#& all nick has to say to that is 'i'm sorry edgeworth'

[chstart]

it's the way he really never tells anyone shit re himself

[cornertheculprit]

Actually, isn't the way the magatama functions an indication of phoenix being mildly psychic?

Like, I think all pearl says is that it "let's us see into people's hearts". But the way it does... Presenting evidence, finding contradictions. That's very lawyer, you know. Very Phoenix. And of course from a doylist perspective, it needs to be the same mechanics anyway. but in universe, wouldn't it make sense for phoenix to shape the way the magatama works unconsciously via latent spiritual ability? Maya seems pretty shocked when Phoenix later tells her what it does, so she didn't make it do that either.

Also might give some context to the appearance of black psycholocks. Given that we first see any after phoenix went through a huge deal of character development and arguably got better at reading people. Also they're not broken the same way the other ones are, possibly showing phoenixes change in methods in court, unconsciously applied to the magatama as well.

I might be misremembering what pearl says though, so I could be wrong. Anyway, sorry for the long ask but my friends will break off contact if I bother them about ace attorney any more. It had to go somewhere.

Love your blog and you takes!

NOOOO DON'T APOLOGIZE I LOVE TALKING ABOUT PHOENIX AND HIS WEIRD MILDLY PSYCHIC ABILITIES. ahem. anyway. pearl actually does name them as psyche-locks herself! here's the initial dialogue for it:

Phoenix: Aaack! What is that!?

Ini: ...?

Pearl: You can see it, can't you, Mr. Nick? You can see the "lock" on that person's heart.

Phoenix: Huh, what...?

Pearl: This is the power of the Magatama. Only you can see these "Psyche-Locks", Mr. Nick.

Phoenix: (Psyche-Locks, huh...)

Pearl: The more someone wants to hide their secret, the more locks you will see.

moreover, this is pearl's dialogue if phoenix fucks up too many times during the session:

Pearl: ...Mr. Nick... ...If you push yourself any more, your soul will shatter... ...Please calm down, collect your thoughts, and try again...

it's very clear that this power is actually pearl's, who charges the magatama with her energy and subsequently gives phoenix (and later, edgeworth) the ability to see them as well. and here's maya's explanation of why she doesn't know about the psyche-locks:

Maya: Hey, Nick, what is the Psyche-Lock thing?

Phoenix: Well, your magatama lets me see when people are keeping secrets. By breaking their mental "locks", I can find out what those secrets are.

Maya: Whaaaaat!? This Magatama has THAT kind of power!?

Phoenix: ... Maya, you're the one who gave me this Magatama last year...

Maya: ...Well, it's true that this Magatama is a prized Fey family heirloom, but... Pearly was the one that actually imbued it with spiritual powers, right? That's why I don't really know much about what it can do.

which raises the implication that the magatama is really just a tool—the power that it has is dependent on the person who charges it. i think this is also backed by what maya said when she first gave it to phoenix:

Maya: This is called a Magatama. It's a magical charm and it's always protected me. Give this to Pearly... And I'm sure she'll lend you her spiritual powers.

she says that it's always "protected" her, but seeing psyche-locks isn't exactly a form of protection, which in turn implies that whoever had charged the magatama before pearl did it with protection(?) in mind. maybe. i've always been a fan of the idea that the green magatama used to be misty fey's, which is why it used to be charged to "protect" maya, but that's a whole other story. ANYWAY!

i don't think the way the magatama functions is an indication of phoenix being mildly psychic, but i DO think something else about phoenix and the magatama points to that idea—the fact that phoenix, by the middle of trials & tribulations, doesn't need to be touching the magatama to see the psyche-locks. we see this happen when psyche-locks appear around jean armstrong despite the fact that armstrong had already stolen the magatama and phoenix wasn't interacting with it in any way, shape or form. this is something never mentioned by pearl nor experienced by edgeworth, when he was using it, and it DOES have a limited range (since phoenix couldn't see victor kudo's locks in vitamin square until he got the magatama back) but it's still something that happened.

it's not something ever really explored because phoenix keeps the magatama on him 24/7, but the fact that Literally Happened is something that fascinates me. could phoenix extend the range that he can be away from the magatama but still see the psyche-locks if he trained at it? i think he could. in fact, just given that he can already do things like hear mia even when she's not being channeled (for starters), i think that phoenix being able to forgo the magatama entirely and still being able to see the psyche-locks is an inevitability, not just a possibility. ESPECIALLY given that the fact that he found out that he could see the locks without the magatama was a total surprise to him. i just think that he'll never REALLY find it out because of his habit of keeping the magatama on him all the time. it's still interesting nonetheless!

[snezfics-n-shit]

Sicktember Alt. 2 - Vapor Rub

Fandom: Ace Attorney Characters: Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth

Notes: Miles wants to do something nice for his sick boyfriend, and he thinks a good idea would be to apply vapor rub on his chest before bed. He’s rather concerned about its expiration date, but who is he to doubt something so tried and true? Set during the 7yg so imagine that stubble on Nick mmmm yes cool and good. Also this is the last entry, sorry. I am tired and late.

     There it was. That navy blue jar with the discouraging date of January 2004 printed on the cap. According to Phoenix, his mother had packed it with his things when he left for college, and he’s kept it with him ever since. It still worked like a charm, Phoenix had told Miles, and Miles knew better than to doubt Mrs. Wright’s way of doing things, at least not within earshot of Phoenix. Miles cautiously took the jar from the medicine cabinet, fearful of it potentially attacking him, given its age. 

“Is this it?” He held the jar up as he entered the bedroom. “The date on it has long passed.”

“Yup, that’s it.” Phoenix grinned. “The date’s just a suggestiod.” He snuffled. “It’s still good.”

“It’s twenty years old as of last month, love.”

"So?" The pitch change at the end of the one word question provoked a nasty cough from Phoenix, followed by a deep sniffle and then more coughing. 

"Careful, careful." Miles rubbed Phoenix's back gently. "Now, let me unbutton your pajamas." He sat on the edge of the bed and got to work. As his boyfriend’s chest hair grew more visible, his face just couldn’t help but go a bit pink. 

“Ih’pressive, right?” 

“That’s one way to put it.” Miles shrugged before removing the cap of the vapor rub jar. His nose was immediately overtaken by the strong scent of menthol. The scent was familiar, but of a memory so distant that it hardly dawned on Miles as recognizable. “Is it supposed to be this… intense?”

“Well, yeah. That’s how it does its job.” Phoenix chuckled. He seemed to find Miles’s bewilderment amusing.

“Even twenty years past its expiration…” Miles mumbled as he rubbed the gel on Phoenix’s chest, trying his best to get some on the skin rather than just sitting atop the forest of hair. If anyone asked him, he wasn’t at all envious of Phoenix’s ability to sport such a masculine… rugged appearance. Not at all. “I’ve been meaning to ask since I saw how old this is… Is this some sort of end times survivalism thing?”

“What? Where’d you get that idea?” Phoenix frowned. “Is it that hard to believe this stuff still works? It would be a waste to throw it out just because it says it’s out of date.” 

“I was just thinking about how you said your paternal grandparents once sold everything they owned for that very reason, so I wondered if that was something that stuck with your parents to explain keeping something this old.”

“Are you telli’g be you’d toss out perfectly good vapor rub that’s still half full?” Phoenix took a deep breath, much longer than he had managed before. “Yup. Still works perfectly.”

“I’d toss out anything twenty years past its expiration date.” 

"But vapor rub is different! For starters, you don't eat it."

"That part should be obvious.” Miles sighed through his nose. “But it can't nearly be as effective as a fresh jar, can it?"

"Of course it's effective!” Phoenix took another deep breath as a demonstration. “See?”

“How about I pick a fresh jar up tomorrow and you can compare the difference.”

Phoenix made a gasp of exaggerated offense, which Miles took as a ‘no.’

“Do you think I’m lying?”

“No, I just…” Miles sighed more heavily than he had earlier. “What am I going to do with you?”

“I can think of a few things.” Phoenix smirked.

“I'm sure you can.”

[spirit-small]

It's over. Edgeworth is not guilty. What a Christmas this was. Gumshoe, in all his excitement, invited himself over for an impromptu celebration at Fey & Co, kind of forcing Edgeworth and Larry into it as well. Phoenix wasn't the most pleased with this, since he couldn't even participate without exposing himself to yet another bean. But as the night went on, the crowd thinned out, leaving just himself, Maya... And Edgeworth.

There's a quiet peace, but with a vaguely uncomfortable air of uncertainty permeating it. Despite having far more time to consider it than anyone else, Phoenix doesn't know what to say to Edgeworth, but he feels like he has to say something.

"Miss Fey, I simply have to ask," Edgeworth breaks the silence. "You must be a capable lawyer in your own right to have beaten me twice already. So why is it, exactly, that you risk Wright's safety just to have him by your side in court?"

Phoenix and Maya look at each other for a moment and burst into laughter.

"Edgey, Edgey, Edgey..." Maya pats him on the back, hard enough to cause him to sputter and cough up his drink a little. "Let me let you in on a liiiiiittle secret."

Maya looks around the room suspiciously and gets really close into Edgeworth's personal space to whisper in his ear, "Nick is the real lawyer."

"I... Beg your pardon?"

"Then beg." Maya says, sitting back into a more comfortable position, Phoenix in her lap.

"What? No, I- How could he possibly be the lawyer?!"

"Nick's the brains of the operation." Maya shrugs. "I'm the looks. And the muscle. And the wild card. I'd really be the total package, if I had a law degree."

"If you had a- What?! If you don't have- Then WHERE, pray tell, did you get that badge?! I suppose that's a crude forgery, then?!"

"Nah, this is the real thing. The genuine article. It belonged to my dead sister. She enqueaved it to me! Enqueaved, that's lawyer talk, right?"

"Bequeathed." Phoenix corrects her.

"Bequeathed! What did I say?"

"You said enqueaved."

"What does that mean?"

"I think you made that one up."

"That sounds like me."

"Can we stop this inane chatter? Are you two actually telling me that you've been illegally practicing law for the last three months?" Edgeworth has had enough.

"That's right." Phoenix nods.

"That is... You realize that that is insane, right? Wright, where did you even learn enough to do this?!"

"Also her dead sister. But it started with you, all those years ago."

"Have either of you considered the ramifications if you're caught?! And now that you've involved me, I may as well be considered an accomplice."

"E-Edgey... You're not gonna turn us in, right? I'm just trying to help Nick achieve his dreams! Plus, like, if we didn't do this you would be so in jail right now. You owe us this. And also money. My services don't come cheap."

"Your so-called 'services' should not have come at all! But... I suppose I am grateful to you," Edgeworth sighs. "I won't turn you in. But you need to either stop this, or go to law school. I can overlook your previous crimes but I cannot condone this any further."

"You got it, Edgey. I... Was kinda thinking we should stop anyway." Maya wraps her hands a little tighter around Phoenix.

"What? Why?!" Phoenix protests.

"Nick... Von Karma could've killed you. I thought he did, for a minute. It's too dangerous."

"I'm sorry, who could have killed whom?" Edgeworth glares at Maya.

"Killed is a bit of an overstatement. He kicked me against a wall. I don't think that's even close to 'too dangerous'!"

"Miss Fey...!" Edgeworth's rage is building.

"Oh, yeah, I got tazed, too. Don't worry, Edgey, I'm fine, thanks for your concern." Maya glares back at him.

Edgeworth grumbles.

"I'm tougher than I look, you two! I can handle the perils of a legal career!"

"More like an illegal career." Edgeworth mutters, silently laughing at his own joke.

"I just don't think it's a good idea! And you can't do it without me, so we're not doing it."

Phoenix sighs.

"I'm sorry... Nick..." She wraps her hands even tighter around him. "I can't lose you..."

He pushes against her fingers and she loosens her grip. He slides off her lap to sit on the other end of the couch alone.

"Wright. This is for the best. It's for your own safety." Edgeworth starts to reach toward him but quickly retracts his arm.

"I know, Edgeworth. I know."

"I'm sorry, but you can't keep doing this. You can't practice law, you're not even a real-"

"I know! I know I'm not a real person. I don't need you telling me that." Phoenix snaps.

"That wasn't what... Nevermind. Good night, Wright. Good night, Miss Fey." Edgeworth gets up and walks to the door. He pauses, briefly, to glance back at them, and then wordlessly leaves.

Maya sits down on the floor, facing the couch. She folds her arms up on the cushion Phoenix is sitting on and rests her head atop them, facing toward him. She gently pats him on the head with her fingertip.

"Wanna... Watch tv...?" She asks him.

".........yeah."

[96percentdone]

Yahoooo~, I recently started playing AA Investigations, and Kay really reminds me of Tracy somehow. I don't know if the two of them ever meet up in canon, but do you have any thoughts or potential headcanons about the two becoming acquainted with each other?

Kay is basically like Miles' honorary daughter so she's definitely met Trucy before, even if she doesn't live in the Wright-Edgeworth household (narumitsu is canon do not @ me i'm right).

Unlike Trucy, who lives with Nick because she's. literally his child, Kay just kinda floats in and out of Miles' life whenever she feels like it. I don't even mean like "she doesn't live in their house" level I mean like. She fucks off for like weeks even at a time with only five texts and a postcard or two to show for it (she's very busy as a Great Thief you know), and then comes back and sits Miles down and asks him to spill the deets first thing. Already this can lead to her being totally surprised by sudden changes, and Nick's disbarment is a BIG change that happens in like a week after the plot of Investigations 2.

Now Nick once he gets disbarred slowly chips people out of his life as best as he can for a while, because Kristoph Gavin is the worst and had him convinced it was for the best he do so. This means for a while Miles isn't in much contact with Phoenix or Trucy, and that means Kay still has no idea who the hell That Man™ is, just that things look bad on that front. However, once Nick rights the boat a little, and reconnect with the people he cut out and is better equipped to defeat Kristoph, now the door is open. They can meet.

What i'm saying is they meet when one day, Kay, who had vanished for like a few months on different interpol missions (because I believe in interpol Kay supremacy), like. Sneaks into Miles' apartment in the middle of the afternoon intending to surprise him when he gets home from work, but SURPRISE!! There's this like 12 year old girl sitting in his apartment, that she's never seen in her life. And then the twelve year old is like "oh! you must be Miss Kay!"

Imagine being Kay in that moment. This rando child knows who you are, and you have no idea who the hell she is, or why she's in Mr. Edgeworth's apartment. Naturally, she's like "Who are you?"

"I'm Trucy! Trucy Wright!"

Well, that doesn't answer any of her questions. Did Mr. Edgeworth take up babysitting? Maybe that's not surprising, given how he used to watch her, but he did that while prosecuting? Does he even have free time as he climbs the prosecutorial ladder? Okay, new question: "How do you know my name?"

"Uncle Miles told me aaaaallll about you. His old assistant and friend!"

Uncle. Uncle Miles? Well, Trucy just said she's a Wright and not a von Karma, meaning...meaning what. Who the hell is this child in Mr. Edgeworth's apartment? Why? Unless...."Oh my god. Did Mr. Edgeworth finally start dating "That Man"? Is his name Wright? Something Wright?" Who is that man?

Trucy just tilts her head and looks at Kay, confused. "Mr. Edgeworth and Daddy aren't dating Even if they should, they can't yet. Um....who is That Man?"

"Wouldn't I love to know?"

Anyway they spend the next half hour or so talking about their respective parents, and reaching a conclusion about that man, and also learning about each other. They have a lot in common! They have a lot of passion for a trade they inherited from their fathers, and a love for the men who stepped up for them when they needed it. They're both too curious and mischievous for their own good, and like experimenting with techniques and tactics never tried before to fill an objective. The minute Kay learns Trucy is a magician she whips out Little Thief and they start using it to plan the most insane magic show of all time. It's too dangerous, and potentially entirely unfeasible, but they can't be stopped! The hype is too real!

And then the door opens "Sorry Trucy. Those errands took longer than I anticipated--Kay Faraday?" It's Miles Edgeworth, exposed to an insane simulation of a vaguely illegal performance feat. and he's already exhausted. "I see you've met Trucy."

"Yeah! I didn't know you had a kid!" Kay says, knowing its not true but just to cause problems.

"I don't. I'm merely watching over her while her father works," Miles says. He looks around the room at the holographic hellscape and says "Don't put ideas in Trucy's head."

But it's too late. This is a friendship, nay, a sibling bond of two girls enabling each other's most chaotic impulses for FUN and also intellectual stimulation. They can't be stopped. Turns out Kay is better at keeping in touch with Trucy than anyone else after this. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[whywontgodletthisblogdie]

WAIT YOU DO FANFIC REQUESTS???

ok, ok, would you accept other ships that are not marshallworth?

if so, PLEASE do a farafey fic (maya fey x kay faraday)!!!

i don’t care what it’s about, i’m just starved for content and would give my life to anyone who would do farafey related stuff for me.

if ya can’t/don’t want to do one, then that’s ok!!! even so, i’m just curious if you would do other ships.

anon i'm SO sorry this took so long to write, but here you go!

word count: 1485

find it here on ao3 as well:

Kurain had always been a place of peace and relaxation for Kay. She knew the same couldn’t be said for her girlfriend, but spending time in the quiet little village in the mountains was the perfect way to recover from a hectic semester in the city.

Finals week had just ended and given way to summer break. For most of the summer, she’ll be assisting Mr. Edgeworth in his investigations. He’d always been reluctant to allow her to crime scenes with him, but now that she’ll be able to turn the experience into college credit he’s more willing. His only requirement was that she take a break between the end of the semester and the beginning of work, hence why she’s on a train to Kurain.

She hasn’t seen Maya in person since spring break, and god she misses her. All the good morning and goodnight texts, video calls, and care packages in the world can’t hold a candle to actually being with her. They’re not sure what exactly their plans are for after Kay has graduated, whether they’ll move to a halfway point between Kurain and wherever Kay finds work, or if they’ll continue their long-distance thing for a while.

For now, Kay makes sure to be the first one lined up at the train's doors, even if it means standing up while the train is in motion and receiving a glare from the attendant. The extra few seconds saved by lining up early is an extra few seconds with her girlfriend, after all.

She tumbles out of the train when the doors actually open and nearly trips on the platform as she scans the station for Maya. It’s busier than it had been over spring break, so finding her is more difficult than it had been, but she catches a glimpse of purple robes and black hair, and instantly takes off in her girlfriend’s direction.

Maya is standing on her tiptoes looking for her at another of the train's doors and doesn’t seem to notice Kay’s arrival until she’s already been wrapped in a tight embrace.

Maya giggles at her enthusiasm before returning the hug, tucking her face into her neck and squeezing so tight she can barely breathe.

“My little crow,” she turns to press a kiss to Kay’s cheek. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Mmm, I’ve missed you too, Maya,” Kay squeezes her even tighter.

They stay like that for a while, letting the other exhausted travelers maneuver around them. They’re probably in the way, but Kay really can’t be bothered to care right now.

Maya pulls back eventually and cradles Kay's cheek in her palm before giving her a quick kiss and pressing their foreheads together. Maya lets out a content sigh, and Kay takes her free hand in her own.

Finally. Together.

“Hey uh,” Maya pulls away, an urgent look in her eye. “Did you-”

Kay rolls her eyes, letting out a fake exasperated sigh. “Yes, I brought the snacks you wanted. I had to pack a whole extra bag just for them.”

“I’m sorry, they just don’t sell them here! I have to rely on you and Nick and Miles-”

She throws her head back and laughs at that, “Give me another kiss and we’ll call it even?”

Maya leans in, unable to keep a grin off her face. “Sounds like a deal to me.”

—

After arriving at Maya’s place and saying hi to Pearl, Kay excuses herself to the bedroom to unpack. Maya always makes sure to have a few dresser drawers and some closet space free for her, so it doesn’t take long at all.

She brings the snack bag to the kitchen which she finds empty, surprisingly. Laid out along the counter is a selection of toppings, presumably to go with the simmering broth and noodles currently on the stove.

“Oh, hi Miss Kay,” she jumps in surprise as the younger girl appears behind her without warning. “Mystic Maya is in the courtyard if you were looking for her.”

“Thanks, Pearl! Did you make all this for dinner tonight?”

Not that Maya was helpless when it came to cooking, she just prefers the final product rather than the process of making it. Pearl seems to enjoy cooking quite a lot for someone of her age, so it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for her to have made dinner for them.

“Yes, but Mystic Maya helped quite a lot. She always does, whenever you come to visit.”

Kay turns away to hide her blush, “Aww, how sweet of her,” she mumbles.

“I think it should be ready to eat,” Pearl says before testing a noodle to make sure it’s cooked through.

“Sweet!”

Kay takes two clean bowls from their cabinet and begins filling them with noodles, broth, and toppings. One for Maya with extra of each topping, and one for herself.

“Are we all eating outside then?”

“You and Mystic Maya can, I have some class work I need to finish so I’ll probably have dinner in my room.”

Ah, right. Pearl hasn’t finished school for the semester yet. She’d been encouraged to take some classes online by Maya and Mr. Wright to make up for the education she’d missed out on when she was younger. She seems to enjoy them more than the average teenager, but she can't imagine still having another week of school left before summer.

“Oh, ok. Have fun learning then!”

Pearl sighs, “I’ll try…I just wish it was summer already…”

Kay laughs at that, “Don’t worry Pearly, just a few more days!” She gives her a comforting pat on the shoulder on the way to the cutlery drawer.

“I suppose…” Pearl mumbles, making her way from the kitchen to her room.

Amused, Kay just smiles and shakes her head. Teenagers.

Carefully balancing the two bowls as well as chopsticks and spoons, she makes her way to the door, turning to ease it open with her hip.

“Woah, careful there!” Maya suddenly appears at her side and takes one of the bowls from her.

“Thanks, babe,” Kay shuts the door quickly, to make sure no bugs can get inside.

Maya leads them to the center of the courtyard where she’s built a fire. It may be summer, but the setting sun ushers in a chill that has her welcoming the extra warmth.

They huddle together on a cushion Maya has laid next to the fire, and pull a thick blanket around their shoulders. They both start eating, and the first few bites have Kay realizing just how hungry she actually is from the long day of traveling. This combined with Maya’s usual ravenous way of leads to them both finishing their meals in less than ten minutes.

As they finish, Maya takes their bowls and utensils and puts them to the side before wrapping an arm around Kay’s shoulders. She strokes her hand up and down her bicep and Kay sighs in contentment and rests her head on Maya’s shoulder.

The two of them have a lot to catch up on, given the length of time they’ve been apart. But Kay is tired. It could be from traveling all day, or it could be lingering exhaustion from the stress of finals week. Or maybe it’s just the warmth from both her partner and the fire.

Cause aside, she’s tired and wants to sleep. She wraps her arms around Maya’s torso and turns to tuck her head into her neck. Maya smells like fresh air and fire smoke, and right now it’s the best smell in the world. She nuzzles in closer, and Maya giggles and wraps her other arm around Kay as well.

The cushion they’re laying on isn’t big by any means, but Maya is able to maneuver them into a laying position, where they’re both curled around each other.

The sun is just below the horizon now, and they’re able to just barely make out the first stars of the night. Living in a big, light-polluted city, Kay rarely has the chance to see the stars, and actually being able to see them here is one of her favorite parts of being here in Kurain.

But she doesn't think she can keep her eyes open to watch the sunset.

“Hey, if I nap will you wake me up when the stars are out?”

Maya smiles, the beginnings of crow’s feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes. “Of course, love. Get some rest.”

Kay smiles in return and scoots up to be able to press a sleepy kiss on her girlfriend’s lips. As she pulls away, she fumbles under the blanket for Maya’s hand and laces their fingers together. She resumes using her girlfriend's shoulder as a pillow, and Maya reaches her hand up to gently stroke her hair. Maya cranes her neck to kiss the top of her head, and it’s the last thing she feels before drifting off.

[daddywright]

I have only recently got into the ace attorney fandom, and this story was the first story I read, and I feel spoiled! I absolutely loved every chapter, so I'm gonna word vomit here and tell you everything I love about this!

"She offers him a smile. It’s small, tentative, but it possesses a strength that makes a hidden part of him twist and burn with quiet envy." the first time we see nick's wish to be as strong as mia!

Considering the fact that nick didn't have any prominent figure in his life, it makes sense that he would look up to gregory so much

"Phoenix looks up, and starts walking towards Mia Fey

He doesn't stop for two years."

THE RELATIONSHIP THAT MIA AND NICK HAD WAS PRECIOUS AND DESERVES MORE THAN WHAT THE FANDOM GIVES THEM

"Larry’s arms wrap around him, squeezing almost too tight" People forget that Larry and Phoenix were good friends too, and Larry would help his best friend

"Nobody believed him, nobody but Mia" Maya is what Phoenix is to Mia and I adore that

"He wishes, desperately, that he’d said it while she was still alive. I loved you. For everything you did." Not you absolutely breaking my fucking heart

Also the first AA game felt unnatural in the sense of how seemingly unaffected Phoenix seemed at Mia's murder so I'm really glad you wrote it this way

"Expensive. Thoughtful. Too much." SHUT UP NICK YOU DESERVE ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING

Also quick break to mention how I absolutely fucking love your writing style and i wish I was literally half as talented as you cuz the last time I read something that made me feel this multitude of emotions was ocean vuong. And I practically worship Ocean Vuong. So now I worship you too

"You're a stranger to me // When will I stop hoping?" I never really realised just how badly nick musta been hurt by good ol' bratworth before this fic, but now that I have read it, it would have hurt him so bad

"Is this why you never answered my letters? Because I was a reminder? Because it hurt too much?" Honestly what happened to miles and phoenix's friendship hurts so much because it should have never happened, and miles didn't deserve that.

"Maybe Miles Edgeworth is not the man he thought he’d be, either." yo when I tell you this hurt I mean this huRT

Fun fact! My birthday is on the same day as DL-6 anniversary. Gregory Edgeworth died on my birthday. I feel horrible now

"monster. You were nine years old and he's a monster. " No one has made me feel this much emotion for what happened to Miles in a single sentence other than you. I commend you for that

"I love you," he says quietly. He has never said those words to anyone, except for Dahlia Hawthorne.

Maya sniffs in his ear, crushing him tight. "I love you, too."

He has never heard them back.

PHOENIX HAS NEVER HEARD THE WORDS " I LOVE YOU" COME BACK TO HIM ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME WHY NOW I'M SAD

"Tell me everything. Every detail—" Miles is worried bout nick and why wouldn't he? gods you're so gay miles but tbf if I knew someone like nick irl i'd go ballistic too

"He determined the motive for his own assault...with amnesia. Naturally." My man's smart af and he is king

"Is that what she thinks of me? That I'm like that? That I don't care about who the bad guys really are?" Gumshoe noooo you're hella precious! Also this particular chapter was so well written! loved this soo much!

Also taking a minute to appreciate the pacing! Rarely do I ever come across an author who just hits that sweet spot of perfect pacing and you did! so thank you!

Alright so here are a few thoughts that I felt capcom needed to do which you did for us!

no. 1 - Address the trauma phoenix faced with not only dahlia but also with mia's death

no. 2 - Actually fucking flesh out a good relationship dynamic between larry and phoenix

no. 3 - actually! have! phoenix! be hurt! in bridge to turnabout! istg my man would not have dropped from a burning bridge to a freezing river only to have a cold

AUNT FRANZY AND PEARLS MAN!

THEY CUTE

ok so I have a LOT of feelings for bridge to turnabout and HOO BOY BUCKLE UP

So I always thought that in this fic, miles must have felt fucking awful! I mean he very clearly hates who he was and what that has led to but that must have been doubled over with this case! Phoenix would have died if not for mia and it would have been indirectly miles's fault. I think about that alot

Like he said that he very much regrets whatever he did as bratworth in the phone call with gumshoe but i don't think he anticipated this. poor edgeworth

Also I think this was the final nail in the coffin for miles. Phoenix forgave him, after all the fucked up shit miles did, and that made that man go "how is this guy so fucking compassionate awwwww shit I'm in fucking love with this idiotic brave man".

my main thoughts were "holy shit phoenix must have been feeling awful." like to learn that you were in love with a person who turned out to be a murderer but then not a murderer cuz everything you felt about that was real and just...... it must have hurt. He never fell in love with dahlia. it was iris, always. and WHAT ABOUT MILES DURING THIS!!! Like to learn that the man you love was falsely led to believe that he was in love with a person he rarely met and then learn that his ex who is not murderous might still be in love with him because "that was real. that part was real." like damn. people just gloss over this

also I feel terrible for iris F in the chat for iris lads.

Dahlia literally haunting that courtroom scene. I felt mia's power. I felt her desperation. I felt everything and I am once again in awe of the absolute power your writing holds.

also godsdamn pearls had to go through all that shit huh. also FRANMAYAAAAAA THANK YOUUUU

I too, am a hoe confused as to what I should feel towards diego.

Ok anyways we jump to disbarment now

"He just winks at her and says Maya has other talents, and if Mystic Maya overhears, she puffs up at him like the fish from the aquarium she saw once, the one with all the spikes and silly eyes."

you know what constantly amazes me? your ability to change tones so effortlessly. When writing from edgey's pov, the language is sophisticated. precise. when writing from pearly's pov your language is simplistic, child-like. from phoenix's pov it's natural. grounded

"She never knew anybody who made faces like him, growing up in Kurain, and it’s one of the things that makes him special." Yo phoenix is the most amazing uncle ever and we all know it ok he's brilliant

I'M RUNNING OUT OF CHARACTER LIMITS

PEARLY CALLING EDGEY AT FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE I'M SOFFFFTTTT

“I think I did something really bad." trucy baby no it's not your fault

pearl and trucy bonding supremacy. my girls would fuck shit up

"She’d meant to do this properly, one day." Thank you for giving importance to maya's feelings. thank you for treating her like a real human being. thank you

“Everything that happened...for what? It’s only gotten people hurt. Pearly. Our mother.” Me. Me." I felt so bad for maya here. I wish I could tell you in precise words about how this exact framing of the sentence is what broke me. "me. me" maya deserved more, but mia did all she could

"What do scared kids need? ...Food." not you breaking my godsdamn heart again. phoenix just knows what's it like being a helpless child, and he'll be damned if he ever lets anyone face that again

“‘Course, Pearls,” he says reflexively, before frowning. “What for?” reflexively. if every man in the world could be like phoenix wright then the world would be worthy of the gods

"Another one?" give it 2 years edgey she'll be your daughter too

"after countless hours creating the man’s living space in his mind from the background snatches he’d seen in the man’s ridiculous video calls." NOT ONLY DO THEY VC FOR NO PARTICULAR REASON BUT ALSO MILES ACTUALLY SPENDS TIME TRYING TO RECREATE HIS ROOM?? BECAUSE HE WOULD ONE DAY LIKE TO BE IN IT??? good gods these bitches gay. good for them

"because just as day is light and night is dark, Phoenix Wright is an honorable man." damn straight. you love to see it (it being a 27+ year old man pining for another 27+ year old man)

also hey miles! how do you feel about the fact that the man you love changed his fucking major and degrees halfway through college just so he could see you again only for you to be incredibly rude to him and make him end up in jail! (i bully edgeworth cuz i love him)

"Wright finishes, shrugging like it’s nothing, like his commitment and belief isn’t the most extraordinary thing that Miles has ever faced." it's more than pining at this point. it's incredible faith and trust. Miles had someone who cared about him even after all those years despite him having changed so drastically, ofc he would be surprised. Miles loves phoenix and so do i.

also HOT DAMN YOU WRITING IS JUST * MWAH *

Also the whole segment where they kiss is just !!!!! miles wants! it's beautiful! THEY'RE IN LOVEEE

receiving poisonous bottles which your ex tried to kill you with. My man can't get a break huh

Miles being chivalrous and protective and absolutely stealing my godsdamn heart (and phoenix's too)!

Klavier being the absolute king that he is we stan

The hostage situation section? gods miles must have been terrified.

Phoenix not being able to promise pearly that he'd always come back home and miles hearing it and like... ouch. my heart. you didn't need to do that (but i love your for it)

GODS THE CLIMAX WITH KRISTOPH WAS SOOO SATISFYING AND LIKE MY MAN PHOENIX REALLY PUNCHED THAT BITCH HUH

klavier baby I am so sorry

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL!

and thus my comment ends. I believe I have almost used up all of my commenting limits and i leave with these few parting words : HOLY SHIT YOUR AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU!

also I made a playlist on spotify for this fic! here's the link : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3k8lRHiO8ZXQDLpiTUL7SN?si=fc3b35b4ab064867

gods this was long huh

GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY....WHERE DO I BEGIN...THE FACT THAT YOU BROKE THE CHARACTER LIMIT ON AO3 AND MADE A PLAYLIST? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?

thank you so much for all the amazing things you said....i am crying on a Wednesday morning knowing my writing was appreciated this much. thank you!

[milk-addicc]

I really liked that post you made about how Capcom feels about Narumitsu. And I'm wondering how do you think they feel about Narumayo? Personally to me it feels like they throw more hints at Narumitsu since with the other one if Takami wanted it to be canon he would of done it at the end of T&T. I also think the team could of made it more obvious in SoJ with Maya's big return but I never really saw the hints but I know I'm biased lol.

oh i’m glad you like my rambles haha;;

ahh... that ship, 

well first, about the whole Takumi “wanting narumitsu to be canon” thing, its not exactly making them canon but have more fanservice leaning heavy towards narumitsu (which was declined by the director(?) who claimed, i sorta agree with, that the game did well even without the narumitsu hinting since in the first game they didn’t have that intention and it was pure coincidence that their relationship was just THAT deep and meaningful which is incredible lmao, Takumi and co managed to slip his warning and still put at least some of the hints in TT tho hhh-). so even then, i doubt the crew actually want the endgame to come so soon hh.

okay, back on topic. what i think about naru//mayo? yea, i’m not keen on that ship personally at all, actually i despise it. like, they first met in the office, in front of their dead loved one, Mia. Maya was 17, Phoenix was 24. you have Maya, who’s supposedly still in HIGH SCHOOL and Phoenix, who has GRADUATED COLLEGE, has a JOB, and most likely has PAID HIS OWN BILLS. from that point alone, it should already feel weird. 

Maya’s an adolescence, a teenager, she just lost her sister and barely grew up, in a way she’s still innocent, notice how she tend to ask random questions and or say things that she thinks makes sense or amusing, she tends to be naive too. its kinda like.. a child.

and Phoenix on the other hand, is a grown man. heck even Maya says he’s an “old fart”, they’re legit aware of their own age gap in game and outright say it. if anything, they both act like self-aware best friends/brother-sister than romantically. even Maya said it herself, she wants to be a good big sister for Pearl and Nick.

now how about we ignore this obvious fact just for a little while and try to see it from only their interactions in-franchise. heres the kicker, you may not see it in game since they only lightly nudges about this ship (usually with Pearl, and was dismissed by Maya right after.), but in some of AA spin off mangas (and from what i heard, one of the stage shows), for some reason, this ship has their own hints despite being completely aware that Maya is a teenager.

but its okay now don’t hold your breaths, 

their “hints” are more of a one-off ish thing, most of the time a gag and not taken seriously, and unlike other ship per say narumitsu, where it actually affects their lives and changed it forever IN-GAME. “i care about Maya and understands her” and “i became an attorney because of you, Edgeworth and i don’t have any regrets” are both literally incomparable, especially given Phoenix and Edgeworth’s history together in-game canon.

anyway, here’s some common arguments i’ve encountered about this particular ship :

“but Phoenix cares about Maya a lot! he literally went through a trial against a hitman and run through a burning bridge for her!”

“Phoenix blushed and goes red when Pearl says he’s Maya’s special someone and he stutters!”

“Well my parents had a huge age gap!"

“well, Maya is 18 in AA2″

“considering Maya is a christmas cake now, Nick better tap that” 

“she’s an adult in AA6 tho”

now lets dissect each of these,

yes, Phoenix cares about Maya a lot he literally did cross a burning bridge for her but people seem to forget that this is the same man who turned his life around, abandon his dreams, study law for four years, and became an attorney to meet one man and willing to defend a girl who looks like his psychotic ex that nearly poisoned him in court. he literally would believe in his clients’s innocence no matter what, he’s by nature would sacrifice anything and even his life for someone. so its normal that he cares about Maya, but is it romantic? i doubt it, he cares about her safety and well being but does it have to be a romantic hint? no, of course not, he’s just very selfless for the people he cares about and Maya has no one to help her but Nick when she’s in trouble, he’s one of few adults she can trust and will help her out.

oh so blushing and stuttering due to embarrassment means having feelings now? and about the stuttering, he literally stutters around Edgeworth a lot lol. i’m starting to feel like people ships naru//mayo not because of their depth but because Pearl said so. Pearl finds them should be together and keep shoving the audience with Nick being “Mystic Maya’s special someone”, well if thats the case, they also explained why this happened, in-game. Pearl grew up very sheltered and among unhealthy marriages she just assumes a girl and a boy together means they’re dating and being “special someones”. she most likely just wants her cousin to be in a happy relationship unlike her parents where her father left both her and her mother but didn’t know any better because she was eight years old.

https://youtu.be/FGAqQkMEKNs?start=674&end=776

now about the parent thing and taking it personal, well my parents too had a huge age-gap of 7 years. but how come is it okay? its because they met when my mum was already a career woman at 26. she’s already an adult when my dad met her. what does this mean? it means my parents were both adults when they’re together, this is why i still like GumMaggey despite their age gap so wide, they first met when Maggey has already had a career, supposedly in her 20′s, she’s a young adult, she can buy alcohol by herself, already knows whats right and wrong and has live life independently, not a still hormonal teenager who depends on one adult figure. did your parents date when your mum is in highschool while your dad is like in his mid 20′s? sorry to hear that.

as for the last three arguments, i don’t even want to touch any of them with a five-foot pole. are you listening to yourself? do you not feel like you’re a creep typing that?

let me give you a benefit of the doubt. yes she’s older and legally an adult, but are you really discrediting the fact they met when Maya was still in highschool? they met and became friends when she’s 17 and he’s 24. sure they barely met during disbarment era, but should that change anything? why should it? how should it? like this?

“Oh this is Maya, i haven’t met her in years but boy she sure has grown up can’t wait to date her since she’s legal now.”

because thats what that argument sounds like, YIKES. 

you know? if they met under a different circumstance and Maya was like 19, i’d let it go. but they didn’t, they met because of a horrible loss, Maya, still in training, 17 lost her big sister and Phoenix, a rookie, at 24 lost his mentor. 

in conclusion, i don’t like naru//mayo at all

pairing them feels like pairing Edgeworth with Kay or Phoenix with Ema, just because they partnered in investigations, make playful jabs at each other, and saved each others’s lives before, people just think they like each other romantically despite their age-gap in first meetings (not to mention Kay sees Edgeworth as somewhat of a father figure, and she’s nearly 18 while Edgeworth is the same age as Phoenix). especially with how Maya, being a zoomer, calls Phoenix an “old fart” and just makes jokes about how so out-of-touch Phoenix is with the modern entertainment.

from observations, i have a huge hunch that almost all of them pair these two because :

1. Maya’s a girl protagonist so its a male protagonist x female protagonist type of deal and despise narumitsu because “yaoi”

2. AA6 she’s an adult so she’s legal which is damn creepy on its own, or last

3. because of Pearl shipping them in game despite being an eight year old and was so sheltered she thought a man and a woman being next to each other means they’re special someones.

either way, i only see them as best friends, sibling-like relationship with self awareness here and there since they tease the audience a lot with their gag “hints” in spin-off mangas and game. 

not only that, it kinda showcase how all male/female bond don’t have to be romantic, they can be just friends or familial and still hang together. another plus for the franchise right after encouraging moving on from ex partners. *glancing at Phoenix//Iris*

and as to the people who pairs this for some odd reasons, sometimes i just want to ask these questions,

“how would you feel if you’re in Phoenix’s shoes? met your mentor’s little sister at age 17 while you’re 24, would you feel romantically interested in this high schooler?” because i don’t, to me anyone 3 years younger than me is like a baby, how would Phoenix feel when Maya’s 7 years younger?

“also... why even? narumitsu and other less questionable pairings are RIGHT THERE in the open!”

but oh well people can like and pair whatever hhh, 

and there you have it, my even longer rambling hahaha sorry;;

Edit : To add the final nail to the coffin, Phoenix outright has said that Maya’s like his kid, like a niece.

Edit 2 : remember that this is simply my personal take, you can somewhat use this to make yourself feel better about your pair nor simply just to hate on the ship itself but do not use this to dictate actual people what to ship and not to ship. 

please don’t be destructive towards others.

[jorisjurgen]

For the character ask meme, Phoenix Wright? :D

[ask game]

1. Literary all of the mistake dialogue. it's So funny to me. Also his entire backstory. He really did just... Build his life around finding Some Guy he went to school with for a few months when he was 9 to fix him, lmao.

2. Hmm... I guess that the games don't touch on his problems, flaws, and character in general too much. It's a shame. It's hard for me to dislike something about a character that they actually do unless it's annoying or bad writing.

3. It's so hard to pick but it would probably be something from the "you did a fuckywucky, player" mistake dialogues because they are so good.

4. Him and Maya. Their friendship and interactions are so good.

5. Him and Edgeworth, which is probably obvious from my posts jdkfgdf

6. None I think. I just don't look at stuff I don't want to look at and go my way, hoping that people who are fans of ships I'm not into are having fun dfhgksdfg.

7. I think Maya had a little bit of a crush on him for a while, but not for long because he turned out to be just some random guy who literary just bullshits his way through court cases, can't turn over paper, and wipes the fingerprints of the suspect off evidence. I am a big fan of funny one-sided crushes between random characters I don't ship because it's really funny. Also I think he has adhd.

8. I don't really have one... At least I think? The spiciest opinion I probably have is that I really dislike how fanworks just... Make everyone call phoenix dad or brother or just do a "yeah me and Nick are basically siblings :)" dynamic between him and Maya. People will say they like found families and then immediately shove all those friendships and relationships into strict "parent-child :)" "siblings :)" fanon boxes because obviously no relationships other than these specific ones are valid or familial and just friends aren't REAL family haha /s. Especially irks me because I'm sure that most of people are like this just so they can say that "x ship is bad because it's basically incest because I headcanon it to be :)" in ship wars lmao.

9. I don't think I have one (yet). I'm so sorry, considering I'm usually Spiders Georg of associating songs with characters.

10.

[rivalsforlife]

i'm holding myself back from asking commentary on almost every scene from the catch up game bc i love so much how you wrote phoenix in that fic!! that said, could u do commentary on the last 2 scenes from the first chapter (party + gumshoe), if that's not too long or on parts of it if it's too much?

Sure thing!! The scenes on their own are already over 2000 words so I’ll put them under a keep reading for everyone’s peace of mind.

Alright let’s start then...

The bachelor party was beyond Phoenix’s expectations. He’d been expecting Edgeworth to be much stingier with the spending, considering his general attitude towards Gumshoe’s salary. But he’d agreed to rent the bar out and pay for one drink for everyone, plus transportation home for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Phoenix… was surprised, actually. He’d known for a long time now that Edgeworth appreciated Gumshoe much more than he let anyone know about, but it was still surprising to see in action.

this paragraph brought to you by My AAI2 Feelings, particularly the parts where Gumshoe really does come through in the investigations, so much that Miles actually gives him a salary raise at the end... it did a great job developing their friendship, I loved it a lot.

(Also I headcanon that after aai2 but possibly before that... every “I’m going to cut your salary!!” that Miles says does not actually result in a salary cut. poor gumshoe can barely feed himself as it is. but Miles can’t be, like... Nice about it so he’s just going to pretend. Gumshoe understands. it’s like an inside joke now.)

And honestly figuring out this whole party scene was such a pain. I still feel like it could be better but I’m not sure how? I just had the goal of “get someone to let it slip that Miles is in love with Phoenix” but then there was the issue of a) who knew Miles well enough to know this, and b) who knew Phoenix well enough to talk about it, and c) what circumstances would let them slip up and say it. The answer was Gumshoe because he can’t resist leaking information to the defense... even when it’s information about his boss’s personal life. oops.

Athena dropped by for a movie night, since Pearls was too young to attend. Phoenix wasn’t worried about them; he was sure they wouldn’t get into any more trouble than he and Maya could at the party.

OOF AWKWARD PARAGRAPH this is a remnant from when I shifted a lot of scenes around in this chapter. I thought it would be cute if Athena and Pearl were friends. And I think there was more to this but then it was distracting from the overall topic so I cut it out... resulting in this.

“Pals!” a familiar voice boomed at the entrance to the bar, and Phoenix soon found himself and Maya swept up in a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so glad you both could make it!”

“Gumshoe!” Maya returned the hug enthusiastically. “It’s been forever, man!”

“Sure has!” Gumshoe released them, allowing Phoenix the opportunity to wheeze and clutch at his ribs, while Gumshoe ruffled Maya’s hair. “Been keeping yourself out of trouble?”

“You know it!”

“Uh, I had several sleepless nights last year suggesting otherwise,” said Phoenix.

“Shut it, Nick.” Maya elbowed him, not helping with the situation with his ribs, and beamed.

a little bit of banter that really just serves as a transition thing. most of the party is actually both “transition scene to indicate that the party did, in fact, happen before I get to the important stuff” and “introduce some important character stuff while I have time to fill”. 

and of course these sleepless nights are in reference to pretty much the whole plot of SOJ... 

One last note that I think Gumshoe probably gives great hugs, if you can survive your ribs potentially being crushed in the process. he doesn’t mean anything by it. he’s big and strong and likes hugs so much he forgets how big and strong he is.

... ps I love Gumshoe

“But congrats, Gumshoe! Seems like just last decade Nick and I were wandering around trying to pass your lunches over to Maggey.”

“God, it’s been that long, hasn’t it?” Phoenix reminisced. It was odd, thinking back on cases he took before he was disbarred, before he became a father to a daughter who wasn’t even with him today.

Gumshoe chuckled. “Guess so, pals. You two’ve really been there since the beginning, huh? Maggey and I wouldn’t be here today without you.”

Phoenix smiled. “Aww, Gumshoe…”

“And that’s why I get to be maid of honor, huh?” asked Maya with a sly grin.

“Maid of honor?!” Phoenix looked to Gumshoe, who didn’t object, before rounding back on his best friend. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“You didn’t ask!” Maya sighed. “If it weren’t for me eating Gumshoe’s beloved bento box in front of Maggey, who knows if we’d be here today?”

“I don’t think that was a deciding factor at any point…”

Gumshoe clapped Phoenix on the shoulder. “Sorry, pal. Would’ve made you the best man, but, y’know… Mr. Edgeworth.”

“Yeah, of course, no hard feelings, pal.”

“What’d I tell you about stealing my trademark, huh, pal?” Gumshoe laughed before stepping back into the bar. “C’mon in, you two.”

REALLY just more awkward transition scenes haha. Maya is the maid of honor in this fic mostly because I went to Maggey’s profile page and she was the only woman listed under the “friends” list... and we don’t know much about Maggey’s personal life. plus more “Miles and Gumshoe friendship” agenda pushing in here!

There were more people there than Phoenix was expecting, and many of them he hadn’t met. Edgeworth had mentioned that he would let Gumshoe select the guest list, but he’d kind of expected this to be people the two of them knew. Or, at least, that Phoenix knew — Edgeworth seemed to recognize more, which was rare, and was currently speaking with someone Phoenix vaguely recognized as an Interpol agent he’d worked with on a few cases back when Phoenix would help him out in Europe.

Ema ran up to them and made small talk before she and Maya got caught up in discussion about some show Phoenix had never heard of, so he wandered off to find someone else to talk with.

And there was… no one, really. Gumshoe and Edgeworth were talking with strangers, and Phoenix didn’t want to butt in on that conversation — he thought he saw Larry lurking about but couldn’t find him right now — and anyone else Phoenix recognized he either hadn’t talked to in years or was sure didn’t recognize him.

Phoenix hadn’t realized just how much his disbarment affected him, in these little ways. He looked out over the crowd of people Gumshoe or Edgeworth spoke to and had no idea who they were. It had been eight years out of touch with the rest of the legal world — eight years to fall behind.

It was… oddly lonely. Eventually it was just Phoenix standing there at the bar with a glass of grape juice in his hand. He was beginning to wish he’d ordered some more euphemistic “grape juice” instead.

You know that feeling when you go to a party and your one (1) friend leaves you and then you have no one to talk to and don’t know what to do -- maybe? That’s kind of the thing. slight Lang cameo in there.

ORIGINALLY Ema and Maya were going to talk about Lana and Mia and kind of hint at some Lanamia stuff in there, but then I thought about it and really why would Phoenix pass up an opportunity to gossip about his boss’s past relationships. 

And this also tries to kind of go for one of the general... “themes” of the fic? More of an exploration into Phoenix’s loneliness/how he copes with not having people around him. RFTA and JFA in particular kind of really entrenched that he Does Not Do Well without people to take care of -- which comes up a lot during this fic. And part of getting to explore those issues is essentially me trying to make Phoenix as alone as possible. ... sorry Phoenix! 

Also in here is a lot of “disbarment should have messed up Phoenix more than DD and SOJ would lead you to believe” -- he essentially spent seven years completely disgraced, it’s unlikely he made a lot of notable legal connections, aside from maybe Miles and Miles’ social circle. He probably missed out on a lot.

The last paragraph there is just referencing the “grape juice” thing - I do believe it is literal grape juice and not an alcohol euphemism, and I believe it was also literal grape juice in the original, so that’s what it ends up being.

“Hey, Niiiick…”

… But Phoenix supposed that just when you’re feeling down, the Butz arrives to drag you down further. “Hey there, Larry.”

Larry slumped against the bar beside him with a sigh, a glass of what definitely wasn’t grape juice in his hand. “Y’know Franzy didn’t even show up to this?”

“I’m not surprised. Being whipped half to death during your own bachelor party isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time, y’know?” In truth, he knew Franziska couldn’t make it down until just a few days before the wedding because of work — or so Edgeworth had told him — though he couldn’t help but wonder if Gumshoe was grateful for it.

Larry muttered something under his breath that sounded like it might’ve been contradicting Phoenix’s last statement, which Phoenix decided he was certainly not going to press further on, before Larry cleared his throat and continued. “But why’re you out here by yourself, Nick? Maya ditched you?”

“No, not at all,” Phoenix lied. “Just… taking in the scenery.”

“... Huh. Never took you for the wallflower type.” Larry frowned. “I mean, we did use to spend school dances in the corner by ourselves… guess some things never change.”

“Please don’t remind me of middle school ever again.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Larry, who then did. “But I get it, dude. I was kinda hoping for some more excitement here… more ladies…”

“Don’t worry Larry, I’m sure you’ll find someone else to pester tonight,” Phoenix commented dryly.

... enter Larry Butz.

I really did try to explore the relationships of all the important people in Phoenix’s life... Larry though is so insufferable in canon I didn’t really have the heart to fit him in, so he falls out. (Apollo also doesn’t show up much, aside from the bit in chapter 5, that’s because he’s in a different country and I couldn’t come up with much of a role for him.)

And I also do believe that Larry and Phoenix were super unpopular in school. Larry was... Larry, and Phoenix was probably very sensitive up until the Dahlia Incident, and together they had enough unlikable traits that anyone who could spend time with one wouldn’t want to hang out with the other, but the two of them were loyal to each other. It’s my headcanon that Phoenix’s only real close friends throughout his childhood were Larry and Miles, which is part of why he got so attached to Miles to change his career for him.

“Yeah.” Larry’s eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a woman with dark hair in a high ponytail, and his face brightened. Phoenix cringed preemptively.

“Little miss Kay!” Larry called out, as the woman looked their way. “Looking as cute as ever! And more grown up, too…”

Phoenix tensed, suddenly feeling the wrath of hell creeping up behind them.

“Larry Butz,” a deadly voice boomed, “if you go anywhere near her, I will sue you for everything you are worth, little though it may be.”

Larry jumped and spilled half his drink over his jacket. “Geez, Edgey,” he grumbled, scuttling off to find a napkin. Phoenix, hoping it was safe now with the target gone, turned back around to meet the glare of his other childhood friend. “Hey, Edgeworth.”

Larry being gross but more importantly: me pushing the Dadworth agenda! 

“You didn’t have to do that, Mr. Edgeworth,” said the woman with a laugh. “I’m an adult. I know how to effectively break someone’s kneecaps if they bug me.”

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. “Though I don’t necessarily disapprove, do we need to talk about avoiding criminal records again, young lady?”

“Sheesh, you’re still treating me like a kid,” she huffed, before noticing Phoenix and extending a hand. “Sorry about that! Kay Faraday. I’m Mr. Edgeworth’s assistant.”

Edgeworth gave an exasperated sigh, though Phoenix could detect a note of fondness to it. “You haven’t been my assistant for over ten years, Kay.”

“So you finally admit I was your assistant at some point!”

“Ngrk…”

Phoenix laughed and took her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Phoenix Wright, attorney at law.”

Kay grinned. “Oh, I know! Gummy debriefed me on you, Mr. That Man.”

“Kay,” Edgeworth warned.

“Plus I kept up with the news,” Kay continued, before Phoenix could say anything. “I’m a big fan of your work! Anyone who can take Mr. High-and-Mighty over there down a notch or two is a hero in my book.”

“Ha, I appreciate that.” Usually the first thing people said to Phoenix after saying they saw him on the news was much more negative.

I really still can’t believe Kay would be 27 here. that’s just so weird. she’s permanently seventeen in my mind. --- said by miles, probably

Even though this was supposed to be a fic about Phoenix’s important canon relationships Kay just wormed her way in here. I love her so I didn’t make any particular effort to take her out of this. Plus it gives me the opportunity to write my favourite things: Dadworth, and also Kay bullying Miles.

And yeah the part about people seeing Phoenix on the news is a reference to disbarment... can’t imagine anyone would have had anything particularly nice to say to him, especially those first few years.

“Kay has been assisting some of the prosecutors and myself through some tricky crime scenes lately,” Edgeworth informed him.

“Technically I’m a P.I., but Mr. Edgeworth said they’re really short-staffed these days, so I thought I’d lend him a hand,” Kay elaborated.

“Oh, so I might be running into you at the crime scene someday.”

“Probably!” She grinned. “Though I’m not gonna go easy on you just ‘cause Mr. Edgeworth likes you.”

“Kay.”

“Oh is that Ema over there?” Kay said loudly. “I’ve gotta run, see you around!”

She dashed off. Edgeworth sighed.

At first I made Kay just a straightforward detective, but I changed it pretty last minute. I feel like she’d want to do her own thing, plus this way she can assist from the outside when dealing with Dark Age of the Law Corruption-type stuff. Miles hires her because canon says he was left pretty short-staffed in SOJ. I’m not... totally sure what the laws are regarding private investigators working with police, but this is a fictional universe with fictional laws so I will do what I want.

Aside from that... more Kay making fun of Miles.

“She seems energetic,” Phoenix commented.

“Indeed she is.”

“... Why did she call me ‘Mr. That Man’?”

Edgeworth coughed. “I’ve not the slightest idea,” he said, turning his head to the side. “That aside, this whole affair is going much smoother than I expected, aside from that slight mishap.”

“Yeah, murder’s not really the best way to kick off a bachelor party, huh? Even if it is Larry. But I think we did alright.”

“Indeed.”

As if on cue, a loud cheer rose up from the crowd at the far corner of the bar.

“... Do you smell something?” Phoenix asked, and true to form, the swaying form of Larry crawled on top of a table.

People making fun of That Man is one of my favourite tropes regarding the AAI characters.

I don’t actually know how bachelor parties work, but if anyone can make them into an overly dramatized super wild party... it’s Larry.

Edgeworth groaned and began to storm off, but Phoenix grabbed him by the hand to hold him back. “Edgeworth, it’s a party, let them have their fun.”

“I… suppose so,” Edgeworth relented, but his hand was still tense in Phoenix’s.

Phoenix released him. “C’mon, we can chaperone from a safe distance.”

Edgeworth nodded wordlessly, but Phoenix could sense that same feeling of unease from him again. He opened his mouth to ask about it but a loud shout took up his attention — this was something that could be dealt with later, he thought, as he and Edgeworth rushed over to the scene.

Miles internal monologue: Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand writgh is holding my hand wright is holdin g my ha--

Phoenix: uh. edgeworth?

So in this fic... Miles is gradually working up the courage to confess to Phoenix. He finally worked out his own feelings at some point prior to this fic starting but can’t quite admit them yet, so every time Phoenix does anything that can be remotely construed as romantic he just goes “!!!” and it’s probably all he can think about for a week. Poor guy! I’m sure that when he finally confesses all will be well.

Hours later, as the party wound down and various taxis came to take people home, Phoenix found himself crowded in a booth with a tipsy Maya and a drunk, gushing Gumshoe.

“... and I know she’s gonna just be so beautiful, pals, and what if it’s too much?” Gumshoe asked, lying sideways against the table. “What if they don’t let me see her and then the day of the wedding I look’t her and… I die?”

“People have gotten married without dying, Gumshoe,” Phoenix consoled him.

“But they don’t marry Maggey, pal…”

Maya snorted. “With her luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened.”

“Hey, don’t tell him that!” Phoenix hissed.

really this wedding should have had way more disaster than I wrote about... probably at least one murder.

“No, no, don’t mention her luck, she’s already so worried,” said Gumshoe. “We’ve checked off every good-luck wedding charm in th’ book… but she still thinks somethin’s gonna go wrong. I love her, I really, really love her, pals…” A far off look crossed his face, and Phoenix wondered if anyone would ever speak of him like that, “... but she worries so much…”

“What’s she worried about?” Maya asked, slumping over against Phoenix’s shoulder.

“Ceremony, reception, if people’re gonna show up, if we’re gonna lose somethin’ important… even ‘s far as the bouquet toss. I told her, if you’re not sure, just toss it in th’ direction of you,” he pointed at Phoenix, “or at Mr. Edgeworth, and maybe it’ll work.”

Phoenix frowned. “Why me?”

Gumshoe let out a burst of hearty laughter. “I’m thinkin’ if you or Mr. Edgeworth catches it, it’ll give ‘im the courage to finally ask you out, pal.”

Maya shot straight up. Phoenix froze. “... What?”

probably not the smoothest way to get to the entire reason why this bachelor party exists, BUT. 

Also it’s implied that Miles DID actually talk to Gumshoe about this at some point. probably Gumshoe caught him pining at a bad time haha.

“Y’know the old tradition, whoever catches it is the next to get married and all…” Gumshoe stared at them for a moment, before his eyes widened and a look of absolute horror crossed his face. “O-Oh! Crap! Pal!”

“Edgeworth wants to ask Nick out?!” Maya shrieked.

“FINALLY! IT’S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!”

originally Gumshoe used a much stronger word than “crap” but idk Gummy doesn’t seem like the type to curse much...? Maybe it’s a stretch haha. also “pal” as an exclamation is my favourite little Gumshoe speech tic

“Shh, shh!” Gumshoe reached over to clamp a hand over her mouth but fell, collapsing on the table. “You heard nothin’ from me, pals, got it? Mr. Edgeworth’s gonna kill me if he finds out… worse, stop funding the wedding…”

Death is one thing but the WEDDING...

And I can’t remember if I mentioned at any point that Miles was also funding the wedding haha but it’s probably also something he wouldn’t want to tell anyone. Gumshoe with his perpetually terrible salary (which is also Miles’ fault) plus Maggey with her inability to hold down a job before being fired in a murder-related incident probably means they don’t have a lot for a nice wedding so Miles offered. secretly and evasively. because he’s a nice person but also doesn’t want anyone to know that.

Maya stared at Phoenix, her mouth agape, as Gumshoe continued mumbling to himself under his breath about the various consequences of Edgeworth’s hypothetical wrath. Phoenix, meanwhile, felt like his brain had short-circuited.

That wasn’t possible. He must have heard Gumshoe wrong. Edgeworth didn’t think of him that way. Edgeworth didn’t think about anyone that way, Phoenix had thought, for the longest time.

Little do you know, Phoenix! 

Touching on the aroace Miles headcanon here because it’s a very valid interpretation of his actions even if it’s not my own...

… Even if Edgeworth had been acting strange lately, even if something in his expression softened when he looked at Phoenix, even if…

No. Phoenix quickly shoved that thought to the back of his mind. There were many things he knew about Edgeworth, and one of those was that Edgeworth saw him as a part-time friend and part-time annoyance, but never a romantic interest of any kind. The thought of it was just… just unbelievable.

Phoenix craned his head around, catching sight of a familiar pink jacket across the room and watched Edgeworth in the middle of some phone call. He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way… wouldn’t he?

At first “the back of his mind” was “the overflowing mental trunk of repression” but that seemed a little too on the nose. Just know that’s essentially what he’s doing.

Another thing I wanted to establish throughout the fic was how close Phoenix and Miles are now -- they essentially know each other really well. And thinking about that part in Turnabout Goodbyes where Phoenix declares that “I’m the only one who knows the real Edgeworth”, I kind of interpreted that Phoenix Knowing Things About Edgeworth is an important part of their relationship to him. And the occasions where Miles did surprise him (with some aspect of his personality) weren’t always very good things... realizing he’d turned into a “demon prosecutor”, then the “choosing death” part... it’s a lot of my headcanons running away from me haha. Basically in this fic, Phoenix thinks he knows Edgeworth so well because he’s so close with him so an indication that there’s something about Edgeworth he doesn’t know or has completely wrong kind of... connects to him /not/ being as close to Edgeworth as he thinks he is? Maybe? And being close to him is something very important to Phoenix.

(This is not my personal opinion though haha, people can and will surprise you no matter how well you know them... but this fic is Phoenix’s Relationship Issues: The Fic, so.)

And no one else has mentioned the scenes where it comes up yet so I’ll talk about it here -- a lot of my editing process involved going through the fic and cutting out every instance of Phoenix either talking about him hypothetically being in love with Miles, or of Miles being in love with him. I just ctrl+f “love” and cut out whatever fit the criteria. Phoenix’s interpretation of Miles’ actions up until the end of chapter 5 isn’t exactly that Miles is Capital-L In Love with him, more that it’s like... a little crush? Mayyybe some physical attraction. Misconstrued admiration. Not anything so severe that Miles would willingly initiate a conversation about Feelings. so “He would know if Edgeworth was in love with him” changed to “He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way” because part of Phoenix’s issue here is that he can’t actually directly acknowledge the possibility that he’s in love with Miles or that Miles is in love with him. It’s a whole complicated thing I’ll probably talk about in the next commentary I do?

This got long but there’s the end of the chapter! I’ll answer more later...? These take up a lot of time haha.

[seefasters]

that xmen au is one of the best pieces of ace attorney content i’ve ever seen. i adore it to pieces and i hope that you’ll talk about it some more

thank you so much!!! im so glad you like it

and i dont think you meant you wanted me to talk about it RIGHT NOW but thats what i'm gonna do. sorry

(also i hope you read this post: https://pherre.tumblr.com/post/185948190067/pherre-pherre-my-friend-and-i-made-an-ace otherwise this is gonna get real confusing real fast)

maya sometimes turns into edgeworth just to mess with nick, but he's used to it and figures it out very fast

except one time he mistakes the real edgeworth for maya

'- okay maya you almost sound like him, are you happy?

- who sounds like who, wright?'

- oh come on drop the act already, we talked about this, maya

- i assure you i am very much myself and not miss fey.

- this is exactly what "miss fey" would say!

- wright.'

trucy keeps making interdimensional pockets all over the WAA. case files and magic props getting sucked in is practically a routine occurance

klavier keeps asking apollo to do some vocals with his chords of steel for his new song. apollo always refuses

honestly i'm not entirely sure how exactly klavier's power works but i think once he's aware of his he can control it

and thus, after klavier performed one of his quieter songs to apollo:

'- was this... your power?

- no. i would never do this to you. it's just me.

/just/ him. like 'just him' isn't enough to drive apollo crazy'

- miles keeps wearing his gloves even after the truth is revealed because he doesn't want to feel the emotions of just anyone who touches him, even though there are approx 1.5 people who are allowed to touch him

- sometimes when phoenix is annoyed with miles he touches him on purpose just so miles could feel how annoyed he is

- miles knows that his father was killed by a gun. he read the report over and over and he saw the bullet but he still has nightmares where he touches his father's hand in that elevator and he sees gregory edgeworth's last memory: his son's terrified face

- (i THINK it's xmen canon that certain mutations can develop later in life and that's definitely the route mvk went: that incident in the elevator was the starting point of edgeworth's "deadly power")

- (because miles definitely touched people when he was a kid lets be real)

all the dialogue is written by my good good friend sasha!

[soap-stains]

Trials and Tribulations time!

We started pretty much immediately when we left off of Justice for All. It's only 12, so we thought we might as well.

(Turnabout Memories)

"Who is that? Oh, is that Phoenix? God damnit Phoenix."

???: *ahem!* "That's you. You're gonna see who it is, and you're gonna be so mad. . ." "Huh?" *Grossberg appears* "NOOOO! NO!" *has to take a minute to cry*

"His name is Doug Swallow?"

"Totally didn't commit a murder... Haha... Ahaha... Ha. . . . ."

I,,, she literally already knows what happened, and we're on Nick's second testimony. She guessed that Nick is covering for Dahlia(since she knows how much I hate Dahlia)

GOD DAMN THIS LADY. "Pharmacist... Poison. Sorry, that just popped into my head. It makes sense though, right? And his necklace, like we saw in the anime(I made the mistake of showing her a clip of the anime), that could hold some? Like, he could make. . . Oh, drugs. That's it. Nevermind." She's already got it all, almost! Ugh, I'm so stupidddddd... I shouldn't have talked about Dahlia as much as I did.

"Sorry! I just felt like hurting someone!" "I look for that in a woman." (she's v gay for Mia. I'm fine with it, though, since now my gayness for Franzy feels validated.)

"Feenie is a babey. Must be protected." "HE IS BABEY. In the anime, he's just annoying, but in the game he is a BABY."

"Miss Fey, I will hold you in contempt of court for badgering the witness. . . Fuck you. . ."

"Mia's cool, she's just weird sometimes." "She's weird, but she's a queen. Like all women." "...if she breathes, she's a thOOOOOOT!"

"Every time we see Grossberg, you end up crying." "I'm not crying yet."

"Am I gonna end up gay for [Dahlia]? I feel like [some of] the murderers end up being really attractive."

"What voice are you gonna give her?" "I already have one." "You're going to be voicing all but two characters, is that okay-? Oh, you always do that. Haha, nevermind."

*Mia pushes her hair aside* "Awe, that was adorable." *She says some confident line* "I... Oh." *dies of cuteness*

*says judge line while drinking milk* *ahem* "Sorry, i was drinking milk. Don't ask where i got it from. But it was that pink haired... Star." "Who are you talking about??" "Oh, right, this is in the past, I forgot. Um."

"They're all very fond of their drugs." "Me too. Ah, wait, I wasn't supposed to admit that in court. Uh, Bailiff! Strike that from the record, or I'll have your pay reduced by... Oh, I forgot, Edgeworth isn't here at this time. Time travel."

*gasp* "Does he take off his shirt???" "I- I'm sorry?" "Does he take off his sweater, like throw it off in sadness when this case is over?" "No!" "Aw." (she's very ahead of this case, man)

*as Dahlia* "Boys will be boys!" "Boys will be bugs. Y'know, because they're vermin that should be squashed under our feet."

Haven't typed in a couple hours, but,,, she went from "Dahlia's kinda cute!" to "God, she sucks so so much."

(The Stolen Turnabout)

[something where I screw up my words and said 'fuck' a couple times in Maya] "Hey! Watch your fucking language! Was that a fatherly thing to say? Sure."

Idk how but she already called which character is the murderer- Luke Atmey. She saw him and went "ew, I thought the Murderers were supposed to be hot"

"So you're saying that even though on one came...- wait, what? Even though on one- what is that saying? So you're saying that even though on one came through those doors last night... That makes no sense!" "I think it's supposed to say 'no one.'" "...oh."

Ron DeLite is babey. He is best boy and has best relationship with his wife.

"I need you to go to my hideout!" "Well, I meant my secret base..." "Your house. You mean your fucking house."

"He makes up for it in other ways." "That... Can be taken in such a wrong way." "I- wh?? Dude!" "What?!" "Other ways...?" "See! Phoenix thinks it, too!"

Mask DeMasque = Mark DeKiller, according to her

"I shouldn't have trusted you!" "What the fuck, Pearls?!" "Do you want to be thrown out like Maya?"

This music,,, is kinda sad,,, huh.

*Adrian appears* "She looks like she just had sex."

Larry appeared and she screeched in aggravation, I laughed because I forgot he was coming

"Women... I don't trust them anymore!" "So you're telling me you're gay now? Cool."

"She chose Hollywood over me!" "Sounds about right."

Pearl pronounces Godot like God-it because I want her to. As for her, she is stupid sometimes and pronounces it wrong

She already hates Godot, which I knew would happen. He's annoying most of the time, tbh. I like him only because I believe he and Mia should've been happy together, but that's really it,,, Godot is the only character I knew for a fact she wouldn't like.

"I know more about this thief than anyone! Well, other than maybe his mom!" "Well, his wife probably knows a lot." "No, she doesn't." "That's,,, That's very fair."

*About Gumshoe* "He looks like an angry puppy who couldn't actually hurt you."

"Is that Godot's theme? I don't really like it,," "Me neither, it sounds like elevator music."

"This game gives me Dyslexia, I swear."

"I don't know how I could ever repay you!" "I dunno, maybe with money?"

"[Godot]'s hot." "He's an attractive male, just an annoying person." *he smiles and she makes a weird kinda giggle* "He's so adorable." "Dang, I kinda wanna hug him. I don't appreciate that."

We've been listening to the Lordly Tailor Department Store theme just itself for a while, it's really nice! ^^

"He's so honest, he wouldn't even steal a glance!" "A glance at what?" ". . . Oh. Haha. Took me a moment."

"'PLEASE, STOP IT!' He screamed." "Wow, you sounded just like your husband. Can you do me next?" "No." "Actually, wait, no, don't. I slapped the last person who did that."

Headcanon: Ron DeLite is trans

"I can't think of [Grossberg] without thinking of hemorrhoids, now."

"I'll do whatever it takes to save my man!" *slight squeal* "Okay, I'm sorry, but I love them and their relationship."

*Maya sits in chair* "Ooh, I feel like a real CEO!" "It'd be funny if they just added in like a stick figure of Maya in the chair while she sits there. That'd be funny."

"It's a THICCC binder." *trying not to laugh* ". . .It's not funny. That's not funny." "You don't know how happy I am that you found that funny."

"[the body] fell out of a safe?!" "At least it wasn't a trunk." "I mean,, yeah, but,"

"I can't fit in these shelves!" "Maybe you could if you didn't eat so many hamburgers..." "Dang, you didn't have to come for me like that." (she proceeds to make me say 'you didn't have to come for my weave like that' in Miles' voice)

"...If you've got insomnia." "I do, actually! Sometimes." "You're not Shinsou." "Wow. I can't believe it. My life has been a lie up to this point." "Wow. You're not a purple haired loser- oh, wait. Oh, you actually are now(I dyed part of my hair purple a couple weeks ago) Okay, guess you're Shinsou now."

"I swear I want to change my ways, but I just don't have any interest in men!" -Larry Butz

(my brother talking to me) "Gotta tell you, [sister], your voices are a little one-note sometimes." "Yeah, I know." *hands me a doctor pepper* "See what I did there? Parenting technique. I insulted you and then I gave you a reward. You wanna die now?" "A little." "Good." (don't worry, he mostly didn't mean it)

"Are you calling Pearl not sane???"

*sees Ron on screen, he's giving his Testimony* "Who's this bitch. And why's her name Tess-tim-onee?" "His name's Ron." "Really? That's his name? Of course it is..."

@ Godot; "We get it. You're e d g y."

@ Godot; "Shut the fuck up~~"

"Wow Godot, didn't know you could be so feminine." "Call me feminine again, and I'll kill you." "Uhh... Judge? I'm being threatened..."

Welp. Uh. I guess she knows almost everything about Godot. I'm big stupid. Yikes. Also she might just be lowkey in love with him too but I just love his relationship with Mia. . .

I hate this "one chance" thing ughshxbdhvdn

We were both (well, mostly her) waiting for Mia to say something to Godot but it didn't happen so now I'm sad... Welp. That's it for this trial.

(Recipe for Turnabout)

"I really wanna see Mia in a maid uniform."

"Maybe he realized he's got strong feelings for you, Nick!" "I'm sorry, what?" "I really don't reciprocate. . ."

*screws up several sentences in Maggey's voice* "god daNGIT, WHY CAN'T I SPEAK WORDS?!" "She's just as annoying as I remember."

"If there's no pestering child by me, that's not me. If there's not a child yelling 'what's that?' 'can I have that?' 'look at that!' then it just isn't me. See?"

"Ugh, [Maggey's] positivity. . . Ew."

"Can I just say 'Backwards Phoenix' [rather than Xin Eohp]?"

*sees Pink Badger* "What the heck??" *a moment passes and then she sees it too* ". . .What the heck?! That's really stereotypical, the blue and pink. But it's kinda cute, like cotton candy."

"Maya says Respect Pronouns."

"Yes! Mia!!! Take a screenshot!!!"

*Godot appears* "Ugh, so hot, but so annoying."

"His metaphors get so weird at times. . ."

"I'll be squaring away (okay I don't remember what he said)!" "That's,,, very intimidating, coming from [Gumshoe]." "I'll be squaring away for your arrest!" "At least he's not squaring up." "You right."

"You really know how to drive a man nuts." "That,,, can be taken many ways. Wow, this case is... So gay."

"All he had was 58 cents?!" "That's not enough to buy chicken nuggets..." "I can't believe you."

Okay so Viola appeared and left (honestly I really like her lol) and then Armstrong did a weird thing and she was like "aHK I saw his p*nis!!! Ew!!!" And now that's our joke. That's it. P*nises.

Poor Viola ;~;. She didn't deserve what Tigre did to her!!!

godot is such a hecc sometimes

(Turnabout Beginnings)

"Awe!!! Look at Miles (on the title screen)!!! Such a boy!!!"

(about Terry) "He's such a baby!!! I just wanna hug him!!!" "You're gonna wanna hug him a lot more after this case."

"Did he just call her Kitten?? That's so adorable-" "I ship it s o m u c h hnnnnn-" *starts crying* (yes I did actually start crying)

"God, I just wanna kiss [Diego]."

"I like Diego a lot more than Godot."

"Ew, it's this guy(the judge) again."

*Miles appears* *both of us eeeeeeee*

*giggles at Edgeworth, I don't know why, I never do that*

"Stop calling me 'kitten', it makes me not think straight. . . Except it is straight."

"(Miles) looks so smug uwu. I usually hate that in a person, but I'm just in love with him."

"When Gumshoe told us Mia cross-examined him, he forgot to mention this." (he was flirting with Mia)

"Mr. Edgeworth, I'm not sure I like you... Oh, there's more-"

"I came to testify for her!" "Oh, really? Are you a magician? Or, wait, what is it called..." "A psychic?" "No, I don't think, that's what it is... Uh... Oh, yeah, a psychic!"

My dad finished up his work for the night about the same time we were finishing this case up- he was there from when Terry came to the stand to the end 😬. Then we went to bed, having finished two cases in a day. When we get downstairs in a bit, we're going to start the next case, and jfc, we're almost done with the original trilogy! It's going to be weird, moving from the Switch to my DS for Apollo Justice, but we'll adjust. And then after that... I dunno. Maybe I'll buy Dual Destinies & Spirit of Justice? Not quite sure, yet. But I have thought about it. Anyway, sorry for rambling, I just wanted to put my thoughts down, here.

(Bridge to Turnabout)

Barely into the case and we've already planned Maya's death

I've got her thinking Iris is Dahlia; good.

"I think maybe his salary has been cut a little too much?" "Y'think?" "I don't think he's getting paid at all."

"Haha, Godot's going to think it's Phoenix he's going up against, but nope!" "You know, Godot against Edgeworth is something funny I'd like to see." "I mean, you're going to see it." "...fair point."

Now that Miles is the protagonist, I'm voicing like literally every character.

Franziska appeared and she threw the controllers in anger lmao

"I was hoping [Miles] would wear blue, but okay."

God, I'm so glad to be doing Franziska's voice again UwU

"It's a do or be done in world, after all!" *snorts* "I- Hm." "Phoenix is a Done In, Miles is a Do." "Pff- there is no longer Top or Bottom, only Do or Be Done."

"I love Edgeworth as a defense attorney." "The difference between Miles & Phoenix [presenting wrong evidence] is funny. Phoenix is like 'This statement contradicts this evidence!' and Miles is like 'The statement is clearly a contradiction to this evidence!' 'No it's not?' 'Yes it is!'"

*doing the 👉👈 motion* "...[Franziska] you fucking fuck..."

*gets a call* "Hey, it's from Washington D.C." "You,,, might not wanna answer that,, Wait, please don't-" *she answers it* ". . . Eh, they hung up immediately." "I was gonna say, you might not wanna answer a call from D.C. with everything going on right now." "Well, yeah, but it's not like I have social media." "Yeah, I know. You're not at any protests or anything, but I still don't want the FBI storming my door." "Ah, yes, 'This person answered a call from Washington D.C., must be suspicious, send the FBI.'"

"God, my theories are good sometimes, better than this game's [lore]."

"They just asked Larry if he was high!" "I wouldn't be surprised [if he was]."

"Nick, you dooooooog!" "..." "..." "Go ahead, say it." "Say what?" "The joke I always make, say it." "Wh- What are you talking about? What joke?" "Oh my God, I'm so offended... What joke do I normally make?" "I dunno, sex jokes?" *sigh* "... OH! He's my husband!!!"

"That led me to finding a beautiful crystal sphere half-buried in the snoooOOOHHH-" "...?. . . Oh shIT!" (there was blood on the sphere)

"(She does look kinda cute...)" "Woah woah woah. That's okay for [my name] to say, but not you, Phoenix! You're dating her brother!"

"No whipping, you sick!" "The sick."

"[Franziska] Von Karma says Consent is Everything."

"[Godot says something along the lines of 'what's weird is the angle at which Trite is pointing his index finger']" "Excuse me, are you threatening to bite my finger off??!" "What? Why would- no!" "[something along the lines of 'sticking your finger in a socket would be better than having it bitten off IDK I can't remember']" "..." "You doubted me??"

"Why does [Godot] have Dahlia's files?" "Hm, good question. Well, actually, thinking about it. Edgeworth went digging[on Dahlia], so if Godot asked, he probably would've given it to him." "Why would Godot ask?" ". . ." *i take a pause as i think about her asking this question and the consequences of my answer* ". . .good point. Anyway-"

God I love the animation of Dahlia leaving Maya's body, the whole sequence is so good!!!

hnnn I'm starting to cry because i know godot's objection is coming hnnnnnng nooooo i might end up crying later hnnnn

"There's plenty of time for crying later." "...Really, because I'm cRyInG nOw-" "I can see that."

"She looked like she had horse feet, and I was so confused. I'm still so confused."

(Honestly, I would prefer that Iris was found Guilty than Godot be found Guilty...)

(She's choosing Godot as the murderer I'm starting to cry oh no oh no oh no oh no oh god oh fuck oh no)

"I was right, I'm happy! I didn't think I was right. You're being really silent, you're making me doubt myself. Was I right?" (No, you're not wrong, I just don't wanna say it... Honestly, it'll never not be sad for me. I love this case, but I just wish Godot would've let Iris be claimed Not Guilty and left it at that. I mean, it was his job, he couldn't let it slide. Even if it was him.)

"Awe, [Godot] did it all of good will... I can't hate him, now..."

"By the way, when I yelled[while you were in the bathroom]... I yelled 'take off your shirt!'" "I- at who?" "Godot. Anyway, if your parents or brother are awake, they would've heard that. I'm sorry."

It's Over, Isn't It? with Diego/Godot

*Iris is telling Nick how it was actually her who dated him* "Dang, even the Judge is invested."

*at Larry* "Shut up! You're beautiful, and creative, and adorable! Fuck you!"

Here we are, at the end of the trilogy. We started on March 22nd, and now we and, at 2am on June 11th. It's been a long road. Voice acting mishaps, a heck ton of notes. It's been almost 3 months. Some things have happened, but we're still going strong. Oh, but don't expect us to stop, oh no! I bought Apollo Justice! So we will be back someday. But unfortunately(for us), it won't start tomorrow. She has to go home. And maybe we'll buy Dual Destinies & Spirit of Justice? Who knows. Anyway, haha, I'ma stop typing now since we're reviewing voices. Bye!

"That was just dumb-shoe. I- I meant to say Dumb Gumshoe-"

[mageknight404]

Hey, Ray! It's thanks to your videos on the 3DS release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney that I got into the series. After the first trial of Turnabout Goodbyes, I decided to buy the trilogy for myself, and I had a great time with all three games! It was the characters' personalities and developments that kept me engaged with the stories they had to tell, so I'm curious. Who are your favourite characters in the series and why?

Hey, glad to hear it! The Ace Attorney games are a lot of fun and remain the only visual novel series I can easily get into, so I’m glad others can find it just as accessible.

There are a lot of characters in this series that I like, both major and minor, throughout the entirety of the series, so I’m rather spoilt for choice. So I think it’d be best to list my Top 3 under three categories - Legacy(main characters across the whole main series), Pre-Apollo Justice(characters from the original trilogy and the Investigations games), and Apollo Justice onward. Likely spoilers on this list, but I’ll try to keep them light.

LEGACY

1. Maya Fey - I think it’s pretty safe to say Maya’s my favorite character in the whole series. She’s cute, her antics are hilarious, she has great banter with much of the main cast, and she goes through so much turmoil in only 3 years(ranging from losing loved ones, being tried for murder multiple times, and being kidnapped), and even more when she returns for Spirit of Justice, yet sticks it out with a smile and a grin no matter how bleak it gets.

She always tries to be helpful and shoulders a lot of burden when she feels she’s let people down(mostly Phoenix). She acts playful and junk when it comes to her becoming the next Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique, but she certainly understands the gravity of it as the games go on and we learn more about her and her family, ultimately embracing her title as Master come Spirit of Justice; at this point she’s 28 years old now, yet is still the same cheerful happy-go-lucky spirit medium we’ve all come to be familiar with. She even manages to utilize her powers in clever applications several times to either help herself or others get out of a jam. She’s a well-written, fun, and engaging character and I’m looking forward to what Capcom does with her next.

(also she looks so freaking cool in Spirit of Justice, look at her!)

2. Miles Edgeworth - Edgeworth is another dude who benefits from having so much character development in the main series and his spinoff games, going from an antagonistic jerkface with a smug streak, to a morally conflicted lawyer seeking his true purpose in the law world at large, to being a genuine rival and friend to Phoenix in their search of finding the truth in cases, which makes it all the more incredible when he was intended to be a one-off unlikable boss character in his initial appearance in the first game. He’s smooth, he has great wit and top dialogue, and it’s all the more hilarious when he makes simple blunders and loses his composure. You really do get to appreciate the nuances in his character as it gradually changes with each game in the series, and the payoff being fantastic post-AJ.

Investigations 2 gets special mention as it goes to great strides to show Edgeworth’s legal conflict when his badge and methods get called into question, suggesting he is more like a defense attorney than a prosecutor. Despite all odds he is unfettered and continues to pursue the truth by carving his own path instead of embracing the teachings of his father Gregory, or mentor Manfred von Karma, to the hilt.

3. Ema Skye - Here’s a character that isn’t as utilized as the other two and was retconned into existence post-original trilogy, yet still managed to be much more than a Maya expy. She’s introduced as a replacement for her in the added Case 5 for the DS port of the first game - plucky, bright, and really into science and forensics, and is looking to learn more about these to help solve crimes, starting with clearing her sister’s name of murder. She eventually gets to study abroad and is ready to apply her earned knowledge into action come Investigations(which was supposed to be her game but eh, it worked out for Edgy in the end)…

…And then we see her again in AJ and she’s just a detective, bitter that she failed her exam to become a forensic investigator and her personality change becomes all the more sad and real. Even so, her eyes still light up whenever she gets a chance to practice her skills, and when she returns in Spirit of Justice, now a full-fledged forensic investigator, her cheerfulness, inquisitive nature, and plucky attitude return in full force, and I get so giddy seeing Ema be so happy after her sour streak two games prior. Like Maya, Ema always tries to be the bright spot if she can lend a hand to a friend, and she’s such a fangirl of Edgeworth, even in SoJ.

Me personally, I’m waiting for some genuine chill interaction between Ema and Maya in a future title. (aside from the very end of the DLC case in Spirit of Justice, we never get to see the two interact much on amicable terms, which made me sad.)

PRE-APOLLO JUSTICE

1. Adrian Andrews(Justice For All/Trials and Tribulations) - JFA was a game full of problems, but Case 4 was not one of them. Headlining a great deal of that case was Adrian, manager to the accused, Matt Engarde and stellar Samus Aran cosplayer. She starts off cold, confrontational, and analytical but is a classic and rather tragic defrosting ice queen. She was left devastated after her close friend and mentor(sister in the anime) Celeste Inpax commits suicide after a skeezy and petty love triangle with her, Engarde, and his rival Juan Corrida goes horribly awry, which almost drove Adrian to commit suicide herself after losing her pillar of strength(Adrian has a dependency issue). This is brutally dragged out in court in order to get her to talk about her role in tampering with the crime scene of the main case, and it just about leaves her as a broken mess.

Fortunately for her, the truth about the crime comes out and exonerates her as being a potential murderer, but still has to do jail time for her role mentioned above. She doesn’t mind though and we see her with a smile on her face to show that she is now free of grief and ready to move on. Her debt is paid seven months later, as we see her again in Case 2 of T&T having done her time, which a much sunnier disposition and outwardly friendly towards Phoenix(who she was at odds with for most of Case 4 in JFA). We even getting to see more of her real self - still meticulous, but now helpful yet very clumsy and prone to making slip-ups as a result. I know a few people who have suicidal thoughts, and it’s very disparaging to see a woman like her so broken in JFA, but so refreshing to see her be so better off in T&T, as seeing Adrian smile is a wonderful feeling. As far as incidentals are concerned, she’s my favorite of the original trilogy. (and it made me feel all the more sorry for her seeing her squirm in despair animated in the anime)

- 1b. Lana Skye(Ace Attorney - Rise from The Ashes) - Ema’s older sister and the accused of Case 5 of the first game. I’m putting this here because Lana shares many traits with Adrian - mannerisms, troubled past, and desperation to hide said past from others(in Lana’s case it’s to hide it from her sister instead of herself). They even look similar to one another, haha. She goes from being a skilled attorney to Chief Prosecutor, but is actually more of a puppet being stringed along by the mastermind of the crime and has done some very morally grey things in regards to her troubled past, all to make sure to protect Ema’s innocence even if it damns her own image. It wouldn’t be fair if I mentioned one and not the other because of how similar both Lana and Adrian are as characters, so why not.

Also I really like Lana’s prosecutor design and wished she showed up or got referenced to in future games along with Ema.

2. Dick Gumshoe - He doesn’t appear in AJ onward except in a flashback, otherwise I’d consider him a Legacy character. Gumshoe is the Maya to Edgeworth’s Phoenix before Kay Faraday; a bumbling, scatterbrained detective, and the posterboy for pistolwhipped butt monkey who’s always in danger of having his salary slashed, but he’s a helpful dude and always pulls through at the last second when it counts, pal. There really isn’t much I can say about him, as he’s very much a self-demonstrating example, but he’s so much fun that I don’t think it matters.

What really makes Gumshoe so much fun for me is how much of a foil he is to Edgeworth and his interactions with him in general, as well as the lengths he’s willing to go to help him out. Investigations made it clear that he has no less than infinite respect for him from the moment they met, seen in Case 4, and more or less weighs on him hand and foot from then on. Edgeworth may find some of his antics irritating, but nonetheless considers him a reliable asset and welcome ally to help solve cases, likely due to how dependable he is in critical moments. Even when he’s in danger of losing his job or is kicked off the case, he still finds ways to help the cause, either by himself or by enlisting Phoenix’s help(to the point that part of me wonders what’d happen if Nick actually hired him to work at the office). He’s a good man, loyal to his job and his supervisor, and I can’t help but admire the man.

3. Shi-Long Lang(Investigations 1 and 2) - Hugh Jackman and his Wolf Fang Fist! Lang’s more or less Edgeworth’s rival in these games(moreso the first) and is very much an “act now, debate later” fellow, whose ideology comes to blows with Edgeworth’s more than a few times, and in his haste often makes a few leaps in judgement that punches holes in his logic. At the same time, he’s a badass Interpol agent with a boa collar coat, a smooth theme, and is a father to his very loyal police force. Despite conflicting ideologies, he’s still able to help Edgeworth out from time to time, even if it’s not for his sake but for Lang’s own or the case at large. And when things get serious, oh boy is he ready to throw down(see both Case 5s). He’s a pretty simple dude, but I just really like him.

(also it takes some balls to be able to block Franziska’s whip midlash)

APOLLO JUSTICE ONWARD

1. Apollo Justice - Wow, surprise! I like the main character of this arc! To be perfectly honest, I liked Apollo in his home game, but didn’t think much of him at the time as he was more or less in the back seat for 40% of his own game, while Phoenix did the rest of the work for him and usurped glory that should’ve gone to him alone.

That all changed starting with Dual Destinies and especially with Spirit of Justice.

Apollo was intended to be Phoenix’s replacement as he starts his own thing, but Capcom exec mandates forced Nick to be included in AJ and he was shafted some prime opportunities for establishing character development and backstory, only really getting some hints about his heritage to another character. Dual Destinies gives him a best friend who instilled a backstory for his rather quirky catchphrase “I’m fine!”, turning it into something heartwarming when he reveals they used to shout it to one another to lift their moods, and then made Apollo go on the warpath when he learns of his pal’s death and who might be responsible for it. Expanded even further in the next game where we finally find out about Apollo’s upbringing, his biological and foster fathers, and his relation to the local prosecutor Nahyuta Sahdmahdi. These events put my boy in the spotlight, who proves by the end of the game that he’s more than capable to walk tall with the big boys. He goes from being a loud and hot-blooded youth to being a worthy member of the Wright Anything Agency Triuumverate, to eventually standing on his own as a bonafide lawyer.

SoJ was the best thing to happen to this kid, and I’m so glad he was able to rise to the challenge.

2. Simon Blackquill(Dual Destinies/Spirit of Justice) - Simon is the local prosecutor for DD and makes a welcome extended cameo in SoJ. He’s a prison inmate, but gets to do the lawyering thing from the slammer because he’s just that good. His main deal is that he serves as an antagonistic force to Athena as Edgeworth was to Nick and Klavier to Apollo, and he was a bit of an edgy dude himself being a swordsman and styled like a samurai, always quick with his razor-sharp wit AND razor-sharp wind, commanding his pet hawk to handle evidence, SILENCE-ing the crowd, and using his psychological knowledge to play the situation to his advantage. He was also a jerk for most of DD.

Point at hand here is that while I thought the game was playing up his psyche knowledge a little too much(he came off more as a more intense version of AA!Edgeworth instead), he was still a wonder to witness. He’s a delightful smartass with a really cool theme and I dug the swordsman motif. Dude even breaks free of his shackles multiple times whenever he’s ready to make a serious statement. Eventually we find out that he was framed for the death of Athena’s mother(of course) and is acquitted by DD’s end. Though it was a little hokey, I did get a great feels moment between and Athena and thought nothing else of it.

And then he shows up in SoJ to assist Athena in Case 4. Here, all limiters are off - he’s a full snarkmaster with excellent comebacks, such as calling Nahyuta “Sad Monk” constantly, SILENCEs him, and even tells Athena to get her act in gear in a great moment when she breaks down in the middle of the case. This case made me appreciate Simon a hell of a lot more, and it showed that he was a great foil and aloof big brother figure to Athena when they’re on the same side for once. He’d better come back for more!

3. Dhurke Sahdmahdi(Spirit of Justice) - THIS FUCKING GUY. Introduced as the possible culprit of Queen Amara’s assassination of the Kingdom of Khura'in and insinuator of starting the rebellion against its corrupt legal system, we eventually find out that he’s actually Apollo’s foster father and is the most real, coolest guy ever. Seriously, I adore this dude. He’s such a nice, chill guy and a respectable father figure, constantly lamenting that he wasn’t able to be in Apollo’s life more often due to him being a wanted man. Case 5 is a roller coaster of intensity, and Dhurke helps bring out a lot of fun in that case. I can’t say anymore without going into heavy spoilers, but by playing the game all the way through, you’ll understand why I love this man so much.

It should be noted that SoJ’s Khura'in segments being so unrelentingly bleak for the first half of the game was actually turning me off from playing it, as I became gradually more and more apathetic to the kingdom’s plight and was in fact dangerously close to dropping the game for a while as I was getting impatient and disinterested… until the backstory bomb dropped about Dhurke and Apollo halfway through Case 3. This instantly revitalized my curiosity about the two and their relationship and helped push me to complete the game. Long story short, the payoff was damn well worth it, and Dhurke footed that bill personally.

Also he’s voiced by freaking Jamieson Price. Bless this dragon who never yields.

HONORABLE MENTION - Athena Cykes - I mentioned a few years back that Athena was a character who when she was first introduced, I had apprehension toward, as I was forebodingly expecting her to be a super annoying sidekick or supporting character. Her design, which I thought was silly at first but has now grown on me immensely, did not help at the time. Then Dual Destinies came out and I was immensely surprised at how much I enjoyed her character.

Let’s be honest, DD was Athena’s game. Even though she, Nick, and Apollo were tritagonists, its story centered around her and she was featured prominently in every case, DLC included. As a whole, this was Athena’s story. People may have differing opinions whether or not this was warranted or justified, especially when it meant pushing AJ alumni to the side, but Athena kept proving her salt in each case regardless - whether it’s by serving as the heart for Phoenix or Apollo, or getting dirty herself to save her close friend Juniper, twice, she was ready to help out.

I have a very delicate tolerance when it comes to Genki Girl characters - if done properly, I pretty much love them on the spot; if done poorly, I want to wring their necks out of existence. It all depends on how well the girl in question exerts her energy. And to my surprise, Athena passed with flying colors. She’s excitable, competitive, and eccentric, with just a pinch of sass. She’s also really impetuous, but remains focused enough to deliver a good argument, especially when it comes to using her heightened hearing to dispel one’s discord in their heart. When the pressure is too much, she breaks down and regresses back to her sheltered childhood state where she becomes emotionally repressed and almost catatonic, yet even in her darkest hour she fights against the pain.

I found myself enjoying Athena’s character arc a lot in DD and really grew to like her more and more. Her willingness to help stems from her relationship with Simon and wanting to set him free by proving he didn’t murder her mother, as they were close friends prior to that event, and I genuinely wanted to see her succeed. Outside of her heavy plot, she’s a fun character and, I’ll be honest, I’m thankful her role was toned down to a more supportive one in SoJ to let the AJ alumni shine(and boy howdy do they ever).

Oof, that was a lot to get off my chest, but I hope this was satisfactory for you, anon!

[spirit-small]

Maya stands in the courtroom. This feels... Wrong. She's not ready, this isn't gonna work. It feels like a part of her is missing. All she can focus on is how empty her shoulder feels. She reaches up to it, and can feel tears start to form. It's hopeless. She doesn't know enough about the law to fake it through this trial and win, especially not against Franziska von Karma.

Speaking of which... Where is she? It's certainly not like her to be late to court. That would directly contradict her perfect, von Karma-y image.

A bailiff announces that she's been shot.

Oh.

This must be the present de Killer was talking about.

That monster. As if kidnapping Phoenix isn't enough, he's got to shoot Franziska too? Is his goal just to take away every person Maya cares about? What's next, is he gonna toss Pearl off a cliff?

Still... This is advantageous. Maybe if she's lucky this will give her more time, or the prosecution won't be prepared- Maybe it'll be Payne or some inexperienced rookie. Maybe there's some chance she wins this.

Or, maybe it's Edgeworth. That's just... That's great. Wonderful. He's nearly as ruthless as Franziska.

Then again... He does care about Phoenix. If she can only stall the trial long enough to explain the situation, maybe... Just maybe, he can help.

"Miss Fey... Hmph. I was under the impression that you'd retired." Edgeworth glares at her from across the courtroom, but it almost feels like he's not looking at her, but rather past her. Like he's looking at someone else. Someone... Someone who's not here.

"Well, Edgey. Things change. Let's just say I have a personal stake in this one... I couldn't bear to sit it out."

"I want to see how the Nickel Samurai plays out, too, but that is no excuse to ignore the horrible crime committed by Mr. Engarde!"

"That..." Maya tenses up. "That's not- What about you, huh? I was under the impression that you'd chosen death."

"...Things change, Miss Fey."

The judge bangs his gavel.

"Are we ready to begin the trial of Matt Engarde?"

Maya and Edgeworth both agree.

Edgeworth calls Gumshoe to the stand. This is it. Can Maya really do this? Cross-examination. Objection. Contradiction. These are all words she knows. This ain't her first rodeo. This may be a lot harder without him... But it's not impossible. At the core, most basic level, this is only about paying attention, about listening.

A few lucky objections later, and with a good amount of guidance from Mia... It worked. She successfully faked it til she maked it. A ten minute recess. That's barely enough time, but she's gotta make it count.

"Edgey. Edgey. Listen to me. I'm really mad at you for faking your own death. You threw Nick into a huge fit of depression. You missed SamuraiCon. I will be yelling at you about this later. But first... This is really important. I am speaking directly into your ear. I need you to throw the trial."

"Are you insane? Has your complete lack of legal knowledge finally caught up to you? Do you even realize that even suggesting such a thing could get you in some serious trouble? I'm surprised Wright would stoop that low."

"Nick's gone, Edgey. It's just me this time."

"...what?"

"Nick's been kidnapped. The kidnapper demanded a not guilty verdict. That's why I need you to just let me win! I can't do this alone!"

"You... How?! How could you be so irresponsible?! You let someone not only find out about him, but kidnap him?!"

"I-I know... It's my fault... B-but, you can't just let him die, right? You gotta let me win, it's the only way..."

"I... I'm sorry..." Edgeworth sighs. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Matt Engarde is guilty, and if anything this kidnapping plot only strengthens my belief."

"No... No, Edgey, don't say that, I can't believe that... I-if that's true, then Nick... Would you really just throw his life away like that?!"

Edgeworth sighs and refuses to look at her.

"We have a trial to get back to."

[rivalsforlife]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Nick! Hello! Nick!”

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

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

Ugh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phoenix didn’t say anything.

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

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

“Okay. Tell me.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“What makes you think that?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Not what I asked, dude.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phoenix had no response.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Been with anyone seriously, I mean.”

Phoenix winced. “... College.”

“I rest my case, Your Honor.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah,” said Maya. “Yeah, it was.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Maya…”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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