would be the strongest. I chose Tinkaton from Pokémon. Sure, she was cute, but she was also a force to be reckoned with! She wields a humungous steel hammer forged she herself, and has the power to fling it around effortlessly! And despite being a fairy-type Pokémon, she doesn’t have a weakness to steel, because she’s steel-type herself too. And all fairies are super epic already because they slay dragons. And Tinkaton is so powerful that she slays Corviknight too! She’s an absolute menace!

“Tinkaton could take down anyone!” I said enthusiastically. “She brings down flying Corviknight by flinging rocks in the sky with her MASSIVE HAMMER. It’s super powerful and it takes a ton of strength to lift! And Tinkaton is a fairy, so she fights with the power of light and friendship!” 

“Well, I think the Steel Samurai could beat Tinkaton.” A boy named Miles Edgeworth said smugly. He was a year older than me, but in the same group. “The Steel Samurai’s element is steel, and Tinkaton is a fairy Pokémon. Fairies are weak to steel. Well? What do you have to say about that?”

“Miles… you’re forgetting that Tinkaton is a steel-type too!” I said back. “She doesn’t have a weakness to steel attacks, because her steel-typing gives her a resistance to it!”

Miles now looked visibly frustrated. It felt kind of good to be getting to him. The truth is, I don’t win often at anything, especially not at debates. I’m a bit insecure about it. And Miles is so smug all the time and is usually great at arguing! I felt a sense of victory to make him become quiet.

“Yeah, Ame! You TELL him!” My friend Joy cheered. Joy was my friend who was a year younger than me and looked up to me. It was flattering really, how cool she well, perceived me to be. 

“W-Well…” Miles continued. “Tinkaton’s hammer wouldn’t stand a chance against the Steel Samurai sword! It’s forged of the strongest mineral in the land. It might even slice right through that hammer! Take that!”

“Well, did you know Tinkaton is a master blacksmith herself?” I added on. “She forged her hammer herself, and it weighs a megaton and is iron-cast. One hammer hit to the Steel Samurai sword will bend it out of shape! And guess what? Tinkaton would just steal that sword, and the Steel Samurai’s armor, and use the steel to make her hammer even bigger! In your FACE!”

I laughed in victory. I saw Miles’ face turn red and flushed.

“…OBJECTION!” Miles yelled. Then he paused, like he couldn’t think of an objection. “I… The Steel Samurai… He… he never loses!”

“Sorry, Miles. But Ame just explained why Tinkaton is more epic.” Joy smiled.

“Objection! The Steel Samurai fights for the people… he’s a hero…” Miles said weakly.

Just then, I felt myself become a little apologetic.

“Hey, Miles? The Steel Samurai is important to you, isn’t he?”

“I… Of course he is!” Miles lashed out. “And you tried to make it all about your… stupid Tinkaton! One more thing. CALL ME EDGEWORTH. Only my FRIENDS call me Miles.”

“…Okay, Edgeworthless.” I said.

It was supposed to be a harmless joke.

The truth was, I was feeling a bit disheartened that Edgeworth said I wasn’t his friend.

But Miles… he was hurt. He started crying. I didn’t expect him to cry. He was usually so stern. All this time, I thought his heart was as hard and cold as steel.

“Amelie… How can you be such a jerk!” He sniffled. “You… called me such a horrible name! I… I won’t forgive you.”

Edgeworth gave me one last look of shame and hatred and ran off in tears.

I suddenly felt a bit of heaviness in my heart.

“What did you do that for, Amelie?” A quiet, sensible boy named Defota asked me. “That was really mean.”

“Well Edgeworth isn’t nice either.” I said to defend myself.

“You shouldn’t have called him worthless though.” Defota walked away as well. I frowned.

“Sorry Ame.” Joy said. “I know you didn’t mean that.”

I sighed. I still felt bad.

The game ended right there and everyone dispersed.

“Amelie, what the heck?” Taya went up to me, only seeing part of the scene. He seemed a bit skeptical of me, and I honestly didn’t blame him. “What did you say to Miles to make him cry like that?”

“I… I honestly wish I knew.” I said.

It wasn’t that I was really a jerk... I just had trouble understanding things… But did that really make me a jerk? I felt bad.

“I… I think I’m going to try to apologize to him. To Miles.” I said. But suddenly his words flashed through my head, and his angry, crying face.

“I… I won’t forgive you!”

What if Miles won’t forgive me?

[kayfarafey]

Greetings!

I think this question is perfect for yours truly.

Defence attorney Miles Edgeworth and Prosecutor Phoenix Wright. Due to some weird supernatural incident they both find themselves in different roles. It's essentially the cliché body-swap-but-each-person-retains-their-own-minds that we've seen all too often in media. Do you have any headcanons, thoughts or similar as to what it would look like if their roles were reversed? We have already seen Edgeworth take on the role of a defence attorney temporarily, and I think he was quite good. Also, what about their dynamic?

I know this may be a question that you possibly need to think about first, so please take as much time as you'd like, or if you don't want to answer it at all, you can definitely let me know in a PM. I don't mind. <3

Thank you and best wishes,

Zieksy

...WAIT ZIEKSY DO YOU NOT KNOW IM WORKING ON A ROLESWAP AU RIGHT NOW? THATS SO CRAZY. read more because i went ham on this response i got so excited

the general premise is that in this au, because theres a bunch of prosecutor phoenix von karma fics out there (complete respect to them, but i don't want to steal anyone's dead horse) is that when phoenix's parents die around the same time as dl-6 occurs in canon, he ends up being taken in by the hawthornes. i wanted to experiment with phoenix's own past instead of just totally switching him with edgeworth, and i love dahlia she's like. Antagonist of All Time. so i wanted to play around with her and what sort of effect she would have if her relationship with phoenix (to clarify, it is a sibling relationship as opposed to a romantic one) was a) actually her, and b) far more significant than an 8 month college romance, with all the complicated messiness of having a family member who is Not a good person but they are your family.

phoenix's defining tenet is his belief in others and his ability to trust them, and while his relationship with dahlia in canon most likely affected that as well it's not really touched upon in detail. something like that would absolutely be seriously damaged by dahlia's hot-and-cold personality as a result of her (imo/hc) npd, as well as her "death" and the subsequent realization that she was alive all along and never told him because she didn't trust him with the secret, because he was too open and honest. after she gets away with killing fawles and valerie hawthorne, phoenix's motivation to become a prosecutor has to do with making sure criminals like her aren't able to evade conviction. it's not quite edgeworth and von karma's "there is no way to determine guilt so we need to prove every defendant is guilty" but more "you cannot put your faith in others to do what they need to do, evidence is everything and people will lie, and i refuse to let criminals escape when their guilt is evident no matter what"

it is also well known that i am a wh*re for beanix wright, so i wanted to utilize that jaded, skeptical element of his characterization. therefore of COURSE prosecutor phoenix has a poker gimmick--if he's not slouched against the bench with his hands in his trouser pockets, he's fiddling with poker chips or a deck of cards. he's almost emotionless, a permanent poker face with just a slight air of smugness. as for his design, i was genuinely thinking "what could be hot and fun" so i have him in a red waistcoat with brass buttons in the shape of the four suits, messy hair and stubble, and a dress shirt with lace decals and no tie. very not-phoenix, which was the intent.

one of the biggest things i wanted to do with this au is address what the potential effects of enduring abuse from someone with narcissism, especially a loss of self-esteem and a loss of identity. when phoenix is taken in by the hawthornes (not out of the kindness of their hearts but more out of obligation) his surname is changed and with dahlia isolating him he really does lose a lot of the stuff that makes him phoenix, in the same way that aa4 phoenix is recognizable but still so different than his character from the trilogy. the red waistcoat of course shows that switch, but phoenix still goes by hawthorne and wears lace (like dahlia) in acknowledgement that more of his life has been spent as phoenix hawthorne than phoenix wright, and the child he once was is not something he can reclaim. that isn't someone he can be again, ever.

oh my god that was all about phoenix. just know you asked for this.

SO WITH EDGEWORTH the accident on december 28th did actually happen, but when von karma was shot by the ricocheting bullet he basically went "fuck this," cut his losses, and dipped instead of shooting gregory. greg ends up with some minor cerebral hypoxia that sometimes affects his motor coordination and short-term memory, so even though miles passes the bar around the same time as canon, he works as his father's co-counsel for 4/5 years. also, because i love her, after byrne faraday's death greg adopts kay so she is edgeworth's little sibling and is actually the defendant in his first solo case. because i am a lunatic i have. all new cases planned. but this is getting so, so long so i wont go into that rn.

he's not so much cold or distant but he is awkward, greg's definitely the heart of their lawyerly duo because he can talk to witnesses without accidentally being too brusque and offending someone. still overly formal, but he loses that rigidity quickly when he's around his family and close friends. one thing i wanted to make sure of is that while he's awkward, he Is still confident in his abilities as a lawyer--think a mix of apollo and post-seven year gap edgeworth. i of course have him in a trench coat, as well as a pretty basic charcoal three-piece and a (tastefully!) blue ascot, because i hate bowties but i wanted to give him dorky neckwear. this contrast of color was literally just because it was fun and i have feenie in red.

AS FOR THEIR DYNAMIC, it's a lot more stilted than in canon. their relationship in canon was built on that childhood connection and phoenix chasing after edgeworth, but that's not the case here. they were important to each other, and edgeworth can't brush that off, but phoenix views miles as a representation of the person who he once was and is not allowed to be anymore. but phoenix is still phoenix, so even when miles pushes only the slightest bit he folds, but his inability to trust edgeworth (even though he wants to) is a huge barrier to the development of their relationship. it's edgeworth's drive in court to unravel the truth and how he values believing in other people that leads phoenix to think about the person he's become. despite not being able to be phoenix wright anymore he still views edgeworth as a paragon of justice and goodness like he did when he was phoenix wright, and if edgeworth believes in that despite everything, if edgeworth believes in him despite everything, edgeworth must be right.

jesus fucking christ i am so sorry. you literally asked this at like. Peak thinking about this au time so you get ten thousand words about it. thank you for asking zieksy you're my moon and stars

[legallymean]

Ace Attorney/Gravity Falls AU Overview

This has been in development for over a year, folks. Basically it’s a “what if the Feys were in tune with more than just spirits and Miles Edgeworth had heterochromia and wanted to be a scientist instead of a prosecutor” AU.

More details under the cut.

It starts... very far in the past. Twin flowers were born in the second dimension: Dahlia and Iris Hawthorne. Well, those aren't technically their "real" names, just aliases they picked to seem friendlier. Dahlia is a pink 12-pointed star, Iris's design hasn't been picked out yet. Dahlia grows up unhappy with her surroundings, and tricks Iris into helping her destroy the 2nd dimension with the help of a being called "Morgan Fey" (also an alias.) Morgan manages to contain things before they get too out of hand, and separates the twins, disguising Iris as a human, permanently, and keeps Dahlia in a sort of void.

Meet Miles Edgeworth. Him and his identical twin, Franziska, were born from an affair that Manfred von Karma had. Miles is the top of his class in everything he studies, and Franziska is right behind him. It seems like together, they can conquer the world.

But Manfred wants Miles to pursue law, and threatens to disown him if he doesn't. They have a big fight over it, and Miles decides to get a scholarship at a fancy American university since it's a way he can get away from Manfred. Franziska, in a fit of being afraid of being abandoned, accidentally spills water on his tickets. They argue about it, and eventually she agrees to pay for a replacement. Manfred is very not happy with this, and tells her that buying those plane tickets is the last thing she'll ever do with his money. So, she packs up all her stuff and buys an extra set of tickets to travel to America with Miles. Problem is, she loses him at the airport.

Manfred pretends that his youngest kids died, and since he's famous, people believe him.

He has a grand time at Ivy University and meets Phoenix Wright there. (He's a surprise tool that will help us later.)

Franziska, on the other hand, doesn't fare so hot. She has to resort to scamming people on the street by doing various scams until she gets chased out of state. One time, she steals a camper van by pretending she's a confused tourist. She still rides horseback whenever possible, especially in farm country, but seems to just accept her life of exploiting loopholes in the law.

Miles, on the flight to America, reads a little Geocities-esque article that's presented like a creepypasta. He doesn't believe it, but he's in for a laugh, and so he follows the little "ritual" in the article, then naps the rest of the time on the plane.

It lies dormant for a while, but then, once he moves to Gravity Falls after uni and decides to plant dahlias in his yard, a certain someone visits him in his sleep.

Dahlia Hawthorne introduces herself to Miles Edgeworth in the chess dimension- AKA his mind. They chat for a bit, and then Miles makes a deal with her. This goes about as well as you'd expect.

He attempts to find out more about her, including interviewing one "Iris Fey" with a suspiciously Dahlia-shaped birthmark, but then, the blackouts start. Dahlia randomly possesses him whenever she feels like it, as per their deal. It's not long, though, till they realize they can't build this portal unless they have a mechanic.

Cue Phoenix Wright. He's an engineer in this au, since it suits the plot. Miles invites him to Oregon, they start talking again, they get married, finish the portal and wham, bam, Phoenix sees Dahlia's true form and gets Very Freaked Out and stops working on the project. He also invents the memory gun and becomes Old Man Wright. Not a hillbilly, though. He's just a sad dumpster diver who listens to Sad Old Man Music. And adopts two kids, but we'll get to that later.

Miles goes on with his life, but then realizes Dahlia has awful intentions and intends to stop her before it's too late. He puts a metal plate in his head and calls up Franziska based on her last known location, and tells her to come see him in Oregon.

Franziska, thoroughly annoyed, decides to come see him to yell at him a little bit. Instead, she's greeted with a crossbow to the face, Miles with a stubble beard, and a leather-bound book with an M with a line and what looks like two sideways square brackets underneath it, which he tells her to hide but not destroy.

She gets mad at him, because "Miles, it has been 7 years since we last spoke." Christmas was three days ago as well, and she wants to have a nice got dang conversation for once. This conversation ends up taking them all the way to the basement, where they get into a fight and Franziska accidentally pushes her brother into the portal.

She, not knowing what to do, assumes his legal name "Francis von Karma", and decides to open up his old cottage as a sideshow/escape room. Wright is upset because of this, but he can't remember why.

Sometime in the gap, Wright finds two children, and a mother who can't provide for them. Phoenix being the bleeding heart he is, takes them to Franziska after legally adopting them. Franziska doesn't have enough money to take care of twins, so after Phoenix names the kids Apollo and Trucy, they're sent off to be raised by Franziska's older sister.

In Summer of 2031, Trucy and Apollo get sent to their Auntie Fran's house in Oregon, because Franziska's sister thinks it's important for them to. Hijinx ensues.

Sebastian tries to upstage Franziska and then later summons Dahlia to prove he's "the best".

Klavier and Apollo have an on-again off-again friendship, while him and Trucy try to best each other in the performing arts.

Franziska has hired Gumshoe (named after his favourite novels) and Maya Fey (Iris' cousin) to work at the Mystery Shack, and then Ema and Apollo get into a prank war.

Trucy befriends Kay Faraday and Athena Cykes. Simon Blackquill also appears sometimes, as a kind of role model figure for them. (The kids think he's very cool)

The Paynes like bread.

[turnaboutwright]

Autistic Ramblings. Literally that’s IT

for a while i’ve had the autistic urge to explain to someone all my different “good luck” charms and the pocket tiger post made me realize i can just make a whole list explaining them here. so if you do happen to read this please like it but i also know it’s a personal thing that most people wouldn’t care about (and now has become rather long!) especially if you don’t know me. ANYWAYS. here we go. in no real particular order-!

-the coin i got at the Chattanooga aquarium last year when i visited for my birthday! it has paddlefish on it :) my best friend went with us that day and i have fond memories associated with it

-my prosecutors badge! obviously means a lot because it’s connected to my fav of all time but it was also a gift from my best friend in the first year i knew him and stays pinned to my hat, which i wear most of the time

-similarly my defense attorney badge! i got it years ago and it’s really good quality. has a good weight to it for a pin so i can’t pin it to my hat. i usually keep it in my pocket/wallet funnily enough (in aa usually phoenix/defense attorneys display their badges while edgeworth/prosecutors keep them in their pocket) but sometimes i pin it to my shirt if im wearing a button down

-ok last ace attorney thing lol. i have a really cool charm that has phoenix on one side and miles on the other. it’s one of the very few fandom etsy type things i’ve bought. it stays in my wallet most of the time

-my special rock!!! theres a stream/river that my mom and i love to visit and there was an area where the water made a little creek from the road down to the larger area and i could have watched it forever. i happened to spot a very very flat rock shaped like and arrowhead and with edges that almost let you see the layers. i felt a little bad about it but figured since it wouldn’t dislodge anything it’d be okay to take. it has a different recharging system than the others but i haven’t even gotten to that yet.

-my transformers figures! so pretty much all of them are cheap toys i bought while working fast food as rewards to myself after tough weeks but i’m glad to have them. i rotate them based on how i’m feeling that day. optimus is for long or tiring days when i think i’ll need strength to get through a shift. ratchet is for when i’m already exhausted before going into work or not feeling well in the morning. starscream and soundwave i usually just have as general support but i have a particular soundwave figure a friend gave me that i take when i want to remember them and their support.

-transformers...2! just a funny note. i put those guys in my lunch box when i go to work but usually make sure they go in my locker and not the fridge. especially if i took starscream that day. i get the feeling my day would end up having some kind of negative note if i left him in there. same with ratchet but that’s more because i can imagine him complaining and he doesn’t deserve it really

-my dragon spinner ring! one of my oldest charms that i still have. technically i’ve lost it again (there was a time i couldn’t find it for years after we moved) but i’m pretty sure its in my room somewhere. i got it several several years ago at the renaissance festival. i think it’s the only thing my dad’s gotten me that i consider really special. obviously i love spinning it and it really does look cool.

okay! those are all my current “good luck” items that i use fairly regularly. i probably have others tucked away. pretty much any small trinket i’m gifted from someone who means a lot to me becomes one of these items

i also have a recharging system for them that i consider fairly important! mainly it just means that after a few consecutive days of ‘using’ a particular charm it has to ‘recharge’ or it won’t help me as much if at all. listen. i KNOW they don’t actually do anything. but it’s the thought that counts and this system helps me feel better. so i make sure to let my charms rest out of respect for what they do for me and so they can continue to help me.

basically this just means that they go into my bedside drawer for a few days usually. while my rock can recharge like this it won’t be fully up to strength till i dunk it in a body of water again. any water helps but it’s especially charged after i let it soak in the stream i got it from for a minute. i can only do this maybe once a month though.

also shout out to my original charm that “recharged”! it was a pendant, also from the renaissance festival i believe, that was kinda rectangular with curved edges and made out of glass. it was deep blue/purple, had a sorta square pattern going on inside, and was slightly smaller than my thumb. anyways it recharged via the sun and i used it freshman year of hs to get through PE. i named it corn after a stone from a certain manga i use to be obsessed with in middle school/part of hs. the character in the manga used her blue stone similarly, that is for emotional support, and also use to hold it up to the sun. i probably still have it somewhere but it’s i don’t use it or wear it anymore

ok! that’s all i can think of at the moment but i really enjoyed typing this all out. if you happened to read all of this....why...but also thank you. i love knowing that someone else knows these things now. i cant just tell when i try to explain these things irl people tune me out rip;;; though i understand why

[characteroulette]

well all rightie then, it’s time to analyse how DGS1 handles grief really well in my opinion

(once again, spoilers for all of DGS1)

(also some spoilers for the original trilogy games) (and a little of DGS2)

okay So my thesis statement here is that Asougi’s character in DGS1 is the vessel through which Ryuunosuke and Susato’s grief is explained. Everything about how they relate to Asougi is their dealing with their grief in a simple message: Loss hits hard, but you have to continue to live and love. Life Goes On, shaping that grief into yourself if you allow it.

We start off with Case 1 as our baseline. The set-up. It’s a routine to show what life is like for Ryuunosuke before tragedy. (Fitting for an AA protagonist to have their baseline of normal being accused of murder.) This case does a really, really good job of setting up Asougi as our friend, our partner, whom we might spend the rest of the game with.

(I mean, the death flag’s kinda obvious if you’re genre-savvy; the mentor must die so that the student may grow into their own. But Asougi’s so likeable! He’s confident, genuine with Ryuunosuke, comfortably teasing, and looks at you with the same eyes as Klavier. What’s not to love? Also that small hint of something deeper is so tantalising that for it to go unresolved is pretty unthinkable.)

It’s important for us to see how much Asougi means to Ryuunosuke, how much the two really are best friends. This set-up is pivotal to what happens next in Case 2: the drop.

The way Ryuunosuke reacts to learning about Asougi’s death is real. He tries to deny it at first, can’t bring himself to believe it. Especially since he’s been accused of the crime! But the moment he sees that photo of Asougi that Sherlock took, that’s where the truth of it hits and he can’t run from it anymore. All he can do is try to push past that biting grief to at least solve his friend’s murder and set things right.

Susato’s own grief is portrayed really well here, too. She’s so angered and clouded by it that she totally ignores the fact that Asougi and Ryuunosuke are best friends and believes Ryuunosuke to be the murderer. Really, she just blames Ryuunosuke because it’s easier that way, since the wound cuts just as deep for her.

What really strikes me, though, is how the whole case isn’t just a one-note misery. Like real life, the two slip into sadness when they remember their dear friend, but they’re still able to joke around. They still get upset or sarcastic or excited. Because, though their grief affects them immensely, the message is that life continues. It can’t just stop for them like it did for their friend; life goes on. Not out of malice, but out of necessity.

Also, the way Sherlock acknowledges their grief is pretty great. That felt hugely validating to me, how he tells them that their mourning is important and how his jovial, joking tone was never properly taking that into account. The way he continues breaking in at the end to lighten the mood, too, is his own genuine way of trying to help, exhausting though he may be. It’s appreciated, at the least, to keep us the players from breaking down into tears as the conclusion rolls with no real satisfaction at the mystery being solved.

That final conversation between Susato and Ryuunosuke, at least, is hugely cathartic to make up for that. It sounds like it should feel rushed, honestly, dealing with the majority of the grieving process in just Case 2, but it doesn’t at all. It seems properly healthy, like the two are doing their best by confiding and taking comfort in one another in order to celebrate Asougi’s goals, to keep going where he can’t. Ryuunosuke and Susato both form their resolve here to continue to live, not just for Asougi, but for themselves as well. For life’s sake.

Because, again, life goes on.

(A brief tangent: Seeing the contrast of this story versus the original trilogy is also a really neat sort of view into Shu Takumi’s growth as a writer. Or the AA series’ growth as a whole. How Edgeworth handled his grief by never really acknowledging it in AA1, how he basically ran away from it by refusing to live as a sort of punishment against himself, is really sad. Then Phoenix handling his grief in JFA by turning to anger and resentment is just as heartbreaking. Phoenix disavows himself from it, trying to spare himself the pain by denying it, which only hurt him more and he had to have everyone around him break him out of that awful mindset. Then in T&T it’s Godot’s grief which drives the plot, as he turns his anger on Phoenix unjustly. He blames Phoenix for Mia’s death and lashes out at everyone instead of allowing himself the time to properly grieve.

And then DGS1 comes along to say that maybe the answer is just that life goes on and we have healthier ways to reconcile with our grief and it’s just real neat to see!)

In Case 3 and 4, we can see through Ryuunosuke’s discussion with Lord Vortex (/Stronghart) the continuation of his handling this grief. It’s a burden, one Ryuunosuke doesn’t fully understand, but he fervently takes upon himself because we want to live for those we’ve lost. (It is the Wright way, the Naruhodou way, to take on the aspirations of the friends you’ve lost. To mimic their mannerisms, their ambitions, in order to keep them close to your heart.)

(That’s a whole other can of worms I could dive into, honestly, how their decision to give Ryuunosuke all of Phoenix’s poses for the whole ancestor vibe while ALSO making it clear that Ryuunosuke took them from Asougi to begin with, it’s just. It’s good, it’s perfect, it’s the same brand of gay the series is known for and I’m love it.)

You also see, as the trial of Case 3 progresses, how Ryuunosuke is basically just living off of ‘what would Asougi do?’ as Susato coaches him along and it’s fun and bittersweet all the way through. Case 4 is where he gains more confidence in himself, but he still defaults to thinking of Asougi’s unwavering trust in him to help him and every time it’s handled with tenderness and shows just how much Ryuunosuke loved his friend.

And, if you’re like me and take every opportunity to examine Asougi’s badge and present it to Susato (/others), you see how they continue to grow with their grief. It starts off with both of them being unable to say much, still weighed down heavily by Asougi’s loss. Though they are continuing and life goes on, it’s still a wound too fresh to approach and hard for them to properly explain.

By Case 5, though, the two of them are more conversational. They’ve found their words, they’ve mended that wound as much as possible so that life won’t leave without them. It still hurts, of course, but it’s easier to think about. It’s easier to reconcile when they’ve been working hard and making friends and continuing to live. It’s small, but the progression is there and I really appreciate it.

Speaking of Case 5, though, everything about this one, in regards to Asougi, is pure catharsis. It really is like they’re looking their grief right in the face and accepting it as a part of themselves. Ryuunosuke looks back on his friend not just with fondness, but with gratefulness that Asougi could make such a big impact on his life.

(This is similar to the whole Phoenix and Mia thing, I feel, since Phoenix often thought of his mentor with the same sort of tone. At least, I think so. Remarkable how Phoenix’s grief can mirror the finalised version of Ryuunosuke’s with the help of spirit channeling! /joke)

Ryuunosuke and Susato have etched Asougi into their hearts and their persons and it’s just really, very good I like it a lot.

(okay time for a few paragraphs on DGS2 and Asougi)

Case 1 one DGS2 is a neat look into Susato’s mind and thought process. You can definitely tell she’s still just a 16-year-old with the mistakes she makes and how she tries to handle her own arguments, which is very cute. We also get to see her actually talking to Asougi’s grave and then see how her own relationship with Asougi has influenced her style (/poses) and aspirations. (Ryuunosuke, too. It’s cute to see how she’s ended up a mixture of both of them.) And it’s a great rug pull moment for the player, since the way that the grief is handled in DGS1 is so good and (almost) final that hearing Asougi might not actually be dead is a bit like digging up old wounds. I mean, we went the entirety of the first game coming to terms with his death, what do you mean his body went missing??

(Case 2 serves as a reminder. Like haha remember how Susato and Ryuunosuke both love Asougi and are sad about his death? Here’s the baseline again, get ready to have it wrecked!)

And Case 3 is phenomenal, too. The way Van Zieks is so understanding in his response to showing him Asougi’s badge is just. It’s perfect, he’s so gentle and empathetic that it shocks Ryuunosuke (even though Ryuunosuke did the same understanding and concern for Van Ziek’s situation Ryuunosuke please). Then the way that Ryuunosuke sees Asougi, disguised in a cloak and mask, and immediately recognises him. To me, that really shows how much he loved his friend. He knew Asougi for about a year and it’s been about nine months since Asougi’s death, yet Ryuunosuke recognises him just by the way he carries himself.

But, to him, Asougi is dead. He’s made peace with that. So, even if it plays on his mind, he can’t allow himself to think that. He puts it out of his mind completely and doesn’t think on it again.

At least, until Susato (who reacted very realistically by shutting down the possibility that Asougi might still be alive because that means Sherlock lied and she couldn’t take having that hope break her worse than before) sees the exact same thing just as immediately and shouts after him. The fact that they both see this disguised man and know it can be no one besides Asougi is insane. It’s love. It makes me cry, I wish they could’ve hugged him during the big reveal (though I know Japanese culture’s just not like that).

Anyway, DGS2 diatribe over. Back to the conclusion.

The whole of DGS1 is just a masterful example of how grief doesn’t have to destroy you, of how life can go on and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, and how channeling that grief into motivation to keep their memories alive can be powerful. That it’s okay to still feel grief even as you heal, that it’s okay to have fun and keep living even as you mourn. Life is a mixture of levity and tragedy and, to me, DGS1 nails that mixture with perfection.

Absolutely legendary. Join me next time when I dive into the main theme of DGS2, which is literally ‘the dead will come back to life to haunt you’ thanks for coming to my essay talk

[askaceattorney]

Dear Gumshoe Fan,

No kidding?

Well, happy birthday, pal!  I hope this letter gets to you before your 15th birthday.  If it’s a party you want, you’ve come to the right guy -- I just happen to throw the best parties this side of town!

The Blue Badger’s in kind of rough shape for dancing at the moment, but I guess we could have him there as a decoration.  I’ll send out invitations to everyone I know, but I wouldn’t count on Mr. Edgeworth coming.  He kind of hates parties...especially ones where there’s dancing.

My birthday’s not until August, but you don’t have to spend too much on presents, pal.  Just finding out that I had a fan made my day, my week, and possibly even my year, so thanks a million!

So, uh...  Are there are any more of you out there?

-Dick Gumshoe

[4ragon]

Gimme that Uncle Ray goodness if you're still doing character opinions 👀

You got it!

Raymond Shields is I think an important part of Miles’s development in AAI2. I do really enjoy the characters who cover up their own insecurities by joking and trying to make themselves out to not being taken seriously, and I think Ray absolutely fits into this. He’s definitely a sort of keeping his head down, just trying to get through the day kind of guy, and I think that he struggled so much after losing Gregory. It’s not quite Godot levels of self vitriol and lashing out, but there is a lot of that anger and guilt and grief bubbling just under the surface that I think AAI2 helps him at least start to work through.

I will say, just as a small note, I wish they toned down the womanizer part of him a little more? The constantly asking for hugs thing doesn’t bother me as much as it bothers some of my friends, but it does rub me the wrong way a little bit. Like it’s a joke, I think even in-game he doesn’t mean for it to be taken seriously, but it’s still a little uncomfy in places. And every once in a while he makes a joke about the girls that gets a liiiitle too close to the line.

Like. There are certain tropes in Japanese media that can really get under my skin, especially when they’re in a character that I otherwise enjoy! Like, I want to like you, but can you scale it back just a little bit? There are ways to do it tastefully. I know a lot of people who aren’t fans of Ray, and I do understand why. 

But on the flip side, I think there’s also so much depth to his character. He’s a very different defense attorney than Phoenix is, I don’t think he has any of that bright eyed optimism of naivety that so defined Phoenix in the trilogy. And you know, you can kind of tell that life hasn’t been the easiest for him. He lost his mentor, a man he looked up to and trusted, a man who helped shape him into the person he was today, and then he became responsible for trying to keep up Gregory’s spirit by running the Edgeworth Law Office. I do wonder what his life was like outside of that, if he had many other adult figures to look up to.

And like, it’s absolutely not justified, but I do think it’s interesting to look at what Raymond’s misplaced anger toward Miles meant. I think that seeing Miles A) Turn away from everything Gregory stood for to become like the man who defeated him in court just before he died, and also B) Seeing Miles be so successful at it, so successful at being a lawyer while he struggled to keep his mentor’s dream going, both really would sting for Raymond. Like, Raymond doesn’t seem like he’s necessarily rolling in accolades. Not that he’s a bad lawyer, mind you, he’s clearly very competent, but I think he’s also the kind of guy who is willing to take on those defense cases of people who have done bad things and still need someone in their corner, you know?

(Also if you have the chance, this fic was really good, it’s a really in depth character study of Miles and Raymond and I love it a lot. It’s just them walking up some stairs but it’s just very good.)

But yes, I loved getting to see Miles and Ray reconnect. I think that Ray’s easygoing carefree attitude is a really good contrast to Miles’s very much no-nonsense approach to life, especially since Raymond seems very keen on passing at least some of it onto Miles. I think Miles really could benefit from coming to understand that worldview, that attitude toward life, and learning to respect it, you know?

But yeah, overall, I do enjoy Uncle Ray. There’s a lot of depth and care in his character.

[sophistopheles]

Rating the Good Boys of Ace Attorney

1.       Missile

The adorable, the original; a handsome Shiba Inu with investigative skills like no other.

Pros: a skilled, lovable, and clearly talented boy, faithful friend to Detective Gumshoe, the best secret weapon by far.

Cons: None known.

If you don’t choose Missile first just to walk around and find dialogue with this wonderful boy, you’re playing Turnabout Goodbyes wrong. Rating: 10/10.

2.       Anime Missile (Pess)

Edgeworth’s dog in the flashback episodes, a faithful and super-cute Pomeranian modelled and named after Shu Takumi’s own dog. Presumably an on-screen interpretation of Edgeworth’s dog Pess, who is such a wonderfully good girl that she is only mentioned in interviews and doesn’t even appear in the games, because Capcom knows that if she appeared the degree of goodness would melt the console.

Pros: another very talented boy, can easily find his way back home if he has a trail to follow. Abandoned once but still keeps up his spirits and looks after little Miles. Does a killer MvK cosplay.

Cons: Accidentally caused the class trial by giving Edgeworth’s money to Larry. Then again, the trial meant Edgeworth and Phoenix became friends, so I guess it was a good thing after all…?

It doesn’t bear on his score because he’s too cute to be malicious. Rating: 10/10

3.       Napalm

Mixing things up, we have a good GIRL here! Another Pomeranian; you can tell that she’s a Girl® because of her eyelashes, pink bow, and pink heart-shaped marking. Nevertheless, still an indescribably good girl.

Pros: Cute, stylish and ridiculously valuable girl. Indirectly helped Edgeworth become a prosecutor. Missile chasing after her in the same episode as Phoenix trying to contact Edgeworth makes her a lowkey Edgeworth mirror??? Very pretty with a wonderful name.

Cons: Absolutely none.

If she came up to me on the street I would cry because she’s so cute. Rating: 10/10

4.       Constantine

To add a twist, here’s an unbelievably fluffy non-canon boy! He’s Inquisitor Barnham’s dog, and is responsible for the scar on Barnham’s face. He doesn’t seem to have a canon breed, but that’s okay, because he’s small and fluffy and that’s what matters.

Pros: A good boy, with a lot of personality! He’s feisty and clever enough to give puzzles to Layton, Wright & co. Just look at him!!! I can honestly say I have never seen a better boy. He even plays a role in the endgame of PLvsAA when Barnham can’t make it.

Cons: Attacked Nick when he tried to pet him, so he’s not the most well-mannered boy, but that’s okay!! He’s cute enough to get away with it.

He may be the only dog in the world to be an official member of an order of knights. Rating: 10/10

5.       Shah’do

Ahlbi’s puppy who can’t seem to decide if he’s a dog or a hat. He’s canonically a Tibetan mastiff, which means that when he’s all grown up, he’ll be about three times the size he is now! Quite mischievous, but never causes too much trouble, and it all works out in the end.

Pros: He’s loyal, adorable, cute and intelligent, even sensing and reflecting Ahlbi’s emotions! He really is one of the cutest boys I’ve ever seen.

Cons: Naughty!!

Clearly has magical Khura’inese powers of cuteness, judging by the mitamah marking on his forehead. Rating: 10/10

6.       Jugemu

The dog who lives at the Toneido School’s Kurukuru Tei theatre, this boy deserves some more love!! A beautiful good boy with a very healthy appetite; he single-handedly convinced me that Turnabout Storyteller is the best case in AA6. He only appears in one graphic, but I love him nevertheless.

Pros: He has an adorable little kennel so he can stay out of the rain when he has to, and he’s instrumental in solving the case.

Cons: None whatsoever!

I wanted to see more of him! Rating: 10/10

 There are a few more good boys, but they have plot roles in DGS2 and AAI2, so beware of serious spoilers under the cut!

Spoilery (But Still Good) Boys

1.       Anubis

One of the scarier boys on the list! He’s the guide dog of the blind assassin Sirhan Dogen, and while he’s very clever, he’s also very intimidating! He resembles a Tosa, a breed also known as Japanese mastiffs. (He’s probably killed people in the past, but let’s brush over that for a moment.)

Pros: He’s a startlingly long-lived boy! Unless Dogen replaces his dogs on the down-low (which feels unlikely) he’s been at Dogen’s side for nineteen years! Plus, I feel like if I was nice to him, he would let me pet him.

Cons: You know what? None. He doesn’t have a single malicious bone in his furry body, he’s just a deeply loyal and obedient boy. It’s not his fault that his master is an assassin; he’s still a good boy!

Despite having such a scary reputation, Anubis did nothing wrong. …Kind of. Rating: 10/10

2.       Balmung

The second scarily good boy on our list, Balmung is another good but admittedly terrifying boy. He is the dog of a serial killer, the Professor, and he most closely resembles a lurcher hound, though his breed was never confirmed. Despite outward appearances, I promise you he’s a good boy at heart- he just happened to also be used as a murder weapon.

Pros: He’s the real Hound of the Baskervilles, how cool is that? He’s also quite an old boy, living for at least twelve years and remaining active even then. And he’s listed as his owner’s friend on the Ace Attorney wiki, which is also very cute, and strong evidence of his good boy nature.

Cons: …He’s kinda scary…! 

Overall, despite being quite a frightening boy, Balmung means well. Rating: 10/10

3.       Toby

In stark contrast to the previous two good but murder-y boys, we have one of the cutest boys of the whole series: Toby!! He’s Gina’s dog after she becomes a detective, and is honestly my favourite good boy in the series (but shhh, that’s a secret!) Toby is based on a dog of the same name from the Holmes novels!

Pros: Seriously, just look at him! He’s a classically cute boy. He’s the Platonic Ideal of what a good boy should be. And he’s talented, too- he helps Naruhodou solve a lot of cases!

Cons: …He does attack Naruhodou once. But it leads into the best joint reasoning segment of the whole game, so I can forgive him.

It’s especially sweet when you realise that in-universe Toby is probably named after Gina’s mentor, Tobias Gregson! Rating: 10/10

[browniefox]

The Spectral Turnabout 1/?

I did it. I’m writing a lil fic for an ace attorney and paranatural crossover

oOo

Okay, Phoenix thought, I’m having a mental breakdown. That’s fine, this is fine.

To be fair, it’d been a stressful few hours. It wasn’t everyday you walked into the office and found your boss dead with her sister sitting next to her body, and then stayed there as the body became cold, the scent of blood so strong and present that at some point you stopped noticing it. To be so close to death, and of someone you knew...

Then there was the questioning after the police arrived, going over the same facts again and again and again. It dragged on for hours, caught in that system, cold and judging people staring at him. He’d been on the scene, it was natural he might've looked a bit suspicious. It was morning by the time he was let out, a weariness weighing him down from not having gotten any sleep that night. The original shock had worn off at some point, but there was still this numb disbelief. Mia… Mia was dead.

There were also the hallucinations, and what made him conclude he'd lost some marbles sometime over the night.

For the few days, Phoenix had sworn he’d been seeing things. It had started small, just flashes of pale-purple at the edges of his vision. They’d started to appear with increasing frequency, and no rest seemed to solve it. Phoenix had figured it was just stress from work.

Well, Mia’s death had officially pushed him over the edge.

Ever since the police had taken Phoenix in for questioning, the purple figures had resolved into full-blown monsters. They ran around, seeming to only occasionally care about things like doors and walls when it suited their need. Some just stayed up at the ceiling, looking down with mild interest, while others were more active. And absolutely nobody else seemed to notice them.

“What the hell?” Phoenix hissed under his breath as an odd gecko-looking thing skittered across the room, going right over his foot. He swore he’d felt the weight of it as it’d done so, and the creature had paused for half a second and looked back at him before continuing on its way. He shook his head. Just his imagination. After he talked to Maya, he’d go home and get some sleep, and if the problem persisted then he’d probably see a doctor about it…? No, he couldn’t do that, not when he was probably out of a job now! Okay, he’d just ignore the problem then. Maybe it’d go away eventually.

Maya entered the visiting room looking just as glum and sad as when Phoenix had last seen her, but that wasn’t much of a surprise.

“Oh, it’s you. The lawyer.” She said, clearly surprised at seeing him there. Phoenix nodded. She sat down in the chair on the other side of the glass. He’d followed Mia to meetings with defendants before, he was vaguely aware of how this went.

“G-good morning!” He rubbed his eyes, trying to stay awake, and also trying in vain to make the hallucinations go away. There was a particularly strong one hanging around Maya, a dark-purple mist seemingly coming off of her and falling to the floor like dry ice. All of his hallucinations seemed to carry with them some form of that mist, although the color changed from figure to figure, and there was something about Maya’s that was just… sad.

Then, suddenly, she perked up a bit, looking him over. Phoenix flinched back a bit at the sudden interest in her eyes.

“Mia didn’t tell me you were a spectral.” Maya said.

“I-, uh, I’m an a-attorney?” Phoenix corrected.

“I did know that, but you’re a spectral.” Maya insisted, brow furrowing a bit, and gestured to Phoenix. He looked around himself, trying to pinpoint what made her think the word ‘spectral’, whatever the hell that was. He was in his suit still, he’d stopped by the bathroom to make sure his hair was still in decent enough condition. His hallucination did seem to extend to himself, indigo-vapor that wasn’t really there floating off of him in spikey and nervous waves. He looked back at Maya, still very much confused.

“I- you’re, uh, I’m an attorney, and I think you might need one…?” Phoenix fumbled awkwardly. She was still looking at him oddly and it made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. The mist coming off of her started to morph and shift, and right before Phoenix’s eyes it formed the words ‘Can you read this?’

This was starting to get a bit too weird for him, but Phoenix was tired, and probably still in the denial part of the mourning process which wasn’t doing him much help, and before he knew what he was doing he’d opened his mouth and said,

“Y-yeah, how’d you do that?”

“How long have you been seeing things?!” Maya demanded, sitting forward now and close to the glass, and Phoenix flinched back.

“For a couple days, but it’s gotten really clear since sometime last night.” He admitted.  Maya gasped.

“Oh my gosh, you don’t know.” She said.

“Know what?” Phoenix was sitting forward now, because he wasn’t going crazy, except he still sort of felt like he was, and his boss was dead, and he was talking to his boss’ sister who was being accused of murdering her, and he was hallucinating but hallucinations couldn’t really be shared and Maya clearly understood what he was going through, and it had been a very long night.

“You’re a spectral.” She repeated.

And then she explained.

oOo

The details were a bit hard to take in, but Phoenix managed to grasp the gist of it - Maya had been a little quick during her explanation, but that wasn’t too surprising considering the whole ‘murder trial’ they were both preparing for.

So, he was now something called a ‘spectral’, which meant he could see spirits. Yes, ghosts did exist. No, spirits weren’t really ghosts per se. Maya and Mia were from a long line of spectrals who doubled as spirit channelers, capable of pulling ghosts from wherever ghosts went when they died and allowing them to speak through them. It was probable that he’d become a spectral due to being around Mia, but there were several factors that went into it. Colors of spectral energy - the mist he’d been seeing - didn’t mean anything he needed to worry about, and she’d promised to show him some tricks to it when the trial was over.

Actually, Maya had offered to show him some tricks before the trial, but Phoenix had insisted that they wait until she was declared ‘not guilty.’ She’d looked away from him at that moment, but Phoenix had insisted again he’d get her free.

He couldn’t let Mia down like that.

Seeing Miles in court was a shock, but in another way, Phoenix had to admit he'd badly wanted to. If only it wasn't such a high-stakes case like this. The bigger surprise was the spirit that stuck around Miles.

It looked a bit like a borzoi, but much longer to accommodate an extra pair of legs and an insanely long and fluffy tail. The back two pairs of legs were more like a bird’s instead of a dog’s, and its ears were replaced with wings. It had wrapped itself around Miles, head near one of his shoulders and then spiralling around him. A muted purple spectral energy poured from the spirit in calm and steady waves, and it kept its eyes on him.

Miles didn’t react at all to the spirit, although it seemed to be fairly in sync with him, responding to Miles’ moods and such. Phoenix wasn’t sure how normal that was. There were spirits everywhere. Not enough that any place felt crowded, but more like mice or spiders, always there somewhere. So far, though, none of them seemed overly concerned about people other than watching the trial like the rest of the spectators.

Well, again, none other than the dog-like spirit who seemed intent on hanging around Miles.

During the recess, Phoenix asked Maya about it.

“Well, sometimes a spirit will hang around somebody they find interesting, especially if that person is a spectral.” Maya told him.

“I don’t think that’s it,” Phoenix sighed, shaking his head, “Edgeworth didn’t seem like he even realized it was there. And he doesn’t have spectral energy.” The spirit had floated off of Miles when he’d left for the recess, landing on the floor and following at his feet. On his shoulders, it’d given Miles the illusion of maybe being a spectral, but separated it became clear the essence was coming only from the spirit. “Could it be the ghost of one of someone he knew?”

“No, ghosts always look like they did in life. Occasionally, they’ll have minor changes in their appearances depending on how they perceive themselves, especially if it’s been a while since they died, but I’ve never heard of one changing shape that much.” Maya shot down.

“Well, no reason to dwell on it,” Phoenix shook his head, “We need to stay focused on proving your innocence.”

oOo

Being a spectral was, surprisingly, not all that different from not being a spectral. Having magic ghost energy didn’t mean he didn’t have to pay rent, and he still needed to eat, and he couldn’t fly or anything.

Maya kept her word, and they spent most of the days in the office teaching him the ins and outs of the world he was now a part of. She was a pro, easily able to create ‘compressed spectral energy burst shots’ - or ‘spec-shots’ - while Phoenix fumbled his way through the motions. It was a bit odd at first, being taught by somebody younger than him, but Maya was a surprisingly decent teacher. She was clearly experienced in the craft, having been raised a spectral.

He found himself thinking a lot about how Mia had been one too. Some late nights, when they were eating in the office, waiting for a client, Phoenix sore from the training, they’d talk about her. Apparently, Mia had noticed that something was up with Phoenix and had suspected he might be becoming a spectral. She’d planned to talk to him about it the night of her death.

Well, the best laid plans and all that.

“So, can things really be haunted?” Phoenix asked her one day while trying to focus his energy into a specific shape. He was trying to make it look like a dog, and it more closely resembled how he used to draw them back in kindergarten.

“Oh yeah, that happens all the time. Here, I actually have a tool on me.” Maya pulled a jade green gem from somewhere in the folds of her robes. She handed it over to Phoenix, and he turned it over in his hands. It was smooth to the touch, and shaped like a teardrop or a comma with a perfect hole in it, big enough for Phoenix to fit his pinky through. “This is my magatama, and you could say that it’s ‘haunted’, although the technical word is that it’s now a tool. A spirit was injured long ago, and now they live here! They’ve been passed from Fey to Fey for years.”

“Huh.” Phoenix said. It didn’t look particularly special. He handed it back to Maya.

“You probably won’t have to worry about that, though. Tools are usually used by people who are fighting spirits and stuff!” Maya smiled.

“Yeah, I think I’ll stick to being a lawyer.” Phoenix gave a small laugh.

oOo

So, maybe Phoenix had come to the conclusion about Miles not being a spectral a bit too quickly.

[greentrickster]

If the Ace Attorney characters are benders, what elements will they be? (they can also be non benders or the Avatar, it's your choice)

Ah, yes, the question I’ve been thinking about for actual, literal months, because I am a huge nerd (and take pride in that fact)! Here’s the conclusions I’ve come up with:

For Phoenix, I’d say either fire or non-bender. If he is indeed fire, then he’s absolutely as much as a combination prodigy/disaster with it as he is with being a lawyer, a disorganized mess for whom traditional bending practices don’t help much, but who still manages to have decent enough control over his element. He has absolutely set himself on fire more than once.

For Edgeworth I gotta say earth. He’s got that stubborn, unyielding quality you need to be a good earth-bender. However, while he has a strong talent with it, I’d say he was raised by either a different element or else non-benders who look down on bending, so all this potential he has with it got ignored for a long time. Post DL-6 he probably starts learning again, and by the time Dual Destinies rolls around he’s achieved true comfort with and mastery of his element.

Franziska von Karma is the most badass of badass non-benders and she is coming for your pressure points, your chi, and your soul. Can be a real learning opportunity to spar with, but do not engage if you have actually angered her, she’ll leave you drooling on the floor and she’ll wait awhile to tell anyone.

Trucy’s an airbender, and she uses it less in her show than anyone suspects, but she absolutely uses it all the time in her day-to-day life. Phoenix has a lot of heart attacks when she first comes into his life and is still learning, and she has her mastery arrows by the time she’s fourteen, so her hair’s shorter than it is in canon for the AA:AJ events, since it’s still growing back.

Speaking even indirectly of Apollo, he’s the Avatar, and no one notices until Dual Destinies, including Apollo himself, he always thought he was just a vaguely inept airbender. He doesn’t even have his arrows yet because, while powerful as heck, he lacks the control required for mastery. Part of the reason no one’s noticed he’s the avatar is that his experiences in Khura’in and the foster system have left him with some pretty severe mental/spiritual blocks. He’s beginning to work through them by the time SoJ rolls around, has started refining his airbending, and also started on water.

Klavier’s a firebender, and he’s not very powerful but he has control like whoa man, he has nailed this whole being-a-bender thing, and he is super insulted that everyone automatically assumes that he set his own guitar on fire, that’s absurd, he hasn’t accidentally set anything on fire since he was twelve-!!!

Call me crazy, but Simon Blackquill strikes me as the waterbender of the group. He shapes himself to the situations he’s in and just... I don’t have a lot of explanation for this one, it’s a gut feeling, feels right, yo. (Post-conviction there’s a lot of rumors that he blood bends, joke’s on them, he not only considers that sort of bending vile but thinks that, if you have to resort to that level, you’re just admitting you can’t win without doing so).

Athena’s another badass non-bender, but she’s light enough on her feet that a lot of people mistake her for an airbender. Her movement style is actually more like waterbending, however, as she used to follow along a bit when her mother was teaching Simon.

Sebastian DeBeste is just a regular old non-bender, he does not want to fight, he wants to music, and also law, this boy cannot throw a punch to save his life, but that’s okay because he’s got some powerful friends and they will wreck your shit if you mess with him, especially Kay, she won’t even have to resort to bending to do it, say good-bye to your existence online, jerk.

Speaking of Kay, airbender seems the obvious choice with her, but I can also see her as water or fire - the girl’s flexible for which element would suit her best. Heck, if Apollo’s not the avatar, she could be, and I would pay to see the hijinks avatar Kay got up to. No matter what she is, though, she’s good at it.

Maya I think is another non-bender, but with major spirit world connections, girl can just sit down breathe in, breathe out, boom, spirit journeying now, back later, send burgers. Same goes with Pearl, only even moreso, and also with the full intentions to one day punch Koh in every single one of his faces.

Larry... I feel like Larry’s a bender, but he never freaking did anything with his bending? He just wasn’t that interested in it, there were always other things catching his interest, like art, and girls, and acting, and trying to hold down a job. The joke in this universe, instead of ‘if something stinks, it’s usually the Butz,’ is that he’s actually a disaster-bender.

For Godot, I’d say firebender, and he absolutely uses it to keep his coffee nice and hot. He used to be pretty good at it, but the poison and extended coma messed with his chi pathways as well. Those, along with some mental and emotional blocks, mean he now has a very hard time producing fire.

Aaaaaand that’s everyone I can think of at the moment! Hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the matter, thanks for the question! ^U^