5 + headcanon au - what if Larry Butz hadn't been forgotten/flanderized by the writers and instead was in all three games in the Original Trilogy (and maybe even beyond?)
This got a little away from me đ
under the cut:
Phoenix isnât the only one struggling with Edgeworthâs disappearance/faked death, Larry is too. Itâs easy to forget, but Larry was Edgeworthâs best friend too, they cared about each other! Larry would be extra pissed because of the toll itâs taking on Phoenixâwhen they see Edgeworth again, itâs Larry who takes the first swing, surprising pretty much everyone. Itâs one of the few times Larry loses his temperâŚand Edgeworth is surprisingly contrite because of it (he wasnât contrite enough in 2-4 for my taste, and tbh I think being yelled at by Larry of all people would shock anyone into being apologetic)
Larry is pretty intuitive when he wants to be. While Phoenix dismisses Ini as airheaded, Larry would realize thereâs something else underneath that (he knows what itâs like to be underestimated intellectuallyâŚand how someone might use that to hide something). He probably wouldnât figure it all out, but Phoenix would still remember Larryâs words at a crucial point when heâs putting the pieces together about Ini and Mimi
On that note, Iâm also intrigued as to his dynamic with Engardeâby all respects, Engardeâs front is very similar to how AA1 Larry acts. That could make for some very interesting situations when the two are forced to interact. Maybe Larry befriends him and is heartbroken to learn that Engarde was just faking. Maybe he was a Nickel Samurai fan too, extra sting (he and Maya would also bond over that because iirc she was a Nickel Samurai fan too. Idk if Edgeworth was). Maybe Engarde makes some jabs at Larry, and Phoenix furiously defends Larryâs honor, and it doesnât feel like âoh great, I have to defend Larry againâ, but rather, âhow dare this guy insult my friendââbecause yeah, I think Phoenix and Larry wouldâve gotten closer and really bonded by this point. They were already besties, but Larryâs also showing how smart/intuitive he is lately
Larry would be able to help in the search for Maya! Granted, Shelly de Killer could still easily give them the slip, but itâs one more person, and Larry being involved would ease Phoenixâs nerves even more. Larry might be clumsy and awkward, but he cares fiercely about the people he loves, and lately, heâs been showing just how sharp he really is
Larry leaves post-AA2, much like Maya did post-AA1. This is because he got an internship with the mysterious Elise Deauxnim, and he really wants to take it, as much as he also wants to stay and help. Phoenix, Maya, and even Gumshoe and Edgeworth, convince him to go. Now that Edgeworthâs back, Larry feels better about leaving
AA3 would still happen the same, but uh. Without Larry in 3-2 at the KB Security job. Just make a new character for that one. He reappears in 3-5, heâs on the path to becoming an artist. He takes the âapprentice nameâ of Laurice Deauxnim because it makes him sound smart (Phoenix insists Larry doesnât need that, but Larry just shrugs. Deep down, though, heâs touched). I think 3-5 would play outâŚmostly the same? MinusâŚall of the weird flirting. Seriously, writers, what was up with the weird flirting?? (Speaking of which, he did that in AA1 too. At some point in this rewrite, heâd apologize to Maya for that. But anyway, moving on)
Heâd be such an amazing uncle to Trucy! And unlike Maya and Edgeworth, he lives pretty steadily in Japanifornia, so he drops by often. Trucy calls him âUncle Larryâ and he dotes on her (in between trying to convince Phoenix to get his badge back, which is a losing conversation, but Larry has to try. Seeing Phoenix like this is killing himâwhat happened to his overly hopeful best friend who now wonât even take Maya and Edgeworthâs calls?)
He and Kristoph canât stand each other. Larry doesnât trust him, and Kristoph doesnât like him (Larry doesnât like him either, but he especially doesnât trust him). Kristoph reminds him of an old girlfriendâpatronizing, rude, more interested in correcting his manners and appearing kind than actually being so
He grates on Apollo at first, when they meet, but heâs also the most forthcoming, which Apollo appreciates. He tells Apollo everything he canâPhoenix swore Larry to secrecy about his plan, and Larry relays that apologetically to Apollo with a wince. He doesnât like all this secrecy, especially doesnât like how Phoenix is treating Apollo so dismissively, butâŚhey, Larryâs loyal before anything else, and Phoenix is still his best friend
He might like Klavier, the showmanship performer type seems up his alley. Plus, theyâre both artists, just different kinds. Much like with Ini, Larry would recognize that Klavierâs hiding some very deep vulnerability in thereâŚand heâd feel for the kid when his best friend, Daryan, is found guilty of smuggling and of coercing a boy to go along with his plan. Pairing that with Klavierâs brother being Kristoph (who has, at this point, been arrested for Zakâs murder)âŚyeah Larryâs pretty sure the kidâs nearing his breaking point
Heâs not super clear on the tech know-how of the MASON system, but hey, anything to put Kristoph away for goodâthat fake ace was a lucky bluff, but thereâs always a chance of it being overturned. Phoenix being crafty is kinda unsettling to LarryâŚbut with Kristoph arrested, the effect on Phoenix is clearâheâs committed to retaking the bar, he smiles more, heâs more hopeful
LarryâŚdoesnât want to think about what Phoenixâs improved mental state means about how Kristoph was affecting Phoenix, but he has his theories (listen, heâs been in his fair share of relationships, okay? So if heâs more insistent on Phoenix going to therapy and even drives him to his sessions and prays that heâs talking about Kristoph with those therapists, if he slips Phoenix some resources about recovering from an abusive relationshipâŚsue him, he can pick up on things and heâs worried)
Skipping ahead to SOJ: heâd play co-counsel for Apollo with Trucyâs case, and heâs kinda pissed at the other guy for throwing veiled insults at his niece. Who does this foreign peacock think he is exactly? Larryâs got half a mind to give him a piece of his mind, but Apollo just gives him that exhausted âplease, Larry, donât cause a sceneâ look that Phoenix always got, andâŚyeah, okay. Maybe when Trucyâs free (Nahyuta receives a surprisingly detailed portrait of himself with devil horns speaking the words âI hate children and Iâm no funâ, which he never finds out the meaning of)
(And ofc also in SOJ, heâs not a weird flirty creep in the bonus case. SERIOUSLY writers WHY)
Not totally sure how heâd fit into DD, but Iâm sure there are ways
IâŚdid not expect to get so invested in this omg đ
can someone write this fic??
send me an au and iâll share 5+ headcanons about it!
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