#where is the fic about the week of his disbarment?

[psqqa]

yes, yes i know edgeworth’s big wet eyes and loser boy personality have captivated us all, but listen. listen.

phoenix wright

phoenix “genuinely unable to reconcile the girl on the stand with the girl he dated for eight months, a cognitive dissonance so profound it’s ultimately explained by them being literally two different people, but which he first sits with for five years and does not talk about at any point to anyone” wright

phoenix “don’t mention that name to me. i don’t want to talk about it. i don’t want to think about it. i am just going to keep myself in this state of perpetual crisis mode focus on other people’s problems until eventually i die and get to hang out with mia on the astral plane and never have to deal with any of these emotions ever again” wright

phoenix “overnight loses his career and reputation and sense of identity while gaining an adopted, probably pretty traumatized eight-year-old daughter, and rather than leaning on his friends for help, or getting therapy, or taking any time to process any of this, he *checks notes* spends seven years dedicating all his free time and energy to investigating the weird fucking circumstances around it and maintains a friendship with the guy he suspects was behind it all” wright

phoenix "runs across a burning bridge and falls through it, half a day after the game establishes that he is terrified of heights, because his friend is on the other side of that bridge" wright

phoenix “i sure felt surprised. maybe i had my poker face on” wright

phoenix “looking back on it that was actually a pretty dark period in my life” wright

phoenix “don’t ask me how i got started. i don’t remember” wright

phoenix “only you stood still, your eyes calmly watching” wright

phoenix “sometimes, life just sucks” wright

just

phoenix wright

crunchiest man in the world

and all i wanna do is chew and chew and chew on him

[feelmyskinonyourskin]

Who We Are and Who We Want to Be [Enemies to Lovers Trope]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Female Reader

Trope de Sept Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Enemies to Lovers dynamic 1. Two characters overcome their differences/misconceptions about each other, realising they are actually in love. Often with phrases like 'I didn't know where else to go.' and 'I don't hate you, I never hated you.' "After leaving your abusive boyfriend, you end up in the one place you never thought you would - the home of your arch nemesis in both law school and the courtroom, Matt Murdock."

Warnings: No use of Y/N. Female Reader. Mentions of physical abuse to reader (not by Matt. No details of the incident are described, just the aftermath is mentioned.)

WC: 4,350

*I never give permission for my fics, manips, or any other original creation I post on this site to be copied, posted elsewhere, translated, or fed into any AI program. The only platform I currently post anything on is Tumblr. Thanks!*

The rain was falling even harder than when you had left your apartment. Every hit of the heavy drops did nothing to help the pain swelling in your left cheek. 

You weren’t exactly sure where you were going, you just knew you needed to leave where you had been. 

Sure, he’d shown signs of some anger issues before, but tonight he crossed a line. You knew how the statistics ended and you didn’t want to be one of them.

You couldn’t see more than a foot in front of you. The chill in the air clung to your skin through your soaked clothing. With a shiver, you paused for a moment, seeking refuge under an awning to take a moment and finally assess your next move.

The gold letters of the sign in front of you jumped out at you like a beacon of light in the dark, rainy night.

Nelson, Murdock, and Page

Attorneys at Law

Goddamnit. 

Of course cruel fate would lead you here. Sure, let the universe make your boyfriend go full-abusive asshole and land you right in front of the office of the guy who had been your nemesis since law school, all in one night. What higher power did you piss off to deserve this?

There was no indication the rain would let up soon, so you made your decision with a shake of your head and turned the handle of the door in front of you.

ONE DAY EARLIER

Hate was a strong word to describe the relationship that you and Matt Murdock had with each other. Your time together at law school had always been tumultuous, to say the least. Each of you tried to outdo each other in both academic success and extra curriculars and were constantly at each other's throats both in and outside of class. Things had cooled off a bit in the years since, only interacting with each other when you’d occasionally face off in the courtroom, though he still found ways to drive you absolutely bonkers given the opportunity. Anyone who knew the two of you could feel the tension anytime you’d have to be in the same room together.

The tap tap tap of his cane against the marble floors alerted you he was walking towards you, giving you plenty of time to compose yourself and not make a dramatic scene in a public place where the kind of outburst you wanted to have towards him would get you either fired, disbarred, or arrested. 

Court had been dismissed for the weekend. The judge determined the trial needed to carry into next week for even more evidence presentation before the jury would be allowed to deliberate.

“You know, not presenting all evidence to the defense during the gathering phase is technically illegal. That little stunt you pulled while my client was on the stand was cute, but if I report it, it could get you a mistrial.” 

As Matt spoke to you in the hallway just outside the courtroom, you tried not to notice how his cologne was the perfect blend of spiciness and lumber. You also tried not to notice how his suits fit better and better every time you see him, unlike how gangly and awkward he looked in second-hand sports jackets in law school. Curse his suave attractiveness, always winning over juries and influencing judges.

“I did give you all the evidence we had at the time. It’s not my firm’s fault the DA’s office is slower than molasses and got us these files after the evidence gathering stage. We submitted it as additional evidence as soon as we got our hands on it. You also have the capability to pull public records, Matthew. So don’t pretend my firm has some sneaky, unfair advantage in this case.”

“I’m sorry that I use my Columbia education to actually help people. Nice to know not everyone from our graduating class was immune to the appeal of taking big law firm money to make sure corporations can take advantage of as many people as possible.”

A dry laugh escaped your lips. You tried not to raise your voice, as judges and reporters walked by, all rushing to leave work and begin their weekend plans.

“Is that really so bad, Matt? I’m just doing my job, trying to use the law to help my client. Same as you are.”

An exasperated sigh left his lips as he tilted his head skyward, also trying to put aside past tension between the two of you for the sake of professionalism. 

“Have a good weekend.” he said, before turning and walking away

“I… I didn’t know where else to go.” was the first thing you stuttered out as the low light cast him in a harsh glow in the dim office.

Head cocked, listening in to figure out exactly who was in his office at this late hour, Matt crossed the room in three steps to stand in front of you. The water dripping off of you hit the musty carpet with a splat. He continued to not speak, only listen, as you breathed heavily in front of him. Even though you knew he couldn’t see you, you’d still never felt so exposed in front of someone.

He ran a hand with feather-like softness over your face, ghosting his touch against the bruise forming there.

“You’re hurt.” he finally spoke

“I… how can you tell?”

“My dad was a boxer. I patched him up after matches a lot. I know what a bruise feels like, especially a fresh one. What happened?”

“My boyfriend… he um…” but the words died on your lips 

“I couldn’t stay. I just left and ran and the rain and…” you rambled “I ended up here.”

“Do you have somewhere you can stay tonight?” he asked

“No.”

“Then you’ll stay with me. For tonight at least, until we can figure something out for you.”

“Matt, I can’t ask that of you.”

“You're not asking, I’m offering. Besides, Foggy and I work on domestic violence cases all the time. We know a lot of people and can get you in touch with a lot of resources.”

You were warry. Matt and you hadn’t exactly gotten along in the past and now he was the opposing counsel in the biggest case of your career. Why was he suddenly so keen to be kind to you? But you truly had nowhere else to go tonight.

“But in the morning.” he continued “It’s late. There’s an Ethiopian place on my block. I could even order some sambusas for you. I know you like them with spiced chicken.”

“How do you know that?”

“Our second year of law school. Professor Hardwick made us pair up on the debate team together. When we’d all be in the library late, it was what you always ordered.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that. Matt, that was so long ago.”

2010

The floorboards of the old building creaked as you stepped, making your way down the hallway to your very first lecture of law school. You couldn’t contain your excitement. Finally done with undergrad, finally at your dream school, finally taking the first steps towards your dream career.

A few students had trickled in already and you took a seat next to a young man wearing sunglasses. He was chatting to his sandy-haired friend, both giving you a smile as you took your seat and removed a few essentials from your backpack.

“What did you think of the readings?” the dark-haired, blind student turned to you

“The readings? Shit! I didn’t know we had any!” you lamented

“It’s okay. I’m sure a lot of people forgot or didn’t know.”

“What were they on?” you asked

“First amendment. Mostly just covered a few cases relevant to section 9.2. I think the cases were Blair v. USA, USA v. Madden and Turner Broadcasting, and Zurcher v. Stanford Daily. We’ve got 15 minutes until class starts, I bet you could give them a quick read through.”

“Oh my gosh, you’re a life saver! Thank you!” you responded, flipping open your textbook and frantically searching for the case summaries.

“I’m Matt, by the way. Matt Murdock.”

You introduced yourself hurriedly just as you found the first reading and he returned to whatever he and his friend with the bad goatee were discussing.

Sure enough, the professor arrived 15 minutes later and began class. It was a rather standard first day - syllabus review, absentee policies, essay submission rules. 

Then he asked “Can anyone summarize one of the cases assigned in your readings?”

You raised your hand eagerly and were selected.

“USA v. Madden and Turner Broadcasting established clearer defined rules for who is considered a journalist and who is able to keep sources confidential in a court of law.”

The professor paused, staring you down.

“That’s true. But the assigned readings were on section 10.2 of the First Amendment. Doctrine on Freedoms of Assembly and Petition… You know close and thorough reading comprehension are essential skills for a lawyer.” 

You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks at the professor’s lambastation. Another student was called on, and the professor began the lecture, but it was all drowned out in a mental spiral of embarrassment and shame. 

“That was incredibly cruel Matt!” you whispered to your neighbor “Giving me the wrong readings just so I’d embarrass myself!”

“I didn’t! I did the wrong ones too!” he rasped back

“Uhuh, sure you did!”

“Is there a problem?” the professor spoke up, causing the whole lecture hall to turn and look at you and Matt, embarrassing you for the second time

You shook your head no, stared at your notebook, and tried to focus as the professor returned to his lecture once more.

All you knew after that day was Matt Murdock was not to be trusted if you wanted to find success for the next three years at Columbia.

Matt’s apartment was cozy. Full of textures, though you supposed if you couldn’t see the place you lived, that’d be the thing to do to make it feel like home. 

You weren’t surprised, then, to find that everything else there was too – the loofa in his shower, the plush towels you used to dry your now steam-warmed body, and the gray sweatpants and navy Columbia law shirt he handed you afterwards.

“Why is a brilliant lawyer like you putting up with a guy like that?” he asked over half-devoured takeout containers

“You think I’m a brilliant lawyer?”

“I always have. But that wasn’t the question.”

“Okay, counselor.” you jested back

You didn’t want to get into it tonight, to relive all the failings of your love life and how you ended up here. But you did; afterall what else did you have to exchange for his kindness except your vulnerability?

After you finished, the story concluding in the present moment, there was silence. It hung between the two of you as Matt chewed on your words.

“Do you remember our law dissertation class in our third year?” he finally spoke

“Yeah.”

“You gave a closing statement about the case we presented, 

‘Legislative judgements of the court serve as constant reminders that, in the view of all-male decision-making bodies, life should be arranged in a way only they see fit for the rest of us. We must constantly use the law to dismantle their notions, in order to create a society that is legally inclusive for all it applies to.’

“Yeah I remember that. What about it?

“I have it typed up in braille, on this little frame on my desk, back at the office. I read it over sometimes. Helps me remember just exactly who the law should be for. For everyone, not just the powerful. I would think the person who said that wouldn’t put up with a jerk of a boyfriend.”

Laughter erupted throughout your body and you felt yourself smile, a real genuine smile for the first time that evening.

“Matt. I didn’t say that. I mean I did but it was… I was quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It seemed relevant to pull a statement on the matter from one of our supreme court justices at the time. It was like in a letter she wrote to Scalia about one of their favorite operas or something. Wait, you thought I thought of that?”

“I actually did, yeah. It was such a strong closing statement, I figured only someone as smart as you could have come up with it.”

“Smart? I’m sorry Matt, did you just compliment me?”

“I did.” he said with a chuckle “But don’t get used to it.”

“And for the past, what like, 12 years you've had that sitting on your desk, thinking of me every time you read it?”

“Yeah,” he sighed “Go ahead, make fun of me.”

“You know what, I will spare you just this one time from my mockery. Only because I think it’s sweet. I can't believe you remembered something I said in law school. You hated me then.”

“I never hated you. Admired you for sure. Jealous at times, absolutely. But I never hated you.”

“Huh, I always just thought you did.”

2013

“Matthew Michael Murdock! Open this door right now!” you screamed as you banged on the door of Matt and Foggy’s dorm

Matt opened it cautiously, already knowing the reason you were about to chew him out.

You stepped up, nearly nose to nose with him.

“How could you? This is low, even for you Murdock.”

“Please, just let me explain…”

“No. I don’t need your shitty explanation. I know we haven’t gotten along since day one, but even so – you know I’m an excellent student, you know I’m gonna be a good lawyer, and yet… Why did you tell Jeremy Landman I wouldn’t be a good fit for the internship?”

“Because you wouldn’t be.” Matt responded, coldly

“Are you fucking serious? I would be an amazing fit at that firm! I work twice as hard as you two chucklefucks in every single class,” you indicated to Foggy, who was sitting listening intently on the bed behind Matt. “You’ve been interns there the whole year, I just wanted a summer internship while I study for the bar! I got the rejection call this morning. And they said it was your fault. Because you told your boss I wasn’t a good fit.”

“Listen. I’m sorry. I know that internship was important to you, but I was being honest. You wouldn’t be the right fit there.”

The tears started flowing down your face as Matt remained emotionless before you.

“Don’t you dare ever speak to me again, Matthew. I want nothing to do with you!” you shouted, turning on your heel and rushing back down the hall, determined not to clue Matt into just how hard you were crying.

Matt closed the door with a sigh.

“Jesus Matt, she’s right. That was really shitty of you.” Foggy said

“Look… I had a good reason.”

“Was the reason because you hate her, because if that’s what it is, I’m gonna come over there and hit you, Murdock.”

“No. The reason I told them not to pick her for the internship, Jeremey Landman is… look, he’s been a great mentor this year but he doesn’t necessarily treat the female interns and employees with as much… respect.” Matt explained

“Okay, so why haven’t you said anything? To HR. To her?”

“I didn’t want to stir the pot, you know, mess things up for us. I was worried if I said anything, they’d just fire me and I worried you’d get thrown in the mix too.”

“Okay, but at least tell her…” Foggy indicated toward the door

“No. She’ll find something better. She’s right, she’s gonna be a good lawyer. She’ll find an even better internship at an even better firm.”

Matt’s sheets were luxurious to say the least. Cool and calming against your skin as you slumbered under the glow of the billboard and the sounds of the heavy rain still beating down hours later. 

You didn’t notice the shadow sneaking out of the apartment through the roof access door, nor did you notice when it returned a few hours later. You slept peacefully as the blood from his fists ran down the drain, as the rain-soaked crimson suit was tucked back into the worn trunk, and as the exhausted lawyer crept back through the living room and tucked himself into the worn leather sofa.

The ring of your phone happened far too early for your liking, an unfamiliar number popping up on your screen as you rubbed your bleary eyes.

Matt tried not to eavesdrop, a difficult task with his precise hearing and the echoing ceilings of his loft.

The words “Nearly comatose” and “Mysterious circumstances” shouldn’t have caused the grin that spread across his face, but they did.

“I’m sorry, but he and I actually broke up. I’ve been staying with a friend, so I have no idea what happened. Please remove me as his emergency contact and reach out to someone else.” 

And then you hung up the phone.

You clued Matt in over a cup of coffee as the sun rose in streaking beams across the brick walls of his home. He listened with concern, trying not to let on to the fact he knew why you’d received that phone call or that he had been the cause of it.

“Don’t act like he didn’t deserve it.”

“Wow, how very Catholic of you, Matthew.”

“So you’re staying with a friend huh?”

An arrogant smile spread across his annoyingly handsome face. How typical of him. He heard your phone conversation and still let you ramble on for at least ten minutes and had the nerve to throw your own phrasing back in your face.

Still, he had been nothing but kind and gentle to you the past 12 hours, so you owed it to him to at least try and not be annoyed with him. You took a deep breath.

“I mean, you let me stay with you last night. And you heavily implied you and Foggy are going to get me some resources to help me. That’s something a friend would do.

“It’s nice. Being your friend. It’s a good change.”

“Yeah I guess it is. Look, Matt… I know I’ve been kind of harsh on you. Sometimes.” you said, extending a metaphorical olive branch

Matt chuckled and shook his head, holding out an open palm to stop you.

“Water under the bridge.”

“But really. Thank you.” 

“Can I ask you something?” he inquired

“Yeah”

“When we were in law school… why did you never give me a chance?” 

“Matt, you had a new girlfriend like, every month. I don’t think there was ever an opportunity for me to even try!”

“I… that wasn’t at all what I was asking. I just meant why you seemed to hate me from the get go. Wait, did you want to… you know, give me a chance in that way?” he asked

“No. I mean, maybe at one time. Like when I first met you, I thought you were cute. But then I got to know what a jerk you were…”

“I was a jerk? What about you?! You literally rented the one braille book on Civil Procedure from the library a week before finals just so I wouldn’t be able to study!”

“That wasn’t why I rented it!” you argued back

“Why else would you?!”

“Because I was trying to learn braille!”

“With a law book?!”

“I was trying to help you! You’d missed so many classes that semester and then your girlfriend broke up with you and it just seemed like you were really struggling and I actually felt bad for you for a change and thought maybe I could help you study.” 

“By renting the one book I needed?”

“My thought process was that it might be easier to study if we could read from the same book but since you can’t see, I wanted to learn braille so I could help you better… then I caught that awful flu that was going around and I couldn’t get it back to the library before finals.”

His pink lips parted, tongue darting out as he rubbed his chin in contemplation. 

You thought about how he looked almost like the Matt you knew back then. So used to seeing him in sharp suits in court rooms these days, his morning ensemble of sweatpants and a simple black t-shirt reminded you more of the heartbroken Matt you knew from late nights in the library and off-campus parties. Even then, you rarely got to admire how the light reflected in his hazel eyes, usually covered by glasses. How unlike him, you thought, to not wear his glasses in front of you. It’s almost as if he was trying to match your current state of vulnerability.

“I had no clue you had a thing for me back then.” he said

You nearly spit your coffee across his countertop.

“I’m sorry, I did not say I had a thing for you. I said you were pitiful enough to make me want to do something nice. That is not a ‘thing’ Matthew.”

“But when I asked why you didn’t give me a chance, that’s where your brain went. You said I was cute.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing he couldn’t see the gesture of annoyance. 

“Then Matt. I said you were cute back then.”

Matt smirked, hearing the wavering of your heartbeat to know it was a lie. You thought he was cute now. Using that information to push his luck, he continued

“You know I sort of had a thing for you too.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am! You were smart and so stubborn. You smelled nice. And your laugh… It’s always the one thing I can pick out of a crowded lecture hall or busy courthouse.”

“Wait, Matt are you saying you had a crush on me?”

“Yeah.” he confirmed

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I thought you hated me.”

“I never hated you.”

“Oh come on, you absolutely did.” he argued

“No. I didn’t. You were just always so arrogant. You still are. In law school, you got any girl you wanted and you usually did. You charmed all the professors into liking you, meanwhile I worked my ass off and barely got noticed.”

You picked up your coffee cup and took a giant swig, black liquid fueling your rambling.

“And it’s the same these days with judges and juries. It’s not like you aren’t a good lawyer, I know you are. I just get so jealous sometimes that the blind thing seems to get you sympathy and special perks from the get go, plus all the suave personality that I don’t have usually gets people on your side even without all the solid evidence against my prosecution you usually gather.”

“So, you’re jealous?” 

“I guess. But Matt, I promise, I don’t hate you.”

“Well you might, for what I’m about to say.”

“Okay. What could you possibly say that could make me actually hate you?”

He rested his forearms on the kitchen counter, leaning in as if he was about to share a secret, even though it was just the two of you in his apartment.

“Give the case you’re working on to someone else.” he spoke, low voice rumbling in his chest as the seriousness of his request hung in the air.

“What?!”

“You’re in no state to show up in court tomorrow.”

You hadn’t yet dared to look in a mirror to see if there was physical evidence from what happened with your boyfriend last night. But you knew Matt wasn’t just talking about that, it was the emotional component too.

“Are you serious?! You’re telling me to drop the biggest case of my life because my boyfriend was an ass? All in some weird ploy so that you can win?”

“Really? You think I give a shit about beating you in court? This isn’t about that. It’s about making sure you’re okay!”

“You liar! You just want to win this case!” you shouted back

“Are you ever not the most stubborn person on this planet?”

“I am when I don’t have to deal with you.”

He rounded the kitchen counter to stand in front of you, all caution thrown to the wind as he cupped your jaw and pulled you close to him.

“Just shut up.” he murmured before his mouth was on yours, soft and tender and full of years of pent up desire.

You didn’t resist, leaning into his warm, plush lips as they opened up to you, deepening the kiss.

You weren’t sure who pulled apart first, but neither of you dared to separate much, staying close enough that you could feel his labored, warm breath on your face.

“If I promise to give the case to Foggy, will you promise to give your side to someone else at your firm? Then we can spend this week getting you a new place and a restraining order.”

You nodded, not sure what else to say. 

He kissed you once more, a seal on the agreement the two of you just made.

You just got out of possibly the worst relationship of your life and now the last man you thought you’d ever go out with was offering you a new beginning. What did you possibly have to lose by taking this leap?

“Maybe…” you finally spoke up “you can take me to dinner. To celebrate if we get all of that done.”

“Okay.” he agreed

Maybe one day, he’ll tell you what really happened that night after you fell asleep in his bed. Reveal to you what he does in the dark, why he started this double life, intent on protecting people just like you. But for now, he’s content to just share a warm cup of coffee and a kiss in the morning, and the promise of more mornings like this on the horizon.

[rivalsforlife]

The fact that we (canonically at least) don’t have post-T&T pre-AJ Phoenix meeting post AAI2 Edgeworth is such a crime really. Like imagine. Nick saw him 2ish months ago, in terms of times apart for them that’s nothing, and after all the AAI series character development Edgeworth goes thru is must be like ??!??? For Nick. At least AA1-> AA2 Edgeworth was a year long absence + extreme amount of emotional distress for Nick to “explain” the changes. Here it’s like Edgeworth went on a life changing summer break lol

(I do think Edgeworth is putting up a stronger front in the AAI series then in the main game since he’s got all these people he needs to take care of, and he can/has to be more emotionally vulnerable/messy with Nick. So he still will be closer to the trilogy Edgeworth when they are alone + I assume Nick can tease some of the more neurotic aspects of him out haha, but yeah Miles suddenly being a dad and mentor to Kay and Sebastian and giving raises to Gumshoe like???)

((And in canon I assume post disbarment Nick doesn’t notice so many changes, he’s got OTHER things to deal with and I also assume he doesn’t meet Miles' crew for a while after that. But if there were more time between the events I’d want that interaction with Miles and his merry band of problem children and Nick))

Hey sorry it's been nearly two months since you sent this in! finally getting around to answering things properly.

re: your point about Edgeworth putting up a stronger front in the AAI series, this interview directly acknowledges that:

Q: We haven’t seen Mitsurugi brooding and moody anymore like in the main Gyakuten Saiban (Ace Attorney) series. Why don’t we get to see his more humble side anymore? (From: Koro)

A: Perhaps because he has grown now he has become the protagonist. And it’s likely Mitsurugi could show his weaker moments there because he was with Naruhodō. He wouldn’t let Itonoko or Mikumo know when he’s disheartened.

So there's definitely an element of that there for his behavior in the Investigations series compared to mainline games!

It would be interesting to see how Phoenix would interact with Kay and Sebastian and what he'd think of their relationships with Edgeworth, like "does Edgeworth think that if he recruits teenagers he's going to be able to win trials" or something. It'd definitely be a side to Edgeworth he hadn't really gotten much of a chance to see before. Plus I think he and Kay would enjoy making fun of Edgeworth together.

I also think it's very funny that aai2 decided to have edgeworth lose his badge for a couple of days just weeks before phoenix loses his badge for seven years. I have some vague thoughts floating around re: their relationship in the seven year gap based both on that and edgeworth presumably accelerating his legal career while phoenix is disbarred. Especially since Phoenix's major reason for becoming a lawyer was to help Edgeworth; well, now Edgeworth has been helped and is helping others and is succeeding with everything, so Phoenix achieved what he set out to do, in a way, but it still really sucks being the one disbarred, and I think it'd be neat if there was a little bit of resentment building up on Phoenix's end there. like, it would really suck to see Edgeworth succeeding where Phoenix is stagnating given Phoenix rerouted his life for him, even though he acknowledges the disbarment is not Edgeworth's fault in any way, idk if I'm wording this correctly I just feel like there's something there. I think they definitely go through some periods of at least semi-estrangement, even if not deliberate on Edgeworth's end, because I think Edgeworth frequently is busy and is not socially aware enough to check in on even his favorite person for like months at the time while Phoenix is staring at the phone for hours in a depressed haze waiting for Edgeworth to respond to a passive-aggressive text. stuff like that. I can't remember if I touched on that in a fic or not yet but if I haven't and I ever get around to writing again I should.

I also go back and forth depending on the situation about how much Phoenix knows about the investigations events and how much of those guys he gets to meet. On the one hand, as important people to Edgeworth, it makes sense Phoenix would meet them fairly soon, but it is also funny for like. Phoenix not even knowing Kay exists until one day a few months into a relationship with Edgeworth he's hanging out in his apartment when Kay breaks in and they go through a "what are you doing in edgeworth's house?" "what are YOU doing in mr edgeworth's house?" kind of routine

[sandersgrey]

Fic Recs

Alright, folks, I've recently had cause to go through all six thousand something bookmarks of mine, so I figured I might finally do one of these. It's not even close to being all of the good fics I have saved, but these are some my absolute favorites.

All of these are completed and have happy endings unless otherwise specified.

If you try and make fun of me for my choice in fandoms, please keep in mind I have no shame and treat anon hate as fun enrichment for my habitat.

Percy Jackson

Solangelo

5: I've seen it recommended everywhere, for a good reason. Great for people who like their fluff a bit unhinged. 2k,

Touch Me: This one is for the touch starved bitches out there. Will knows that Nico doesn't like to be touched- in this specific case, Nico disagrees. 8k.

in which will solace's gentle hands pay off: Similar premise; Nico is touch-starved and he wants Will to touch him. 1k.

Jasico

joy and sorrow: Anyone else up for an Orpheus and Eurydice parallel? Jason languishes in paradise. Nico brings him back. 10k.

Ace Attorney

Narumitsu

and the tree was happy: Easily my favorite characterization of Trucy. It's Trucy-centric, and it focuses on her fixing the fallout after the truth about Thalassa comes out. 36k.

So, when this loose behavior I throw off: Edgeworth finds Phoenix during his disbarment and proceeds to play a very high stakes game of poker. 12k.

one step at a time: Phoenix decides to retake the bar after his five years are up. Edgeworth is there every step of the way. 22k.

forty years in the wilderness: Miles Edgeworth comes home five weeks after Phoenix finishes rebuilding the jury trial system. 9k.

Klapollo

and it's christmas, so no one can fix it: This is just honestly very well written. It handles Klavier's first Christmas after Kristoph- well, after Kristoph. 10k.

don't you lose my number: Five unconnected textfics, and each of them worth the time. 66k.

fame vs infamy: In which Apollo somehow lands a boyfriend by writing Klavier x Reader out of spite. 12k.

Boku no Hero Academia

Dabihawks

you're the song stuck in my head: You want some cute fake dating? I can hook you up with some cute fake dating. I'll even throw in some mutual pining. AU where Hawks is a cheerleader and Dabi is in a band. 37k.

Erasermic

on air: Mic is doing a segment on fun proposals on his radio channel. Aizawa calls in. 2k.

fusebox heart: AU where Mic has cyborg parts that need maintenance, and Aizawa is his favorite mechanic. Just like this fic is my favorite. 27k.

Tododeku

don't you just want to go apeshit?: Todoroki is tired of being nice. He chooses violence (memes) instead. 15k.

Hand to Heart: Deku asks to study Todoroki's quirk, and Shouto falls in love. 13k.

Haikyuu!!

Bokuaka

Karma: In which Bokuto offers to teach him yoga and Akaashi is a weak, weak man. 9k.

daisy rings and frivolous things: Akaashi is pining, and Bokuto has an onigiri quest for them. They get engaged. 15k.

il mio ragazzo falso: Akaashi brings Bokuto to his granparents' wedding anniversary- as his fake boyfriend. I think you know where this is going. 18k.

one in a hundred: Dating would be a lot easier if Akaashi stopped trying to break up with him. 3k.

Kagehina

your whole life on your play: Directly after his team wins the game, Hinata proposes to Kageyama. They weren't dating. (Part of a series, but can be read on its own.) 3k.

Kuroken

Please Notice Me: Instead of talking about his feelings, Kenma turns into a cat. Kuro is a sweetheart about it. 10k.

i hear my heart breaking tonight: Kenma is pining his way through the most domestic life possible. 10k.

In Another Castle: Kuroo, will you please just let Kenma buy you two a house? Domestic fluff and mutual pining. 19k.

Tsukiyama

And Everything in Between: Yamaguchi buys Tsukishima a lizard for his birthday. It's the best gift he's ever gotten. 51k.

Sakuatsu

Other Boys in Other Ports: An absolute masterpiece. Atsumu is a space sailor and Sakusa is the bartender he spends three days with every time he arrives at his port. 26k.

The Dos and Don'ts of Loving Sakusa Kiyoomi: Atsumu is tired of always getting it wrong with Sakusa, so he starts keeping a list. 15k.

Hunter x Hunter

Leopika

All Roads Lead To: Urban Fantasy AU involving a magical library and a myriad of paths to take. Kurapika is the librarian, if that sweetens the pot for you. 46k.

Immersion Learning: Leorio picks up a bit of Kuruta over the years. 4k.

Killugon

starlight and star-crossed: Killua loses all of his memory of Gon, and he thinks this boy is too good to be true. 22k.

wriggle up on dry land: Killua thinks Mito is gonna hit Gon, so he begs her to hit him instead. 1k.

Naruto

Gen

The Divided Self: Sakura knows she has no natural advantage, no clan, no kekkei genkai. So she makes herself one. 6k.

Gaalee

Suna Stories: In which Gaara gets sick, and Lee has gotten drunk- Wait, not at the same time! 14k.

Diplomatic Relations: Lee is sent as an ambassador in Suna, which is sure to go over very well. 162k.

Undertale

Gen

Trying Out a Maybe: Technically platonic charisk, but Frisk isn't quite there. Sans notices the thing killing all the monsters is acting weird. 8k. Hopeful ending, but check the tags.

memeing across time and space: It's very hard to meme from the void. Gaster still tries. 1k.

The Witcher

Geraskier

nourish: Jaskier has a habit of sharing his food. (Honestly, I recommend about everything by @penandinkprincess. It's just all good shit.) 10k.

Customs of Courtship and Marriage: Jaskier starts calling Geralt his wifey as sort of a joke, and it sticks. 14k.

A Song Of My Own: Jaskier falls in love all the time, and there's a very cute scene with supportive bystanders. Much like with penandink, I recommend you just take a look at the author's works. 7k.

The Man Made of Love: Geralt is convinced Jaskier deserves better than his love. Still, he writes. 5k.

Voltron

Klance

i like where we are (here): For anyone who likes mutual pining. Lance is coming to Keith's home with him during college break, and he is Not handling it well. 40k.

tell me again, do you love me?: Everyone knows Lance is in love with Keith, and I do mean everyone- including Keith himself. Fluff. 6k.

Terminal Velocity: Technically a sequel, but can be read on its own. Lance always falls too fast- but Keith's down bad. 23k.

DC

Birdflash

Homiesexual: For the meme lovers out there. Wally has a sexuality crisis due to his hot gym buddy, Dick, and then posts about it on reddit. Because of course. 9k.

As Invisible as the True Stars at Daybreak: They just... know each other so well... Nightwing is acting weird, and Wally is the only one who has noticed. 5k.

Superbat

to feel without a light: Bruce is out of his mind with fear toxin, but he still trusts Clark. 5k.

Timkon

Cork Board Contingencies: For people who share my belief that Tim is at his best as a feral nerd. Tim has a date with Kon and goes feral about planning it. 3k.

Shiny New Fears: Could it be?... Yes, healthy communication. Features established timkon talking through their worries as they decide whether or not to have kids. (Not mpreg.) 10k.

Trust Me to Have a Pen in Hand: High School AU where Conner always has a pen to lend Tim. 1k.

The Mystery of the Superboy Shirts: Tim is obsessed with trying to figure out where the fuck Kon's shirts keep coming from. 4k.

Jayroy

The Big Book: Another one that is frequently recommended, and for good reason. Deals mostly with Roy's addiction. Features a supportive Jason. 4k.

I Want You With Me (Always): Idiots to lovers, featuring meaningful tattoos and commitment. 3k.

if your real dad isn't present store bought is fine: baby Lian goes to Red Hood when she's in danger, so he beats up a creep for her. What's not to like? 1k.

Bluepulse

Stick With Me: A classic set up where Jaime and Bart get stuck in a cabin and have to deal with their continuous proximity. 25k.

Sanders Sides

Analogical

i'll give you the moon: Ironically, Virgil defies logic in order to try to give Logan the perfect gift. 4k.

Intrulogical

by a map half-written: Arranged marriage AU. At the last minute, it's decided Logan will marry Prince Remus instead of his twin. Logan is quite satisfied with this. 4k.

Stalker-verse: A tiny series in which Remus and Logan are each other's stalkers. Somehow, this manages to have fluff. Check the tags. 19k.

The Magnus Archives

Jonmartin

Martin Blackwood and the Power of Research: Martin really wants to talk to Jon, so he tries infodumping. 4k.

Jongerry

fool me, fool me: In which Jon fake dates Gerry so the rest of the archives gang doesn't think he's homophobic. About as ridiculous as it sounds. Textfic. 27k.

Supernatural

Destiel

six hundred sundays (and many more): Time works different for angels and Cas has always loved Dean. So much fluff. 15k.

Purgatory, director's cut: A different retelling of Castiel and Dean's time in Purgatory. Clearly. 23k.

Fifty Ways to Lose Your Lover: Screenplay format, as the characters themselves revolt against the script. Humor. 1k.

Tall Grass: Castiel plants a garden. Dean watches. 57k.

Midam

adjust to the light: AU where Adam is the only survivor of a serial killer, and his ex, Michael, seems very concerned about his safety. 69k. Nice.

for fear that you'd find out: Right after they leave the bunker, Michael and Adam have a refreshingly honest conversation. 4k.

the divergence of divine law: Thee fic for those who enjoy thinking about their time together in the cage. Check the tags. Technically ambiguous ending. 73k.

Drarry

The Pure and Simple Truth: Harry, Draco and Hermione walk into a pub. There is no punchline. There is a very well developed supporting cast though. 65k.

Wolfstar

keymash: Absolutely perfect fic. Mostly texting. Wrong Number and No Magic AU. 45k.

The Barista, The Burglar, and the Sofa: In which Remus is an anxious barista whose house keeps getting broken into by a very generous stranger. (It's Sirius.) 21k.

[howlingday]

just for fun, jaune arc was a boy who joined up with a huntsman colalge at a young age way earlier than he was supposed to one fall of an unknown huntman school later (and about five years of misadventures that he will never talk about) he's now a 17 year old professor at beacon dealing with an truly unfortunate amount of thirst from rwby and NPR (yes nora is the leader, ozpin thought it would be funny, he was right)

Honestly, this sounds kind of like the premise of "Professor Arc" by Couer Al'Aran (One of, if not my favorite RWBY fan fic authors). But since the premise is twisted just enough, I'll give it a shot.

"Miss Xiao Long, will you please take a seat?!"

"Sure thing, Teach. How about yours~?"

Jaune groaned as his students giggled at the obviously inappropriate behavior Yang Xiao Long gave him. It was an unfortunate circumstance he had to endure. Though the young woman was mere months away from his age, school policy was adamant regarding student-teacher relations:

The student would be expelled, and the Professor disbarred and disgraced by the Huntsman Licensing Committee.

He glared at the blonde until her partner, the more level-headed Blake Belladonna, dragged her into a seat next to her. With a sigh, he turned to face the chalkboard and began writing the lesson plan.

"Okay, class, today's subject is Dust." As he finished writing "DUST" in large letters, he turned to face the crowd. "Who can tell me where dust comes from?" A hand raised. "Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"Dust is mined from dust mines." Weiss answered.

"Gee, no kidding?" Yang yawned.

Jaune ignored her, focusing on the lessons. "Correct, Ms. Schnee. Dust is mined from the earth, and comes in a variety of colors." Jaune reached beneath his desk, pulling out a large, silver suitcase, with "SDC" emblazoned across it's body. Opening the suitcase, he revealed four glowing crystals, one each of it's own color. "Who can tell me what red is?" An eager hand shot up. "Ms. Rose?"

Ruby Rose, leader of Team RWBY, almost jumped over her desk as she shot up to her feet. "Fire!"

"Correct, Ms. Rose!" He set the fire dust crystal on the desk, moving on to his next lesson. As he picked up the green crystal, he failed to notice the red crystal rolling to the edge. "Now, what about green? Anyone? Mr. Winchester?"

"Tree, or something?" Cardin Winchester lazily replied. While much bulkier and more muscular than Jaune, he wasn't the academic student he hoped for.

"Er, close, Cardin." Jaune held the crystal up a little higher. "There are many varying colors of dust, including multiple green dust crystals. This happens to be Earth." He set the crystal down, then reached for a new dust crystal, picking up the yellow.

As he grabbed the dust, he noticed hushed whispers from the class. He scanned row to row until he found Nora Valkyrie, leader of Team NPPR, whispering to her teammates. The three redheads gossiped on, unaware their professor had stopped his lesson. "Ahem!"

"Eek!" Shouted Pyrrha Nikos, Mistralian champion and Jaune's number one fan. She was always willing to stay behind for extra credit, though she never failed a single exam. Jaune appreciated her dedication, but worried it was for the wrong reasons.

"Yipe!" Exclaimed Penny Polendina, Atlss exchange student, who Jaune always felt was a little off. Despite her size, she was stronger than every other student, perhaps even the strongest. At the food fight last week, he watched in horror as the young girl lifted the entire cafeteria wall to block a rogue sandwich that was repurposed as a projectile.

"Nuts!" Nora snapped. Easily the most destructive of his students, Jaune constantly questioned why Ozpin chose her to lead Team NPPR, but was always waved off for "not having a sense of humor". Her energy often proved too much for him during field exercises. Thankfully, however, Nora was much easier inside.

"Am I interrupting you, girls?" Jaune asked.

"No!" Pyrrha shouted, waving her hands in front of her. "It's nothing important! I'm so sorry, Professor Arc!"

"Yes, we were not discussing anything important." Penny then hiccuped at her obvious lie.

Jaune was grateful the girl had a nervous tick that made it easy to see through her lies. He then mentally kicked himself for thinking that. What kind of person enjoys preying on something out of another's control?

"Yeah, we were just talking about, uh, dust!" Nora lied.

"Oh, really?" Jaune set the crystal on the desk, then walked around, completely ignoring the fire dust crystal teetering on the edge. "Well, we were also discussing dust. Perhaps you wouldn't mind I review our discussions?"

"Pft, no! Go right ahead!" Nora waved off to him.

"Very well," Jaune replied, unaware the fire dust fell and shattered behind his desk, "what is the difference between Earth dust and Plant dust? Miss Nikos?"

"The shade of green, Professor."

"Correct!" Smoke began to rise from behind his desk. "Miss Polendina, where is dust harvested from?"

"The current leading method of harvesting dust is by mechanical bore and excavation in dust mines, sir!"

"Correct! Now, Miss Valkyrie, what color is fire dust?"

"Uh, is that a fire?" Lie Ren, Nora's partner, asked, pointing past him.

"Yes, Mister Lie," Jaune groaned, "but that isn't what I asked your leader. I asked what color is-"

"Fire!" Ruby shouted.

"Miss Rose!" Jaune turned towards her. "My question is for Miss Valkyrie, not-!" Jaune suddenly felt hot under his collar, but not for the reason he thought. He felt his entire side warm as he turned, then noticed the fire growing larger. As it engulfed his desk, it scorched the wood, melted the case, and ignited the other dust crystals.

"Shit." Jaune swore, just before he was blasted by a lightning bolt. The students trampled over him as the sprinkler system kicked on, soaking him as he lay on the ground. He sighed.

It was going to be a long way to summer vacation.

[sapphire-wine]

🌹

Show us the 7yg stuff ellie

Would you guys still love me if I told you I was using this fic to incorporate the portion of my 7yg thesis from weeks ago about Kristoph and Phoenix's cat and mouse game relationship where Phoenix doesn't realize Kristoph is behind his disbarment for the first year

Phoenix stepped further through the threshold.

Kristoph held his hands out for Phoenix’s jacket, slowly helping him out of it.

Phoenix blushed. “Thanks.”

Kristoph fought a satisfied smirk, replacing it with an adoring look, “of course.”

He hung up the coat.

“After you,” he gestured for Phoenix to walk ahead of him to the living room.

Phoenix chuckled and walked the same way his daughter had.

Upon entering the living room, he froze. Across the room, another figure froze as well.

Kristoph walked up behind Phoenix. He followed Phoenix’s gaze to the figure that had already turned to continue talking to his conversation partner. He gasped lightly.

He put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder, “oh forgive me, it completely slipped my mind.”

Phoenix didn’t move. Didn’t look away. “Don’t worry. We can be civil.”

“I feel absolutely awful about this. I can ask him to leave.”

Phoenix turned his head towards him.

“What? He’s your brother.”

Kristoph trailed his hand from Phoenix’s shoulder down his arm before removing it, “ah, he hasn’t acted like it as of late.”

Phoenix glanced back to Klavier, “I see.”

“The house is large enough you shouldn’t run into him again.”

“He’s a kid.”

Kristoph grabbed a glass of champagne and placed it in Phoenix’s hand.

[ziskandra]

Fic Round Up 2020

I didn't intend to do much writing in 2020. Perhaps participate in a single-fandom exchange or two, if any took my fancy. Then my city's second lockdown happened, the Premier told us to stay home, and I am a good citizen. I wrote more in 2020 than I have in any year since 2009 (when I was sixteen). So, I guess 2020 was good for something after all.

Anyway, without any further ado, I present 50 fics across 13 fandoms! (Ace Attorney, Aggretsuko, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Dragon Age, Game of Thrones, Golden Sun, Harry Potter, Mass Effect, My Fair Lady, Original Work, Persona 3, To The Moon, Your Name.)

Ace Attorney

A Good Forking; Ema & Klavier; Klavier Gavin is aroused by a particularly sumptuous steak, and Ema is not amused. (750 words, rated T.)

I (27M) have adopted a child (8F) in less than ideal circumstances. What can I do to be the best possible father for her?; Phoenix & Trucy; Shortly after adopting Trucy, Phoenix seeks advice in the r/relationships subreddit. (2.3k, rated G.)

The Disappearance of Trucy Wright; Phoenix/Edgeworth; Miles Edgeworth is forced to confront his complicated feelings on fatherhood. (10k, rated T.)

A Helping Hand; Franziska/Phoenix; Franziska offers to help Phoenix piece his life back together after his disbarment. Phoenix should suspect her motives, but finds himself drawn towards her methodology instead. (2k, rated E.)

Chasing Demons; Franziska von Karma & Ensemble; Franziska von Karma is haunted by ghosts. Who are they? What do they want with her? And what do they have to do with the identity of her mother, a family secret her father has always kept close to his chest? (20k, WIP, rated M.)

Aggretsuko

anything we dream; Fenneko & Retsuko; Just because something makes you happy doesn’t mean you have to do it forever. (1k, rated G.)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Intermission; Audra/Greg; Recently divorced Audra Levine visits West Covina to provide moral support during her frenemy’s open mic night. (2.3k, rated T.)

Realization; Audra/Greg; Greg and Audra meet at Rebecca's open mic night, hit it off, and spend some quality time together before Audra leaves town. (2.2k, rated E.)

Does Rebecca Feel the Same Way?; Rebecca/Greg; Greg Serrano is still, hopelessly, helplessly in love with Rebecca Bunch, even if he does his best to hide it. (1k, rated M.)

silver place; Rebecca/Nathaniel; Upon reuniting with Rebecca after his sabbatical, Nathaniel finds himself feeling self-conscious about his body. (900 words, rated T.)

mirror image; Rebecca/Audra; Despite being a staunch feminist who believes women can do whatever they want with their body hair, Rebecca can't help but be intimated by Audra's impeccable personal grooming. (200 words, rated E.)

Dragon Age

Duty; Loghain Mac Tir; There are many times in Loghain's life where he could've died. Somehow, he survives. (6k, rated M.)

Skinned Knees; Loghain & Anora; Loghain and his daughter throughout the years, from her infancy to the Landsmeet. (2k, rated G.)

Divine; Cassandra/F!Trevelyan; After the Inquisition is disbanded, Evelyn Trevelyan and her lover, Divine Victoria, steal a quiet moment alone together. (2.1k, rated E.)

Selfish; F!Trevelyan/Josephine; An extension of the scene where Josephine and the Inquisitor cuddle in front of the fire. (1.6k, rated E.)

A Little Longer; Alistair/Zevran; It’s not the first time Zevran has assisted a friend in a loveless marriage. (750 words, rated E.)

The Secret; Alistair/Anora; In which Alistair tells Anora he might have a child. (1.6k, rated M.)

Jennies; F!Cadash/Sera; Malika's looking forward to introducing her family to Sera. Sera has her reservations. (1.3k, rated T.)

Unsaid; F!Hawke/Varric; After the events at Adamant, Hawke and Varric are interrupted during an inopportune moment. It leads to a discussion on what their relationship means to them.

To Find a Cure; F!Cousland/Anora; Letters written to and from Warden-Commander Cousland, Queen Consort of Ferelden, during her search for a cure to the Calling. (10k, rated M.)

Loud Enough; Josephine/Sera; After the Inquisition is disbanded, Josephine and Sera travel to Antiva. (1k, rated T.)

No Half-Measures; Anders/M!Hawke; After the Chantry explosion, Hawke is faced with a difficult decision. (600 words, rated T.)

Kept Waiting; Celia/Loghain; It’s no secret that the Teyrna is the one truly in charge of the teyrnir (and its Teyrn). (2.8k, rated E.)

Ripples; F!Hawke/Isabela; Isabela had thought she'd given up on love, but as it turns out, love hasn't given up on her. (500 words, rated M.)

Vulnerability; F!Hawke/Isabela; In the weeks following the Qunari invasion, Isabela and Hawke settle into a routine that cannot last. (1.2k, rated E.)

A Matter of Trust; Cassandra/Varric; A line in Varric's most recent romance serial, Holed Up in Skyhold, provides Cassandra with a new idea for their lovemaking. (3.8k, rated E.)

Right Hand; Cassandra/F!Trevelyan; After losing her left arm, Evelyn Trevelyan is all right hand — except where it matters to Cassandra the most.

Home; F!Hawke/Isabela; Two weeks after leaving Kirkwall, Hawke's still growing accustomed to her new home.

Game of Thrones

precendent; Arya/Sansa; Arya shouldn’t be thinking about Sansa like this. It feels like a betrayal. (450 words, rated M.)

Golden Sun

Into the Vortex; Isaac & Garet; After a decade trapped in a Psynergy Vortex, Isaac and Garet begin to wonder if they'll ever be rescued. (800 words, rated G.)

Harry Potter

Sorry; Harry/Hermione; In a world where Ron never returns to his friends, Harry and Hermione must navigate the events at Malfoy Manor together. (2.1k, rated M.)

Scoop; Rita Skeeter & Gilderoy Lockhart; Rita Skeeter investigates a lead from an unlikely source. (1.6k, rated T.)

across the veil; Luna & Harry; During Harry's sixth year, Luna attempts to provide him with some comforting news. (700 words, rated G.)

Beautiful Disaster; Rita/Lockart; Rita Skeeter will do anything for a lead. (1.1k, rated E.)

Mass Effect

Fleeting; Sloane/Jien; Stolen moments before the launch of the Andromeda Initiative. (1.3k, rated T.)

Sparks Fly; Jack/Miranda; When Jack had promised to smear the walls with Miranda, she hadn't meant it quite like this. (1.8k, rated E.)

Instructions; F!Shepard/Samantha; Samantha likes to make sure Shepard's taking care of herself, in every sense of the words. (1k, rated E.)

black and blue (fight on through); F!Shepard/Garrus; After the Battle of the Citadel, Garrus goes to say goodbye to Shepard, and is inadvertently promised a future instead.(1.5k, rated T.)

Piece by Piece;Miranda & Female Shepard; After the Commander’s first death, asphyxiating in the skies over Alchera, Miranda had been the one to piece Shepard back together again, like the world’s most elaborate jigsaw puzzle. The second time… well, she’s practically an expert. (550 words, rated T.)

Mark II; Miranda/Female Shepard; Shepard doesn't leave a body behind this time. (700 words, rated T.)

Control; M!Shepard/Garrus; Garrus will do whatever he can to save the man he loves – even if he can’t bring himself to say the words aloud. (1.3k, rated E.)

Practice; F!Shepard/Garrus; Garrus had thought he'd been nervous when he'd first slept with Shepard, but somehow he's even more flustered the second time around.(1.2k, rated E.)

My Fair Lady

no time for a chat; Higgins/Pickering; Eliza returns to 27A Wimpole Street to seek further phonetics instruction, and life soon resumes its familiar routine. Familiar until one fateful night, when Eliza overhears a heated discussion. It threatens to change everything and nothing at all. (2.3k, rated G.)

Original Work

Run Here; Sword Lesbian Princess/Sword Lesbian Princess From A Rival Kingdom; Much to the dismay of her mother, Princess Cassandra wishes to elope with her lover. Her lover has other plans. (1.1k, rated G.)

Aulia & Haidrul’s Enchanted Weapons and Wares; Daughter of a Blacksmith & Son of a Witch; Two elderly proprietors weave the tale of how they overcame societal expectations to go into business together. (10k, rated M.)

Persona 3

Deathseekers; Minako & Ensemble; They call themselves the Deathseekers and the end of the world is nigh. What else can they do but fight when Death seeks them out in return? (Fantasy AU) (600 words, rated T.)

To The Moon

Minisode 3; Robert/Eva/Neil/Roxanne; They wake up one morning and discover they have drunkenly married one another. (2.2k, rated T.)

Blame It on the Punch; Eva/Neil; After their semi-disastrous prom, Eva and Neil take the next step in their relationship. (4k, rated E.)

Your Name

do you remember?; Mitsuha/Taki; Mitsuha feels a supernatural pull towards the handsome architect she crosses paths with on the street one day, almost as though they've met before. (1.3k, rated G.)

[selfshipdork]

First Meeting

The door creaked as Stephanie entered the living room tentatively, peering over at the young child sitting on the couch. So this is his new daughter… of all the things that could happen in the last two weeks….

Everything had been changing so fast lately. Being disbarred was already so unimaginable for both her and Phoenix, but she could never have imagined that his next course of action was to adopt a child. His declaration had raised her concerns about being able to provide for the girl, and she made them quite clear. But when he told her about Trucy, how young she was and how there were few other places she could go, Steph started to lose her concerns and warm up to the idea. She still hadn’t been able to talk to the girl yet, though, leading to where she was now.

Trucy looked up, wide eyes meeting hers. Gently, Stephanie gave a small smile and stepped forward in front of the girl. I have to make sure I don’t spook her. “Hello. I, uh… I don’t think we’ve met yet. My name’s Stephanie.”

The girl’s face lit up, cheerfully giving a smile. “Hi! My name’s Trucy, I’m a young professional and magician extraordinaire. Nice to meet you!”

Steph nodded, a smile worming her way to her face. “Cool! You know, I haven’t met very many magicians.”

“Oh! I’m the first?”

“Aside from one of Phoenix’s clients, I think so?”

“Can I show you a trick then? I have to make a good impression after all! And I still need to introduce you to someone.”

“Of course! Have at it. Can I sit down here?” Steph asked, nervously gesturing to the couch. As chipper as Trucy was, she still might have needed some space.

“You don’t have to ask, silly!”

Guess not!

Trucy jumped up and went to the center of the room as Steph sat down on the couch, giving all of her attention to the little magician.

“May I introduce….. the Incredible Mr. Hat!” In an instant, something unfurled itself from under her cape, as Trucy jumped up and let her hat be captured by the thing in one fluid motion. Stephanie realized that that something was a… marionette? A sort of automaton? Whatever Mr. Hat was, he was currently wearing Trucy’s hat. “Nice to meet ya!” Mr. Hat said.

Steph blinked.

“Where was he…”

“I can’t reveal my secrets!”

“Right, sorry, I forgot for a moment.” Over her shock, Steph started clapping, a smile growing on her face. “Very impressive, bravo!”

“Thank you! I have a lot more, you know! I’ll show them to you, now that I’ll be living here with Daddy .”

“I can’t wait to see them.”

Trucy bowed, stowing Mr. Hat away and returning to her place on the couch.

“Hey Stephanie?”

“Yes?”

“You and daddy...are you in love with each other?”

Her breath caught for a moment. How did she catch that so quickly? “Yes, yes I am.”

Trucy’s eyes brightened. “So you’re my new mommy?”

Steph paused.“Well, it’s a little complicated.I live in my own apartment, so I won’t be around all the time like a regular parent. But I’ll still be present, helping out, maybe looking after you when Phoenix isn’t able to, stuff like a mom would.” She thought for a moment, then continued. “Though it is your decision, ultimately.”

“Ok! You’re my new mommy then.”

She chuckled, beaming over at the young girl. Her daughter. “I’ll do my best.”

(This has been the first fic I’ve written in a while, especially the first self ship fic. I’m very proud of it!)

Tagging @noellojello @lovestruck--klaus @miyuswhoopsiedoodles @aloofships @fishandships

[nellie-elizabeth]

Suits: One Last Con (9x10)

Okay, so then what happens next is that Harvey and Donna move to Seattle, and they become closer than ever to Rachel and Mike. At least once a week, Harvey and Mike have a "guy's night" while Donna and Rachel have a "girl's night." And then, gradually, they realize they've ended up with the wrong people. So they all get divorced and then Donna and Rachel become a couple, and Mike and Harvey become a couple. Someone please tell me they're writing that fic.

Oh, sorry. Was I supposed to talk about the episode? Let's get to it.

Cons:

I predicted last week that this episode would be overcrowded, and I wasn't wrong, exactly. I'm grateful that the conflict with Faye was over before the midpoint, so we could have a nice long goodbye with all of the characters. But while I do enjoy that, I also must admit it doesn't make a lot of sense. Faye was a season-long threat, and she's dispatched a third of the way through the finale. It just goes to show that as interesting of a villain as she might have been in the beginning, she didn't really matter. She was a figurehead. She didn't really change anything about these people and their perspectives on their lives. It all felt pretty pointless in the end.

No matter how much fan service a finale has, there are always going to be things that get missed. For example, it seems strange to me that Jessica couldn't have made a cameo at Louis' wedding. She's working on another show for the same creators; how hard would it have been to get her in for a few minutes? And I hate that Alex was the one to go to Katrina. On the one hand, I get it. They needed to find something for Alex to do in this episode, because he's been a pointless character for several weeks. But Harvey and Katrina never get a moment of apology, and that really sucks.

I've talked a lot in these reviews about my issues with Donna and Harvey. It's not that they're painful to watch, or actively unpleasant. The actors do a good job. It's perfectly serviceable. But I think I've finally figured out one of the reasons why they never quite clicked for me as a couple. Harvey is always talking about how Donna knows him better than anyone. But this is what editors mean when they say "show, don't tell." Donna knows Harvey. We've seen it throughout the years. But how does she show that she knows him? Well, she has the supernatural ability to read his mind and predict his requirements whenever the plot requires it. And she acts like is mommy just as often as she acts like his girlfriend, guiding him through his emotions like an enabler.

But Harvey can say again and again that Donna is the one for him, and how well she gets him... and then we can see Mike in the same episode, showing that same thing, instead of telling it. I'm not even pushing for a romantic interpretation, necessarily. It's just that Mike comes in, and they have their quippy banter. They work together to take down Faye. They re-enact Mike's interview with Harvey but in reverse. They find excuses to touch each other. And in an episode that involved two weddings and a health scare, the single most emotional moment in the episode is when Harvey tries to leave Mike's apartment dramatically after telling Mike he's never stopped trusting him, and Mike says "no," like the very idea of Harvey losing his license is torture to him. They have the chemistry. They have the beating heart of this show, and that's been true from day one. It makes the romance between Harvey and Donna pale in comparison.

Also, in an episode that had to accomplish so many things, so quickly, it was odd to add in that little health scare for Sheila. Why did her pregnancy have to have complications? It felt like something to add just to make for some more drama, but we really didn't need that. I'm glad that mother and daughter were both okay.

Pros:

I was always going to rant and ramble a lot in this review, since it's the last one for the show. But just because I had a lot to say in the "cons" section doesn't mean there was nothing to enjoy here. Let's start with my girl Katrina.

As I said, I was irritated that she and Harvey didn't have an on-screen reconciliation. But I am so, so happy for her that she gets to be name partner! It's so refreshing to have a character arc on this show be about a woman choosing her career over her love life, and having that be an empowering and rewarding choice to make. I'm all about it. She gets to come back to the firm, newly powerful, and stand with Alex, Samantha, and Louis.

Samantha and Alex were both underutilized in this finale, but I get it. I'd rather focus on the longer-standing characters, too. And the show did a good job of making this episode the end of an era for Harvey and Donna, and yet also a new beginning for the others. The image of the new firm name on the wall was really lovely. I especially liked that Samantha acknowledged how crazy it was that they'd kept changing the name, and decided that they can't change it anymore for at least five years. But Litt Wheeler Williams Bennett will be stronger for Katrina's presence among them.

Louis has one of the best glow-ups in TV history. There were times over the years where I didn't think I'd be able to forgive him. I still selfishly hold a grudge for that time when he physically attacked Mike. But at the end of the day, he has actually grown as a person. This is a great example of show vs. tell, actually. We've seen it all season - Louis has been calmer. He gets angry or worked up about something, but he doesn't fly off the handle. When he tells his therapist that he's ready to have him as a friend and have him officiate the wedding, it doesn't feel like empty words. Louis might still need therapy in his life, but he has the tools now to know how to get himself the help he needs. It was so fun to see his "final form" as it were. And then we see it put to the test, as Sheila goes into labor during their wedding ceremony. You might expect him to freak out, but he's calm. He's planned for this, and he's there to be supportive for Sheila during this difficult time. Even while he's frantic for her and the baby in the hospital, he keeps a cool head and doesn't do anything he would later regret. Yay Louis! (ps - Louis learning that Donna and Harvey were leaving was more emotional for me than Harvey and Donna's wedding). (pps - that scene of Donna and Louis holding hands in the elevator gave me LIFE).

It was predictable that Harvey and Donna would step up and take advantage of the pre-arranged wedding - a lot of fans predicted this exact outcome. And while I've spoken extensively on my mixed feelings about their relationship, I can't deny the cuteness of the scene. We get that lovely proposal, with Harvey's mother's ring. We get Mike putting his arms around both of them, with his little quip about being unlicensed to officiate. We get Harvey and Mike gripping hands as Harvey leads Donna out for their first dance. It's all very cute, and I feel happy for the big Darvey fans out there. They totally deserve to see all of that happiness, even if I don't agree with the couple at its core. This is the inevitable conclusion, and it was done quite beautifully.

Will I ever be over how much Harvey and Mike love each other? I really don't think so. Let's talk about the best parts of the episode.

First of all, I already mentioned it above, but that scene at Mike's place was just golden. Mike walking in to find Harvey already there was great - they have always just barged in to each other's personal spaces and that's such a testament to the trust between them. And then you have Harvey telling Mike the truth, and telling him that he's going to have to go on the stand and risk getting disbarred. Mike's reaction is genuine panic, and then the two of them concoct a plan that will save the day. I just love the idea of Harvey going over there not to ask for Mike's help, but because he couldn't stand the thought of Mike thinking he didn't trust him. That's love, baby.

Then you've got the interview-in-reverse thing at the end. I could spend hours just squealing about the fact that Donna and Harvey are leaving the firm and moving to Seattle (my home town! woo!) to be with Mike and Rachel. Hey, maybe the four of them could all be in a poly relationship... but that's for fanfic to decide, I guess. Good finales need to come full circle, and also need to set the characters up for changing futures. This idea of Harvey moving to Seattle, of Mike being Harvey's boss, manages to do both. They are quippy and cute with each other, but also genuine. Harvey decides to leave the firm in order to take out Faye, but he also genuinely wants a fresh start. His life changed forever when Mike walked into his life, and I really do feel like that was the final message the show left me with, when the dust had settled.

So... yeah. I can't find it in myself to be a hardcore Darvey shipper. This finale was never going to cater to all of my needs. But at the end of the day, I was mighty pleased with several of the scenes, and I love where it left all of the characters, in terms of their careers and happiness. For this finale, I'll give a rating of...

7.5/10

For the show as a whole? Well, I hate to break it to anyone who's unaware of this, but Suits isn't that great of a show. It has a couple of really strong elements, but over the years its stories became repetitive, and there's quite a lot that doesn't actually make sense about these characters and their motivations. But I don't grade these shows based on objective quality. I grade them based on the elements that I enjoy most in a show. For years, whenever Suits came back on the air, it was one of the things I looked forward to most each week. I longed for every scrap of content between Harvey and Mike that I could possibly get. There are moments over the years that I have gone back and watched in a loop because of those two. I also liked the way the show deconstructed toxic masculinity, and had a feminist message that didn't feel like something out of an after school special. I had fun watching this show, and I will think of it fondly for years to come. The show over-all gets:

8/10

[frivoloussuits]

Rattled-- a fic from Harvey’s perspective about the scene above, where Rachel perjures herself in a mock trial by claiming to already be married to Mike. Features a larger dose of Marvey pining than is strictly healthy for Harvey’s psyche. Word count: ~1.3K

Written for the @marveyficchallenges prompt “Perjury” (so sorry for missing the 2-week deadline!).

“Objection.”

“Your honor, the witness cannot object to testifying simply because she intends to take the fifth–”

“The witness doesn’t have to testify because she’s my wife.”

And for all his eloquence, all his years of prosecutorial experience, Harvey can only respond, “What?”

What?

Mike pulls out a marriage certificate from the goddamn state of Nevada, and immediately the lawyering part of Harvey’s brain shudders back to life, screaming “perjury.” They’re going to claim the marriage was the result of a Vegas fling, possibly enhanced by copious amounts of alcohol, but that their relationship gradually turned into something more serious, and now they’re having a real wedding– a fake wedding? a renewal?– to formalize it for the world.

Harvey knows the entire game from their first move, and yet he’s stunned, eyes darting back and forth between them.

What if it’s real?

The moment the thought strikes, he doubles down on his own deceptions, reverting to his well-practiced poker face. The deadness in his eyes reads as condescension.

“Where the hell did you get that?”

“What do you mean?”

Mike sounds perfectly innocent, and a touch of malice sneaks into Harvey’s reply. “You didn’t marry her, and you know it.”

They approach Jessica’s podium, still sniping at one another, Mike accusing him of pulling his own share of stunts. “Oh, look who’s crying about it now.”

Jessica snaps at them, saving Harvey from pointing out with a little too much zeal how he’s not crying.

“You wanted to rattle me,” Mike murmurs. “Now I’ve rattled you. What are you going to do about it?”

Harvey says nothing, just goes back to his desk to do his goddamn job.

“Now I’ve rattled you.”

Kid, you have no idea.

Truth is Harvey’s thought about pulling the same spousal privilege stunt himself from time to time, whenever the threat of losing attorney-client privilege has crept up too close. If Tanner had actually succeeded in disbarring him a couple years back, Harvey might have bought Mike a ring that very night, initiating yet another fraud to cover up their original one. If this second deception had a bit more truth to it, well, only he’d have to know that.

Then he turns to Rachel, who takes the stand and watches him so coolly even as he slanders her, and wonders if this current fake marriage was her idea in the first place.

“When spousal privilege is invoked in the moment, prosecution has the right to challenge the validity of the marriage.”

Harvey relishes that phrase– “challenge the validity of the marriage”– more than he strictly should, but he tells himself it’s because his well-honed prosecutorial instincts are roaring to life. It’s simply his prosecutorial instincts that tell him to close in on Rachel and shred her.

“What color was the dress? What color was the cake? Who was there?” Harvey spits out each question like a bullet, and he only speeds up when she looks around in alarm, when Mike leaps in to protect her. “Were there any witnesses? Who were the witnesses? And what goddamn time was it, tell me right now–”

“Harvey,” Jessica cuts in, “let the witness answer.”

Something freezes in Rachel’s eyes, and when she speaks her words are calm, measured, the very opposite of his. “The dress was white, and the cake was vanilla with a buttercream frosting. It was a small ceremony at around 10 P.M., and I remember the man who married us like it was yesterday …”

And the flame in Harvey’s eyes starts dying down as she speaks. His shoulders roll forward. His chin falls. Surely he is merely annoyed that he hasn’t yet fazed her. Surely he’s not imagining this fictional ceremony as she describes it, surely the scene’s not replacing a wedding he’s drawn up in his own mind, admittedly even less plausible than this–

“Because it was the most special day of my life.” She says the words with a saccharine half-smile that Harvey wouldn’t buy even if he wanted to.

“And when you came up with this story, did Mister Ross at least give you the courtesy of letting you make up your own memories of your supposedly sacred day? Since if he represents himself at trial you won’t have a real wedding for at least two to five years.”

Jessica warns him. “Harvey–”

But Mike might go to prison, Rachel and her goddamn tricks might directly send Mike to prison, and Harvey’s done standing by while people he loves get destroyed. He doesn’t know what he’s saying anymore, doesn’t even let Rachel answer his last question, just follows his gut. “And I’ve got one more question. Did you vow to remain faithful to Mister Ross throughout your marriage?”

There’s distress on Rachel’s face, the first genuine emotion he’s gotten out of her all day, as she insists that she did.

“Yeah, then I guess when you cheated on him with Logan Sanders it means you lied to him at that non-existent ceremony, just like you’re lying to all of us right now!”

The rage in his voice shocks even him.

In the next moment Jessica is shutting him down, Rachel is blinking too hard, stunned into silence, and Mike is– Harvey doesn’t turn to look. Instead, he watches Rachel, trying to identify her emotions. Guilt? Regret? No, more like mortification at having her dalliance so publicly exposed.

He can’t look at Mike, not right now, so he glances at Jessica, who matches his stare, an odd expression on her face. He suddenly suspects that the main secrets this cross-examination uncovered were his own.

He can’t help turning the cross over in his head, all through the night. As a more than competent lawyer, he recognizes the flaws in his line of questioning– there were sounder grounds for proving Rachel’s perjury. He could have pressed her for copies of their Vegas plane tickets. He could have searched county records for the marriage license. He probably could have just checked the date on the license and looked at his own calendar and proved that, no, Mike was in the office during his supposed Vegas visit, that he was working on some case for Harvey.

But Harvey admits with a grimace that the questions he asked weren’t professional to him– they were personal, the way everything he does ends up personal where Mike’s involved. And on some personal level he doesn’t usually acknowledge, he wishes he had pursued that line of questioning down the black hole where it inevitably leads.

Tell me, Rachel, how soon until you cheat and make a fool of him again?

Tell me, Rachel, if you found out you could go to prison instead of him, how fast would you run the other way?

Tell me, Rachel, do you really understand your so-called soulmate? Do you get his sense of humor? Do you know what he’s thinking before he does? Can you tear his plans apart and fix the flaws and build them back up so they’re goddamn perfect?

Tell me, Rachel, is it just the fairy tale of a princess finally marrying her pauper-turned-prince that you like, or are you really in love with him?

Tell me, Rachel, that you and Mike have special moments. That you have inside jokes. Tell me that you sometimes smile at him, and he smiles back, and nobody but you will quite know why. Convince me that there are secrets that only you two will ever share. That you’ll put him above yourself. Convince me that he’ll be happy with you.

Prove it, Rachel. Prove it to me.

Tell me, Rachel, when you came up with this gambit, were you intending to cut out my heart?

Tell me, Rachel, did you know how this would rattle me?

[rivalsforlife]

oooo i'm sorry but one more scene for commentary if youre up to it: maya and phoenix talking in chapter 6?

Of course, no need to apologize!! Once more, keeping this under a “keep reading”:

Around noon, his apartment intercom buzzed. “Nick, it’s Maya! Let me up.”

Maya? What was she even doing here? Maya never visited him out of the blue anymore… Whatever. She’d probably think he was at his office. She’d go away soon.

There was another buzz. “Nick! I know you’re in there! I called your office, you know!”

Kids these days. Selling out their bosses that easily… Maybe he should cut Athena’s salary. Nah, he wasn’t Edgeworth. … Edgeworth.

“don’t think about Edgeworth don’t think about Edgeworth -- ah damn it”

“Nick! Hello! Nick!”

She had to give up eventually, right? Whatever she was here for, someone else could help her…

“Security’s coming after me, if they arrest me you’re gonna have to defend me, you know, do you want that? I’m not even gonna try to pay you for it since it’s gonna be your fault —”

Ugh.

Phoenix stumbled out of bed and buzzed her in. “Fine. Come up.”

“Thank you!” she chirped in a sing-songy voice. “Hey, you heard him, let me go…”

Maya’s Obnoxious Little Sister Energy is eternal. Her next strategy was to break from the guards and dash as far as she could go trying to break her way into Phoenix’s apartment which... wouldn’t have ended well haha.

Also! Like I mentioned in the previous ask, a lot of this fic was just Phoenix’s Relationship Issues, and the way I characterized him in this fic was a lot of... he needs to have people around or he kind of falls apart, and his history of having people around was that these people needed him in some way -- Maya after she was accused of murder and then hanging around for Mia’s sake, Trucy being abandoned and needing looking after, even Miles to an extent needing to be saved from his corrupt ways and the von Karma influence -- and now that they’re all growing up and don’t need him anymore he thinks they’re going to abandon him.

That’s a long-winded way of referring to that one sentence of “Whatever she was here for, someone else could help her”

Also... I don’t live in an apartment and haven’t visited many apartments? So I’m not totally sure how the whole buzzing someone in process works. no one’s called me out on it though so I guess I’m okay.

Phoenix sighed and wondered if he should make himself look presentable. There probably wasn’t enough time. Maya wouldn’t notice that he hadn’t changed his clothes for two days, right?

She probably would. But he couldn’t do anything about it, as just then there was a knock on the door. Figuring he should appease her so she wouldn’t give security anymore trouble, he reluctantly let her in.

Indeed, there was Maya, looking cheery as ever. “Hey, dude. What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing,” said Phoenix, and in response to Maya’s raised eyebrow as she took in his appearance, “Just not feeling well. Why’re you here, Maya? I thought you were busy up at the village.”

passive-aggressive “oh aren’t you supposed to be busy?” from Phoenix here...

One of the other major changes I made to this fic in the editing process was cutting out a LOT of Maya content. I really love her and wanted her to be here more, but to properly go through the Phoenix Characterization Study I had to make it seem like she wasn’t around as much so that Phoenix would feel more lonely. again, sorry, Phoenix... but like originally she came down for the picnic in chapter 3 and was around at the beginning of chapter 4, so it would be SO WEIRD if she showed up in every single chapter except for chapter 5 and then Phoenix accuses her here of being too busy to hang out with him. She was there all the time! So I only had her show up for the wedding and added in a few more lines alluding to her not being here as much as she used to in trilogy days.

“I am,” she admitted, pushing her way into his apartment. “But your daughter called me yesterday morning and said that if you didn’t call, I should check in on you. So. Here I am. And I know you’re not just sick.”

Kids these days indeed! Like Phoenix didn’t feel bad enough, his own daughter had to go and parent him. “Look, Maya, everything’s fine. I’m sorry Trucy made you think something was wrong.”

One writing tip I got and I’ve been working on implementing is like... trying to have a general idea of what every character is up to when they’re not “on screen”, so to speak. Even then, what they’re thinking about when they’re not the POV focus. So basically after the call with Trucy just prior to this scene, she immediately decided to call Maya (because she could tell something was Off with her dad and Miles, given his reaction when she mentioned his name,) and then told her to check up on him because he really scared her during that phone call... though she wouldn’t admit it. She basically saw it as a hint of returning to a sort of... disbarment-era depression, which she didn’t want, so she wanted to make sure someone could check in on him as soon as he could since she couldn’t.

Also another small aspect of Phoenix characterization (that’s going to be like 99% of my commentary about this fic I’m sorry) is that the way he deals best with depression is like... being around people, and doing things with people. It’s obviously not a method that works for everyone, but it keeps him from dwelling on things and kind of gives him a purpose, helps him feel like he’s needed. Mostly got this headcanon from RFTA where he says he was unable to take on any cases when Maya was gone until Ema showed up... and then even at the beginning of 2-2 he does seem pretty down. Trucy kind of knows some of this since she was the main thing keeping him together during disbarment era, at least enough to know that when Phoenix is depressed he’ll do much better if he’s got someone he cares about around.

Anyways, Trucy probably told Maya just to call in, because she knows her aunt is busy and part of the reason Maya hasn’t been around much is because she’s stuck with all sorts of Master responsibilities at Kurain, but Maya herself wanted to come down and check on Phoenix in person because she knows how he can get and if it was enough to worry Trucy, then she was pretty worried too.

Maya planted her hands on her hips. “No way, mister. I did not take a two hour train ride down here for you to tell me everything’s fine. Do you know how difficult it was to get permission to leave?! I had to pull the old ‘I need to visit my boyfriend’ card for them to let me go!”

Phoenix groaned, despite himself. “Have they still not caught on about that?”

“Their desperation for an heir has blinded them to common sense. They made me drink some disgusting fertility tea before I left, so you really owe me one.” She lowered her hands and sighed. “Look, Nick, I know something’s up. So talk to me. Please.”

I took a few liberties to sprinkle in my Kurain headcanons in here... which I’ve rambled about more in depth elsewhere, so I won’t go into too much detail, but basically: hereditary spiritual power leads to a lot of pressure on people who have said hereditary spiritual power to reproduce so they can pass it on to the next generation. Particularly with Maya (and Pearls to some extent though I believe Maya would willingly take the heat on it) since the two of them are the only remaining spirit channelers of the Kurain technique. And since it took Maya a really long time to become the Master officially (I don’t buy the idea that she wasn’t skilled enough by the end of T&T, my headcanon is the Master training process involves two years in Khura’in but she put that off until Phoenix was in the clear regarding Kristoph stuff) they probably don’t want her leaving the village to “goof off” unless she’s doing it to produce an heir. her biological clock is ticking! haha! (... ugh.)

And this kind of leads to -- in the elaborate backstory of this fic that I can only touch on through DVD commentaries which is like half the reason I do these things -- Maya and Phoenix agreeing that if Maya needs to get out of the village but whoever the other people in the village are start putting pressure on her, she can say she’s “visiting her boyfriend” who they think is Phoenix but really isn’t... and I guess they assume they’re getting up to heir-making activities but oh darn! didn’t work this time! guess I’ll have to go again next week! (obviously they’re just out getting burgers or something.) 

Hence people in the village pushing fertility tea on her because they think the problem is that she’s not getting pregnant... although they’re kind of misunderstanding the reason why she’s not getting pregnant... because no amount of fertility tea in the world will lead to a spontaneous pregnancy without other activities first. which aren’t happening. I feel like I need to clarify this multiple times just in case someone misunderstands.

Pearls both knows about this agreement and knows that Phoenix and Maya aren’t actually dating because she’s like nineteen now? She’s probably known for years, she never brings it up during DD and SOJ.

“I won’t go into much detail” oops. I’m so sorry.

Phoenix didn’t say anything.

Maya took him by the arm and guided him to the couch, plopping him down none-too-gently before sitting next to him. “You can trust me, right?” she asked. “You’re my best friend. I’m here for you, even if you did something really stupid.”

Phoenix laughed a bit. “Yeah… I did something really stupid.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

Phoenix buried his face in his hands with a sigh, then rolled his head to peek through his fingers at Maya. She looked — angry, sure, he wasn’t exactly being the most cooperative of people right now, but — open. Prepared. Like she was actually going to listen.

I know that SOJ called Miles Phoenix’s best friend, which don’t get me wrong I absolutely loved, but I do wish Maya was ALSO considered Phoenix’s best friend if not one of his closest friends, because they’re so obviously best friends. They’re a different flavour of best friends than Phoenix and Miles, because Phoenix and Miles are the “it’s complicated and there are secret romantic feelings possibly but we trust each other unconditionally” best friends, Phoenix and Maya have a twenty-five step secret handshake they have to execute every time upon meeting.

But of course that doesn’t mean they can’t be serious, Maya is absolutely here for her dumb best friend

“It’s…” He sighed, again. “Have you ever — have you ever wanted something for a really long time, but — but you never thought you’d get it, and then you have this chance, and you just… panic?”

Maya nodded solemnly. “Steel Samurai movie premiere tickets. I won a raffle, but I forgot I signed up for them and thought it was a hoax, and didn’t get to accept them before the deadline. The bad Wi-Fi didn’t help, either.”

“But that doesn’t mean they can’t be serious” um

The one constant among all the ace attorney main characters is that NONE OF THEM WANT TO TALK ABOUT THEIR FEELINGS EVER

Also I struggled a lot with this fic trying to figure out... exactly what was going on in Phoenix’s head, and how he would interpret what was going on in his head. I kept changing opinions all the time and it was so off before I did editing haha. Even this line is still a little weird with the “Have you ever wanted something for a really long time” because he probably shouldn’t be aware that he has wanted this for a long time. ... I’m going to stop pointing out the flaws in my own fic now--

At Phoenix’s glare, she added, “I’m just kidding. Thought I’d lighten the mood a bit. Is this about Edgeworth?”

“What makes you think that?”

“‘Cause when is it not about Edgeworth with you,” asked Maya, cutting straight to the heart of things, as always. “Did he ask you out?”

“Not even that.” Phoenix turned his gaze to the floor, ashamed. “He said he loved me. I… I told him I didn’t feel the same.”

Maya was silent for a moment. Phoenix didn’t dare look at her. “Do you?”

“I like being around him,” said Phoenix. “I like seeing him smile, and laugh, and — and he makes me happy.”

What he wouldn’t give to see Edgeworth smile and laugh at him again.

“Not what I asked, dude.”

“Nick’s being really broody again it’s GOTTA be Edgeworth...”

Anyways that second-to-last line there is sticking out at me and I’m pretty sure it’s one I wavered back and forth on deleting before deciding to keep. ... at least I think I kept it? I’m taking these from google docs so there might be a few tiny changes from the ao3 version but I don’t think there’s anything too major I changed while doing last-minute edits.

Again we run into the problem of Phoenix Is Incapable Of Admitting He’s In Love With Miles -- which is the whole psyche-locks thing that pops up in the scene after this. The psyche-locks were also a pretty last-minute addition plot-wise... I think this fic was the most I deviated from my outline, but I was pretty rushed for time so I didn’t do as much planning as I normally would.

Hm I think there’s another ask where I can talk more about the psyche-locks? I’ll talk a bit here because I put a lot of thought into it. Basically I ran with the idea of black psyche-locks hiding something even the owner isn’t aware of, and that those psyche-locks are (typically? who knows about Kristoph) inflicted through traumatic events. Phoenix has three because I came up with three main Issues he had to work through, but some of them kind of blend together... two of them came up through specific traumatic events (Phoenix guesses them in chapter 8) and another one is just general overall trauma. if no one brings up the particular scenes by the time I get to that other ask, I’ll talk more about them, but basically there are three locks from three separate traumas and three occasions where they break -- someone guessed one of the breaking scenes on the narumitsu discord, but no one’s brought up the other two yet! 

Long-winded way of saying that the psyche-locks are the reason that Phoenix can’t admit that he’s in love with Miles yet... and it’s kind of a cheap fantasy visualization of the trauma, basically? Maybe not the most elegant way of addressing it, but I never claimed to be writing for a series which addresses issues elegantly.

“But — but can you even imagine it?” Phoenix demanded, raising his head to gesture fully at the ridiculousness of it all. “Me and Edgeworth?”

“Yeah,” said Maya, simply. “It’s not that hard, really.”

Phoenix had no response.

“You two balance each other out well, and you trust each other, and you both care a ton about each other,” Maya elaborated. “If you love him, what’s the problem?”

oh Phoenix you have no idea. you and Miles are so easy to imagine together that you’re the number one pairing on ace attorney ao3 by a longshot.

Also one thing I kind of wanted to avoid was less of the... “you and Miles are PERFECT for each other how do you not SEE this” thing. nothing against the trope, of course! Just the whole concept of people shipping their friends intensely is something I’m not super familiar with and tbh would make me pretty uncomfortable...? It’s sort of the deal with rpf. Of course this is fanfiction with fictional characters but from an in-universe perspective...

So Maya’s taking the approach of more “Yeah, I can see you and Edgeworth as a couple, I think you’d work well together” rather than “you two are SO perfect together and I’ve been shipping you since 2016!!” because while that may be what Maya is THINKING it’s definitely not what Phoenix needs to hear right now.

“It just… seems like a recipe for disaster. I wouldn’t even know how to… like, this isn’t my first time feeling like this, but when I think about us, me and Edgeworth, it’s…” Why couldn’t he find the right words? “It’s too much.”

Maya brought a hand to her chin and tilted her head thoughtfully. “So — tell me if I’ve got this right — you like Edgeworth too, but for some reason, when he confessed to you, you panicked and you don’t know why.”

“I guess…” Phoenix returned his face to the comforting darkness of his hands. “I don’t know what it is. I-I shouldn’t have a problem, right? But the thought of a-actually admitting that I… or being in a relationship, it feels like I’m standing at the edge of a cliff and am about to fall off.”

Maya was silent for a long time. Phoenix just hoped that whatever she said next, it would somehow magically fix all his problems.

Instead, she said the most ridiculous thing Phoenix could possibly imagine. “Maybe you have trust issues?”

It certainly lightened the mood. Phoenix threw his head back and laughed harder than he had in a long time.

Phoenix is a very trusting person, absolutely, but you can’t tell me this man walked out of the Dahlia Debacle without quite a few romance-related issues. It’s kind of a weird sort of contradiction... 

“No, I’m serious,” she persisted, through his laughter.

“What are you talking about, Maya?” Phoenix managed to get out, once he had that fit of mirth under control. “There’s no way I have trust issues. My whole thing is trusting people and believing in people until the end, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. But trusting someone not to be a murderer is a bit different, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like that’s as far as it goes,” Phoenix argued. “I trust you, I trust all of our friends, more than just not being murderers.”

“Yeah, sure, but romance is kind of on a different level.” She leaned back into the couch thoughtfully. “When’s the last time you’ve been with anyone?”

“... At least not since I got Trucy,” Phoenix admitted, only a little shamefully. “You try hooking up with people while having the world’s most perceptive daughter who’s desperate for a ‘new mommy’.”

“Been with anyone seriously, I mean.”

Phoenix winced. “... College.”

“I rest my case, Your Honor.”

Prettty self-explanatory here, I managed to get most of my thoughts on the actual fic instead of wanting to put it in an appendix or something. Basically... you can trust people in different ways? Phoenix can trust someone to not be a murderer to the extent of putting his own life on the line for them... but when it comes to revealing any sort of details about himself, or general emotional intimacy, he’s kind of stingy about it. Of course the out-of-universe explanation is “Phoenix doesn’t talk about this stuff because we need suspense so the player keeps playing the game instead of an exposition dump as soon as the issue comes up” but I like finding in-universe explanations for out-of-universe stuff.

I think I just regurgitated my points in a few excerpts oops.

Last little comment there regarding the idea of Phoenix presumably having a casual sex life -- Iiiiii am super asexual, have known that for a long time, generally kind of squeamish about the concept and also live a very sheltered life. so I don’t know much about people hooking up... like how people just go out and do these things. But I know people do these things so I try to reference it within my limited knowledge. Anyways yeah presumably that was happening in the background throughout the trilogy in the universe of this fic. probably not an important point. i’m moving on now.

“I’m not hung up on that!” Phoenix insisted. “Iris was a good person, she was the person I trusted. I’ve known that for years, now!”

“But she did lie to you,” Maya pointed out. “And you thought she tried to kill you for five years. I dunno, if it were me, I’d have a hell of a lot of relationship issues now.”

“Do you want me to psychoanalyze you too, now, Maya? It’s not gonna be pretty.”

“Oh, no thanks, that’s what therapy’s for,” she said, far too cheerily. “But really, Nick.”

Anyways I’m pretty invested in the whole Iris-Phoenix dynamic post-Bridge to the Turnabout, because like on the one hand, hypothetically the woman you were in love with but you thought was a killer coming out to say that she actually didn’t kill anyone and was actually in love with you should resolve all your lingering relationship issues resulting from that... but I don’t see that actually happening.

It probably took Phoenix the whole five years to come to terms with the fact that Dahlia hated his guts and tried to kill him, because I do believe he was seriously hardcore in love with her at the time. Well, Iris, but he didn’t know the difference. And then finding out Iris actually loved him... but not enough to actually, say, tell him this beforehand?... makes things kind of messy. Phoenix probably thinks he should be all better now but really the whole Dahlia-Iris thing was messed up and undoubtedly messed him up a lot.

Last little bit is just me squeezing in that Maya probably also has a lot of messed up relationship issues and also definitely needs therapy. (And is getting a bit of therapy in this fic! Good for her!) I have a lot of thoughts about Maya’s trauma... but unfortunately this fic is about Phoenix so I couldn’t go too in depth about that. Sorry, Maya. One day.

Phoenix sank further into the couch. “I don’t have trust issues.”

“Y’know, there’s still a lot of stuff I don’t know about you,” said Maya. “You never tell me anything personal until there’s a murder or something and then you have to. What happened to Edgeworth, both times. The whole Dahlia thing. It took me ages to get you to tell me how you got disbarred, even! And, like, romance has this level of intimacy to it, where he’d need to know stuff about you that I wouldn’t know, that Trucy wouldn’t know. And Nick, you know I love you, but I know you’re scared of that.”

“What do you know about it?” Phoenix snapped. “You’re barely ever here.”

He felt horrible as soon as the words left his mouth. Maya gave a sharp inhale and stiffened, her eyebrows knitting above an angry and hurt glare.

“I’m sorry,” Phoenix apologized, looking at the floor. “That was… that was unfair.”

“Yeah,” said Maya. “Yeah, it was.”

yep regurgitating my points from above. Anyways, highlights: platonic “I love you”s are great, we should have more of those. Just... emphasizing that it’s platonic because the Phoenix and Maya friendship is one of my favourite things in the series.

And there’s that “You’re barely ever here” comment that I had to cut Maya out of most of this fic to fit in, because otherwise it wouldn’t make any sense. In the universe of this fic Maya was pretty distant being busy with training and spirit medium Master stuff after the trilogy... and presumably hasn’t seen Phoenix as much as either of them would like. She loves hanging out with her best friend, and probably feels super guilty too, that Phoenix is dealing with all these issues and she can’t be there because she has other responsibilities -- so obviously it upsets her when Phoenix kind of accuses her of not being there for him, because she definitely would be, if she could, and if Phoenix would let her. 

Pretty much you can’t always be around for everyone all the time, Maya would be so worn out if she had to juggle coming down to the city to hang out with Phoenix all the time on top of all her other responsibilities. She knows this, Phoenix knows this too, he’s just kind of lashing out right now because he’s hurt and confused and misses all his important people, but Maya just happens to be in front of him right now.

And yeah what Phoenix said was pretty uncalled for, which he realizes right away, and Maya acknowledges -- a pretty short fight, I don’t think these two would stay mad at each other for too long. 

They sat in a tense silence for some time, until Maya sighed and brushed back her hair.

“Look, I’m saying these things because I’m scared of it, too,” she said, barely above a whisper. “After Mia, and Mom… I don’t want to be left behind again.”

“Maya…”

“Just think about it, okay?” She extended a pinky towards him. “Promise.”

Reluctantly, Phoenix linked his pinky with hers. “Fine. I’ll think about it.”

points at this and says Maya’s Definitely Got Trauma From Trilogy Events then brushes it off to get off the uncomfortable emotion topics

“Good.” Maya hopped up from the couch and stretched her arms above her head. “I’ll forget about what you said if you buy me lunch, okay? I’ve got a client this evening, so I can’t stay long, but I’ve got enough time to stop by Eldoon’s.”

“If you insist,” said Phoenix with an exaggerated sigh, and Maya laughed, so Phoenix willed himself to push the conversation from his mind for now. Maya would be spending four hours on a train today for his sake; Eldoon’s really was the least he could provide.

and in true Phoenix and Maya fashion we’re just gonna forget about the emotions and go get ramen! 

Anyways thanks anon for requesting this scene I apparently have so many thoughts about Phoenix and Maya friendship... sorry if this is totally incoherent I should not have started this so late it’s like 11:30! But thank you! I will do more of these tomorrow... hopefully.