#fuck manfred von karma

[trlvsn]

a sequel of sorts to this (feat: bad decisions, trauma dumps, and the most stressful moment of edgeworth's life)

[magicstar16]

Okay so I was on the tv tropes page for this fucker right?

And when scrolling the nightmare fuel page covering him, I had a thought.

What if people made false confessions because of him? Like, not because he manipulated the trial to make the defendant believe he did it, but they confessed because they knew they were screwed anyway.

Manfred von karma is perfect, edgeworth said so himself. This man has gone above and beyond just to get a guilty verdict, no matter if the defendant is actually guilty or not.

Knowing that, if he’s the prosecution, the trial is pretty much over before it begins.

So what if a defendant just confesses as soon as the officially trial begins, because Manfred is going to get them guilty anyway, they might as well skip that whole song and dance get the trial over with, and save their lawyer and themselves the trouble.

Or, confess before Manfred can drive the “truth” out of them, because it’s pretty much the only thing they can do to defy him. If they at least know about the rumors of Manfred setting up trials so that they go perfectly in his favor, the only way the defendant can defy him is make sure all that perfect planning goes to waste. As a sort of “better to die than be killed.” Sort of thing

If you’re going out, you might as well go out with a bang, or at least a middle finger.

It’s bittersweet to think, of a no name defendant, who’s brave enough to rather confess to a crime they didn’t commit and probably even be executed, than give Von karma the satisfaction of adding another well planned victory to his precious perfect prosecution record.

[shiloh-game]

MURDER BE DAMNED

GRANDPA BE BALLIN

I should start a whole collection of just all the evil guys doing dumb stuff

[reddiamondyeet]

I'm fucking addicted to making these things.

[northlight14]

While I’m a big fan of the “Von Karma being a piece of shit mentor and father figure to Edgeworth” concept and there is definitely some truth to those statements, I also wanna address the fact that it is canon that Von Karma was a good mentor to Edgeworth and growing up in that household wasn’t as horrific as it may seem at first glance. Frankly if it was, Edgeworth wouldn’t have been manipulated like he was.

Now just taking that into consideration, that makes the moment Edgeworth finds out what actually happened to his dad so much more heartbreaking. When mini Miles lost his dad, that was his world taken from him. He didn’t have any other relatives to go to and no direction in life. Then in steps a man who he knew his father respected to some degree, offering him a home and guidance, teaching mini Miles everything he knows and inspiring him. The ruthless God of prosecutors himself helping Edgeworth build himself up again.

Then he finds out that the one man who stepped in, the one he was willing to follow, was the very same man who caused his suffering in the first place. Not only that, but he’s spent so long following his teachings, that he himself has essentially become just another version of the man who caused his suffering. And to add fuel to the fire, that father figure clearly knew of Edgeworth’s survivors guilt and PTSD and used it against him and went as far as to frame him for murder.

It is honestly a wonder to me how Edgeworth didn’t completely break down right then and there in the courtroom. Von Karmas betrayal of Edgeworth is definitely talked about a lot in the fandom but the added context of what isn’t shown in the game or anime just makes it all the more heartbreaking

Edit: doing an edit on this post cuz I feel like I didn’t communicate what I wanted the best I could. My bad, y’all. This isn’t me saying that there wasn’t abuse at play. There was. Manfred was very obviously emotionally neglectful of Edgeworth and Franziska and instilled a perfectionist complex in both of them. That much is clear by the way Edgeworth speaks with him in a strictly business like manner. But I think it’s important to acknowledge that while Manfred was a shitty father figure, he still showed Edgeworth some form of kindness over the years. (I also believe that it has been confirmed that he was a good mentor to Miles but if I’m wrong about that let me know). We see that in the anime in particular where it’s shown he favoured Miles over Franziska. And also that’s how abuse works. The abuser will show kindness to their victim because otherwise they can’t manipulate the victim as easily. Manfred isn’t a good person but I think it’s important to look at his relationship with Edgeworth with a bit of nuance. Miles knew Manfred wouldn’t show him mercy in the court room because he knows how important his win record is. That doesn’t take away from the fact that he showed Edgeworth some form of kindness over the years. In my opinion, it just makes the whole situation more tragic

[landfilloftrash]

I have, quite literally, had this image sitting in my art program’s drafts for the past two years. I finally sat down and drew it.

[kazryuuu]

i spent too long on this.

[musashi]

RTGame Animated: You're Guilty, Mr. Phoenix Wright. And I'll Sing Why.

➞  animation by Wolfziedraws, please support the artist!

[leeeeeeef]

still thinking about the similarities and differences between miles edgeworth and trucy wright's upbringings,,, like i get that its no big secret that miles and trucy both lost their biological fathers in the courtroom in incidents regarding forged evidence and wrongful convictions and that their adoptive guardians were somehow involved in gregory/zak's disappearance and that miles and trucy both may or may not have played some role in their disappearances as well (whether it's perceived or unintentional)

but also i think its kind of interesting how trucy didn't become a defense attorney like phoenix did, but rather stuck with being a magician like her bio parents and grandfather. and phoenix supports her in all of her endeavors!!! phoenix loves trucy regardless of her occupation, and it's such a stark contrast to how manfred completely shapes miles's career, personality, etc. miles ended up not following in gregory's footsteps, and it's completely different to how trucy was allowed and even encouraged to continue her family's business.

also i love how phoenix brings trucy and apollo closer together even before they find out that they're half-siblings. and even more, trucy and pearl are almost like sisters to each other (capcom please give us more trucy/pearl interactions pleaseplease please) and since phoenix was a friend of the fey clan long before he met trucy, there's no doubt he had a hand in their friendship. anyways what i'm trying to say is that phoenix puts effort into making sure his daughter has a vivid social life - an extensive support system that she can rely on.

on the other hand, miles and franziska's siblinghood is entirely different. as much as i love their dynamic, it's pretty clear to see that a big part of that dynamic is their rivalry. franziska doesn't want to fall behind miles; she becomes a prosecutor at around the same time that miles does, even if she's seven years younger than him; her entire motive is to beat phoenix in court as a way to surpass miles; and in aai1 fran and miles are competitive with each other (albeit in a sibling way but still). and i get that this is pretty much completely speculative but i cant help but think that maybe manfred had some hand in that?? perhaps pitting them against each other as a way to isolate miles from any sort of familial connection,, i like to think that fran and miles seeing each other as siblings shows how they free themselves of manfred's polarizing influence. 

and i haven't watched the anime but i heard that manfred makes miles study in europe for a while?? in a country where he can't understand anyone else (at least until he learns the language),,, and compared to trucy's upbringing, miles had been so isolated from everyone, from his sister, from his childhood friends, and that isolation was in no small part due to manfred's influence.

(another note: i feel like trucy's and miles's differing social skills show this disparity even more; miles is a lot more socially awkward and standoffish due to how isolated he is while trucy is very comfortable and friendly with others, possibly due to how trucy has had a lot more opportunities for socialization. i can see why someone might chalk it down to trucy working as an entertainer but miles's profession also requires a level of social adequacy in the form of persuasion, so it's probably more than just their jobs)

i think it ultimately comes down to how manfred and phoenix perceive miles and trucy. im pretty sure manfred says at one point (im too lazy to find the screenshot to cite it..) that his treatment of miles served as a sort of revenge against gregory, corrupting him from a young age to completely purge gregory's influence. he sees miles as a vessel of his hatred towards gregory, almost like an extension of gregory himself. meanwhile phoenix sees trucy as,, well... a person - his daughter, with all of the wants, personality traits, and idiosyncrasies that make her /her/. and even though zak has done so much to hurt phoenix, phoenix doesn't let that get in the way of his love for trucy. hell, it's even reflected through their surnames; miles keeps his father's first name, showing that manfred doesn't really see miles as an adoptive child, while trucy changes her last name, showing that she and phoenix truly are father and daughter.

also. like. im sorry for tying this back to wrightworth but it's kind of poetic that miles ends up holding phoenix in such high regard. it's as if phoenix represents a life that miles might have had a long time ago; a symbol of security and warmth and unconditional love that was robbed from him at such a young age. it's especially apparent since phoenix and miles are childhood friends, like phoenix is a literal remnant of miles's past.

but there's one monumental similarity between miles and trucy that i've neglected to mention, and it's how they both learn to use the influence of their predecessors for good. although manfred had made miles a prosecutor as a way to get back at gregory, it's clear that miles still holds the values and morals that gregory had instilled in him close to his heart. and with phoenix's help, miles eventually learns how he can help others as a prosecutor. miles remains a prosecutor, just like manfred, and even retains many of the same mannerisms and fashion choices. however, his motives and morals, as well as the impact that he leaves on others, are undoubtedly his own, with the compassion and conviction that he had held since he was a child.

and it's no secret that troupe gramarye has their own history of scandals. but the heartless, manipulative way that magnifi, zak, valant, and even mr. reus treat both members and outsiders of the troupe,, it's nothing like trucy's brand of magic. her magic is so much kinder (yes, even the knife dances and catching bullets between her teeth) and she has so much more respect for the other magicians she works with. even when she inherits the troupe, her shows are traced with cheerfulness and wonder. she performs magic simply to put smiles on faces, even after the death of (as far as she knows) her only remaining biological family, even after being held hostage, even after being accused of murdering someone she had so much respect for. and that's probably more than anyone else in the troupe has done.

[defiant-art]

sprite edit where manfred is holding me. idk man.

[heavendraven]

do you think they explored each other's bodies

[trlvsn]

lukewarm take no one really asked for: i can't bring myself to like miles edgeworth redesigns with long hair and/or earrings. he would look amazing don't get me wrong. however. ace attorney is a game that makes you pay a lot of attention to a character's design and how it connects to other characters, and i can't help but see manfred in those designs of edgeworth. i feel like edgeworth would also see manfred in himself in that scenario, because, from personal experience, looking into the mirror and seeing someone horrible there can happen because of a little insignificant detail or a hairstyle, and i just don't wish that on anybody in the aa universe, they have been through enough

instead, i offer you this: franziska asking miles how he reinvented himself. how he made the cravat and the prosecutor's badge in his pocket his own instead of something inherited, how he killed the manfred in him and didn't die himself. i offer you miles and franziska going out and getting her a new haircut and burning that ridiculous thing on her neck why is it part of her design oh my god

and maybe she eventually stops wearing those shirts with puffy shoulders because i think those are made to look her more masculine and authoritative and like Him. i imagine franziska going through millions of styles to find something she likes eventually. she keeps the important parts, of course, but her earrings are now of all different colors, not just the von karma blue, but now she isn't burdened with that blue, she wears it as her own, because now it is, and now she can do whatever she wants with it and bend it into any shape she likes.

(side note: absolutely no judgement or hate to the redesigners. miles always looks great in them this is just me thinking about the implications of those designs yk)

[tortschordsofsteel]

turnabout goodbyes moodboard

[geosaurus]

Running away only hurts you more

[reddiamondyeet]

Hear me out here, Shingou where Manfred is down bad is funny. But Shingou where GREGORY is down bad is downright HYSTERICAL.

[pink0lamby]

i saw some art by @reddiamondyeet where they drew manfred as the girl from the rabbit hole animation and decided i had to make my own <333

On the left is the original screenshot taken from an animation titled "Pure Pure" by channelcaststation on youtube (check them out!!)

on the right is the one i edited to make it look like manfred the best i could with the angle it was at lmao

reddiamond's looked so good!!!! it immediately inspired me hehe <333333

(if you're reading this red, your art is wonderful <3)