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tobiasdrake · 29 days

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AA 4-1, Turnabout Trump, is the best opening case in the history of Ace Attorney. Bar none.

(To be fair, 1-1 and 2-1 fucking spoil the killer for you in their opening cinematic because they think new players are stupid and 5-1... 5-1 makes me shake with homicidal fury at the shit it pulled. So the competition isn't very steep.)

4-1 had the unenviable task of breaking the audience in to a brand new status quo. Seven years after the events of the original trilogy, we have to introduce our new protagonist Apollo Justice. The easy way to do this would be to have Apollo sign up to work for Phoenix and then have Phoenix mentor him.

Screw you, let's get fucking crazy, PHOENIX IS A HOBO and his law career is DEAD. Oh, and he's not the mentor. He's the defendant. Buuuuut he's also still the mentor because he's smooth now.

Incredibly bold of them to go this route. They had to have known that players weren't going to like this. Phoenix's law career ended in disgrace five minutes after Trials and Tribulations ended!? He's been fucking disbarred for seven years!? WHAT!?

What do you mean he has a daughter!? What!?

And she's a precious cinnamon roll!? What!?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S OLD ENOUGH TO DRIVE IT'S ONLY BEEN SEVEN YEARS YOU ARE FUCKING WITH ME NOW FOR FUN

This case took a sledgehammer to the Ace Attorney status quo. This was a huge gamble. People don't like it when you tell them that their favorite characters promptly got kicked in the nuts after the credits rolled last time. They like the idea that everything worked out and it was great. And they riot if you tell them otherwise.

Did it pay off? Uh.

In terms of reception? No. Everybody hates this game. It offended the AA fandom on a deep and visceral level.

But me, I love it. I think this kickstarted an interesting shift in the core identity of Ace Attorney. And the biggest mistake they made was going back on it.

And it starts here with this magnificent bastardry of a scheme.

Phoenix does fill in the mentorship role for Apollo in our Tutorial to Ace Attorney case, but it's... twisted. Because Apollo is apprenticing under a professional attorney and close personal friend of Phoenix's, Kristoph Gavin - But Phoenix has made the curious decision to request Apollo's representation over Kristoph's.

That's not to say that Apollo's doing this entirely alone, as Gavin pitches in to lend his struggling protege some mentorship on the job.

But that's the trick. Phoenix has, throughout his career, successfully identified murderers among various witnesses, two prosecutors, and two investigating cops. But this unique setup allows him to do battle with a defense attorney. His own defense attorney, at that.

(He hasn't had to pin down a judge yet but HO-HO he will get to that in two games' time!)

There's shades of 2-4 buried in 4-1. So much so that they even cite the main theme of Justice For All while they're at it.

Literally what Justice For All is about. Dare I say... Apollo Justice for All?

2-4 fractured the relationship of trust that exists between attorney and client, that the trilogy is built upon. So much of the series is about believing in your client and giving your all to their defense, and 2-4 took a crowbar to that case by asking, "What if the client is untrustworthy?"

4-1 sets the stage for the new status quo by introducing the opposite question: What if the attorney is untrustworthy?

This isn't the kind of question that an AA game asks. It's... unsettling, given the franchise's romanticized view of defense law. The notion leaves an ominous discontentment that can be difficult to place, and sets the stage for what will become known as the Dark Age of the Law.

And yet, this is the kind of over-the-top legal nonsense that can only emerge from the realm of Ace Attorney storytelling, which does not give a fuck. A murder has been committed with Phoenix in the crossfire, and he has successfully created a scenario where the killer is not only in the courtroom, but is defending him in court.

Well. His protege is, anyway. Phoenix was very careful not to allow his representation to fall directly into Kristoph's hands, after all. Instead, he takes Apollo under his own wing instead.

What gets me about Phoenix and Kristoph's relationship is that Kristoph is genuine about wanting to help Phoenix.

We've seen plenty of murderer frame-ups throughout the series, and even one case of a murderer entering the courtroom as a defense attorney to ensure their fall-gal gets convicted.

Kristoph isn't planning that. Rather, he has a different target in mind that he can pin this murder to. His relationship with Phoenix is much too professionally valuable to let Phoenix go down like this.

As with 2-4, we have a perfectly adequate suspect to accuse in the defendant's place. A reasonable case could be made for Olga Orly's complicity instead of Phoenix's. Phoenix could go free by letting the wrong person be convicted.

But he's going to shoot the moon instead.

And he's going to do it, he's going to defeat the untrustworthy attorney, by putting his faith in a trustworthy attorney instead. The same way he defeated an untrustworthy client years ago.

4-1 has met with some criticism for the way so much of this comes down to Phoenix vs. Kristoph, with Apollo relying so heavily on following Phoenix's breadcrumbs. But for me, that works fine. Phoenix can light the course but it still falls to Apollo to navigate it, and that works for me as Apollo's very first case in his career.

After all, Mia leaned on Diego plenty in her first case. And Phoenix leaned on Mia a lot throughout the entire original trilogy. This case serves as Apollo's introduction to the Wright method and its unconventional approach, as Phoenix makes sure that special attention is paid to the kind of small details that unraveled prosecutions in his own time.

Ultimately, Apollo is as much a part of this as Phoenix is. None of this would work without him. We see him torn between his mentor and his hero as Kristoph realizes what Phoenix intends, and the jaws of the trap begin to close around him.

But ultimately, Kristoph's presence in this room leaves him cornered like a rat in a cage. Phoenix already saw to that.

Thus, one mentorship is fractured beyond repair while another is forged in iron. Phoenix even finds a moment to squeeze in foreshadowing for the final confrontation in 4-4.

This is such a fantastic introduction to the new status quo of post-timeskip Ace Attorney. It hints at the darkness inherent to the new world of law following Phoenix's disbarment, while also building the relationship between our next-generation hero and his predecessor, and serving it up alongside the maddest gambit ever to hit the courtroom of Ace Attorney.

And Also Payne is nearby but who gives a shit. XD

The prosecutor is less relevant in this case than any other in AA history. He just stands there uselessly at his booth and watches Phoenix's masterpiece unfold.

That this helpless performance is Winston's swan song, to be replaced by Gaspen in future games, is just the icing on the cake. So long, Winston. You won't be missed.

#ace attorney #ace attorney apollo justice #apollo justice #phoenix wright #revisiting aa4

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miragold123 · 2 months

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spicy take time: Ace Attorney 5 is not THAT bad

Dual Destinies: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -- An Opinionated Review (not spoiler free, hehe)

As I was progressing through the series, I noticed that fans really seemed to dislike Dual Destinies, so as I finished Apollo Justice, I was worried about what I was going to come across and, it wasn't terrible. I've begun to replay some of the game and compile some thoughts.

The Good

Characters

Whether it be the complicated, the quirky, or the downright enjoyable to be around, Dual Destinies has all sorts of new characters to fit this bill. Some of my favorites include:

Athena Cykes -- The newbie lawyer with a loud and colorful personality and a neat little game mechanic involving her being able to hear emotions Simon Blackquill -- The prosecutor on death row who's very… persuasive (why does he get to have a sword?) "Bobby Fulbright" -- The game's eccentric detective. While he's no Dick Gumshoe or Emma Skye, he actually managed to grow on me, making the twist that the final antagonist was disguised as him the entire time all the more impactful to me.

Some other characters that I really enjoyed: Juniper Woods Jinxie Tenma Aura Blackquill Orla Shipley (the orca)

And some of my favorite puns, for fun: Candice Arme Robin Newman Sasha Buckler

The Introductory Case

Case 5-1 is one of my favorite introductory cases after 2-1, AAI2-1, and TGAA1-1. Its twists and turns had me on edge the entire time. I've seen some crazy shit in Ace Attorney -- exorcisms, cross-examining animals, children that are victims of murder attempts -- but a terrorist bombing was not something I would expect, weirdly enough.

I also think it's fascinating how it's the only intro case to span over multiple days and the second to chronologically take place after the main filler cases (after AAI1-1).

And I really like how it ends by leaving these two questions in the back of my mind: "What's wrong with Apollo?" "Who exactly is Athena?"

Prosecutor Blackquill

Out of all of the prosecutors in the series, Blackquill has one of my favorite concepts. The idea of a prosecutor being able to continue his job while awaiting the death sentence for a crime he did not commit, but rather, took the fall for is just soooo… AAAAAAA. I love it. How he also utilizes psychological mind games opposite to Athena's own.

I was originally terrified of Blackquill and his unique "Silence!" callout, but as case 5 progressed, I actually almost cried learning Simon's true colors. How he willingly went to prison to protect a young Athena and Athena's mother, Metis', work, refusing to accept help despite Athena's and Aura, his older sister's, pleas. He was genuinely willing to be executed for the sake of protecting Athena.

Athena and Apollo's relationship, Apollo's Skepticism, and Athena's Trauma

Throughout the course of cases 2 and 3, it was demonstrated how Apollo and Athena grew to trust each other. To me, they gave off sibling energy, which was made even better by the fact that, in Greek mythology, Apollo and Athena are siblings (half-siblings, but siblings nonetheless).

So when Apollo started feeling skeptical towards Athena regarding the whole Clay situation, it kinda hurt, Apollo even willingly wearing a bandage over his eye to prevent himself from perceiving Athena's suspicious ticks. (I love this concept and wish more could have been done it.) And Athena had a past of her own that wasn't helping the situation that she herself wasn't even sure of, traumatized by the idea that she might have killed her own mother.

This is what I would say to be Dual Destinies' strongest feature.

The Phantom

Like I've mentioned before, the twist of "Fulbright" being the final antagonist really got to me. And his whole breakdown with him being in a mad panic, questioning who he really was before getting sniped, has to be one of my favorite breakdowns in the entire series (second to the exorcism)

Turnabout Reclaimed

The concept behind this DLC case is a fascinating one. The defendant being an… uhm… orca and the murder being an accident makes this case really unique.

3D Models

While the models take a bit to get used to, I think, ultimately, they weren't a terrible idea. I love the sprites but there are some things that the models did that the sprites couldn't -- and vice versa. And I believe it was a great gateway into what we got with The Great Ace Attorney and Spirit of Justice.

The Bad

Phoenix's Role

I have problems with Phoenix in this game in general. His model, his voice, but overall, I think the biggest downside about him in this game is his role. How him losing his badge was basically ctrl-z'ed and he's back to basically steal the spotlight. His role in Apollo Justice was great. He was there, but not on the front lines, helping Apollo from the side. I was hoping that, with the introduction of Athena, she'd get help from him like Apollo from Kristoph in his own game or Phoenix from Mia in the first game, rather than being essentially sidelined herself.

Yes. Dual Destinies is a Phoenix Wright game, but with how much focus it gives to Apollo and Athena and their… Dual Destinies… it's a bit frustrating with him in the picture as much as he is.

Turnabout Academy

I don't believe in the "3rd Case Syndrome" that goes around in the fanbase (4-3, 6-3, AAI2-3, and TGAA2-3 were pretty good). However… replaying Dual Destinies, I can't bring myself to replay this case. The concept was okay, but, that's all I can really say. The characters were… eh? I like Junie, Robin, and Mirriam, but Hugh is insufferable and what they did with Klavier was… (I don't wanna be harsh but)… ew. How Robin was treated before revealing she was a girl, was kind of gross (in the initial 2013 release). Overall, it was an… okay case. I don't really have much else to say about this case other than I didn't really enjoy it.

Turnabout Reclaimed

I love the concept, but that's about it. I had a bit of trouble staying awake while playing this one. It felt a little reminiscent of 1-5, which best sums up my feelings about it. The characters were okay and the idea is great, but this case is just… there.

The Ugly

Main Menu

That menu is boring. There's nothing... here. At least previous releases had the gall to put an image in the background, whether it be a courtroom or silhouettes of the main characters. I can't tell if that's supposed to be a bulletin board or a closeup of a basketball, but it's likely neither of those are right.

Voices

I understand replacing the older VA's because of cutscenes and all that, and I'm okay with Apollo's new voice, but when it comes to the other characters with NEW voices, they kind of miss the mark. Apollo and Phoenix sound virtually identical, Klavier sounds… wrong, and I don't think anyone told Edgeworth's VA that he's only 34 because he sounds twice that.

3D Models

When it comes to characters being translated into 3D, that's where the models miss. Apollo's, and Klavier's models are … not the best and Phoenix's is actually disgusting. They got a much-needed update with Spirit of Justice, but they don't compare to the beauty of their sprites.

-----

Overall, I personally think that Dual Destinies is one of the weakest in the series, but it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It's different and takes a bit to get used to, but it's fun :)

#had this thought in my mind for a year and decided to finally get it out #i am aa5's biggest defender #ace attorney #aa #aa5 #dual destinies #phoenix wright #apollo justice #athena cykes #simon blackquill #bobby fulbright #random thougts hehe

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sunchaserwings · 5 months

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Incoming rant about The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Herlock Sholmes from The Great Ace Attorney, and the BBC Sherlock (no major spoilers ahead I promise).

A preface before I begin; I was never a big fan of Sherlock Holmes or any adaptation of the stories. I've seen Elementary although I was very young so I only have the vaguest of memories of enjoying it, and my roommate had me watch a couple BBC Sherlock episodes when I was a tween/young teen. My mother claims she tried to get me into Sherlock Holmes but I'm rather skeptical. Anyhow, onto the story.

Back in March my boyfriend bought me the Ace Attorney games for my birthday which included the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (or Dai Gyakuten Saiban for those who are still stuck on the pre-localization names ;p). I was on my flight home from my birthday trip after I got the news my manager fired my brother while I was out of the state and figured why not, I'd start playing the first TGAA game on the flight. I'd probably enjoy myself and I couldn't sleep.

Second biggest mistake of the year (first biggest was trusting Les Schwab to do my brake job). I. Was. Hooked. I played the first case and fell in love with Kazuma instantly (he's so Zero shaped!). I played the second case and realized that calling him Zero shaped was way too accurate. We all know what happened there. Most important to this rant, I met Herlock Sholmes (more on my opinions on him later). I could barely put the game down but I had to take a break due to finding a new job and getting adjusted. I ended up finishing the game in June or July, one of the two. I finished the final case of the first game in one long 12 hour gaming session it was that good (my back didn't thank me though).

Now, the man of the hour: Herlock Sholmes. I didn't think much of him initially. He was simultaneously charming and annoying in the second case but as I played more he grew on me. I cried when the start of 1-5 happened. He clawed his way up into like the top 7 favorite characters at the time. The ending of the game with him playing his violin made me bawl my eyes out. I. Loved. This. Game.

It took a few more months to start and finish the second game. In between Adventures and Resolve I played Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, and some others so I had a healthy break. I came back to play Resolve and finished it like two months ago. It hit me in the gut just as hard as the first game did although there are a great many things I'd tweak and do differently. But Herlock Sholmes... man, he's not my favorite but he's up there underneath Kazuma and Van Zieks.

Anyhow, I finished the game but the hyperfixation had started and would not let me go. I've never been one to go out and seek fanfiction due to... personal stuff but I had a feeling I didn't want to go probe the depths of AO3 yet for fear of crying. I started a graveyard shift at my job which severely limited my ability to talk with people about stuff and also there's so many major spoilers but very few people I knew had played the game. A thought occurred to me, however. What about Sherlock Holmes audiobooks? I have an auditory processing issue which has made listening to audiobooks hard but I decided to give it a go. Perhaps it would satiate the TGAA hyperfixation hunger.

I found the ones produced by Magpie Audio, expertly narrated by Greg Wagland. Go check him out, he has over 77 videos of Sherlock Holmes audiobook recordings and all of them are a minimum of 40 minutes, often times far more. I went through over 30 hours of audiobook in a few weeks listening to these. Sherlock Holmes is such a good character and I can understand how and why he took late Victorian England by storm. And you know what the best part is?

Herlock Sholmes is the most faithful adaptation I have personally seen as a character of the original Sherlock Holmes.

They got so many of Sherlock's little idiosyncrasies right and you can tell the entire team were genuine fans of the books. I listened to Mr. Wagland's narration *and I saw 221B Baker of the games*. Especially the jack knife impaling the communications to the mantle being referenced in the game? The sheer mess of the flat? It's so good!

My roommate (whom is also a Sherlock Holmes fan) noticed my newest hyper fixation that spawned off of TGAA and that reignited his Sherlock Holmes obsession. He was a fan of the BBC Sherlock and now recognizes it was not a very great show but it's a comfort media for him nonetheless. He just dragged me into rewatching it and... okay, it's playing into a lot of inaccurate Sherlock tropes I don't like but goddamn Martin Freeman carries the whole show. I love his John Watson because it feels like a reasonable version of a modern, younger Watson. He feels real in a way. I do like the fact that even in the first episode, it's established that John and Sherlock can make each other laugh and smile just like in the books. I don't forgive them calling Sherlock a sociopath, however (speaking as someone with a brother that has been diagnosed with being a high-fuctioning sociopath). He's AuDHD to the max and deserves recognition in that department.

All of this to say, I can trace my current Sherlock hyperfixation back to Mega Man. Finding Mega Man in 4th grade led to watching the Ace Attorney anime in late 2021 which led to playing The Great Ace Attorney and that led to listening to Sherlock Holmes. I don't know why I decided to make this post but maybe I might start live blogging this shit? All in all, this is going to be a wild ride.

#tumblr ate the first half of the original post so i had to rewrite my sleep deprived ramblings #feel like i talked too much #fuck it this is my own blog #my blog my rules #bbc sherlock #sherlock holmes #herlock sholmes #the great ace attorney #tgaa #dai gyakuten saiban #dgs #ace attorney #sunchaser rambles

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wherewolfwasteland · 2 months

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Apollo justice + some dual destinies (ace attorney spoilers and rant !!!)

I've cleared the game a little while ago and while there was some aspects i liked,overall I was very mixed . First of all I love phoenix and his character change , it makes things interesting and I don't mind that he just goes back to himself later in the game . I also really like ema skye and how despite her talent she didn't make it into the job she wanted , it's realistic and gives her even more character growth . The soundtrack and animations were beautiful as well and the first case was one of my favourite first cases (tied with the first case of trials and tribulations)

Now for the things i didn't like (there's a lot unfortunately)

- apollo justice: first of all I won't be the first or last person to say he was a side character in his OWN GAME but that's not all that I don't like about him . First of all it really annoys me when he points out people's nervous traits every single time. I understood the first time since it was new to the player but everytime after that? Its cringe . I'm sorry but if I were a witness and the defence attorney told me that I was playing with my hands when I was nervous or something , I'd make a conscious effort to stop doing it . Uggghhh so cringe . It makes all of the witnesses look stupid af . Another thing i don't like about him is how little we actually learn about him . I like how he deals with his own trauma (pushing it away) and even in dual destinies going his own path was very interesting. But his inner monologue was very lacking in personality or anything really. Honestly it sucks because I do like him as a base character but the fandom definitely made me like him, and gave him more characterisation then those two games ever did .

Trucy : don't get me wrong , she has her great moments and she's super cute (I do love her overall) but I have some issues as well . First of all I hate the fact they made her super pale , there are no black characters in ace attorney , and even though I understand her not being black , she could have been tanned like her father. I don't wanna hear no "ace attorney is made in Japan so no black people" bullshit. This game isn't very realistic in the slightest so when people use that as an excuse for lack of diversity it annoys me so much ! And one more thing I don't like about trucy is that she is used as a panties joke wayyyyyy tooooo muccchhhhh , I'm sick of the panties !!!! Give it a resttttttttttttt . Ah I do love her lots and lots though . Okay okay moving on .

Klavier : and this is going to piss people offfff i know!! Bur he is just really really boring!! Which is so unfortunate because he had all of the makings to be great . He's in a band (that's awesome!) And he has great charisma and presence. But over the game when though so much happens to him he just brushes it all off, and not in a pushing away his trauma like apollo way either. It's always going to be harder to portray a character the player doesn't get to play since we can't hear his inner monologue (which would have been so cool) but still - I mean his best friend / band mate and his own brother both turn out to be murderers and he literally does not care in the slightest . Don't even get me started on how weird he is in aa5 . Also the fact that he was supposed to be your rival throughout the game and he really wasn't at all made going against him boring too . Don't get me wrong, going into a case I already know I'm winning , but in this game I knew I was winning if you get me . Other then the huge lost potential with him, I do think he is interesting, unfortunately mostly in fanon .

Kristoph: I mean I really really liked him as a villain I did ! But it was all too soon. This man had no real motive at the end of the day and he was gone before I even cared enough about him. He was apollos mentor and klaviers brother and he could have been given so much hype before the twist but no , first case and I'm over him . I don't even care he forged the evidence at that point . I knew he was evil. Also they should have made him go all out ! Like kidnap trucy at the end ! Go completely nuts !!! Especially since he has those 5 black locks , he could have been one of the greats .

Others : now there was other small things I liked and didn't like , overall I am happy that I played the game , I like the added characters despite their flaws and I like how they expanded their powers and stuff . I know some people don't like the fantasy elements but I like them a lot . I think it can add fun gameplay and stuff so yeah!!

Lastly here is somethings I would have done to change and improve the story (this is my opinion . I'm a meer fan with no writing experience so take this with a grain of salt)

Firstly I would have had kristoph be apollos mentor throughout the game until the last case . This way we grow attached to him as apollo but also it would give klavier someone to bounce off of . If he was going to be nice to apollo maybe he could have disliked his brother and been mean to him in the court (kristoph being mean back of course ) or they could have had that strange love hate siblings rivalry going on . It would give us a chance to really get more out of klavier. Kristoph (him manipulating apollo making us even madder at the end when we figured it out) and apollo , finding it hard to trust phoenix at first and growing to trust him later in dual destinies (until the last case where he departs the agency and yeah we all know what happens) . It could have been such great insightful character development.

Like imagine , this mentor has been by your side the whole game , helping you win ! Boosting you up (to make his brother look bad but you don't know that. Oh and also to be a better attorney than wright in a way , I like the idea of him hating phoenix and wanting to best him (so giving him the forged evidence) just not in the way it was done. I want him to really hate phoenix for phoenix and not because some guy chose phoenix over him once) anyways. This guy, you grow to trust him , even defend him against his brother even though the brother is being sweet to you, no way would your mentor be awful ! He's definitely lying . (He's not lying) and yeah the final case, he kills trucys father or he could even kill trucys father at the first case and produces forged evidence so that he gets off free !! Could be interesting and would have no effect on apollo since kristoph would be the one to forge it . Anyways either way . He kills trucys dad, forges wrights evidence , maybe even forges his own . He kills another person and also gets desperate as he realises that phoenix is onto him (he's kinda desperate but also thinks phoenix can't really get him since he's barred) , he kidnaps trucy because she has been too close to his crimes and then as apollo you are trying to solve the murder, find trucys kidnapper and discover the culprit behind the forgery all along . You slowly piece together that it was your mentor who had lied and manipulated you (apollo) this whole time and you can't believe it . (Heck klavier can't even believe it ! He knew his brother was awful but he never would suspect that ) kristoph is sent to prison , trucy is saved , phoenix is dropped of his forgery allegations , the person who got a guilty from the first case is set free ( if they decided to have kristoph produces forged evidence then) and apollo and klavier sit down. Get a drink maybe some food . And they bond over their shared trauma and hurt . Leading them to be best friends in aa5

Other thoughts :

The gameplay was great in apollo justice (not so much in dual destinies tbh) so I definitely would have kept that the same with less flashbacks , telling me what to do too much and the whole apollo telling people their nervous traits .

Next the story of trucy and apollos parents (mother especially ) was very very very very messy . Idk how to fix that jdjskskskx also it's just gone after this ?? Phoenix doesn't tell them and their mother also doesn't care about them ?? Also also another thing I want to mention ! I wish trucy didn't have the same power as apollo . I know his is stronger because of the bracelet but still . It cheapens his abilities because they aren't special at all . Like I feel that pearl and maya , even though had similar abilities were both useful in their own way but in apollos case sometimes it really seems as if trucy is better than him at his own ability idk . I would have definitely made it so she didn't have that ability.

Okay okay I'm rambling at this point ,I really am but ugh so many thoughts in my adhd brain that won't shut up (so I'm sorry if this is messy) but yeah I do want to say again I do love these characters and stuff so no hate :3 (thank you )

So yes this rant was all over the place but I hope for the most part it was legible ! Please comment below because I'd love to talk more about this but for now, rant over :D

#ace attorney #phoenix wright #ace attorney edgeworth #miles edgeworth #ace attorney phoenix wright #aa #apollo justice #klavier gavin #ace attorney klavier #kristoph gavin #dual destinies

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wowowwild · 2 months

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Klavier gets a vague text from Apollo on his day off asking him to meet in the park. Whatever could be the reason?

Klavier woke up to a day like any other. It was a Saturday, so he wouldn't have to go to work, or do much of anything really. He would lounge around with his brother's dog, he hadn't even known his brother had a dog before... but he did and now that dog was technically Klavier's dog. Vongole was sweet and friendly, and Klavier had always been a dog person, and though it had been 6 months already, it would likely be a little longer before he could think of her as his own dog. It still sometimes felt like he was just dog sitting and his brother would come back any day. He could tell Vongole felt the same. But Kristoph wasn't coming back. He was going to continue sitting in a cell on death row until the state appointed reaper came to harvest what was left of his brother's soul.

An hour or so into lounging, Klavier received a text. Herr Forehead! Now there was someone who could always brighten Klavier's day. His courtroom rival always had such interesting reactions and expressions, it was hard not to enjoy his presences. And of course his genuineness and intensity were hard to ignore. Plus they sought the same thing in the courtroom, even if they had basically nothing in common outside of it... Right, the text.

HF: Are you doing anything today?

That was unexpected. Usually it was Klavier trying to see the attorney outside of work. And he had yet to be successful.

KG: Is this your way of asking me out on a date? ;)

The response was almost immediate.

HF: NO!!!

Klavier chuckled. He could imagine the chords of steel and how Apollo would blush in response.

HF: I wouldn't ask someone out over text, that's just tacky. HF: I was just wondering.

A multi-texter then. Klavier filed that knowledge away in the folder of absolutely useless information he knew about people. If only his brain would use that space to remember the things he actually needed to.

KG: Did you need something? I am always available for you, Schatzi.

Was he maybe laying it on a little thick? Sure. But he was Klavier Gavin, after all.

HF: I don't NEED anything. Why are you being so weird?

… That wasn't the response he expected. He had thought that his text was totally in character- Ah, maybe that was it. Herr Forehead had never been fond of his 'character', and he had a habit of seeing right through it, though he was pretty sure it had something to do with the intense staring, so he wasn't sure how that had worked over text.

KG: I am just trying to ask what exactly you are asking. HF: I asked if you're doing anything today, but I'm guessing you're not since you love telling people all about your plans and all you've done so far is dodge the question. Meet me at People Park. KG: That's a bold assumption.

He waited a minute, but Apollo didn't respond again.

KG: You didn't even tell me what time.

Again, Klavier did not get a response. He groaned.

KG: Can I bring Vongole? HF: Sure. KG: Oh, so that you'll respond to.

You know, Klavier was getting a little annoyed by this point. Not only was Forehead being mysterious and quite frankly rude, Klavier was going to have to go incognito which meant dressing plainly, and Apollo had never seen him dress this way. It was a tragedy, honestly. He should have expected it though, since when he woke up this morning his coffee machine had broken. Maybe he could still wear something cute.

Looking through his clothes, Klavier found a lavender sweater that used to be his mother's and some black ripped skinny jeans Daryan had made him buy. He hadn't worn either in ages, but they would do nicely. Despite being half way through April, it was still a bit chilly. It was... difficult to put the pants on, not because they didn't fit, but because he could remember so vividly the day they had been bought. A lot had changed since then. Too much. Too little. The sweater was a comfort, though. If his mother were there, she would know just what to say, just what to do. But she wasn't, so Klavier just finished getting ready and called for Vongole. All he had to do was say 'park' and she was ready to go.

When he arrived at People Park, he put his 'please don't recognize me' baseball cap on. He had elected to leave his hair down and free in hopes that it would further distance himself from his public persona. It wasn't hard to find Apollo, his red sweatshirt immediately drawing Klavier's eye. He was sitting on a bench, watching the birds, or at least looking in the sky in their direction. It was always hard for Klavier to tell what Apollo was thinking.

“Herr Forehead!”

Apollo turned to look at him, staring again, appraising.

“Uh, hiya. You're, umm... Hi.” “Ja, hallo.” “Right. Oh!” Vongole jumped up onto the bench next to him. “Well hello there, princess. It's been a while, hasn't it.”

Apollo Justice just called his dog 'princess'. That was adorable. But... they'd met before? How... interesting, that Kristoph had introduced Apollo to his dog, but never spoke about his brother even once. Whatever. It didn't matter now.

“Prosecutor Gavin?” “Hmm?” “Are you ok?” His face must have been showing his thoughts. Unfortunately Herr Forehead had always been good at reading him. “Ja, I'm fine. But call me Klavier, bitte. This is hardly the courtroom.” “Oh, um... ok. Klavier.”

Apollo said his name like it was a piece of testimony he wasn't sure about. Klavier didn't know how to feel about that.

“W-well, then you have to call me Apollo!” Apollo suddenly burst out. “No more Forehead business.” Klavier blinked, paused, and chuckled. “Of course. Apollo, then.”

Apollo's cheeks flushed a bit, but Klavier couldn't tell what the source was. Perhaps embarrassment at his outburst? It's not like Klavier minded. It was all part of that unique Forehead charm. Apollo.

“So what did you have planned now that you've drawn me out here? Nothing nefarious, I hope.” “Wh- No! Why would you even ask that,” Apollo huffed. Klavier was about to apologize, but Apollo continued, “I just um... I dunno.” “Now see, the thing is, I don't think that's true. I think you just don't want to tell me.”

Apollo looked at him and squinted his eyes, possibly trying to guess what Klavier had figured out, which was genuinely nothing. Apollo was a mystery to him still, Klavier just knew that he didn't do things without reason, or maybe reason wasn't quite correct, considering the blunders he frequently made in court. No, intent was more like it. Apollo had some intent inviting him out.

“You know, I think I've got you all figured out,” Klavier lied. He knew Apollo would know. “You've finally succumbed to my charms and were hoping to make a confession in the place that we first met. How romantic!” Apollo glared at him. “Get real, Gavin.” “Then perhaps the defence has an alternate theory?” “... Nope.”

Well that was rude. Now Klavier had a lot of traits, some good, some... less good, but quite possibly the most intense was that Klavier Gavin was a nosy bitch and he needed to know! Apollo had never invited him anywhere before, especially not like this. And here he was just sitting on a park bench petting Klavier's dog and giving her pet names like they hung out all the time! Sure, he had felt a sort of connection with the other man during their court battles, and he hoped that Apollo had felt it too, but they weren't close by any stretch of the word. In fact he had been pretty certain up until that text that Apollo wasn't very fond of him at all.

“You're thinking too much. Do you want to feed the ducks?” “I- Hä?” “They're really friendly, though now that I think about it, Vongole might chase them. We could walk around the pond, though. Maybe she's mellowed out since then.” Vongole certainly had not mellowed out, or if she had, she must have been a terror before, but Klavier thought that maybe if he said yes he might get to find out what he wanted to know. “Ja, a walk sounds nice.” “Cool.”

Vongole did try to chase the ducks, but funnily enough it was Apollo who got her to calm down.

“You're very good with her.” “Ah, um...” Apollo winced and looked to the side. “If I mimic him well enough she listens. She always behaved for him, but I think someone taught her to do whatever she wanted when he wasn't there.” “Ah...” What else could he say? He had to imagine it wasn't a fun thing for Apollo to do. “Was... was he a good mentor?” “The best,” Apollo replied without hesitation. “Was he a good brother?” “Ja... Ja, the best.” “Too bad he's a piece of shit.”

Klavier froze. Apollo was always a little out of pocket, but, well, how was anyone supposed to respond to that. Once Klavier found his wits he looked to Apollo who was similarly frozen in place. Vongole had sat down on the trail between them looking very pleased with herself. And Klavier laughed. He laughed hard and with his whole body. It felt like years since he had laughed so hard, though really it might have been. By the time he was done he was crouched down and wheezing, tears streaming from his eyes.

“Ja, too bad. Mein arschgeige Bruder had to go and lie and cheat and kill and my best friend followed suit. Mein Gott they are assholes.” Well Apollo looked worried now, but Klavier felt great. “You know, when I was little he used to sing me back to sleep when I had a nightmare, and if it was a bad one he would let me sleep in his bed. And whenever I would get scraped up doing something stupid, which believe it or not, happened often,” he heard Apollo snort at that, “he would bandage me up and scold me for being so reckless. No matter how many times I did, or how stupid the stunt he would still help me. Even just a few years ago I was worried about him so I asked him to help me with a cut I got and he still did. I'm not certain when exactly it started, but I had noticed by the time I turned 16 that he was more closed off, more paranoid. I tried my best, and sometimes I still feel like I should have tried harder, but how could I have known? And why would he ever have talked to me about it? I wasn't just a kid, I was a kid he raised. He needed someone else and there was no one. It always was just us against the world. Of course I made friends, whatever good that did me, but he never did. I'm glad he had Vongole. You know after all of the times I had asked for one as a kid, that bastard finally went and got a dog as soon as I left. He was right not to let me have one, but still. And every year for my birthday-” Klavier froze. His birthday. He looked up to Apollo who nodded with a sad smile. “Every year for my birthday which is today, he would bake me Oma's topfentorte,” Klavier spoke slowly. “He wasn't perfect, but he was my brother. Still is, I guess.”

Klavier got the distinct feeling that if Apollo didn't stop him, he would just keep going until he'd spilled his guts all over the path. He also had a feeling that Apollo wouldn't stop him.

“And then there was Daryan. Whenever Kristoph and I fought, Daryan was always in my corner. And, I mean, Daryan was an asshole in the first place, but he was my asshole. My best friend. And I would have done just about anything for him. And I still have no idea why he did it, because he won't tell me, and if he did it for a good reason, I don't see why he wouldn't. I also don't see why he would have gotten a child involved. The only thing he will tell me is how pissed he is that I didn't help him get out of it, as if that's something anyone who knows me would ever think I'd do. Maybe, maybe, if it had just been the smuggling and his intentions were good, but how could he ever think I would help a murderer?”

Tears were welling in his eyes again, so he tilted his head up in an effort to not let them fall. It was bad enough he had just dumped all of this on Apollo, someone he couldn't even really be considered friends with, he didn't want to start crying in front of him, too.

“You don't have to do that.”

Klavier looked at Apollo in confusion.

“I mean, obviously if it makes you uncomfortable, then you can do whatever, I mean you can anyway, but there's no one else here. It's just me. And Vongole, but I don't think that's a problem for you. So... you can cry if you need to. It fucking sucks what they put you through. And it's not fair because you're so good. And I mean no one should have to go through that, but especially you. You're so kind and determined and strong. I don't like that they've made you second guess yourself, and I don't like that they've damaged your sense of security. You deserve good things. If you can't have them... Um, but, yeah. There are still people who care about you, you know?” “I... I'm beginning to see that.” “Yeah, um, actually, if you wanted, Trucy kind of prepared this whole thing back at the Agency, she's not going to be upset if you're not feeling up to it, but she invited a couple of people. She's going to call me when it's all ready.” “Ah, I'm... You all are too kind.” “It's nothing, really. They're like that with everyone.” “And you? I seem to recall you being rather prickly with most people.” “I'm not prickly, people are just annoying...” Apollo grumbled. Klavier laughed. “And yet you feel for them all the same.”

Apollo huffed. They stood in silence, watching the ducks, Vongole watching a little more intently than the humans beside her.

“So what about you?” “Me?” “I've just poured my heart out to you, do you have anything to get off your chest?” “... Nope. I'm fine.” “Really,” Klavier gave him his best judgemental look. “Yep.” “So there's absolutely nothing you would benefit from sharing?” “Let's put it this way, the only reason anyone knows my birthday is because they needed a birth certificate to hire me and the only reason anyone knows my favorite color is because I wear it everyday. I am content to live out my days with my closest companion being my cat.” “... You have a cat?” “... Maybe...” “That's it, I have a new goal in life.” “Oh, goody,” Apollo deadpanned. “I'm going to figure you out.” “Good luck with that.” “Thank you, I will take it.” “Wait, no, I didn't actually mean-” “It's too late. I have it now.” “Well bad luck then! Bad luck!” “No, I think you can keep that one.” “No! Take the bad luck! You already have the good luck so it will just balance out!” “I would argue that in general I have exceedingly bad luck.” “... Ok, you can keep the good luck, but use it on a case or something.” “The case of Apollo Justice.” “No, a different one.” “Nuh-uh, sorry.” “Did you just 'nuh-uh' me?” “What're you gonna do about it, Forehead?” Klavier grinned Apollo grinned right back at him. “Hey! I'll show you what I'm gonna do, Gavin-”

They were cut off by Guitar's Serenade playing out. That was probably for the best since Vongole was latching on to their excitement, and she was a menace while excited.

“Oh, that's Trucy.” He answered the phone, which looked absolutely ancient in Klavier’s opinion. A flip phone? Really? “Hey, Truce... Woah, calm down I already told him... Why wouldn't I? Not everyone likes surprises... I'll ask him then! Do you like surprises?” Oh, that one was for him. “Ah, sometimes. In this case I'm glad you told me, though.” “Did you hear that? … No, how do I put it on speaker? … Ok, well he said he was glad I told him... Well, yeah- Actually, wait, he never gave me an answer. Do you want to go? To the thing Trucy did- I know it's called a party,” he grumbled the last bit into his phone. “Ja. I think that will be nice.” “He said yes... No, I'm not going to tell him that, tell him yourself when we get there... Ack! I'm hanging up now, bye!” “Umm...” “Ok, let's go. She'll have my head if we take too long.” “What was that last bit about?” “Absolutely nothing.” “Fine, fine. I'll just ask Fraulein Magician when we get there.” “You can ask.” “You don't think I'll get an answer?” “Nope.” “I bet I can.” “I bet you can't.” “You're on.”

Apollo sighed and shook his head, a small smile still gracing his features.

“Oh, before that...” “Yeah?” Apollo's full attention was right back on him, not that Klavier was sure it had ever left. “If you ever need to have a breakdown with someone other than your cat... I don't believe in transactional care, but it would make us even.” Klavier flicked his bangs. “And I wouldn't mind.” “... Yeah. Ok.”

Klavier still had the feeling that if at all possible, Apollo would never follow through, but he had done all he could to make it an option.

“So what kind of cake did they get me?” “How am I supposed to know? My job was to get you there and that's it.” Klavier chuckled. “They wouldn't tell you, would they.” “'Wouldn't you like to know, Apollo?'” Apollo did his best Trucy impression if Trucy was also incredibly annoyed by the things she was saying.

Klavier laughed. He wasn't sure exactly how Apollo felt, but as far as he was concerned, Klavier had walked into that park lonely and out with a friend.

#ace's fic #ace attorney #apollo justice #klavier gavin #i'm going to tag it bc it can be read this way ->#klapollo #vongole #i hope everything came across how i wanted it to. sometimes i think i leave a little too much up to interpretation.#anyway i hope y'all enjoy my bday gift from me to me

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hot-take-tournament · 9 months

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ngl kind of breaks my heart to see you used one of those ai bot things after the entire vocaloid debate. i really don't like that you did that and i'm a little disappointed. can you please not do that again?

I know - I do need to address this before anything else, because I fucked up

Please read the whole thing

If any of you don't know the context of this ask;

Basically, a while back I used the program AI Dungeon to generate a hot take for fun;

That's the program they use for those chaotic AI videos you find on youtube, like the ai ace attorney clown case and the sonic destruction scripts, which has some absolutely wild moments like these

I just put in a couple one-sentence questions to see what it would give me, not really expecting anything. But the take it did finally give me was not only completely depraved, but also felt like such a weirdly personal attack on me specifically that it left me genuinely speechless.

So, even though I didn't originally intend to do this, I decided to secretly make a poll for it claiming it was a submission, because I thought it might be fun to see if you guys could guess which one of the polls was the fake one, Blade Runner style.

I generated the take on the same day that submissions originally closed, but I only came clean about it last night because I started to feel super guilty about it after reading the vocaloid discourse - but the way I did it was vague, shitty and insincere.

I know it was 4 in the morning and I said I was going to get some sleep when I made the post last night, but after I saw the asks I immediately got about that post - like this one - I instead deleted it after like 2 minutes and spent the next 4-5 hours scouring the internet for as much information about this as I could find so I could get the full picture. This isn't the first time I fucked up on this blog because I didn't do my research, so I think I massively overcompensated - I really didn't want a repeat of that time the master post accidentally triggered multiple people's OCD; I still feel awful about that.

And as a result, I ended up passing out on my bathroom floor, which is why you haven't heard from me in a while.

I did genuinely read all the vocaloid discourse (asks, replies, notes, all of it) - but since I pulled this stunt ages ago, and the secret poll is already up, it was already too late. And it was because of that vocaloid discourse that I felt like it would just make me a hypocrite if I just swept it under the rug and kept quiet while everyone else was talking about the exact same subject, so I decided to just tell you guys as soon as possible because I'd feel shitty if I didn't - but I still phrased that post in a more light-hearted way because that was what I originally intended this whole thing to be, which was definitely a mistake, and I can't apologise enough for that.

And I know I didn't clarify this in that original post, but like I said, the program I used was AI Dungeon, which was something I remembered having fun with back in 2019/2020, spending hours generating unhinged Ace Attorney cases; and I remembered I still had an account from back then when it was still free to play, even though I hadn't touched it in 4 years - and I realised I would still be able to bypass the paywall using it.

I'd also just watched those snapcube Sonic Destruction videos that I linked above and it reminded me of that. And I dug up those old AI Dungeon Ace Attorney cases that I had generated and then recreated in objection i.o. back when I was 17/18, and had been sitting on my old computer's hard drive for ever since - and they still made me smile a little. So that's how I got the impulse to do this.

And that's also why, even though I knew about the writer's strike and do fully support it, it just didn't occur to me that the AI that gave us that same insane Sonic Destruction script that I'd just watched would be one of the programs the writers were striking over - I just assumed that it was only programs like ChatGPT, that can produce coherent scripts based on the accumulated information users feed into it; because those are programs that could definitely potentially be used to replace human writers. That's something AI Dungeon can't do, because it doesn't retain user input after you shut it down.

So I just saw AI Dungeon as that goofy ass confused AI that I loved as a kid, the one that provides insanely weird responses out of the blue as it desperately tries to cobble together a narrative, and it was used in videos that I still really like. And I thought it would be fine.

That was how I justified it at the time - but in hindsight, given how much I hate other GPT programs like ChatGPT, as well as AI art and all other generated content overall, it just makes me even more of a stupid hypocrite for making an exception for this one simply because I was blinded by nostalgia, and not bothering to look it up back then like I should've done. Because at the end of the day, a GPT program is a GPT program.

SO - Here's what I found online while reading up on it last night:

Because of the outdated GPT model AI Dungeon runs on, it isn't possible from a technical standpoint for it to learn like ChatGPT does. Even though it still uses a dataset, as far as I can tell it genuinely can't add to that dataset from user input except for when it explicitly asks for feedback (rarely, it will generate two responses instead of one, and ask you to pick the best one so it can learn - but you can turn that feature off.) And while it does try to learn while you're using it, it can't carry that information over between sessions. So even if you reload the same page again, it won't retain what it learned last time.

(Here's some information I found while combing ancient reddit threads that explains this better than I can)

But even if all of that is true, it doesn't matter.

Latitude, the developers of AI Dungeon, are super fucking scummy, and you shouldn't support them.

If you want to look up all of the many, many controversies surrounding AI Dungeon, you can - but I won't link them here, because serious content warnings apply.

Do not use this program.

I really hope the anon who sent this ask - and everyone else who called me out on this - stuck around, because I am so, so grateful that you all sent these, otherwise I probably would never have known.

I deleted the post almost instantly (because like I said, it was too light-hearted), and I'm really glad I did. And I swear I won't pull this shit again.

I know a lot of you hate the fact that I did this - that original post genuinely got me blocked by more of you guys than every single one of the polls combined - which is totally fair, and I wouldn't blame any of you for doing the same now.

I really just want to move on from this - but I can't just pretend that it didn't happen.

Support the writer's strike, don't use any AI programs.

I'm really sorry about this, and the fact that I didn't take it seriously enough - like I said, I promise it won't happen again.

</3

#asks #not a poll

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lorillee · 9 months

Text

alright everybody. its finally time for my ace attorney investigations 2 retrospective/excuse to talk about the von karma-edgeworth family soap opera for a few thousand words. ive never been good at intro paragraphs so we're just gonna get right into it. this is gonna get long probably so be warned - i was originally going to put it under a cut but unfortunately doing that breaks the image format for some reason so uhhhh we're both just gonna have to live with it 😔 obviously this post is going to have major unmarked spoilers so if you havent played this game for some reason yet you should definitely get on that. anyways. without further ado:

investigations 2 is kind of ultimately about who edgeworth was and who edgeworth is and who edgeworth wants to be, explored via the lens of the nature of parent-child relationships and how parents' legacies impact the decisions their children make and the people they become.

at the end of aa1 (+rfta), edgeworth is confronted with the harsh reality that his mentor/adopted father & the man who taught him everything he knows about prosecuting is 1) a terrible person and 2) did actually have a habit of using forged evidence to keep his 40 year streak going. after being accused of corruption for having used fake evidence himself (unknowingly, but still), edgeworth goes on his whole journey of "what does being a prosecutor even mean, anyways" by means of worlds most melodramatic fake suicide. the answer he ends up arriving at is that defense lawyers and prosecutors, when they have relatively upstanding morals and are given the tools to actually do their jobs, serve as vehicles for the truth, and cannot reliably fulfill this duty without each other. however, the question has always kind of lingered - "well, what about being a defense attorney like gregory?"

phoenix routinely brings up the class trial as like the most formative memory of his own childhood - that experience is inherently tied to who phoenix is as a person - but that trial literally only exists because edgeworth was imitating his father in being a defense attorney. the main character of the main series' inspiration for becoming a defense attorney is intrinsically tied to "back when edgeworth was "good", before manfred "corrupted" him". its because edgeworth becomes a corrupt prosecutor that phoenix chases after him into law school - this apparent complete and entire betrayal of phoenix's whole understanding of him as a person.

so then, now that edgeworth is "good" again, why doesnt he quit the whole prosecutor thing and go back to his childhood dream of becoming like his father?

this question is kind of just left up in the air until investigations 2. with the prosecutor investigation committee being completely corrupted, they make it abundantly clear they dont appreciate edgeworth sticking out of line in an attempt to do his literal job, and try to control him by threatening to take away his badge. furthermore, shields, gregory's old companion, shows back up and works with edgeworth to find the the truth of a handful of incidents that would've otherwise been covered up by the p.i.c. - including gregory's last case, in which he proved that manfred, who prosecuted that same case, did indeed forge evidence.

after relinquishing his badge in a protest against what is clearly an injustice, manfred's old habits being dredged back up, and the extended hand of the man in charge of his father's old law firm, edgeworth is getting pulled in a number of different directions - will he capitulate, give up on prosecuting entirely, run away from his past, and become a defender of the people and an attorney like his father? or will he reject manfred's terrible methods while working to rectify his mentor/adopted father's wrongdoings, face his past head-on, and seek the truth as a prosecutor, regardless of his mentor's legacy and reputation?

both of the paths offered to edgeworth hinge on who he used to be - a boy who wanted nothing more than to be like his father, a phenomenal defense attorney who stood up for those who had nobody to stand up for them, and a young adult who saw the injustice in the world and wanted to punish it in the best way he could think of - becoming like his adopted father who never failed to put a (seemingly) guilty person behind bars.

investigations 2 gives us..... a whole slew of parent-child relationships. like what can only be described as truly an impressive amount: gregory & miles & manfred, master & katherine, sebastian & debeste, gustavia & simon, dover & knightley, blaise & sebastian, courtney & john, lang's dad & lang, and more tangentially manfred & franziska and byrne & kay. for our purposes, though, we're going to focus on the most immediately relevant ones to edgeworth's development specifically - sebastian & blaise and gustavia & simon.

for starters, i think it would probably be best to get the von karma-edgeworth family soap opera soapboxing out of the way.

edgeworth's arc in this game primarily revolves around what he wants to do with his life - he talks a whole lot about his "path", but doesnt really know what that means outside of seeking the truth at all costs. the people around him like to slot him into either "defense attorney" or "prosecutor" for a variety of reasons, but more often than not it ends up boiling down to his fathers in at least some capacity.

franziska is personally betrayed and frankly disgusted by edgeworth giving up his badge (which makes plenty of sense, particularly after their conversation at the end of aa2 and which i have talked about here), and a notable portion of that does have to do with her & manfred's relationship to edgeworth. manfred's influence was a huge factor in miles' decision to become a prosecutor, and they both know it. of course, the more pressing issue for her is the fact that miles is abandoning her again - but the point remains that had it not been for manfred, the likelihood of miles becoming a prosecutor would be, frankly, much lower.

shields, on the other hand, spends a whole lot of the game projecting gregory onto miles. he wants edgeworth to follow in his fathers footsteps and play the role of the returning prodigal son, because he misses gregory and sees a lot of his influence and mannerisms in miles. actually, something i kind of found particularly interesting is that at one point, shields remarks that edgeworth's trademark glare was the same as that of gregory's. theres a whole lot of remarks made on that glare, actually, particularly in combination with edgeworths furrowed brow.

but... shields himself is the one who says this

about - would you guess it - a certain manfred von karma. its no secret that miles has picked up a whole number of manfred's mannerisms and attitudes, even as he's unlearning some of the more harmful ones, but what i found particularly fascinating is that shields saw something that miles picked up from manfred and saw gregory in it instead. while part of it certainly could be that miles did pick part of it up from gregory (which is something that has a basis in the sprites - something i may actually get into a little bit later), its also very possible that this is shields projecting what he wants to see onto miles as opposed to what's actually there. its even more interesting though, because when they first meet, shields actually mistakes edgeworth for manfred because of that glare

shields is so caught up in wanting gregory back from the dead that he occasionally blinds himself from acknowledging that miles is an entirely different person.

and, of course, throughout both this game and the previous investigations game, there's more than a few moments in which edgeworth personally accused of using falsified evidence to convict people - specifically harkening back to our good friend manfred von karma, posterchild of world's most corrupt prosecutors and edgeworth's adopted father/mentor. shields even expresses immense distrust of miles at first simply on this fact, acknowledging that miles was indeed like a son to manfred (..... for whatever that's worth)

actually. while we're here on this point i want to speak briefly about sprite similarities

this game does a whole lot of calling attention to the influence manfred & gregory have had on miles - obviously theres the furrowed brow & piercing gaze and terrible people skills that miles got from manfred, but he also has gregory's affinity for tea and dorky camera face. the sprites also do a great job in visually establishing his inherited mannerisms though - while manfred's influence has done a lot, gregory's habits still peek through the cracks.

ive talked about this a little bit on another post, but i feel like it warrants repeating here anyways. the sprite animations in ace attorney are great for a lot of reasons, but one of the most interesting ones is how they're frequently used to imply connections between characters and the influence of certain relationships.

we know that miles definitely did not get his bowing from manfred, but with gregory's sprites in this game it becomes abundantly clear where they originated from (of course, with the over-the-top melodrama of the von karmas added on top). similarly with miles' hand bounding sprite, its a pointed finger (giving it an accusatory tint, definitely coming from manfred), while gregory's is an open hand (much more inviting), but the bounce nonetheless remains. the sprite similarities between miles & manfred are a bit more straightforward, but something i find tremendously interesting is how the mannerisms miles picked up from his father have the von karma influence absorbed into them - it really is a brilliant visual indicator of the impact both his fathers have had on his character.

i've talked about this general topic semi-extensively on this blog simply because i am truly a bit obsessed with the von karma-edgeworth family soap opera, but i feel like it warrants repeating here anyways since it comes up in this came so often. miles' relationship with gregory is... honestly not really explored terribly much? like shields will reference him a lot and both him and the game itself absolutely loves comparing the two, but as far as edgeworth's personal feelings on gregory go... we. honestly don't get much, either directly or indirectly. which makes sense, obviously - edgeworth was like 9 when he died - but its still interesting. we obviously know that gregory loved edgeworth a lot (see: him thinking about miles periodically throughout the investigation . which is. for the record. absolutely adorable)

but miles doesn't get much of anything at all in terms of internal or external dialogue about gregory. his relationship with manfred, however, is... a lot more messy, but also explored a fair bit through implications.

mr von karma gets brought up a lot in both investigations 1 & 2, and miles' reaction is largely the same - he'll comment on objective facts (usually ones that were brought up in the first by the people around him) whether its manfred's skill in prosecuting or his tendency towards forgery, but blatantly refuses to ever give any sort of subjective opinion on him (franziska is, for the record, the exact same way). theyll dance around the topic, sure, but never genuinely engage with it - as much can be seen if you make edgeworth present his badge to amano in investigations 1.

while franziska's feelings on her father are a lot more obscured, miles' are a little more openly messy - after all, he still keeps his prosecutors badge in his pocket all these years after manfred told him prosecutors who wore their badges are tacky. he still wears the jabot, an integral and iconic bit of manfreds attire (and another thing that made shields briefly think he was manfred). he still has no problem connecting with and helping manfred's old friends (amano, for example). and, mostly damning of all, he still keeps his old prosecutors outfit - the outfit manfred gave him based off of his own suit - plastered to his office wall. its clear that he doesnt approve of manfred's methods of prosecution and recognizes that he was definitely corrupt, but even with all the murder and framing and so on and so forth... manfred was still his dad. even if its not logical for miles to still hold on to that filial love, you cant really argue your emotions into changing into something rational.

with the repeated importance being placed on the influence of gregory and manfred on miles' life, their relationship to him, and other people's expectations for miles based on their legacies established, i think we can probably try to get into sebastian now. gonna be copy-pasting most of my sebastian vs miles & franziska mini-essay here because i dont want to retype it.

sebastian is actually a kind of interesting foil for franziska and miles - its pretty clear that franziska didnt become a prosecutor specifically for manfreds approval (see: miles’ comment on her always having been a prosecutor) and likewise with edgeworth (see: his statement on his motivation for becoming a prosecutor having been to chase down criminals after what happened to gregory), but throughout the flashback case in investigations 1 it is so obvious that both of them desperately crave manfred’s approval even to the point of competing over it.

while this competition follows the usual format of franziska insisting on something and miles passively going along with it as opposed to actively engaging, he spends the entire case literally trying to be a mini-manfred (its very sad and also kind of cute), and its made pretty clear that at the very least he would not be the prosecutor he is without manfred’s influence. furthermore, at the end of aa2, franziska also comments on the pressures and expectations being placed on her by virtue of being manfred’s daughter - she felt that she was obligated to become a genius prosecutor simply because of her birth. while the wording indicated to me outside pressure rather than manfred specifically, the point remains that manfred, while not the sole driving reason, did have a significant impact on their career choice.

sebastian, however, specifically says he became a prosecutor for the purpose of getting his dad's approval. blaise routinely speaks ill of sebastian, calling him stupid and an idiot and embarrassing and so on and so forth, but its incredibly clear that sebastian is genuinely desperate for any sort of positive affirmation from his father. he unknowingly cheated his way through law school, graduating at the top of his class purely through blaise's connections, and is genuinely distraught when he finds out that everything he built his adult life on was a lie. the game spends a fair amount of time showing you how wildly terrible sebastian is at being a prosecutor, only to reveal that the reason he's like this is, like, 80% his dad's fault.

unlike sebastian, however, franziska and miles are both quite competent at their jobs and manfred, unlike blaise, actually has confidence in their ability to perform to his expectations (see: him bullying badd into letting them try to solve the case in the investigations 1 flashback case). sebastian & blaise are like a worse and caricatured version of the von karma family soap - basically, they're what would happen if miles & franziska 1) were absolutely dependent on manfreds approval and 2) weren't terribly good at prosecuting, and if manfred was 1) prone to coddling and 2) actively verbally abusive.

theres also the added parallel of “oops! my dad actually really sucks as a person” and the ensuing Complicated Feelings On Dad after this. franziska expresses an egregious amount of disdain for sebastian before we really get into the blaise debacle because she doesnt respect him as a person at all, but is honestly surprisingly sympathetic when it turns out his dad is a criminal. futhermore, she willingly relinquishes her place at the prosecutor's bench for him when its clear he's ready to stand up to blaise, even if hes crying and sobbing the whole way through. its this shared experience and his subsequent growing of a spine that earns her respect.

edgeworth, for his part, also doesnt seem to respect sebastian much at all before the kidnapping incident. however, upon trying to prod him into telling what happened, edgeworth recognizes a part of his old self in sebastian, as well as sebastians willingness to grow up and move past his desperation for his father's approval.

more than just being a funhouse mirror version of the von karmas, blaise and sebastians relationship highlights the dangers of blindly chasing after your parents, critical thinking long forgotten, which has a twofold meaning in regards to miles. obviously, theres the pretty straightforward parallel to his blatant idolization of manfred as a young prosecutor - while the situation wasnt necessarily the same, it still possesses those echoes of a desperate need for acknowledgement/approval, to the point of following their fathers' examples even in the worst ways. @/pkducklett left some really great tags on one of my posts which hits the nail on the head:

but it also begs the question: is blindly chasing after his childhood dream of being like gregory really what miles wants to do with his life? a point we'll loop back around to in a bit, but important to keep in mind for edgeworth's overall arc.

so onto simon & gustavia! simon's relationship with his murderous father gustavia also serves as a foil to miles and one of his dads like sebastian & blaise - however, instead of our notoriously trigger happy friend manfred von karma, it's actually.... gregory! which is, for the record, tremendously fun. simon & miles both became orphans at a young age - which is a notable part of the reason edgeworth agrees to take his case in the jail episode, even. the camaraderie between two people who have shared in the same traumatizing experience and so on and so forth - but instead of being taken from his son like gregory was, gustavia purposely abandons simon once he's deemed him worthless.

post-orphaning, both miles & sebastian are taken under the wing of men of questionable character - miles is adopted by manfred von karma, gregory's rival, murderer, and the anti-thesis of everything he stood for, and sebastian becomes the apprentice to dogen, a ruthless assassin. interestingly enough, though, this parallel diverges in the end - manfred throws miles under the bus and backs up over him like three separate times, metaphorically speaking, while dogen actively puts his life on the line to save sebastian.

miles & simon both experienced the injustice of the law system - miles in the absolute failure of the courts to find his father's true murderer, and simon in his personal experience in its utter corruption. their reactions to this injustice leads them both to commit further injustices - miles in uncritically adopting manfred's ideals and teachings, and in this process definitely sending innocent people to jail at some point or another, and simon in his attempt at semi-vigilante justice via manipulating all the people who ruined his life into either ending or ruining each others', regardless of anybody innocent who got caught in the crossfire.

of course, the narrative purpose of making simon a foil to miles is the final confrontation on three main points - 1) what does miles fight for? why is he a prosecutor? 2) how do you deal with the absolutely rotten law system in japanifornia? 3) are we simply doomed to become our parents, or can we become more than just their continued legacies? which naturally leads us to the final question posed in the thesis - the heart of the game - who does miles want to be?

shields spends a lot of time trying to convince miles to pick up gregory's mantle and join him back at the law offices, but the problem is that miles simply isn't the starry-eyed child who would do anything to be like his father anymore (growing up under the roof of one of the greatest prosecutors of one's time will do that to you). he's no longer the sebastian to blaise for either of his fathers - he cannot simply throw everything he's learned and experienced away in an attempt to imitate gregory, but also has soundly rejected many of manfred's most staunchly held ideals. while not all of them remain, a major part of the reasons he became a prosecutor still hold - even as he's abandoned his badge.

simon was what edgeworth could have become under slightly different circumstances, and he says as much himself. he recognizes that the law isn't perfect and more often than not is wildly abused by everybody in power to subject everybody else to their whims - and that, no matter how hard a defense attorney tries.... if the courts are inherently stacked against them, a corrupt prosecutor will inevitably win. at the end of aa2, edgeworth returns from his wildly melodramatic sabbatical with the answer that the prosecution and the defense need to work hand in hand to reveal the truth - which is, obviously, a correct statement - but there's more to it than that.

there's more than just the defendant at stake in trial - the protection of the victims (whether recognized as the victim by the law or not) are why the laws exist in the first place - this is the reason that edgeworth arrives at for his reason for being a prosecutor. its simon who reminds him of why he started down this path in the first place - the visceral pain edgeworth felt at his father's death and the desire for justice to be done for gregory and himself mirroring simon's feelings after being abandoned by his father and his flight after being the witness to a crime wildly corrupt people in power committed. to be what phoenix was for him in turnabout goodbyes - to be a beacon of hope and justice for the wronged - that is miles' duty.

edgeworth speaks a lot about following "his path" to truth, wherever that might lead, but at the beginning of the game doesnt seem to have a clear idea of what he actually wants to do. he stalls out on shields' many wink wink nudge nudge offers to join the defense attorney firm and be like his dad and continues acting like a prosecutor (indicting people, investigating, the likes) even while being stripped of his authority as one (by his own choice!).

ultimately it all boils back down to these three questions miles asks sebastian in the logic chess game post kidnapping - "what are you going to do now? will you walk the same path as your father? will you continue to be a prosecutor?"

much, much earlier in the game, shields says to edgeworth, "to fight crime as a prosecutor, or to save people as a defense attorney. i want you to think carefully about how you want to live your life from now on." - which, taken with the context of the game as an essay on parents and inheritance and manfred & gregory's influence on miles, is... pretty much the game in a nutshell, actually.

miles spends the entire time playing both defense attorney and prosecutor, indicting certain people and defending others throughout. this is arguably most notable in the flashback/flashforward case where all the members of the original is-7 investigation are there, except for manfred and gregory, who are both being stood in for by - would you guess it - our very own miles edgeworth. he is their legacy, their successor, and their inheritor. in the end, he takes the skills they taught him and the values they imbued him with and the lessons he learned from them to forge his own path - it really is just his final answer to shields' question in the finale of the game: "i want to save people as a prosecutor."

#ace attorney #aai2 #miles edgeworth #gregory edgeworth #manfred von karma #lorillee.txt #the von karma-edgeworth family soap opera #lorillee liveblogs aa investigations 2: electric boogaloo #ok if i left something out that i wanted to talk about SORRYYYY ive spent too much time looking at this thing and i want it out my drafts #i know this post will probably not get many notes simply because its a bit long but its MY soapbox and ill stand on it if i want to #anyways this game slays its like basically 50% of the ultimate von karma-edgeworth family soap opera thesis #also do not expect me to write anything like this for aa4 5 or 6 im just particularly deranged about this topic and these characters #i think honestly 80% of the reason i wrote all this out is because i know absolutely nobody else is going to do it for me #and i need. to share my vision. with the world. even if its rejected by like 60%-80% of the wider fandom #anyways the one thing this has taught me is that actually i would never be cut out for being a lit major #even for things i want to talk about i spend a million years procrastinating on it. because lord knows i am allergic to writing #also if you have something you want me to elaborate on ask me and i'll see what i can do 😎👍#and be sure to follow me for more insane von karma-edgeworth family soap opera takes

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theokusgallery · 4 months

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What do you think about middle aged sunflower ????

Okay I'm going to pretend I'm normal and didn't just have a conversation about it yesterday within which I had to restrict myself because of Discord's stupid character limit

Anyway. Gonna talk about fanfics briefly, because fics tend to get more complex with characterization.

A while ago, I got really into Marvel, and for two months I did nearly nothing except read spideypool fanfic all day and night. If you know anything about these two (that isn't from the MCU) (I hate the MCU, I hate it so so much, this is not who Spidey fundamentally is, he is supposed to be a friendly neighborhood loner loser and you Cannot just give him an Iron Man suit and a mentorship with Stark and intergalactic missions at 16 or however old he is in those movies when the essence of the character is that he is an average struggling teenager who just happens to get superpowers and fucks up a lot at the beginning of his journey and mostly works alone and quit the fucking Avengers himself) (wow I started rambling sorry. Ignore that), you'll know that they are both around... 25-30ish, currently. Something like that. The only other fandom that I read as many fanfics of was Ace Attorney, where depending on the timeline, they can be from 23 to like, 35 with a kid. So I'd say me being so invested in a ship with 16 year-olds is... kind of an anomaly.

I don't usually like the coming-of-age, teenage love stuff, and I honestly have never found a single sunflower schoolfic I liked (except Spiral of course but even then they're in college) because all of them tend to... infantilize both Sunny and Basil at great length. And also tear down anything that makes them interesting characters. I think a lot of OMORI artists (that includes writers) are very afraid of doing anything substantial with teenagers, despite, you know, the actual plot of the game, and as a result, a lot of the time most fics where the characters aren't aged up tend to be... incredibly boring. Of course there are some that are good — exceptional even — but in the end all I can think of is the huge gap in... quality? that sounds wrong to say about a creative thing... interesting-ness, let's say (a very personal and subjective concept), when I stopped reading Marvel and went back to OMORI. I stopped reading fanfics altogether because I just couldn't find one I liked as much as the average Marvel fic that I hadn't already read.

Maybe it's a result of the writers themselves being young? I know OMORI's fanbase is generally a lot younger than Marvel's, so that could affect it. I mentioned schoolfics because there's a lot of them and because they were mentioned in my rant yesterday, but it's not really about the fact that they're schoolfics, it's about the fact that more often than not, the setting is the plot, and since it's just your average highschooler writing their favorite blorbos into their own environment and projecting (which is very cool btw, 99% of my own writing is projecting), the plot is... basically nonexistant. It's boring. It's boring and the characterization is usually dull. But even outside of schoolfics, I think I stopped trying to read fics that start with Sunny getting out of the hospital after the True Ending for the same reason : it's often plain and plotless and boring. And, fuck, my favorite books and mangas and such are slice of life, I'm all for mundane plots! But there's a difference between a mundane plot/realism and just no plot at all.

(This is not, like, an attack of OMORI writers who make schoolfics or fics that start with the above mentioned premise, btw, I want to make that very clear. It's very much a personal preference. I think it's boring because all of the fics I read in Marvel had a very unique plot/premise is my point. And also because the characters were a lot more mature and complex. Different strokes for different folks)

I think that's what I'm kind of sad about. OMORI characters tend to be complex and morally grey in their own way, and people tend to forget about that because they're teenagers and obviously no one can do no wrong before the ripe age of 18. Children are all innocent and therefore cannot be more morally complex than cinnamon roll soft boys/girls (looking pointedly at Sunny, Aubrey and Basil. But mostly Basil). Also, I think people tend to straight-up forget that 16 year-olds aren't, like, 10? Of course they're not going to be as mature as grown adults, especially Sunny OMORI, Dissociative Amnesia World Champion, but like... When I was 16 reading OMORI fanfics, half the time I was like "a 16 year-old would not fucking say that". But also generally more mature characters are inevitably more interesting to explore to me because I prefer more mature themes — I'm simply extremely upset at the fact that people don't explore the complexity that's already there when they're 16, including the very mature themes that are already there.

TL;DR: I love middle aged sunflower, I love middle aged ships in general ! In fact, I will tend to prefer sunflower when it's aged up.

(... I probably should've led with that.)

#rant #cough. that was one hell of a rant #sorry as i mentioned i literally talked (read: complained) about this to two different people in the last week #i'm kind of insane about sunflower. very deranged. i have many thoughts about them.#don't ask me about characterization because I will make a whole fucking essay #(((ask me about characterization please i will make a whole fucking essay)))#ask #xxl1ghtxx #i am so sorry I spent half an hour writing an answer that shouldve just been 'I like them! :D' with a doodle #unfortunately I am not normal about sunflower and their age.#I NEED TO STOP OR I'M GOING TO RAMBLE MORE IN THE TAGS. JESUS #omori

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attorneys-against-court-violence · 3 months

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This may be a mess, and I could very well be viewing this wrong, but here it goes.

I'm not sure if how Apollo's character has been handled in not the best way comes down to the change in writers/gamerunners or not, but I can't think about it for too long without being frustrated.

In AJ:AA, he was at least allowed to be outright resentful towards Phoenix for the bloody ace debacle as well as jerking him around with no regard to his feelings on the matter, which is something Phoenix NEVER apologizes for. Then Phoenix gives that nice little promise to Thalassa on how he'll look after Apollo because he grew fond of him.

And then Dual Destinies happens, which is where the meat of my complaints take place.

Apollo's best friend has been murdered and all the evidence is pointing towards another friend of his. He had serious injuries from the courtroom bombing and then got assaulted not long after. On a way more minor note, everyone's dunking on him and roasting him constantly, and *tinfoil hat moment*, he sees how differently Phoenix treats Athena compared to him. And outside of lipservice comments about what all he's been through, no one outside of Athena and Trucy truly seems worried about him.

Apollo takes his leave of absence, and everyone's reaction is basically the Surprised Pikachu Face meme.

That made me want to hit my head against the wall, because what the fuck did they expect? He's still recovering from his injuries, his BEST FRIEND was murdered, and he doesn't trust Phoenix to help find the truth. What did they really expect him to do? Maybe it was just bad writing, but I'm not sure.

In a similar vein, when Apollo is confronted with Nahyuta and Dhurke coming back into his life, it's treated as yet another thing to make of him about, despite him clearly not wanting to talk about them and having trauma/negative feelings associated with them. He's left in the dark YET AGAIN when it comes to Maya's kidnapping (I do like that he called Athena out on this), Dhurke DIES and no one besides Nahyuta seems to care about how it affects Apollo. Then he decides to leave the WAA for good in SOJ, everyone's clamoring for him not to go, and I'm just like, are you fucking kidding me?

Then Phoenix comes out of fucking nowhere with his "I'm so proud of Apollo" platitude, RIGHT AFTER Apollo found out that Phoenix considered him to be untrustworthy and unreliable. This is coming from a man who has used him and hid so much from him.

I love Ace Attorney, and God knows I love Apollo and his trust issues/trauma, but I wished they were properly acknowledged.

Laid out like that, yeah - most people are major dicks to Apollo most of the time. Props to Beanix for taking that uppercut on the chin - he deserved it - but that's only the beginning.

I think I've complained about how the WAA - Phoenix and Athena mainly - treat Apollo when he announces his leave of abscence. The last case he was meant to be a part of, he was blown up badly enough to need full-body bandages, passed out because of his wounds, then got hit on the head by a rock that could have just as easily killed him... and they still chew him out for leaving. I get that their focus is on him straying from the path of unconditional trust that Phoenix set up. But the man has suffered physically and lost the one person in his life he could confidently say didn't have anything to hide from him (Clay); they should not be surprised or offended in the least!

The "Phoenix treats Athena very differently from Apollo" point I have seen and I do agree with it. I do think it comes from Phoenix seeing a bit of himself in both of them and reacted in opposite directions based on his current situation. Maybe he decided to be softer on Athena because he realised he made a huge mistake with Apollo, but it doesn't seem to translate to treating Apollo that much better until he sets his mind right about Clay's death.

I guess when you've survived falling off a burning bridge into a running river, you forget that people can still be grievously hurt and might need to take time off work to heal!

That could have been an easy way to keep their concern without making them look like dicks. Phoenix could be the one encouraging a leave of abscence for the sake of recovering from the physical and psychological damage Apollo has endured, only to find he's instead fueling his own paranoia while ignoring his injuries. It's the fact that Apollo is practically torturing himself for this that should be the main source of worry, not that he's taking time off from the office at all.

Not that they aren't concerned about his mental well-being, it just comes across that like they're treating "leave of abscence" as a resignation at best and a mutiny at worst (it's neither of those things, Apollo would still be an employee under a leave of abscence).

Yeah. Yeah. The WAA's attitude around Apollo's leave really does bug me.

#let your heart be heard #ace attorney #dual destinies #apollo justice #soj spoilers #aa6 spoilers

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timeskip · 10 months

Text

Trucy Klavier parallels makes me go a little insane because they're both showy people who put on a character!! This is so important to who they are! They both want to be so collected and on top of everything, but not TOO obviously. This is why Klavier likes doing air guitar in court or why Trucy is so quick to play dumb! They're similar!

They're both showmen, first and foremost, albeit in completely different ways--and this is a trait they share with PHOENIX, who is... also kind of putting on this mask. But he's not literally stepping onstage the way Trucy or Klavier do, he stays in the shadows, and Trucy is happy to help him or Apollo in that way when it benefits them (see: the bloody ace, her using perceive during poker games, the fake kidnapping, etc) but mainly she and Klavier do these things super openly, because that works for them to keep up this persona!!

What I think is interesting about these parallels is that Klavier is so open comparatively to Trucy's way of doing things, with him wanting to find the truth without tricks or gimmicks like the trilogy prosecutors used. And we meet him soon after the bloody ace, and Apollo is already suspicious of Phoenix and Trucy. Yes, Apollo's going along with their (obvious) schemes, but he knows to be wary of them. And he's also similarly wary of Klavier, because Klavier is Kristoph's brother. They just look so similar, even if they act completely opposite. Klavier is placed, to some degree, on the same level as Phoenix and Trucy: someone with more secrets that he's not showing, and a desire for the truth that may very well come at a cost the same way Phoenix and Trucy's does. (And it did come at a cost, a burden which Phoenix has to carry)

...And all while Klavier and Trucy get along well! All while Klavier and Trucy are both playing these roles and making themselves known, not just as prosecutor and defense assistant, but as a rockstar and a magician!!!

They also got these roles in completely different ways; Trucy through her family, taking on the magician's role, and at the end of the game the Gramarye secrets too, while Klavier got his rockstar role through skyrocketing to fame on accident iirc. However, I'd argue that the parallel here is through Klavier's law career. We don't see how he came to become a prosecutor, but given Kristoph being so much older than him and the general way Ace Attorney families work, I find it hard to believe Klavier's family (even if that's just Kristoph) didn't have something to do with his career choice. Obviously he takes a different path from his brother, but he wants to rely on Kristoph, he wants to face him in court! Just like Trucy wants to be a magician, despite Troupe Gramarye being the way it is. Even if Klavier doesn't forge evidence like Kristoph does, his role comes from him, and even though Trucy doesn't hold magic above others in order to force them to do what she wants, she still comes from a family that did that.

Troupe Gramarye and Phoenix are also how both of them got to the place they are today, of course. I don't even think I have to go into how both of them were changed by the Zak Gramarye trial because it's right there! In the game! But I will say that it really brings forward all the ways the different characters interact with the truth, even if it's inconvenient. Klavier especially, with how he exposed Phoenix, and with how he didn't WANT to expose Phoenix. Flash-forward to 7 years later, and Klavier and Trucy both have familiar, family reasons to want things to end in the final trial :')

(In a way, you could argue their connection is just like that; accidental, and through Phoenix. But both of them are putting on these acts, acting fun and silly to the crowd while also being extremely competent people who seek the truth. They are adored where Phoenix is not, and they will use that adoration to bring Phoenix back.)

But their families are also just... completely ruined by these trials. Trucy is left without any family, and of course Phoenix takes her in and she pretends she's okay, but she's NOT okay. Not completely. And 7 years later, Kristoph gets arrested for murder a second time, rightfully so. And Klavier, the same as Trucy, tries to show that he will be okay--but will he? I know a lot of fandom speculation goes into this, and I think there's a lot of ways to interpret Klavier's feelings, but I think the answer, when you look at his parallels to Trucy, is not completely. They will both present themselves as if they're fine, but things will be harder when they let the showmanship go around the people they trust

Both of them are just SO complex and interesting and they're so silly but so deep and THAT is why their parallels kill me so much. Trucy is good at hiding her grief and pain behind a silly mask (JUST like Klavier) doesn't mean she's always coping well, and Phoenix knows that just as well too!! That's why their parallels are important!!! It's about how they hide their emotions and how they've been affected by the events of everything, and how they've helped change things by whatever means they can!!!

#ace attorney #trucy wright #klavier gavin #aa4 spoilers #aa4 #long post #I DID NOT INTEND FOR THIS TO BE SO LONG. MANY THOUGHTS HEAD FULL

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cherrysweather · 7 months

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Bobby Fulbright and Simon Blackquill (separate)

With a single mother, s/o who’s their colleague

Hellu umi! THANK YOU for making me write Blackquill again I tried to cover as much topics as possible with this request! And p l e a s e, I need to write again for ace attorney men and kids, it's literally my only reason to live

I hope you'll like it and remember to take care of yourself<3 --------------------------------------------------------

Bobby Fulbright and Simon Blackquill x S/O! who's a colleague and single mom:

Bobby Fulbright:

Bobby was often assigned to her squad, especially in his first days;

That's how you two became close, mainly in the work field;

If she needed help, she would ask him for some advice, he did the same -even more often than her-;

The most intimate thing at the time was an offered coffee as the first thing in the morning alternating days;

That changed when he saw her around the police station with a young boy by her side clinging to her hand like his life depended on it;

Bobby waited for the second in which she stopped going back and forth between the various desks to approach her at her own;

The kid brought the woman's attention to him before pointing at the man approaching them;

He was bringing her daily coffee, and tried to greet the kid too, to put him at ease;

When she introduced him as his child, Bobby understood that he really still didn't know her;

The child understood that he was a friend, so he introduced himself very politely;

She gladly accepted his coffee and briefly explained their situation, the fact that she took care of him alone and because of that sometimes he had to follow her to work;

The fact that Bobby didn't stop talking to her from that day on, made her understand that she probably understood his feelings, and hers weren't going to be beaten;

That's how the two of them ended up together, just a few months after;

When he was accepted by the kid, he took all the roles the mother needed and allowed him to take;

However, if the father is still around, he prefers to give him space to avoid conflicts that could put the child in the middle;

But if he's not, he gets full dad mode;

They both try to work in the hours when he's at school, so they can mostly work in the office and have time for themselves and the kid at home;

After all the years alone, she's finally able to relax a bit and not always be torn between work and her son;

If she needs to rest, he gladly occupies her son with his homework, playing with him or teaching something about whatever he may ask;

In the future, he would gladly have more kids, but firstly he wants to give her the stability and security she needs for a hypothetical future family.

Simon Blackquill:

Ok so, I don't think Simon will hit off immediately with someone else's kid;

He's already introverted and reserved, so it was an exception that he let her in his space and tried to let out his feelings freely and not just have another colleague;

So he was actually the one who decided to get close to her;

He would often help and advise her when her cases needed it, teach her some tricks to better display her arguments;

Realizing that both of them were developing feelings for each other was the input that pushed her to make him aware of the fact that she already had a daughter;

Just because she didn't want to "surprise" him, not knowing what his reaction could be;

Simon wasn't the most enthusiastic ever when he connected the information and his brain;

The only experience he ever had was with Athena, when she was little, and she wasn't the easiest to-deal-with child herself;

But still, he didn't want to surrender so easily again;

He made clear that he needed time to understand how a tiny human works, so he already prepared himself for the utter failure that expected him;

She invited him to dine together at her place to give him the chance to experience what was it like having around a kid and to let her daughter know him;

When he arrived, her daughter was visibly scared by whoever she had in front of her, and he approached her like some kind of wild animal;

The first interaction was forced by her mother who introduced him as someone special, but didn't deceive his daughter into thinking that he was a new father;

He had no idea how to start a conversation, but the kid showed him some of the things that she made at school or with her mom, avoiding her initial fear and trying to make a new friend, since he was his mom's too;

Simon needed many more visits before he was completely comfortable, and for realizing that was a manageable commitment;

He isn't the most available, time speaking, but if she needs it, he will help;

If the father is still around, depending on the relationship with the mother, he will step aside or make clear that he's there only for the kid;

If there's a problem at school, he's the one to pick her up, so he can make up for an annoying classmate or a whining parent;

It takes maybe a little less than a year for him to start treating her like "his" child;

Hold her in his arms, allowing her to come with him to work, putting her to sleep, taking her to the park or wherever she wants to go, making her sleep with him and her mom;

If moving on, she wants to have more kids, he will require a lot of conviction;

He would probably live it better, since he knows it would be his child, but he's also satisfied with what he already has.

#ace attorney #ace attorney x reader #ace attorney headcanon #ace attorney headcanons #bobby fulbright headcanons #bobby fulbright #bobby fulbright x reader #simon blackquill #simon blackquill x reader #simon blackquill headcanons

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tobiasdrake · 25 days

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Ace Attorney 4-2, Trial 2. This is it. The thrilling conclusion to the complicated Kitaki family drama that, as of one investigation ago, we're finally in the loop on.

Most of this trial isn't concerned with what's going on with Wocky. After all, we spent most of our last Investigation exploring that matter. Instead, we get right to the point: Who is Alita Tiala, what is the nature of her investment in Wocky, and did she kill Dr. Malpractice?

Interrogating these questions is going to be the focus of Trial 2. After yesterday's investigation, we have an idea for whodunit. The problem is that, as of the facts in evidence, she is not present at the established crime scene.

We can't bring an indictment against Alita without proving the existence of a fourth person that somehow nobody noticed. Fortunately, we're going to get our chance. Ace Attorney cases are like three-way chess matches between defense, prosecution, and killer - And Alita came ready to play.

This is a clever angle to come at it from. Alita isn't saying she saw the murder or anything like that; She's just claiming that the murder was premeditated.

And. Like. Yes? Yes. We all agree Wocky went to the park with a weapon in hand and violence in his heart. So it's an easy angle to play from.

But it doesn't take long to shift the conversation to main focus: Alita's relationship with Meraktis Clinic.

This is where all of the swirling questions around Alita meet. Alita used to work for Malpractice until Wocky's soon-to-be-carcass rolled in and then used him as an escape hatch. Then, for unclear reasons, she returned to his clinic last night.

While Alita was at the clinic, a fight erupted. Somebody used the power cord from a lamp to strangle somebody. And somebody fired a gun, but nobody was hit by the bullet.

When Alita left the clinic, her shoes did not go with her.

When Malpractice left the clinic, he inexplicably stole the noodle stand.

When Malpractice died, he was killed by a shooter that nobody else present on the scene knew was there.

This is the final piece of the puzzle, that only Alita can testify to. There's enough here to make some solid deductions from, but only Alita can provide the connecting thread to complete the image.

It doesn't take long to make sense of why she went to the clinic.

Alita had taken advantage of Wocky's condition to set herself up for life.

Pretty simple plan: Marry a rich person who's going to die soon and leave you everything they have. Alita's plan is super easy and could absolutely work... if the bullet in Wocky's heart hadn't been found.

The (now stolen by us; mob lawyers!) medical records that we and Eldoon used to piece together Alita's deception were a threat to her life. These files proved her ulterior motives. She needed them destroyed. That was the inciting cause of her altercation with Dr. Malpractice.

How did that go? Well. Someone strangled someone with a power cord and someone fired a gun. We can probably guess who had the gun, given that a Kitaki family pistol has been floating around this case with uncertainty as to which family member took it out.

I love how we waited thirty minutes for the forensic analysis on the rifling marks to come back but, in an unusual turn of events, the Judge did not declare recess. Your honor, I have been staring at Gavin's stupid face for the last half hour while Alita subtly flips me off whenever she thinks no one will notice her, and now I have to pee.

In any case, the evidence paints a clear picture of who shot the gun in the clinic. But who strangled who with the power cord?

Hey. Uh. That sure is a distinctive scarf Alita's been wearing this whole time, isn't it?

So now this man has what he's pretty sure is a fresh corpse lying in his office. He can't exactly leave her here or fireman carry her down the streets. He needs to transport the body to somewhere he can safely dispose of it.

And with his car out-of-commission due to last night's crime spree, what does Dr. Malpractice have on-hand that he can use?

His neighbor's. Goddamn. Motherfucking. NOODLE STAND.

Finally. At long last. We know the answer to the weirdest piece of this puzzle. Dr. Malpractice stole Dr. Noodles's burger grill so that he could transport Alita's corpse.

And then he had a really bad couple of minutes there.

Despite being a rough murder to unravel spinning out of a bizarre series of seemingly unrelated events one night, this case really comes together. It keeps the Magical Mystery Bullshit to a minimum by having events and motives that quite reasonably flow from one to another and avoiding the 4-D Chess Frame-Jobs that often accompany mystery plots.

For as weird as this case wound up being in practice, it all amounts to three murderers (and one pervert) tripping over each other while homicidally panicking. The crime-solving equivalent of a Looney Tunes dust-cloud fight packed with flailing limbs. Forget it, Bugs; It's Chinatown.

My favorite part of this whole debacle is Alita's explanation for hiring Wocky's attorneys in the first place.

Ohhhhhhhh okay yeah that makes sense actually. A yakuza family can probably afford better legal representation than a Talent Agency that inexplicably started practicing law yesterday. She came to us because we're two-bit hacks handing out ads on the street.

All of this comes together to form a surprisingly believable tale. The one flaw with this trial is Wocky. Given everything that's been established about his character, he should be freaking out from the moment he catches even a whiff of Alita being maligned. And yet we only get one outburst from him.

To which Alita inexplicably tells him to shut up and she never loved him anyway, even though she should rightly be trying to milk his protectiveness for all it's worth. It's odd how this case just... doesn't want to deal with Wocky for the sake of keeping the focus on Alita.

But once it's done, it's done. And the denouement with Wocky and his father is genuinely heartfelt.

This reunion is pretty much perfect, and leaves us with a bit of hope in our hearts that maybe it isn't too late for Wocky Kitaki.

Like I said in Investigation 2, I'm ehhhh on the Black Widow bit this soon after Dahlia Hawthorne. Dahlia was Black Widow enough to last a while.

But I enjoyed this confrontation, and the unpacking of events on Malpractice and Alita's side of things. Between Investigation 1's meandering and Trial 1's obnoxious witness, Ace Attorney 4-2 "Turnabout Corner" takes a while to get going. But once things kick into gear in its back half, it takes off.

#ace attorney #ace attorney apollo justice #revisiting aa4

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