#AA's writing tag

[fisherrprince]

I’ve been possessed. If anyone wants to know where Edgeworth is, he’s been watching kamen yaiba with the detective boys for 4 hours

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

I AM NOW THE PROUD OWNER OF A 400-PAGE LONG BOOK OF ACADEMIC ANALYSIS ABOUT MDZS (both the novel and CQL, as well as the wider danmei sphere, internet authorship, fan reactions in both CN and non-CN spheres, and so many more interesting things – there are photos of the contents list below) >:DDDD

I only got it this afternoon so have only read the (quite long?) excerpt available online and pages I came across while flipping through, but everything I've read so far is really interesting and well-written. If you're interested, it's promoted on the blog of @pumpkinpaix, where there are also chapter spotlights with comments from authors of each paper/chapter about them and about MDZS in general (which is how I found out about it, one came up in tumblr's 'based on this tag you follow...' recommendation), as well as FAQs (including where to buy it, though I did link that at the start). Alternatively, all posts about it are in the tag #catching chen qing ling!

I really recommend it, especially if content about MDZS interests you! and I promise I haven't been told to advertise this it's just something so so cool... a collection of academic work about MY FAVOURITE BOOK... and I know people do follow me for meta/analysis so this might be the sort of thing people looking at this blog will be interested in..?

[lazycranberrydoodles]

its prosecutor jiang wanyin!!!! oh fuck!!! / gifs + au rambling below the cut / follow for more mdzs x aa crossover stuff :3

all the gifs i made (poses traced off franziska):

hes so similar to franziska when you think about it. theyre both deeply insecure tsundere adoptive younger sibling of successful main characters. who carry whips. something something edgeworth choosing death and wwx actually dying also

his share code is HWFEFF if you wanna use him in a trial! you can't share backgrounds but heres the scenery from the donghua i used.

the easiest way to put custom stuff into objection.lol is to send it in discord and then use the link from opening it in your browser :)

a whole lot of AU stuff

the art im making is for if mdzs was an ace attorney game, playing from WWX's POV to solve various mysteries/cases over the course of the plot. so this scene would be from turnabout goddess, which would loosely cover the dafan mountain mystery.

cases include:

Turnabout Revenge (Mo Manor, quick introductory first case)

Turnabout Goddess (Dafan mountain, the good times flashback)

Turnabout Saber (the man-eating castle (omg hiii nhs))

The Blind Turnabout (Yi City arc)

Turnabout Deviation (the Koi Tower conference, Empathy on NMJ ala turnabout memories or beginnings. opening cutscene is his qi deviation)

The Blood-Soaked Turnabout (second Burial Mounds siege, flashbacks: Xuanwu, Sunshot, YLLZ, Nightless City massacre)

Turnabout Lotus Seeds (testimony about JGY, tree scene, golden core reveal, bathtub scene. opening cutscene could be JGS' death but that would make it canon rather than ambiguous)

Turnabout Confession (Guanyin temple)

the problem with splitting novel!mdzs into turnabouts is that flashbacks are a huge chunk of the book but they don't have mysteries/ cases to solve so they've gotta be lumped together with present day stuff. imo? many of the flashbacks would likely have to be abridged so they could be retold ala DL-6, SL-9, or the fourth grade incident, where characters talk about it over some pieces of art. this is really difficult when theres a metric ton of unspoken, complex, and signifcant history between every character lmao

there's not as much of a problem with the cql timeline but i have not finished it. so.

the opening cutscenes in ace attorney always show the murder and/or the murderer plotting. the first cutscene of the game would be MXY summoning WWX, muttering about getting revenge on his family (it would also be good for him to mention the yllz being dead because that's how the novel starts.) cut to WWX's POV as he wakes up covered in blood and the investigation segment begins.

for investigations of monsters (goddess, saber, etc) the cutscene would be a scene of some poor throwaway cultivator getting their shit wrecked.

it would be cool to make a breakdown for JGY but again I need to review that scene cause I don't know who I'd base him on. maybe Vasquez or Dahlia.

tell me your thoughts!! i'm working off of a mdzs summary/ skimming the novel because i don't remember it too well so if i get anything wrong please yell at me

Jin Ling's sprites & Nie Huaisang's sprites / masterpost

[kilometresrufflefuck]

almost two years after the project wrapped i remembered i never posted my piece from @turnabout-cinema, which was a film review of turnabout trump. much love and gratitude to @mintaii for sending me the high quality jpgs featuring her graphic design genius and the lovely gorgeous artistic stylings of @margalcazo / @letsgomargaux <3

by absolute pure coincidence, i was thinking about this zine this morning and then opened up investigations 2 to discover that the final case (the grand turnabout in the fan translation) has been localised as turnabout for the ages. hee hoo! hee hee hooo!

[nonsenserli]

must be real love

[blarefordaglare]

Fan Joy July, day 3

This one’s by @noblebluebird

Link: https://www.tumblr.com/noblebluebird/754194226508627968/text-legend-sadly-this-is-the-closest-ive-had?source=share

I absolutely adore the irony, how Legend is literally kidnapped and he thinks of it as his closest vacation. I also love the facial expression, he looks so done and I am all for it. I also LOVE the rope, I generally don’t know why but the way that it shows how a rope actually curves around a person is just AAA. I enjoy this art style in general and I hope you enjoy this work as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

Note: this came out more angsty than expected

___

Legend was not expecting this situation.

He was not expecting his cockiness to catch up to him, he was not expecting to be sent to Hylia knows where, he was not expecting to be tied together with a rope, hanging above this unfamiliar world. 

The breeze blew mockingly at him, his straight hair swaying wearily at the wind. His mind couldn’t help but wander, reminding himself of the captain and his ever so long hair routine. 

Time seemed to slow down, the rope rocking in the zephyr slower, feeling as if it was coming to a complete stop. His eyes twitched like a ticking clock, waiting, and waiting.

Was this how Zelda felt? Whoops. 

His childhood was zapped from him too soon, forced into the world of battle and adrenaline. The adventurer found himself forgetting the better days, just living as a kid, not a hero, not in dystopia. The memories grew distant, just brushing his fingertips before they got out of reach. 

“Sadly,” He yelled into the void of nothingness, “This is the closest I’ve had to a vacation in years.” He wished he could pray for someone to listen to his complaints, but his desire to believe was lost long ago. He allowed himself to scream, for his voice to echo across the area. There was no home left for him, no more people to suffer with, nowhere to go, nowhere to comeback to.

Legend was all alone.

[rockgodklav]

I know it's not Apollo's fault but sometimes his mannerisms or even words are kiinda a little too close to those of Kristoph Gavin, doesn't that...unnerve you?

“It scares me,” Klavier admits, a smile on his face and voice a mere whisper

“I mean, ja, believe me when I say I trust Herr Forehead dearly.” His voice has regained his rockstar-typical volume. “But.. ah, the quote the frightens me the most, perhaps, is ‘The student becomes the master.’ I fear what the future may bring.”

[therubyjailcell]

anyway, ace attorney doodles

[mariathechosen1]

The hype around aai2 is making me remember how much I love this franchise. More specifically, how much I’ve fucking missed being a part of a fandom with actual good quality wlw ships.

Most fandoms I’ve been in recently have either no popular f/f ships, or that one token wlw support ship with no personality of their own.

Meanwhile:

There’s Franmaya!! Junithena!!! Lanamia!!! Fradrian!! Truepearl!!! Aurametis!!!! Kay x every single female character she’s ever interacted with!!!!

It’s great.

[aks3raao1]

Prove It, Princess - A Protect The Princess AU

________

Note: "Protect The Princess" is an original WIP story by me, Axel Queen, which features a princess (Princess Amirinthe) and her royal personal guard (Zendelle) (yes, they are in love)

In this AU, the roles are switched. It's like a "what would have happened if this one guy in the past who messed everything up didn't kill his wife?" Coz he was kinda the reason for the original story being the way it is lol

I will definetly write more like this later, on different stories of mine. And another thing, if you see "_word/sentence_," it means it was meant to be in italics as either thoughts or to put emphasis on what is being said - I just didn't have the energy to go through the whole thing again and change it.

________

Her chambers smelt like lavender - that was the first thing I noticed upon stepping a foot on her pristine tiled floors. She lounged languidly on her bed, a tall glass of wine in her hand. Her eyes slowly made their way to me, locking on my form as if she were about to pounce. I straightened my back at that glance, for I knew it firsthand.

"You asked to see me, Princess Zendelle?"

Her lips made a slight turn up, a smirk forming on her _nearly_ untouched face. A cut from a blade donned her cheek, clearer than the slight blush that bloomed on her pale skin. _I gave her that scratch..._

"Indeed I did. I was hoping we could have a little...chat." She sat up slowly, her robe falling from her bare shoulder. I stood even straighter now, my feet feeling like led beneath me. I swore I couldn't move even if I tried.

"W-What of, your majesty?"

She chuckled at my stutter, a lovely and whimsical sound. _I didn't know she was capable of such a melody._

"Drop the formalities, Princess. Informal talk does not require such...rigid Conservative behaviour."

I do as I'm told and relax my shoulders, a slouch taking the place of my "rigid" back.

Her finger flicked lazily towards me and then bent - a motion that called me forward. I managed to move my feet, heavy as they felt in this moment, and made my way to her. "I wasn't aware that being your guard meant behaving as such," my tone was teasing and a small smirk made its way to my face.

"Hey, I didn't tell you to sell your soul to me~ Not my fault you never read the contract~" Her mouth widened into a toothy grin as her tongue licked across her teeth, and sudden, different _forbidden_ thoughts crossed my mind for no more than a second before I shook them away into the eternal abyss of my mind.

"Well, you told me-"

"I didn't tell you, love. I _asked_."

I rolled my eyes, briefly annoyed at the fact she was right. She offered me this position, and as an awestruck princess myself, I agreed. _I'm still unsure if this was a mistake._

"You almost killed me out there..."

"Maybe. But what's a battle without such a risk?" She leaned forward, her head balancing on her left arm. I could see the tens of thousands of scars build up from her wrist to her elbow - a symbol of every battle she came to know, and a mark for every bit of lightning that escaped from her fingertips. "Whether you are under my care or not, it is of no concern to me what happens to your soul."

"Oh, really? Nothing at all?" I took another slow step towards her, matching her predatory gaze with my own. The wine glass tilted in her hand, a sign of her weakness to such toxins. "I thought I was important to you."

Her laugh reverberated in her chest and bounced off the walls of her otherwise silent room. Or maybe it was just because of where I was standing... "You think so highly of yourself, don't you?" The hand cupping her face lowered to rest on her knee. "The princess who has been everyone's top priority since she left her little kingdom oh so far away from here..." She leaned even closer, her breath brushing against my lips as she continued in hushed tones, "The only princess in all the 21 kingdoms who's bloodline doesn't possess a single drop of magic."

My eyes lowered to meet her gaze, only to close in the bliss of the moment. She was so close... Too close.

"Tell me... Do you have...something to prove?"

My breath hitched before it left me with words I've never been able to utter in all my years of living, or at least...not until this moment. "I already had."

I could hear the smile in her voice, and the drunken malice that accompanied it, "Not to me..."

My eyes shot open as I moved to block her blade with the hilt of my sheathed sword. She looked at me with the same tiger-like gaze I've only seen once in my time of knowing her. Her urge to fight was there, yet it also...wavered?

I jumped back and unsheathed my sword, ready for the onslaught of power from her majesty herself.

"A guard is not to raise their sword against their princess~"

"I thought we dropped the formalities." I grinned at her amused expression and charged towards her, meeting her blade with my own each time. If this was my second chance to prove I'm more than just a powerless princess...this was it.

Our blades clashed without a single scratch finding its way to our skins, yet her strength managed to push me back to the wall of her room. _This is it... I've got the upper edge now._

I saved myself by shifting my weight and landing feet-first on the wall, using it to barrel myself towards her with my blade raised. Upon each impact and each push that single-handedly showed off her immense strength, I learned the art of shifting my weight in mid-air.

At the final push, my legs wrapped around her torso while my sword blocked the next blow. Before I knew it, it had found its way to her neck, and hers to mine.

Her hair stuck to her cheeks from the sweat and her eyes bulged in surprise as she took in the situation. Her hand gripped my by the thigh, as if she was afraid I'd fall.

Her chuckle filled the room along with her next words that fell from her lips through raspy breaths, "You...only got this far bec-"

"Because you're a little tipsy?" I mimicked her laugh and grinned wide. "Don't drink when you're with me, then."

"And miss this?" She slowly lowered her knife as her face grew hotter, "No way."

As she brought her face closer to mine, I couldn't help but sneak one last comment in, "You fight too much." _And don't drink enough..._

Her lips caressed mine with an unknown desire - one that neither of us felt in a long time.

I let my sword drop, feeling as if I've conquered the most formidable of beasts. Her hands moved under my sweat-soaked shirt and her nails dragged on my skin, making me jump and causing a memory to resurface.

_"Tell me... Do you have...something to prove?"_

_"I already had."_

_"Not to me..."_

I kissed her harder, and with a newfound fervor, one that screamed to make her beg for mercy.

_I'll show her..._

I pulled her down with me onto her bed; both her sheets and her skin were softer than the finest silk in every known kingdom. Even her scars were perfect as they presented a newly thought-up challenge.

_I'll prove it to her._

[machaeraaster]

"Did you name the guitar 'Arabella'?", Edgeworth asked, a little confused.

"Ja," Klavier smiled. "Lovely name, isn't it?"

"But why?"

"Well, the name means 'yielding to prayer.'" The prosecutor crossed his arms. "She has been on that showcase for so long..." the tone of his voice was sad and low, as if he was trying to capture the feeling of being left behind that glass wall for so many years. "...praying for someone to rescue her." And after that, there was silence.

"Oh! It also means 'beautiful!'" he added cheerfully. ~~~~~~ After I wrote the first chapter of my fanfic, I was dying to illustrate the bass orz So yeah, that's Edgeworth's future bass, 'Arabella.'

[withthewindinherfootsteps]

So we know that Wei Wuxian's treatment after his death was horrible. Even if nothing could impact him directly, there was still neverending slander, hatred, misinformation, theft...

But, for a while after he died, the sects did try to impact him directly – namely, frequently trying to resummon his soul. And today I'll explore the possible reasons for this, their likelihoods, and why I'm so, so thankful that Wei Wuxian's soul managed to resist the summons. Because, spoiler alert (or, you know. maybe not)... none of them are good.

(Long meta ahead)

In my opinion, there are four likely motivations for this: confinement, coercion, torment, and potentially destruction.

Out of all of these, confinement is probably the most likely motivation, at least for most sects (Jins and Jiangs excluded, though it was likely what the Jin sect said their motivations were – but I'll get to them later). This one is the most simple – we know spirit-trapping pouches exist, and we know the sects also placed 120 stone beasts on the Burial Mounds to prevent Wei Wuxian's soul from escaping. Therefore, this seems to be the most likely motivation – and fortunately for Wei Wuxian, probably also the best case scenario, though it still certainly isn't a good one.

For the second, coercion – this is where the Jin sect come in (more specifically Jin Guangshan with the help of Jin Guangyao). Due to their wealth and resources, they're likely the sect who played the largest role in the soul-summoning rituals. We know what they're willing to do to try to gain power – keeping Wen Ning under the pretence he was burned to death and trying to control him with the nails, and working with and helping Xue Yang torture people to help him refine his demonic cultivation, in order to have the Yin hufu fixed. Along with working with many other cultivators, alongside Xue Yang – Jin Guangshan really, really wanted that seal.

And so, Jin GuangShan sought after all those who imitated Wei WuXian in cultivating the ghostly path and gathered them under his rule. He spent a great amount of money and resources and these people, ordering them to study and analyze the structure of the Tiger Seal in secrecy so that they could replicate and restore it. - Villainous Friends extra, EXR

(Note that working with these cultivators very likely happened after Wei Wuxian's soul had failed to be summoned, since this happens some time after Wei Wuxian's death, whereas the soul-summoning ceromonies presumably started happening very close to it.)

In the previous paragraph, he's also quoted as having 'lusted after' the Yin hufu, which we already knew but it's nice to have a direct quote as evidence.

Now, would Wei WuXian willingly work with the Jin sect in doing this? No. We know that, and, given Wei Wuxian's actions in his first life (refusing to hand over the Tally, not being afraid to stand up to the sects, etc), I’m pretty sure Jin Guangshan knows that, too:

He beat around the bush a couple of times, using all his skills, yet Wei WuXian didn’t give in no matter what, and it made him run into a bunch of obstacles. - Villainous Friends extra, EXR

So this could actually make things go two ways. One, I'm wrong and that wasn't actually part of the Jin sect's motivations, since they know they wouldn't be able to control him (and in that case, had they managed to summon him, I could imagine them putting him in a spirit-trapping pouch and doing something similar to what Jin Guangyao did to Nie Mingjue's head. Which, also, not good). Two, it was a part of their motivations, and they hoped to find a way around that. After all, there are other guidao users out there now, and Wei Wuxian would now be a gui*. Also, cultivators can obviously harm ghosts – see the very existence of Night Hunts, and I'd include Xue Yang's talisman-caused destruction of A-Qing as well (while he isn't a traditional cultivator, talismans can be used by everyone).

Now, would either of these methods actually work? I'm inclined to think not really (and I expand on the former method in a note below). Would that stop Jin Guangshan/Jin Guangyao/the cultivators they employ from trying? Especially considering Jin Guangshan's lust for power?

I'm inclined to think no, too.

For the third, look no further than Jiang Cheng's reputation of capturing and torturing demonic cultivators after Wei Wuxian's death, due to thinking they could be him. And this does happen – Jin Ling knows and talks about it, and there's not real motivation for him to negatively lie about someone he loves. Also, when they come across each other at Dafan Mountain, we're told this in Jiang Cheng's inner voice:

A moment ago, Jiang Cheng was certain that this person was Wei WuXian, and all of the blood in his body started to boil. Yet, now, Zidian was clearly telling him that he wasn’t. Zidian definitely wouldn’t deceive him or make a mistake, so he quickly calmed himself and thought, this doesn’t mean anything. I should first find an excuse to take him back and use every possible method to get information out of him. It’s impossible for him to not confess anything or give himself away. I’ve done things like this in the past anyways. - MDZS Chapter 10, EXR translation

This mainly shows that he's tortured people before, rather than that he's tortured people because he thinks they're Wei Wuxian, but this reason is confirmed by Jin Ling in Chapter 24. Of course, the reason is also mentioned in this chapter, and there are other moments in the chapter that illustrate my point better**, but they come from second-hand sources which I know are easier to deny. Do take note of Jiang Cheng's expression both times he comes across 'Mo Xuanyu' (after he suspects he's Wei Wuxian) in Book One***, though:

After a moment, the corners of Jiang Cheng’s lips pulled into a twisted smile. His left hand started to unconsciously stroke the ring [Zidian] again. He spoke softly, “… Well, well. So you’re back?” - Chapter 10, EXR Although his face had always been clouded, marked with arrogance and satire, it seemed as if every corner of it had come alive. It was difficult to determine whether it was vengeful wrath, fathomless hatred, or raving ecstasy. - Chapter 23, EXR

This does seem to line up with what people say his attitude to Wei Wuxian is – there doesn't seem to be any happiness at seeing him again at all. The only time a word that could suggest that ('ecstasy') is used, it's accompanied by 'raving', and considering the context and the other possibilities of his expression, it's... probably not due to happiness at being reunited.

So, considering 1) this, 2) his contribution to the Siege specifically intended to kill Wei Wuxian, and 3) that at the time of frequent soul-summoning Jiang Yanli's death would be even closer for him, I feel pretty confident in saying that yes, this is likely a motivation for the Jiang sect in trying to re-summon Wei Wuxian's soul after his death. And, as mentioned earlier, cultivators can harm ghosts (and we know Zidian is able to remove souls posessing a body from that body, and that Jiang Cheng used Zidian on 'Mo Xuanyu' in Chapter 10. If it wasn't able to restrain/harm ghosts, or other methods weren't able to, why would he risk Wei Wuxian's soul escaping?).

And finally, option four: destruction. We're heading into much more speculative territory here, so don't consider this on par with the first three. But consider this:

We know there are some spells, like Xue Yang's talisman used on A-Qing and the body-offering ritual, that can ruin the returning soul’s reincarnation cycle by destroying it. Therefore, soul destruction is possible.

The 'main'/supposed reason for summoning Wei Wuxian's soul back is to stop the "cultivation world, or even all of mortal land" from being "faced with the most insane damnation and revenge, sinking into nothing but chaos and despair" when Wei Wuxian inevitably returns. While, as mentioned above, I severely doubt this is the motivation for certain sects – and to me is likely a rumour which the Jins (again, especially Jin Guangsha) fanned the flames of to justify summoning Wei Wuxian back for their own purposes**** – there are other sects which would take it more seriously.

Although likely disrespectful, people already thought it served Wei Wuxian right to die without his body intact by the time of the second siege – something believed to negatively affect your reincarnation in your next life*****. This is only the logical next step, and I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people would believe that, again, it would serve Wei Wuxian right, or would at least lead to less harm of the world in the long run.

For these reasons, I could definitely see this as an option for some sects, especially the sects who consider themselves more 'righteous' (cough cough the Nies under Nie Mingjue cough cough). After all, evil is evil and good is good, and the evil deserve what's coming to them. And what better way to prevent that than from preventing his soul from returning at all? So for the Nie sect – and likely some of the smaller sects involved in the Siege, since among them, additudes probably vary – yes, I do think it could be a motivation.

I’m not as sure about the Lans being willing to go this far, and that’s largely for two reasons. One, Lan Wangji’s presence and his relationship to Lan Xichen, who does (not always, but he does) let this affect how he treats Wei Wuxian. An example of this is that, when Wei Wuxian's return is made public, Lan Xichen does let him hide and shelter at the Cloud Recesses instead of trying to pursue him, likely majorly due to Lan Wangji. I'd argue that the aftermath of the Nightless City also acts as an example of this, although it definitely isn't perfect. But though he, Lan Qiren and the 33 elders do come to find Lan Wangji and do not let him continue to shelter Wei Wuxian (after they see Lan Wangji's feelings), Lan Xichen doesn't use this opportunity to kill/capture Wei Wuxian, despite Lan Wangji being in a worse condition due to having fought 33 elders, Wei Wuxian being catatonic, and Lan Qiren likely supporting this outcome (especially considering he was the one who led the Lan sect in the Siege – chapter 68, Wei Wuxian's POV). And he did let Lan Wangji take Wei Wuxian back to the Burial Mounds after:

After he went out of his way to send you back to Burial Mound and returned in such low spirits to receive his punishment, how long he kneeled before the Wall of Rules! - Chapter 99, EXR

Again, this was right after the Nightless City massacre – there isn't any goodwill towards Wei Wuxian at this point in time.

Of course, the Lan sect did participate in the siege after Lan Xichen knew of Lan Wangji's feelings towards Wei Wuxian, which Lan Xichen was no doubt a part of (although Lan Qiren lead the Lan sect in the siege, Lan XIchen had to have at least known/given his support, if not participated.) And it should be considered that Lan Xichen letting Wei Wuxian shelter at the Cloud Recesses was after Wei Wuxian had been back for a while, and had not caused the downfall of the Cultivation World, like many suspected he would after his death. And of course, as stated previously, his handling of the aftermath of Nightless City wasn't perfect either (though please note that his main motive here was to protect Lan Wangji from being potentially executed, rather than anything about Wei Wuxian himself). So caring about Lan Wangji doesn't mean he won't harm Wei Wuxian. But I do think he could find bringing Wei Wuxian's soul back to completely destroy it a bit excessive. There is, though, the chance that the elders of the Lan Sect would react to this differently, and of course they would have a sway on both Lan Xichen and the Lan sect as well.

The second reason is smaller, but there seems to be more focus in the Lan sect than in others when it comes to letting ghosts rest peacefully/helping them move on. And that could definitely lead to more resistance to the idea of summoning a soul back to destroy it as well, which could especially impact the elders. So I'd assume that the Lan sect would be the most likely sect to summon Wei Wuxian's soul back just for confinement, or just for some way of making sure any resentment is disippated, his spirit moves on, and he can't cause more harm to the world (eg via Inquiry)******. Not that he would or does as a ghost or as a reborn person, but that's unfortunately not relevant to this.

But yes, as a motivation for the Nie Mingjue-led Nie sect? Absolutely.

So, these are the main motives I suspect to be behind the attempted summoning of Wei Wuxian's soul after his death (and if I've missed any, please let me know – I'd love to have a discussion). And, of course, none of them lead to anywhere good. Because of course it wasn’t enough to besiege Wei Wuxian, murder the 50 non-combatants he was responsible for (and throwing them into the blood pit as a mark of disrespect because why not?), and lead to his death via him getting torn apart. It wasn’t enough to steal all his inventions, and use them commonly while still slandering him with no reprieve – or to steal his notes and give them to people like Xue Yang to study (Villainous Friends, again) and to use for their own, extremely extremely harmful, purposes. Of course, the cultivation world has to try to harm Wei Wuxian after death as well ((:

We don't know whether Wei Wuxian rejecting the summoning ceremonies was conscious or unconscious, but if it was the former, these are very likely reasons he refused to return in this way. If it was unconscious – for example, maybe during the frequent soul-summons his soul was in a weakened state due to him dying from a backlash of resentful energy and getting torn apart, and it healed over time but not before the soul-summoning rituals stopped – well, I can only be thankful.

Finally, let me leave you on the thought that – although it may well have happened since we don't spend much time in the immediate aftermath of the Sunshot campaign – there isn't even any textual mention of this happening to Wen Ruohan. Who, while not being a guidao user, was still very dangerous, still an extremely powerful cultivator, and still had a lot of reason to feel resentment. So.

:')

Thank you for reading!

--

*Considering what we see of how Wei Wuxian's guidao functions – redirecting the ghosts'/corpses' resentment into doing something they'd want to do, eg attacking people, and directing it towards a target – I'm not sure using it to force a spirit to do something 1) extremely specific, and 2) explicitly against their will would actually work. Iirc the closest thing we get to this in text is Wei Wuxian using the corpses of Wens to attack other Wens in the Sunshot Campaign, but he's still just directing their resentment to a target of his choice, and fierce corpses do tend to be on the less concious side of things (hence why Wei Wuxian had to awaken Wen Ning's consciousness). Considering how Wen Ning attacks Wei Wuxian and the Burial Mound Wens before his consciousness had fully awoken, I... really don't think those fierce corpses were able to differentiate (or didn't care).

Meanwhile, ghosts seem to be a bit more in control of themselves – see A-Qing, and Wei Wuxian's own descriptions of his ghost self.

That, alongside ghost!Wei Wuxian being able to resist his soul-summoning and the fact that pretty much all of the new guidao users are a lot weaker than he was, does make me think that this this wouldn't work. I do wonder about Xue Yang, since his methods are pretty different as well, but he's more of a modao user than a guidao user (he controls living corpses rather than dead people) and I don't think you can insert physical nails into ghosts?? Though if he was specifically instructed to figure out some way to control ghost!Wei Wuxian (who's probably kept in a spirit-trapping pouch in this scenario), he might be able to do something at least. Though also he was also struggling to piece Xiao Xingchen's ghost soul back together, so he may struggle with those areas?

Well, whatever the potential outcome, I'm so so happy once again that Wei Wuxian's soul managed to resist the soul-summonings...

**Mainly this:

Everyone in the cultivation world knew that the young leader of the Jiang Clan watched out for Wei WuXian in an almost crazed manner. He would rather catch the wrong person than let go of any possibility, and took anyone who seemed like they held the soul of Wei WuXian away to the YunmengJiang Sect, inflicting severe torture on his victim. If he wanted to take someone back, the opposition would surely lose half of their life. - Chapter 10, EXR

But I have heard people say 'you can't prove that it's just more rumours' before, and I wanted my evidence to be as watertight as possible.

(And, off-topic... isn't it really sad how Jiang Cheng, in the present day, is described as young? Because, for a clan leader, he is. And another thing he is, is close in age to Wei Wuxian – who was killed 13 whole years prior :') )

***And do note that the only other time they run into each other before Wei Wuxian's identity is revealed to the world apart from this is their brief interaction at Jinlintai, where he can't just act however he wants. The next time they run into each other after it, Jiang Cheng is literally taking part in another siege against him, and still extremely hostile ("surrounded by hostile energy, face insidious, staring straight at him" – from EXR chapter 60). Then he loses his spiritual powers and can't do anything. By the time he regains his powers, Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and the Wen remnants' corpses have saved everyone during the Second Siege, and though public opinion hasn't properly shifted quite yet, it will soon after Sisi and Bicao tell the story of Jin Guangyao, and voila, a new scapegoat (do note that he doesn't completely bar Wei Wuxian from entering Lotus Pier after the Second Siege, though). Plus, throughout it all, Lan Wangji is still constantly present, which makes it hard for Jiang Cheng to really do anything. And then he's finally faced with the Golden Core reveal, which does alter his motivations towards Wei Wuxian (obviously the resentment is still there – read chapter 102 – but it's also mixed with other complex emotions, and he seems to start being able to move away from that a little in Chapter 103). I still definitely wouldn't describe Jiang Cheng's attitude towards him as positive, but it isn't at the point it was at the start of the novel (eg Chapter 10).

But even if his attitude does change, or would for whatever other reason apart from the reveal, that still doesn't change an initial motivation so isn't relevant to this meta. We know his intentions at the start.

****It's also possible they may have originated it, but I think WWX's reputation was bad enough for it to form naturally. Though you can trace a major part of that back to them, too.

*****That belief isn't outright stated in MDZS, but the fact people are specifically talking about the status of WWX's body in the aftermath of his death suggests that this belief does have some grounding in the MDZS universe, at least? And we know MXTX has included it in TGCF (though that doesn't mean it's definitely in MDZS), so she has used it in her works. If this isn't the case in the MDZS universe I am sorry (although that could also mean there's less importance placed on not disturbing the reincarnation cycle in the world of MDZS...? Which would work towards my original argument) – I don't want to spread misinformation that something is definitely true, I just think there's evidence to suggest it is true, which isn't the same thing.

******Again, I think this would depend on who ends up having more influence over who in the Lan sect. After all, normal resentful spirits only do what they do because of their resentment in death, whereas Wei Wuxian is 'dangerous' because of who everyone thinks he was in life – so him being reborn naturally could also 'cause a lot of harm to the world' during the time period this version of him would live in, unlike the resentful ghosts they appease. This could definitely lead to many advocating for confinement, I think.

[rendevok]

Do you have headcanons for nrmt in 7yg? Like how would they communicate right after disbarment and during it?

7yg nrmt headcanons you say?

You have no idea the can of worms you just cracked open. 7yg is pretty much my favorite phase for them, and my hcs for that era feel endless. I’ll try to reel it in, but i’m extremely not normal about this topic.

Pertaining to whether or not they’re even talking: at the start of it, I definitely envision the scenario as Edgeworth being abroad for his legal studies, and Phoenix not really having the time, energy, or interest to make a call to deliver the news. Phoenix has to somehow secure meals for himself and a young girl, so telling people is probably low on his list of priorities. Still, I’m sure visits from friends would trickle in. He wouldn’t be opposed to seeing friends at first, but with each subsequent response to the news of his disbarment, he’d dread the inevitable (Edgeworth). I don’t think he would avoid Edgeworth entirely; he’d accept phone calls and maybe entertain a vague life update, partly to maintain a sense of normalcy for himself, but mostly because he wants to avoid whatever the hell Edgeworth would have to say about it all. However, he can only skirt around the truth for so long, and Edgeworth isn’t completely out of touch with social cues from a close friend like Phoenix to not realize he’s withholding something. Edgeworth being himself and this being about Phoenix… I don’t think he’d be in the dark for much longer after that.

After Edgeworth pays him his own in-person visit, things are tense between them. Phoenix is jaded, and Edgeworth is determined to uncover the truth (as well as help Phoenix in any way possible). They’d be at odds, and that tension would be drawn out until Phoenix himself starts to get a whiff of the foul play at hand. Only then would he begin to re-open that line of trust between him and Edgeworth again, and begin accepting Edgeworth’s offers to help. I don’t think Phoenix would handle years of knowing someone was out to get him very well without knowing he had someone he could trust.

I also like to imagine them (privately) leading a deeper investigation into the ever-evolving mystery surrounding Phoenix’s disbarment together, so in terms of literal choice of communication, they’d restrict sensitive conversations to being in-person only—a great excuse to visit Edgeworth many times overseas. :^))) Still, it’s a long form game and they couldn’t afford to do that all the time, so they settle for an annual visit at least (gay gay homosexual gay). Aside from that, it’s likely many long catch-up phone calls and godawful amounts of yearning for them, because they somehow manage to not act on their feelings despite outwardly looking like a couple to everyone around them.

TL;DR: at first they suck at communicating because of the circumstances and a semi-friendly disagreement on what to do about things, but in time their goals align and they figure out how to communicate homosexually (complex song and dance which results in not getting any*), and work together from a distance.

I hope this made some sense because tbqh I had to stop myself from just straight up attempting to write out the development of their relationship over the course of seven fucking years. They are corroding the hinges on my brain. ♡

[mio-nika]

Disgusting (comic) AU. Over-arching plot, characters profiles and relationship dynamic breakdown.

Plot:

Mostly based on a modmad "What if Ace Attorney Investigations: Simon Blackquill".

Post Dual Destinies, Phantom spends some time in prison (like a month). And now let's get him out (temporary), so he can sell his employers with comfort. And also pair him with Simon, because they don't hate each other enough. Phantom get's his Bobby mask because artistic continuity, if I change his face we are bordering on Original Character territory.

I'm not smart enough to write actual spy plot, so they are existing in some limbo doing something spy-like. I'm mostly here to inflict the massive amounts of psychological and emotional damage on characters and fans.

Main Protags:

Phantom - after his meltdown in court, getting shot and the conviction his brain got chopped in much finer mush. With his blood, fingerprints and face being recorded he has no way of going back to his classic "run and hide" bullshit. Doesn't like to be out and about. Prefers to be locked up in jail, since he gets solitary and full protection.

Simon - is suffering. Understands the assignment of being paired with the guy who actually knows how to run underground spy business. But still does not like it. AT ALL.

Athena - since I'm not a fan of women centric whump (it's very rarely good and I can count the good examples of it on one hand). I'm using her as a plot device and brain can opener. She's not involved in operation, bc Simon cares about her to much. But sometimes spends time with Phantom as a psychotherapist.

Relationship chemistry:

Everything is very bad. I mean. Except psycho duo, but they are kinda. A well oiled machine.

• Simon <- -> Athena - they are something that I call platonic soulmates. Two people who's lifes are so deeply intertwined, that they can never be apart. They are friends. They are siblings. They are uncle and niece. They would be together from this point to the eternity.

• Athena -> Phantom - she feels disdain towards him, but also pity. I mean:

I truly think that the therapist in her. And the saviour complex would destroy her "he killed my mom". So she kinda goes as "I would help you, but only if you yourself would try to change. Bitch you live like this".

• Phantom -> Athena - fear. I mean. She can read his mind. She can feel that he feels. She is the reason why his life was destroyed. And I'm not only talking about last trial. She made original reading from his bomb threat.

Her abilities to read his mind is probably horrifying to him, since his entire persona based on hiding. But I also think, that he would gravitate to her. She thinks he can change. She's also mentally not normal. She's a therapist. There's a lot of reasons why he can be scared, but also longing for understanding.

• Simon -> Phantom - disgust, babeey! There's probably a lot more, but this bitch does not talk to me. So I'm just observing him from the side.

• Phantom -> Simon - we went so far from good doggie woof woof, that we came back to it.

I'm calling it "fucked up backward loyalty". It's half "I has no reason to make him even more mad, we are trying to work here". And "please please please give me any type of attention". It's the same way as with Athena. Before every human interaction Phantom had for *we don't know how much* time was filtering through his role. Basically "it's my funny friend Bobby", not "it's my funny friend Phantom". So I think he got kinda. Lonely. Not even lonely, more like deep social dissociation. Simon hates him, but he hates HIM, SPECIFICALLY, not Bobby. And the hate is extremely powerful emotion it's almost like love.

Anyway. Local spy got his brain hard rebooted. And mistakenly imprinted on two people who hate him. WHAT CAN GO WRONG

[pocket-prosecutor]

There's something about subverting the inherent imbalanced power dynamic in g/t. Technically speaking, Phoenix always has control* over any physical situation. But Miles has discovered that he has more to say over Phoenix than he thought he could. One sneaky kiss and his "giant" boyfriend is completely paralyzed.

*Everything they do in this AU is within reason and with consent

Full sketch is under the cut!

[catwafers]

happy dl-6 day. here’s edgeworth reading fanfiction.

made for @juryzines Steel Samurai zine!

(transcript under the cut)

"I can tell you're suffering," pleaded the Steel Samurai. "I don't want to fight you! Let me help you!"

"Hmph." The Evil Magistrate dismissed the Samurai's plea. "You can't help me. Get out of my sight!"

"I can't just ignore you! Ever since we were kids, I..."

"You don't know me... you don't know about my inner darkness... I don't need your pity!" The Evil Magistrate turned away. The Steel Samurai could swear he saw a tear rolling down the Magistrate's cheek...

"Wait!" the Samurai cried, grabbing the Magistrate's wrist before he could get away, pivoting the man back toward him.

The Steel Samurai cupped the Magistrate's face in his hand, using his thumb to stroke his pointy moustache. "I can't leave you alone, Mag." The childhood nickname sent a pang through the Magistrate's heart.

The Magistrate looked into the Samurai's steely orbs, beautifully shining in the moonlight. The Samurai leaned forward, and gently met the Magistrate's lips with his own.

The two of them wished this moment would last forever.

Abruptly, the Magistrate pushed the Samurai away. "We can't." He couldn't meet the Samurai's gaze. "We're enemies."

"We don't have to be." His voice was soft.

"No... it is our destiny for us to fight. The next time we meet, it will be as enemies."

The Evil Magistrate disappeared from sight. A chilly breeze blew through Neo Olde Tokyo.

"Mag... I..."