#kristopher grant

[ranjith11]

Proof Of Burden - Corner (Official Lyrics Video): Embrace the Soulful Melodies

Proof Of Burden - Corner (Official Lyrics Video): Embrace the Soulful Melodies Welcome to Proof Of Burden's captivating world of music! Get ready to experience the mesmerizing track "Corner" with our official lyrics video. Immerse yourself in the heartfelt lyrics and powerful melodies that will touch your soul.

[notmoreflippingelves]

I keep getting so caught up in the euphoria of so many people getting to know and love Kay Faraday for the first time that for a moment I forget that I live in a fandom that will inevitably reduce her to a prop for narumitsu.

[queeniecook]

The Grant Legacy - Generation 2 - The Second Act - Part 1

It has been four months since Este was born. It is now October and there have been some happenings in the lives of Vera, her family, friends and enemies.

The Grant-Vatore Household- Hendford-on-Bagley

Este is now four months old. Caleb has quit his job at the graveyard to be a full-time stay at home Dad. He doesn't want to miss a precious second of his little girl growing up. Vera has started back, part-time, at the Vet Clinic with Zoe Frenz handling a lot of the day to day operations. It's been a bit rough for Vera to be away from her daughter but Caleb makes sure to take Este to visit Mommy on a regular basis when Vera is at the clinic.

Josie did indeed get to meet Este. This is Josie hanging out with Este shortly before Josie crossed the rainbow bridge in her sleep at the very end of September. The whole family misses her terribly, especially Vera. She and Josie had been together for many years.

Lucky also misses her furry pal and has been feeling a bit down with no one to play with. She's grown close to Este, rarely leaving the infants side when she is home. Vera is having a hard time with the idea of finding another cat to take into their family. Caleb has suggested maybe a puppy for Lucky to play with instead. Vera is torn because she's always had a feline around since the moment she entered the world.

Otherwise, things are going well for Vera and her family. They haven't heard a peep out of James since before Este was born, which they find odd but maybe he's gotten bored and moved on?

The Grant Household - Sulani

AJ has grown into a child and it's turning out to be quite the responsible young man. Mew Mew is still his constant companion when AJ is at home, despite turning into an elder kitty. Apollo enjoys helping his son with his homework when he's not at his job as a Cog in the Machine in the Engineer career.

Naya does her best to try to help AJ with his school work as well, but she's become very busy with her career. She's made it to Ensemble Author in the Style Influencer Career. Being a bit older than Apollo, Naya feels like she only has so much time left to make her mark in the fashion industry before she's considered "washed up". It's led to a few issues between the high school sweethearts as Apollo feels Naya's career is taking up time she should be spending with her family. Naya feels Apollo don't understand her viewpoint because he's fine if he never advances in his career. He's just happy being able use his love of science at work and help provide for his family.

The Zhu/Volkov Household - Moonwood Mill

Once AJ became older, Lily decided that although she loves AJ it was time for her to return to Moonwood Mill and to her pack. She still visits AJ when she gets the chance to. She also keeps in touch with Caleb and his family, along with Lilith. They have all made progress in their relationships with one another though they may never be as close as they once all were.

Another development in Lily's life is love. She never thought it would happen at her age but Kristopher declared his love for her once she returned. She has always had feelings for him since she met him all those years ago and he helped her find who she's really meant to be. Kristopher's adopted son Jacob is thrilled that his Dad has finally found someone, especially since it's Lily, who has always been a mother figure to him. Rory, Kristopher's adopted daughter, acts like she could care less.

The Vatore Household - Forgotten Hollow

Despite Lilith's infidelity with Vladislaus Straud, Jackson has chosen to forgive his maker when he saw that she had nothing to do with the Count once Lilith came clean to him. She even went as far as to have Dakota Laws place a spell on the Vatore estate grounds so Count Straud can't step foot on the property, let alone slither into Lilith's bed. The vampire duo have reunited and are trying to make things work between them. Jackson has even started working again as a writer's assistant. He's made great strides in controlling his blood lust thanks to Lilith and his friendship with Lurch.

Lilith is glad that Jackson has forgiven her and thrilled to have not only a new niece in her life but contact with a cousin she thought was lost to her forever, Lily. Yet still there's a ache in her non beating heart that thinks of a certain pipe organ playing vampire that lives across town.

Nacho is living in the lap of luxury for him, considering he came from the streets. Lilith spoils him rotten, buying him whatever his furry little heart desires whether it's tuna fish or crab. Jackson has also started warming up more to him and Nacho enjoys the scratches the male vampire gives him when Jackson returns home from a day of work.

The Lewis Household - Brindleton Bay

August and Aubree got quite the surprise when Aubree when into labor in September.

Twins! Little Edgar Allan and Emily, named after two of Aubree's favorite poets. The couple was obviously shocked. Little Emily had hidden behind her brother everytime Aubree went to have an ultrasound done. To say the couple wasn't prepared would be a accurate statement. Caleb helped them out by rushing to buy an extra set of everything in the nursery.

August has cut down some of his hours of work as a Mailroom Technician at Landgraab Industries, while Aubree is about to return from maternity leave to her Editor in Chief job. Given they have not only the twins but their dog Thor and their cat Bette Davis to feed, they can't afford not to work. They are considering hiring a Nanny to help take care of the twins.

The Laws/Ambrose/Gates Household - Brindleton Bay

Jillian is five months along with her and Dakota's first child. Jillian still has her job at the local bookstore while Dakota has just been promoted to a Private Fourt Class in the Army. In an attempt to save some money, they approached Joey with the idea of moving into a smaller home. He agreed and so they moved across town. Joey still has his own room, which Annabel Lee has also claimed as hers while Jillian and Dakota now share a room. The third bedroom in the house has been turned into a nursery. While Jillian was scared at first to be pregnant so early in her relationship with Dakota, now she's excited. Dakota is as well, he never misses a Doctor's appointment and hopes he can make it to all of them as work allows. Their relationship is doing well and they feel it's growing stronger each day.

Dakota hasn't give up his quest to find out where in the world Thaddeus Laws is, especially now that he's going to be a father, but the trail has run cold. Dakota knows his so called Father is alive but Thaddeus certainly doesn't want to be found it seems.

Joey is now an Medical Assistant and is happy that he gets to work with Doctor Annalise Blake. Despite her being a vampire, she has a lot of medical knowledge and is a pleasant being to be around. He's grown very close to the families' cat, Annabel Lee. He swears she understands everything he's saying to her. He's always heard most cats do whatever they want but if he tells her to go eat her food or don't jump on the stove, it's hot. The cat actually listens to him.

Sadly Joey hasn't had much luck in his love life. He's gone on a few random dates here and there but none of it has turned into anything more. He's starting to wonder if he just isn't meant to be with someone.

[crplpunkklavier]

why does flashback gavin brothers fanart always have klavier looking like an elementary school kid and kristoph looking like a full adult with a mortgage i feel like you guys really overestimate what a 7 year sibling age gap looks like

[bornwholocker]

Ok people wanted to hear my thoughts about Phoenix wright characterisation and I am very down!!! So here take this

Just a fair warning, I know a lot of people haven’t played the aj trilogy, I’m gonna talk about spoilers for aa4 in this

Mainly I just hate when people make Phoenix stupid. He’s a lawyer, he passed the BAR EXAM, he’s not some oblivious little stuttering twink. It especially pisses me off when people act like he relies soo much on his bluffing. Yeah he bluffs, but he knows they’ll stick because most of the time he’s figured it out, he just doesn’t quite know how to get there. He’s smart about it. And he’s not always bluffing! Most of the time he knows what to present! It’s just when it gets to peak ace attorney trial insanity that he has to try his luck. Also, he tells people to die in his mind guys lmao. He’s not outwardly mean, but also he’s not some innocent little uwu smol cinnamon roll.

In a similar vein, and I’ve only started noticing this recently cus I’ve been reading a lot of college au’s, but people write Feenie like he’s a damn toddler. He’s an 18(?) year old man studying for a law degree. Yeah he’s gonna be a bit immature, but he’s not some bumbling idiot who just smiles all the time. I sort of get it because we didn’t get a lot of time with him but STILL! He acts stupid during the trial yeah, in no small part cus dahlia/iris(I’m sorry iris ily) had been manipulating him and he couldn’t believe she would try to hurt him. Which is a little dumb! But also understandable for an 18 year old who’s just been told his girlfriend was trying to kill him/frame him for murder!!! And after the trial when he’s talking to Mia, he gets serious. For most of the trial he is a little bit of a Larry, but the end shows that he’s not an idiot!!

AND THIS ONE PISSES ME OFF THE MOST, and it also involves mischaracterisation of Kristoph. So many people who write krisnix, which I’m all for tbh love some toxic old man yaoi, write it like Kristoph was an evil manipulative abuser and Phoenix was some oblivious smitten victim. Guys. In like one of the first cases of aa4 I’m pretty sure, Phoenix talks about how he knew who Kristoph was and what he did, he only kept him around for so long to get proof. Again, he’s not oblivious!! Plus, he was manipulated by Dahlia in a pretty similar way to Kristoph(which is something else I could talk about forever), so he knew what to look for. And yes, Kristoph was a piece of shit, but he wasn’t obvious about it. That’s how he got so many people to trust and believe him, he’s charismatic and he knows how to make people like him. And only once they do does he start his bs.

Granted, Phoenix is a little hard to get right, especially because originally Shu Takumi designed him as a sort of self-insert for the player, with his thoughts being based on Takumi’s own thoughts about the trials. But a lot of people just take a single trait and run with it and it annoys me so bad anyway I hope u enjoyed

@chateauu

[eleccy]

I think I see Apollo's character as very much not subservient to Kristoph Gavin. Even when he was working for him. Someone pointed it out in my fic comments and I'm glad they did because it's part of Apollo's nature to me that he argues and clashes with authority even before Phoenix manipulates him. Apollo was starry-eyed at the beginning but he was still quite suspicious and sassy, which I immediately liked about him. @katrinakaiba understands.

Like for example, after the Judge talks about Kristoph being the "best attorney in town" Apollo thinks to himself "Yeah, Gavin's got skills, but does he have Chords of Steel?". Granted he didn't say that out loud, he does have respect for his mentor. But merely the fact that he thinks this shows that while he looks up to Kristoph, there's a level of snark there in his mind. And Kristoph even tolerates Apollo's snark levels at certain points, especially insofar as it's directed towards Phoenix or Payne. He does pipe up about manners when Apollo makes a comment about the Judge's hearing. This is probably just something he's trying to teach Apollo about how you should act in front of the Judge, though (which is why it's so funny when Kristoph gets lightly reprimanded by the Judge later for sarcastic remarks)

Apollo absolutely describes Kristoph as his "trusted mentor" in the Profiles section, and in the French translation adds "I owe him everything". There's a lot of loyalty there, and the fact that Apollo does feel comfortable being himself in front of Kristoph generally is, to me, a sign that their relationship was quite warm and familiar as opposed to a master who disciplines a student harshly. Kristoph actually seems fairly selective about the guidance that he does provide, encouraging Apollo to try to figure it out by himself first before turning to him for help. He does talk over Apollo a bit, but that's more due to the scenario (even though, I'm sure it happened a lot even outside of court). He seems to be a bit more focused on making sure that Apollo understands (1) how to build a case, (2) how to avoid committing a social faux pas in court, and (3) how to corner a witness, which are all actually really useful.

I really want to explore this characterization more because it says a lot about how Kristoph really was, a kind teacher whom nobody would suspect. It's difficult to believe how someone so pleasant could hide so much, so easily.

[shrinkthisviolet]

5 + headcanon au - what if Larry Butz hadn't been forgotten/flanderized by the writers and instead was in all three games in the Original Trilogy (and maybe even beyond?)

This got a little away from me 😅 under the cut:

Phoenix isn’t the only one struggling with Edgeworth’s disappearance/faked death, Larry is too. It’s easy to forget, but Larry was Edgeworth’s best friend too, they cared about each other! Larry would be extra pissed because of the toll it’s taking on Phoenix—when they see Edgeworth again, it’s Larry who takes the first swing, surprising pretty much everyone. It’s one of the few times Larry loses his temper…and Edgeworth is surprisingly contrite because of it (he wasn’t contrite enough in 2-4 for my taste, and tbh I think being yelled at by Larry of all people would shock anyone into being apologetic)

Larry is pretty intuitive when he wants to be. While Phoenix dismisses Ini as airheaded, Larry would realize there’s something else underneath that (he knows what it’s like to be underestimated intellectually…and how someone might use that to hide something). He probably wouldn’t figure it all out, but Phoenix would still remember Larry’s words at a crucial point when he’s putting the pieces together about Ini and Mimi

On that note, I’m also intrigued as to his dynamic with Engarde—by all respects, Engarde’s front is very similar to how AA1 Larry acts. That could make for some very interesting situations when the two are forced to interact. Maybe Larry befriends him and is heartbroken to learn that Engarde was just faking. Maybe he was a Nickel Samurai fan too, extra sting (he and Maya would also bond over that because iirc she was a Nickel Samurai fan too. Idk if Edgeworth was). Maybe Engarde makes some jabs at Larry, and Phoenix furiously defends Larry’s honor, and it doesn’t feel like ��oh great, I have to defend Larry again”, but rather, “how dare this guy insult my friend”—because yeah, I think Phoenix and Larry would’ve gotten closer and really bonded by this point. They were already besties, but Larry’s also showing how smart/intuitive he is lately

Larry would be able to help in the search for Maya! Granted, Shelly de Killer could still easily give them the slip, but it’s one more person, and Larry being involved would ease Phoenix’s nerves even more. Larry might be clumsy and awkward, but he cares fiercely about the people he loves, and lately, he’s been showing just how sharp he really is

Larry leaves post-AA2, much like Maya did post-AA1. This is because he got an internship with the mysterious Elise Deauxnim, and he really wants to take it, as much as he also wants to stay and help. Phoenix, Maya, and even Gumshoe and Edgeworth, convince him to go. Now that Edgeworth’s back, Larry feels better about leaving

AA3 would still happen the same, but uh. Without Larry in 3-2 at the KB Security job. Just make a new character for that one. He reappears in 3-5, he’s on the path to becoming an artist. He takes the “apprentice name” of Laurice Deauxnim because it makes him sound smart (Phoenix insists Larry doesn’t need that, but Larry just shrugs. Deep down, though, he’s touched). I think 3-5 would play out…mostly the same? Minus…all of the weird flirting. Seriously, writers, what was up with the weird flirting?? (Speaking of which, he did that in AA1 too. At some point in this rewrite, he’d apologize to Maya for that. But anyway, moving on)

He’d be such an amazing uncle to Trucy! And unlike Maya and Edgeworth, he lives pretty steadily in Japanifornia, so he drops by often. Trucy calls him “Uncle Larry” and he dotes on her (in between trying to convince Phoenix to get his badge back, which is a losing conversation, but Larry has to try. Seeing Phoenix like this is killing him—what happened to his overly hopeful best friend who now won’t even take Maya and Edgeworth’s calls?)

He and Kristoph can’t stand each other. Larry doesn’t trust him, and Kristoph doesn’t like him (Larry doesn’t like him either, but he especially doesn’t trust him). Kristoph reminds him of an old girlfriend—patronizing, rude, more interested in correcting his manners and appearing kind than actually being so

He grates on Apollo at first, when they meet, but he’s also the most forthcoming, which Apollo appreciates. He tells Apollo everything he can—Phoenix swore Larry to secrecy about his plan, and Larry relays that apologetically to Apollo with a wince. He doesn’t like all this secrecy, especially doesn’t like how Phoenix is treating Apollo so dismissively, but…hey, Larry’s loyal before anything else, and Phoenix is still his best friend

He might like Klavier, the showmanship performer type seems up his alley. Plus, they’re both artists, just different kinds. Much like with Ini, Larry would recognize that Klavier’s hiding some very deep vulnerability in there…and he’d feel for the kid when his best friend, Daryan, is found guilty of smuggling and of coercing a boy to go along with his plan. Pairing that with Klavier’s brother being Kristoph (who has, at this point, been arrested for Zak’s murder)…yeah Larry’s pretty sure the kid’s nearing his breaking point

He’s not super clear on the tech know-how of the MASON system, but hey, anything to put Kristoph away for good—that fake ace was a lucky bluff, but there’s always a chance of it being overturned. Phoenix being crafty is kinda unsettling to Larry…but with Kristoph arrested, the effect on Phoenix is clear—he’s committed to retaking the bar, he smiles more, he’s more hopeful

Larry…doesn’t want to think about what Phoenix’s improved mental state means about how Kristoph was affecting Phoenix, but he has his theories (listen, he’s been in his fair share of relationships, okay? So if he’s more insistent on Phoenix going to therapy and even drives him to his sessions and prays that he’s talking about Kristoph with those therapists, if he slips Phoenix some resources about recovering from an abusive relationship…sue him, he can pick up on things and he’s worried)

Skipping ahead to SOJ: he’d play co-counsel for Apollo with Trucy’s case, and he’s kinda pissed at the other guy for throwing veiled insults at his niece. Who does this foreign peacock think he is exactly? Larry’s got half a mind to give him a piece of his mind, but Apollo just gives him that exhausted “please, Larry, don’t cause a scene” look that Phoenix always got, and…yeah, okay. Maybe when Trucy’s free (Nahyuta receives a surprisingly detailed portrait of himself with devil horns speaking the words “I hate children and I’m no fun”, which he never finds out the meaning of)

(And ofc also in SOJ, he’s not a weird flirty creep in the bonus case. SERIOUSLY writers WHY)

Not totally sure how he’d fit into DD, but I’m sure there are ways

I…did not expect to get so invested in this omg ���� can someone write this fic??

send me an au and i’ll share 5+ headcanons about it!

[heavenboy09]

#Batman85 Fact #5: On January 10, 1999, Terry McGinnis’ Batman debuted in the DC Animated Universe television series ‘Batman Beyond’.

Standing as a continuation of the DC television series ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ and then end to the DCAU, 1999's ‘Batman Beyond’ was created by The WB Television Network. A retired and elderly Bruce Wayne becomes teenager Terry McGinnis’ mentor as he becomes the new Batman in a Neo-Gotham City originally said to be set about 20 years into the future. Wanting to be the Dark Knight even after bringing Derek Powers, Terry’s father’s (Warren McGinnis) killer, to justice, Terry would continue to be Batman and battle his own villains in this futuristic metropolis.

‘Batman Beyond’ ran for two years, produced 52 episodes and included a short lived spin-off (‘The Zeta Project’) and one direct-to-video movie (“Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker”). Revealed in Dwayne McDuffie, Bruce Timm, and Dan Riba’s ‘Justice League Unlimited’ 2005 episode “Epilogue”, set 15 years after the events of ‘Batman Beyond’, Terry learns from Amanda Waller that his connection with Bruce is down to the DNA because Terry is Bruce’s biological son. Waller intended for Bruce’s legacy as the Caped Crusader to continue after he retired, so she created “Project Batman Beyond” that made Warren’s reproductive DNA (through the use of Project Cadmus’ engineering) identical to Bruce Wayne’s. Coming to terms with his destiny, Terry would continue to embrace his role as the protector of Gotham.

While the animated ‘Batman Beyond’ universe would gain tie-in limited comic series during the television run (1999-2001), Terry McGinnis’ Batman wasn’t included within the mainstream DC Universe continuity. In the Pre New-52, Terry would appear in several stories such as Jeph Loeb’s “With a Vengeance!“ (2005’s Superman/Batman #22), Adam Beechen and Ryan Benjamin's “Hush Beyond” (2010’s Batman Beyond (Vol 3)), and Grant Morrison’s “Time and the Batman” (2010’s Batman #700). McGinnis’ Batman would officially be part of continuity in 2014’s The New 52: Futures End and continue to thrive within the New 52 and DC Rebirth / Universe comics with his own self titled publications. From the small screen to the comic pages, ‘Batman Beyond’ for the first time placed a teenager in the mantle, which resulted in popularity among not just same age readers but also new and old Batman universe fans.🦇🎊📺

[yyxandere]

Ok but what if like darling made the yanderes ((from any ace attorney or yakuza character)) the second choice like y'know if darling doesn't get with the first person / first choice they'd go to the yanderes (?) I feel so bad to think of it but like H!$(2)?2{¢ - 🍎 anon

-ˋˏSINCERELY YOURS. . . ->

🍎Anon, you just love your angst huh😭😭 {{{(>_<)}}}

They would be so devasted, they are willing to bare their entire heart for you, but only when you don't have another choice, always the second, it hurts yet, they are desperate for you and are willing to accept the fact that they are your second choice anything to be with you.

YAKUZA

Kiryu Kazuma, Goro Majima, Saejima Taiga, Shimabukuro Rikiya, Makoto Makimura, Reina, Tatsuo Shinada, Kiyomi Kasahara, Ichiban Kasuga, Eri Kamataki, Issie Hoshino,

ACE ATTORNEY

Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Maggey Byrde, Dick Gumshoe, Adrian Andrews, Iris Fey, Apollo Justice, Wocky Kitaki, Vera Misham, Athena Cykes, Juniper Woods, Robbin Newman, Raymond Shields, Sebastian Debeste, Katherine Hall, Espella Cantabella, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, Susato Mikotoba, Rei Membami, Albert Harebrayne,

No. They will not accept this. They ruined people's lives, careers,s and many more just for you, and all they get are you taking them for granted?! Disappointed and rage aren't even enough to tell how much they felt when they found out those facts. No one takes them for granted and that logic also applies to you. They will make you crave for them they will ruin your life, and when you reach rock bottom you will see them as your only choice.

YAKUZA

Akira Nishikiyama (Kiwami), Tachibana Tetsu, Goda Ryuji, Yoshitaka Mine, Takumi Someya, Ryo Aoki, Joon-Gi Han (6), Mitsuru Kuroiwa,

ACE ATTORNEY

Miles Edgeworth, Matt Engarde, Dahlia Hawthorne, Kristoph Gavin, Alita Tiala, Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in, Simon Keyes, Mael Stronghart, Barok Van Zieks.

[burningexeter]

Here's a huge ass list of everything (as in all of the media) that I can see sharing the same universe as the animated trilogy of shows and overall second Ben 10, definitely better, reboot that I have in mind now that I've completely reworked and rewrote it, the Where The Magic Happens Trilogy, that you can both read and see below for yourself:

• Chris LaMartina's WNUF Halloween Special and Out There Halloween Mega Tape

• Lesley Manning's Ghostwatch (1992)

• Jack Perez's America's Deadliest Home Video

• John Carpener's Vampires (1998)

• Richard Wenk's Vamp (1986)

• Guy Ritchie's Snatch

• Robert Kirkman's Outcast (TV Series)

• Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight

• Umanosuke Iida's Hellsing (Anime Series)

• Hideyuki Kikuchi's Vampire Hunter D (Novel Series)

• Terminal Reality's BloodRayne Duology

• Jeffrey Boam & Carlton Cuse's The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr.

• Richard Raaphorst's Frankenstein's Army

• Erik Kristopher Myers' Butterfly Kisses (2018)

• Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy

• Kim Jee-Won's I Saw The Devil

• Stephen King's Fairy Tale (Novel)

• The Vicious Brothers' Grave Encounters

• High Moon Studios' Darkwatch

• Katsuhiro Otomo's Steamboy

• Neil Marshall's Dog Soldiers

• Grant Morrison & Darick Robertson's Happy! (TV Series)

• Konami's Silent Hill Quadrilogy

• Remedy Entertainment's Connected Universe

• M.J. Bassett's Solomon Kane (2009)

[jaggedwolf]

Ace Attorney ficlets

uh spoilers for AA4, AA5 and AAI2 I guess, in that order

Awakening

The last person Mia expects to see walk into her hospital room is Phoenix Wright.

The doctor explained to her the circumstances of her injury and subsequent coma. He'd done it with the kind of patient benevolence that would have infuriated Mia, if it weren't for the aching of her body and the wall calendar saying 2022.

She expected Maya, maybe. They said they'd call her, when Mia's first words upon awakening were just her sister's name repeated, but Maya must be the Kurain Master by now, busy and far away. She hadn't expected to see the boy she'd defended, the man whose career she'd only so briefly touched.

Phoenix stares at her. There's a stupid-looking blue beanie in his hands. "Hey, Chief."

"They don't care about you"

The beauty of dressing as brilliantly and as boldly as Klavier does, is that it is child's play to navigate even Los Angeles without drawing attention. The people expect the purple jacket, the Gavinner necklace, the styled blond hair. 

He has given it to them recently enough. Last week, even. He roared into the concert venue's parking lot on his favorite blood-red motorcycle, to thunderous cheering and eye-watering camera flashes. Dozens of autographs granted. A few soundbites. He played the — what was it the Fraulein Detective called him — ja, yes, the glimmerous fop to a tee, a loose smile as he ignored the few questions about the Misham trial. Most of the media understood the deal. If they accepted that Klavier the lawyer would not answer their questions, they would get as much of Klavier the performer as they wanted. 

Not as much that night. He was there to lend publicity, not steal it. The Gavinner's opener from that last peformance with Lamiroir had had their own tour derailed from the murder case. Attending their concert was the least Klavier could do. Not a hardship, to be surrounded by music and people who paid no attention to murder trials, even ones as big as Kristoph’s. 

Today, Klavier dons a disguise. A baggy blue windbreaker that hides his excellent figure, his necklace, chain and rings absent, topped off with an inspired final touch, if he says so himself. A plain black beanie, all of his hair stuffed and twisted within it. He even abandons the motorcycle.

His ride is a beat-up car, picked up from an out-of-the way garage. He drives for an hour or so, strip mall after strip mall and yellowed hill after yellowed hill passing him by on the highway, the telephone wires and billboards blending together. His head grows warm. The car is too quiet. 

He opens a window. Leaves the radio untouched. The beanie stays on. 

The prison’s parking lot is mostly empty, and when he passes his ID to the guard, the woman barely blinks. All part of the routine.

Not part of the routine is the guard returning within five minutes to say that Kristoph will see him. Klavier stumbles out of his plastic seat so fast that he almost trips. Kristoph never sees him. Klavier has made the drive every week since his return to LA. He’s been turned away every time.

Perhaps Kristoph’s final collapse in court has brought about a change of heart. Unlikely. Yet an opening is an opening, and is meant to be pursued.

Solitary Cell 13 is as plush as it appeared in Wright’s video. Plusher, possibly. Kristoph sits in the floral pink armchair with crossed arms. As Klavier steps closer to the cell bars, a small smile grows on Kristoph’s face.

“Come to boast of your victory?” Kristoph looks as put together as ever. “You always were a sore winner, Klavier. It doesn’t suit you.”

“I wouldn’t call it my victory.” Klavier points out the inaccuracy before Kristoph can. “I lost the Misham trial. I didn’t prosecute your case.” He watched from the gallery as Prosecutor Debeste brought the trial to its final conclusion. 

“It’s good to know the limits of your abilities,” says Kristoph. The corner of his eye twitches. “I would invite you in, but I am no longer trusted with that privilege.”

“I prefer the view out here,” says Klavier. The hallway light flickers above him, a crackling that catches his ears’ attention and will not let go of it.

“Weren’t you listening? You don't get to choose,” snaps Kristoph. His gaze narrows. “Why are you here?”

For the first time, Klavier understands his brother. As neat as his hair is and as pressed as his suit is today, Kristoph will always appear to him as he did at the end of the Misham trial. A pathetic, cruel man, with no allies and no escape. 

The purpose of Kristoph’s question then, is plain to any lawyer who’s been in court. A trap. 

Klavier walks into it. “You’re my brother.”

Satisfaction sparks in Kristoph’s eyes, and Klavier is brought back to a distant memory, of his mother cooing over the similarity of the brothers’ eyes, over a teenage Kristoph’s disgruntled objection that their eyes were different colors. 

Kristoph tilts his head. “Does that mean something to you now?”

“It has always meant something to me,” answers Klavier. More honesty. More fodder for his brother.

“I find that hard to believe,” says Kristoph, an edge creeping into his voice, “given the way you offered me up to the slaughter.” He laughs.

Klavier loathes that laugh. In a few months, he will never hear that laugh again. Sooner, if Kristoph decides so. 

“And your attire,” continues Kristoph, “is even more ridiculous than usual. Are you taking tips from Wright?” 

Kristoph glares at Klavier’s beanie with more passion than Klavier himself has felt for any article of clothing. It hadn’t been intentional, but as with music, who is to say where one’s influences came from? 

“Perhaps,” says Klavier. 

“Wright.” Kristoph spits the name. “Don’t be naive. They don’t care about you.”

“What?” 

“Phoenix Wright. Apollo Justice. Trucy Wright. That detective.” The growl in Kristoph’s throat grows with every sentence, and Klavier finds himself distantly grateful that Skye's name has escaped Kristoph’s notice. “None of them care for you. You were nothing more than a tool for a trial already planned.”

“Oh,” says Klavier. He shrugs. “I’m aware.”

“You—what?” Kristoph rears back as if he were slapped.

“Do you think it was sentiment that moved me?” Klavier steps closer. “A worthy adversary in court. A teenage fan. A man I got disbarred. A capable if distracted subordinate. Did you think I cared more for them than you? I thought you were cleverer than that, ja?”

Kristoph’s mouth moves, but no sound emerges.

Klavier has a dazzling smile, one that breaks the hearts of men and women around the world, one that can make the peak of a guitar solo even higher, one that photographs beautifully. He flashes it. “At the end of the day, Kristoph, all of us are tools. Of each other, of the system, of the truth. The past year has taught me that much.”

“Caring about me,” says Klavier, “is not something I expect of them. Or ever will, I think.” 

“It’s time for you to go,” says Kristoph, a venomous look in his eyes. Of all the points in their conversation to upset him so, Klavier had not anticipated this one. Kristoph raises his voice. “Guard!”

“I will be back next week,” says Klavier, though his brother must already know that. “Do you have any food requests? I assume the guards will permit it, given your cell.”

“I can get anything I want here.” Kristoph’s expression grows more spiteful. “Your assistance is unnecessary.”

“You have always been good at going after what you wanted.” Klavier laughs. He raises his hand to run it through his hair, only to run into his beanie. He skims his fingertips against the top edge of the brim, well-aware that Kristoph has cataloged the mistake. 

The guard arrives to escort him out. As he turns to leave, Klavier adds, “I learned that from watching you.”

For your own good

"Athena, have you found Aura's-"

"No," says Athena, her voice distant.

The headphones are so light. That's Athena's first thought, when she picks them up from the mess of a desk drawer. Her second is that her hands are so big around each of them. Had her head really been that small?

"What?" says Simon's voice. "Oh."

When Athena looks up, she thinks: You're standing too far away.

He's back by the lab window, his hands behind his back as a look of surprise crosses his face. They're used to each other in court, she swears, a flurry of "Objection!"s and "Silence!"s, a case and the truth on the line. Here in this lab that belongs to neither of them but is undeniably theirs, Athena is reminded of all those times Simon casually patted her head as he walked by, or the few occasions she'd dared to tug on his sleeve to ask him something.

She makes a face. It'd be weird for any of that to happen now. She doesn't want it to. But she does want to be friends with Simon. She stomps over to him so he can actually see the stupid headphones.

Simon frowns. "I thought I cleaned it off and left it with you."

"Mom always kept extras in the lab." Athena shrugs. "In case I forgot them upstairs." Her eyes dart to the photo of her mother on Aura's desk. "I'm surprised she didn't throw them all away."

Simon opens his mouth, and then shuts it, apparently thinking better of what he was about to say. Athena spins one of the headphones around her index finger, letting it go round after round before catching it in her palm.

It's funny. As a kid, Athena liked Aura more than Simon. Simon was new and talked way too loudly and spent so much time with her mom using words she didn't understand. Her mom left conversations with him using even more of those words. Athena didn't enjoy one of the few voices she could stand being taken from her that way.

Aura liked and knew how to explain her robots to anyone, even Athena and often Junie. And sure, sometimes Aura got into moods where she'd spend hours on her robots, with Mom saying she didn't want to be disturbed, but Athena understood that. She hid from people so often herself. It wasn't like now, every person an opportunity for discovery, a potential puzzle to be probed and resolved. Back then, people's voices bled straight into her heart with no interpretation to mediate, a flood of warring emotions, false faces, lies to themselves. Retreating to the lab to scrawl out a drawing felt so much better. Mom and Aura had never minded.

Athena wanders over to where they've organized all the other stuff they've found. "We can toss these into the throw pile."

She's halfway through digging through the rest of the mess in drawer when-

"The headphones were to help you," says Simon suddenly, from his own messy corner.

"I know," snaps back Widget, before Athena can. She doesn't hate them. She's just not that little kid who needs them anymore.

When she looks at Simon, there's a tension around his eyes, as if he needs Athena to understand this. As if he hadn't already said this in court. As if it's important he says it outside of court too.

Maybe it is, Athena thinks, remembering all those hours that his sister and her mother spent working together here, spinning up ideas that had nothing to do with space travel. She shifts the headphones to a different pile, the one for unfinished projects that other engineers might pick up. "Maybe they can help someone else."

Simon opens his mouth. Pauses. This time he charges ahead, saying, "She wanted you to see the world, you know." His words are slow. He's reluctant to betray her mother's confidence, all these years later. "She hoped that your ability could be a gift to you, not a curse. That you wouldn't have to spend years trapped here. Or anywhere."

Every word is wrapped in a thin layer of fear.

Athena wants to scream. She wants to yell at him again for what he did, to ask him if her mother's words were why he did it, if it was worth what has become of his sister.

Instead, she grins, holding out her hand in a peace sign. "I've been to so many countries, Prosecutor Blackquill. Way more than you!" She takes a step back towards the desk, and then turns back to point at him. "What was the most annoying thing about my mom as a mentor?"

"What?" Simon looks grievously offended. It makes him look years younger. "Your mother was an excellent mentor."

"There had to be something you didn't like. Anything. You have to tell me, you know."

He squints. "I'll....think on it. I doubt there is anything."

"Think harder! Come up with something before I'm done with this drawer." Athena dives back in.

Beauty

It's unusual of him, Miles knew, to have disclosed his history with Wright to Kay. There were too many possible causes to fault. That Kay was an adult, for long enough that she'd stopped reminding him of that fact. That they were thousands of miles away from Los Angeles - her on a grand tour of Europe for purposes he'd prefer not to hear about, him studying yet another law system in yet another country. That halfway through pouring small glasses of scotch from the bottle kept in his desk, he realized it was Von Karma's favorite kind.

That Wright's latest email revealed little and accepted even less.

Kay leaned back against his desk next to him. She gestured with her glass, the liquid sloshing dangerously within it. Kay spoke before Miles could encourage some restraint. "Mr. Edgeworth! That's so beautiful, your friend would make a very good thief. Not as good as me, of course."

"I-" Miles sputtered. He reached up to place his own empty glass on the desk behind him. "A thief? How does that make any sense?"

Kay gulped down more scotch. When she grimaced at the taste and tried to hide it, Miles couldn't help but think of the first time Franziska had drank with him and Von Karma. He'd never seen Franziska drink whiskey since Von Karma's arrest, only the occasional pilsner.

(He tried to remember if his father had drank.

Miles could ask Mr. Shields.

Miles wouldn't.)

The comparison with Franziska was dismissed from his mind when Kay passionately clenched her fist to her chest, her eyes softening.

"Von Karma stole you," explained Kay with unwarranted confidence - perhaps he shouldn't have poured her that second glass - and she turned towards him, "and Mr. Wright stole you back!"

"It's not theft when it's a person..."

It seemed there would be no end to the thief metaphors. Or the Jammin' Ninja metaphors, for Kay then deemed it necessary to compare their past to some absurd plotline from that inferior show, casting Wright as the Ninja and Miles as Princess Misola. Ridiculous. Wright had no knack for music.

Furthermore, there was a Steel Samurai storyline from three years ago that fit the situation far better.

The conversation drifted to which European countries they've both been to and which they haven't, Miles grateful that Kay either forgot to or declined to ask what happened with Wright next. He had no intention of spreading the news of the man's disbarment. A disbarment he knows must be unwarranted.

Yet the few emails he'd sent to Wright had been met with nothing more than polite bemusement, casual acceptance of the end of a career and mentions of that new daughter.

If Wright needed him in the courtroom again, Miles would be on a plane tonight. If Wright was in the hospital again, Miles would be on a plane tonight. But Wright's emails were clear. Wright had no need of him, and so Miles had no right to interfere.

Stole you back, Kay had said. Thieves, as did most criminals, cared little for what their rights were.

Miles Edgeworth was no thief. He was a prosecutor, through and through.

I owe Wright too much, thought Miles, his chest warm from the alcohol, to be the one to steal him.

"It's broken"

“I spy an incongruity between our victim and these surroundings. The full autopsy report might offer an explanation, of course, but…Sebastian. What do you think explains it?”

Sebastian had heard the last question a lot ever since he started shadowing Mr. Edgeworth. Usually, it meant Mr. Edgeworth already knew the answer to his question, and wanted to see if Sebastian could figure it out on its own. Maybe he’d already solved the entire case in his head? No, Sebastian reminded himself, Mr. Edgeworth doesn’t like wasting time. If he had solved the case, he’d be storming into the coroner’s office by now.

His conducting baton flexed between his hands, Sebastian considered the question. The victim was a middle-aged man dressed in a fancy-looking tuxedo, the kind Pops hated wearing, but the body was lying in a shabby studio apartment that was smaller than the garage of Pops’ house. My house.

He shook off the thought. Mr. Edgeworth was still waiting for an answer, his arms crossed as he stared at Sebastian. Sebastian would’ve thought it a glare, but he’d learned over the past few months that Mr. Edgeworth’s face was just like that.

An answer came forth. The victim didn’t live here…which means someone moved the body here….maybe the killer? The killer lives here, and was interrupted. Yes, that must be it! Sebastian opened his mouth.

He closed it. He reminded himself that he couldn’t trust his first guess. His gaze traveled to the victim’s face, and then to the pictures stuck to the fridge, the bills on the table, and the shoes by the door. “He lived here. There are photographs of him on the fridge in that scarf that’s on the couch.”

“Hmm,” said Mr. Edgeworth.

Sebastian pressed on, “I-I don’t think the outfit is his. The shoes are too big. I think someone either lent him the clothes, or dressed him after he died. Maybe the second one, because there isn’t blood anywhere other than on his clothes.”

“We haven’t looked under the body yet,” pointed out Mr. Edgeworth, and Sebastian winced. Mr. Edgeworth continued, “However, in essence, I’ve arrived at the same conclusion.”

Sebastian straightened up, pleased. A loud CRACK! erupted between his hands, and sudden pain whipped across his chin. He staggered back. Two sticks dropped from his hand. Two? But—

He dropped to his knees, grabbing one of the pieces of his baton. It was the bottom half, a sharp edge across it that explained the throbbing of his chin. He’d bent it too hard. Stupid. He needed to find the other half. It’s from Pops, I can’t lose it. 

“Sebastian,” said Mr. Edgeworth, suddenly next to him and not across the room. When did that happen? Mr. Edgeworth’s hand hovered over his shoulder. “Sebastian, you’re bleeding.”

“It’s broken,” said Sebastian, tears welling up in his eyes. Mr. Edgeworth looked confused, and Sebastian realized how stupid he sounded. He stuck his hand under the couch, relieved when he felt the other half of his baton. He showed both pieces to Mr. Edgeworth, and tried to explain. “I don’t want to laminate—I mean, contaminate, the crime scene.”

Mr. Edgeworth’s gaze dropped down to the pieces in his hands. Sebastian didn’t like the way Mr. Edgeworth’s forehead tensed up, as if he were solving a crime scene. 

“A well-founded concern,” said Mr. Edgeworth. “To that end, Detective Gumshoe should be able to assist you with that injury. He is well-supplied with band-aids, given his own mishaps.”

Sebastian nodded, jumping to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”

He fiddled with the broken pieces of his baton in his pocket while waiting for the elevator. He’d only ever had the one baton. He didn’t even know it could break. Of course my idiot son found the one way to break it, says Pops’ voice. Maybe he could find out where Pops had gotten this one? Justine would help. More tears came.

No, retorted a part of Sebastian, that’s enough. He blinked hard. He—he didn’t need a stupid baton to prosecute. Especially not one from him. He needed to stop reacting to every little thing like this.

Pops had alternated between floods of tears and fires of rage, leaving Sebastian and everyone else in suspense as to which mood was next. Sebastian had meant what he’d told Mr. Edgeworth. He wasn’t going to be like his father. If he wanted to be like another prosecutor, he wanted to be like Mr. Edgeworth. He wanted to be even better than Mr. Edgeworth.

And Mr. Edgeworth didn’t cry.

Sebastian stepped into the elevator, and swallowed down his tears.

[dirtbra1n]

WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT KRISNIX VS WRIGHTWORTH

HI SUNNFISH it’s been eight days and I’m not getting any work done right now anyway. Ha ha ha ha. I’m gonna go dig up some of my nutjob krisnix hashtag #Posts

okay that done I’m actually gonna talk about wrightworth first. baby’s first yaoi probably It makes sense and it compels me.

really really beautiful thing about wrightworth is how many people go into the first ace attorney thinking that the prevalence of attorney yaoi is a result of typical fandom behavior and get blasted with the concentrated blast of shu takumi’s vision of how chronically strange normal guy phoenix wright decided to completely change the trajectory of his life for one of his boy best friends from the 4th grade. unnecessary feelings and its ramifications. miles edgeworth choosing death gate. the ugly ways phoenix does not cope with this, on account of his many issues. redacted hospital scene. sundry textual instances of phoenix’s well-adjustment re: edgeworth shot at the player point blank. miles edgworth That man… gate. wrightworth is so fucking much you guys……..

I do not see either of these two biting the bullet to establish a formally romantic relationship in any capacity until they are well into their thirties. they need to be extraordinarily strange at and about one another for decades on end and then elope on a thursday afternoon, which will not ease up the strangeness but will grant them various legal benefits. love wins! Longer post would talk about how and why they’re weird. but I need to talk ab

sunnfish when I tried the media tab first for collected krisnix miscellany I passed this and it made me cry laugh

I need to talk about krisnix

trying to pin down my deepest rooted beliefs is like pulling teeth. You know there was a time where apparently I saw nothing interesting about kristoph. I’ve become a better and weirder person in the meantime. it makes sense. it compels me. ha ha ha ha.

^ 2dirt2brain krisnix breakdown of december ’23. of which we’re all very aware I’m sure. kristoph wants control of the world around him and is as incapable of fulfilling that desire as any mortal man. phoenix has a lot more free time nowadays. regular dinners together. seven years. play hooky, get hooked. unkillable phoenix wright. you can’t fake an affection that long—seven years. come on, now. get back to the office after they take him in and slump a little. you ought to say, now or never, that you kinda like the guy.

you’ve (🫵 not him) got to know that phoenix wright is a hard as hell guy to know We’ve compared him to tashiro before sunnfish I know this. he doesn’t open up. clam shut tight of course I think we should give kristoph a paring knife to try and crack him open. just can’t trust him with knives bigger than that one.

like of course the psychosexual warfare is the main thing. but seven years together and zero reason to believe that the guy who cost you your attorneys badge would murder anyone means seven years of some of the heartiest insane appealing-directly-to-me Situation the world has ever, ever seen. some of this is psychosexual warfare. everything else is a secret worse thing.

I think flawed attorney and devastatingly loyal man phoenix wright should try to save kristoph’s life. bet you never thought you’d care this much about capital punishment, huh, phoenix?

also kristoph should be time looped

now considering the VS. statistically I trust more people with wrightworth because the sheer numbers go crazy. I trust myself and my friends with krisnix more however because krisnix is fundamentally custom built for me to chew on and bite into. two cakes. we should put edgeworth and kristoph in a cage match. I think they just WOULD NOT get along, separate from phoenix entirely. tear each other’s dicks off!!!!!

as a bonus here is a short list of things that remind me of krisnix

boris by lo-fang

that myth about a dog locking its jaws as it bites into you

magnet poem I spent actual hours laboriously stitching together whilst listening to kristoph’s solitary confinement theme

Also munchausen by proxy have I said that already

and of course the second bonus:

[notmoreflippingelves]

Krisnix - Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibilty AU, for the prompts, please? 😉🌹

"You do not suppose me capable of real feeling-- do you, Klavier? I will admit that I do not wear my heart upon my sleeve as you do, but you are wrong to assume that it does not beat and burn and long just as fiercely as your own does. I have known of Mr. Edgeworth's prior claim for months now, and for those months, I have thought of little else than Phoe--than Mr. Wright and the regard that I still hold for him. But the family needs my strength and my resolve--not least after your own romantic disappointment--so I remain ever the sense to counterbalance your own sensibility."

Klavier said nothing in reply but placed a steady hand on his brother's shoulder, until Kristoph covered the hand with one of his own.

Send me a prompt and I'll write a 4-5 sentence drabble about it

[queeniecook]

May 1846

Mid to late May 1846 – Moonwood Mill

After almost a month of running here and there, not having any idea where she is wondering to – Lily finally feels the need to stop in a small town. She had depended on the kindness of strangers – some were very kind, some where not. She is tired of running. It has not erased the image of her beloved cousins as monsters from her head. Or the thing she saw masquerading as a noblewoman outside the Vatore mansion.

Lily takes in the view of the small town, it’s beautiful. It seems peaceful – so far. She notices there’s a lot of cut lumber, maybe it’s a mill of some sort? She wonders the dirt streets, not sure what she’s looking for.

It’s not long before a man approaches her, slowly and politely. He introduces himself as Kristopher Volkov. Lily introduces herself in return, manners are important to her.

Kristopher had recently inherited his position among his pack from his mother. He misses her dearly but is doing his best to carry on her work with their pack.

“Where am I, Mr. Volkov?” Lily asks softly.

“Moonwood Mill.” He answers. He can tell the poor woman is lost. Normally, his kind aren’t very open to human strangers but he senses something different in Miss Zhu. “It is going to rain soon, would you like a dry place to stay during the rain?” He asks her. He can smell the rain coming as well as feel it in his body. 

Lily pauses, normally a single woman going off with a man and one that she doesn’t know at that, would be extremely inappropriate as well as dangerous but her instincts are telling her that Kristopher can be trusted. She nods her head and softly says “Thank you.”

Once inside, the rain begins to beat down on the Volkov home. Kristopher for his part does his best to make Lily feel welcome, he offers her a cup of warm tea and some biscuits he made that very morning. They chat while the tea kettle warms the water for their drinks.

“What brings you to our humble town?” He asks the young woman before him. She gets a real distant look in her eyes as she stares off into space, as if relieving something. He’s patient. As a werewolf, he knows there’s things in life you don’t wish to speak about.

Lily finally snaps out of her memories. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. There’s time I hardly believe it but then I pinch myself and see it’s true.”

The tea kettle whistles, breaking the thick air that had settled in the kitchen. Kristopher pours them both a cup of tea and they settle in with their biscuits. He decides it’s best to change the subject and instead tells her things about the town, obviously leaving out certain things. He tells her about a local inn ran by a family friend. That she will allow Lily to stay there if she cleans the inn, that’s an arrangement that Mrs. Lunvik has used several times with people passing through. It works out well for the old woman.

A week passes and Lily has actually found herself enjoying her time in the town of Moonwood Mill. She cleans the inn for Mrs. Lunvik and has been spending time with Kristopher. Things were actually seeming normal and peaceful until the night of the full moon. That’s when Lily learns another shocking truth. Not only are their vampires, but there are also werewolves and that Kristopher is one of them. She thinks of running again but something deep down inside her tells her not to. She gingerly brings up what she saw to the werewolf that had helped her when she first showed up in town. He explains the history of werewolves to her and she confesses what happened to her cousins.

After learning that werewolves run Moonwood Mill as a safe haven for werewolves and those like them and are the natural enemies of vampires, Lily surprises herself in asking to becoming a werewolf. Not only does she want to protect others from suffering the same fate as her cousins but seeing Kristopher with his pack gives her the sense that they are family, something she no longer has. She wants that again.

Kristopher grants Lily her request after making sure it’s what she truly wants. The bite and first transformation are painful but being a werewolf helps Lily no longer feel powerless and helpless. She instantly feels a part of something, something she hadn’t even felt while human and surrounded by her family.

Meanwhile…

Though warned by the Count, the Vatore siblings had tracked down their cousin. Not to harm her but in hopes of talking to her. They had tracked her all the way to Moonwood Mill, which Straud had told them they are absolutely not allowed to step foot in. Instead, they hover around the border of the town.

“She is one of them now.” Caleb declares, feeling a pang in his chest he wasn’t quite used to anymore.

Lilth narrows her eyes, wrinkling her nose as the scent of werewolves hits her. She too is sad that her cousin is now a werewolf. “We can no longer reach her.” Until the transformation, they had a chance. Not anymore. It seems the Vatore siblings have truly lost what was left of her family. Their parents think them truly dead after an arranged train accident in Willow Creek by Count Straud himself. He had a buffet of the victims, much to Caleb’s disgust. Even Lilith had a few snacks, she said it was to end their suffering. Caleb simply left, he’s coming realize that he may need to go out on his own. He doesn’t agree with some of Vladislaus Straud’s ways.

“At least she has someone to care for her.” Caleb admits quietly, before speeding off followed closely by his sister.

[trlvsn]

okay i'm back on my krislarry bullshit because i'm imagining the turnabout trump trial going dahlia and feenie style for them. kristoph shaking and screaming "emotional riff-raff like you has no right to be in the courtroom" and larry responding with the most pathetic "babe why would you even say that"... i mean. do you see my vision. granted it's a vision one gets after consuming all of the white powder ema skye has but do you see it. take my hand

[1960z]

so I think ultimately the issues I have with dual destinies are similar to the issues I had all the way back in case one. there’s a lot of flash and excitement to it, a lot of narrative points that “up the stakes” and create drama, but behind all of that it feels like there’s very little substance to fall back on.

I’ve discussed how I’ve actually quite enjoyed individual cases and that’s still true, but unfortunately I think the game never becomes more than the sum of its parts which sucks because I think the game is kind of has a lot hinging on “the main story” if you will, with case 1, 4 and 5 all being dedicated to a small window of a few days, really building up the importance and intensity of the incident that surrounds it, a continuation of the case that created “the dark age of the law.”

and that’s kind of the main crux of the problem right. the dark age of the law storyline feels like nothing. I hypothesised before I played DD that thinking of it as the second game in a trilogy was unhelpful, because DD wasn’t trying to follow up on anything AJ:AA set up, and now having replayed it, I think it was trying to follow up on what AJ:AA did, I just don’t think it understood what that game was trying to do. apollo justice was about introducing ambiguity into a gameplay loop that had been taken for granted until now. in these games it’s always guaranteed that you have the perfect piece of evidence to find your client innocent and prove that someone else did it. AJ asks the question what if you didn’t have that one piece of evidence and you know your client is innocent and someone else is guilty? how far would you be willing to go? the bloody card in the first case was, at best a questionably manipulative ploy, and at worst, forged evidence and yet without it, kristoph gavin would’ve walked free. so how do you thread the line between making sure the correct ruling is handed down but also knowing what the court finds may not always match up perfectly with the truth? this was supposed to be the logic behind introducing the jurist system

dual destinies isn’t really interested in engaging with any of these questions, nor the previously set up jurist system and instead focuses in on “the dark age of the law,” where due to blackquill as a prosecutor being arrested for murder and phoenix losing his badge has caused people to lose trust in the legal system. this has also apparently caused for some legal professionals to openly advocate for the benefit of more morally ambiguous methods for making cases in court. our protagonists make it their mission to fight this dark age of the law and a lot of that takes the form of… taking issue with the idea that there may be any problems with justice being served by the legal system as long as its “purity” remains in tact, disregarding the questions posed the previous game and reaffirming that the truth can always be found in the confines of the legal system if you work for it enough, which in my opinion, just isn’t as interesting and really flattens what the previous game was trying to say.

I don’t hate this game or anything like that - in fact I quite enjoyed it in a lot of parts. again the individual cases are fun and I genuinely think that athena and blackquill had one of the most interesting protagonist-rival dynamics in a long time up until that point. but again these are all parts that don’t always deliver on a larger whole, and though I did enjoy myself, ultimately I think the experience was brought down a lot by having a bark much bigger than its bite story wise