#SOJ got BUSY

[aa-power-of-nine]

Welcome to the Ace Attorney Mainline Culprits mini sheet! Special thanks to @aquilamage for making the Godot one so long ago (check out the rest of their prosecutor lineup here: https://tmblr.co/ZpMyoha_CSPp4q00)

[First Row: AA1, left to right:

Frank Sahwit, Redd White, Dee Vasquez, Yanni Yogi, Manfred von Karma (official AAI), Damon Gant

Second Row: AA2, left to right:

Richard Wellington, Mimi Miney (pre-surgery), Ken "Acro" Dingling, Matt Engarde

Third Row: AA3, left to right:

Dahlia Hawthorne, Luke Atmey, Furio Tigre, Godot (Aquila Mage)

Fourth Row: AA4, left to right:

Kristoph Gavin, Alita Tiala, Daryan Crescend, Magnifi Gramarye (suicide)

Fifth Row: AA5, left to right:

Ted Tonate, Florent L'Belle, Aristotle Means, The Phantom (during UR-1), Marlon Rimes

Sixth Row: AA6, left to right:

Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin, Roger Retinz, Beh'leeb Inmee, Tahrust Inmee (suicide), Geiru Toneido, Inga Karkhuul Khura'in, Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in, Pierce Nichody]

[skaruresonic]

one thing that bothers me us how inconsistent Sonic's character can be, Sonic Team sees over the work idw does and approve it, sell it in Japan and promote it at the Japanese Sega club days then they refer to Sonic prime as canon where Sonic acts like a nine year old. They promote the movies and let Paramount do whatever they want its like they stopped giving a shit. I miss the Sonic X days where atleast his character in Japanese was consistent and canon.

Well, you gotta remember that Sonic is, among other things, a brand. A product that needs to be sold. Sega wants the fandom's money, so they'll follow it wherever it's at. They're not above distorting brand image to appeal to normies and fans who want to change Sonic into something completely different.

If the consumer base decrees that they want Sonic to be a superhero, by hook or by crook, Sonic is going to don that cape.

(...In adaptations and spinoffs. ST maintains a higher standard of quality for the games. I might have my gripes with Frontiers, but Sonic's characterization is not one of them.)

Everybody go home, we've already done this before

What people portray as "Sonic Team's oversight" or "seal of approval" of the IDW book is likely someone at SoJ giving the script a quick glance and deciding it's okay enough to publish.

Not that it's quality. That it passes the vaguest of vibe checks. Getting a C on your test means you passed the test, technically, but that doesn't make you an honor roll student.

Likewise, just because someone manning the phones at Sega says "welp, I don't see Sonic taking a fat rip on that bong, all clear buddy" doesn't mean IDW!Sonic is suddenly a good and game-faithful portrayal. Especially since Flynn has stated that he has more creative freedom with Sonic and Eggman.

Frankly, it's kind of laughable that people genuinely think ST themselves oversee the book's quality when

A.) the bulk of that job ought to be left to editorial (who are asleep at the wheel half the time, what with all the amateur writing and SPAG errors that manage to slip through)

and B.) ST are busy with their own shit? Vtuber Sonic? Sonic Channel stories? Promo-ing with Korone-chan? Developing video games? You think they've got time to pore over every intricacy of a licensed book that they receive no revenue for?

Can't speak for Prime, but the films are essentially another means of getting one foot in the door. They kind of inherently have to appeal to normies and their erroneous conceptions of Sonic so as to introduce new fans to the series.

[evelinessa]

Response to the hot takes: Phoenix is a better Dad in DD than AJ.

Reason I think this is because in AJ he abandons Trucy to work on the Jurist system for all of case 3, with no warning and apparently this isn't the first time he's done this to her. Sure you could argue he wasn't leaving his 15 yr completely alone cuz he knew Apollo would watch her but, given he doesn't know Apollo very well at this point, nor asks him to babysit his daughter makes the situation worse imo.

Meanwhile in DD he is busy with work yes but to me is much more present in her life and communicates with her regularly even while working as a lawyer, still far from a fantastic Dad in DD but seems to be better. So I'm curious as to why people think he's a better Dad in AJ cuz I just don't see it that way but maybe I'm forgetting some important details?

Also I haven't finished SOJ yet (only finished the first case yesterday and yet to start case 2) but given he risked his life in a foreign country to defend a stranger (who to be fair is 9 but it's still concerning how fast he jumps into accepting the death penalty imo) when he has a 17 daughter doesn't give me much hope for how good of a Dad he's gonna be in SOJ (but please don't spoil the future cases for me)

Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

Apologies in advance for this long response. It turns out I feel very strongly about a certain thing in DD, and how it pertains to Phoenix as Trucy's dad.

I won't say anything about SOJ for spoiler reasons, though I do have issue with some things in that game as well (which contributes to my feelings about Phoenix on this topic overall). Also, it's worth mentioning that I haven't played or watched the second trilogy since my first playthrough back in early 2021, so there could be important things I'm forgetting or misremembering.

I do have issues with some things in AJ, as well as things mentioned about the 7yg, but my opinion on Phoenix’s parenting there is still much more favorable than in the following two games.

For DD, Trucy isn't present much, from what I can recall. She's there occasionally at the office and says a few lines, mainly, but her largest role happens in 5-5, which is also the case where my issue lies (despite really enjoying that case overall).

Her role starts well as Phoenix's investigation assistant, but it kinda falls apart once they separate. From what I remember, she suddenly runs into the space center (to go after Apollo, I believe), and I can't remember if there's any sign of potential danger at that point, so I can't definitively say whether Phoenix should be faulted for letting her go/not going in after her.

However, once he finds out about the danger of the hostage situation, I found his reaction to that and attitude towards it for the rest of the case to be extremely underwhelming/inappropriate, to say the least.

He doesn't show nearly enough concern for his daughter's safety and life when he finds out and throughout the case, even when her life is repeatedly threatened. And as much as I love the banter between Phoenix and Miles in that case, it probably makes the relative lightheartedness (despite the high stakes for numerous people involved) stick out even more.

We're also in Phoenix’s POV—we can see his thoughts. So there can't be the excuse that he's putting on a brave face and is struggling more than we can see.

But what makes his reaction stick out the most to me is that we've seen how Phoenix has dealt with a similar situation to this before: in JFA (which I'm assuming you've played, as I'm about to mention major spoilers for it).

The rest is under the cut for 2-4 spoiler reasons, and also because this post got quite long.

Maya gets kidnapped. Her life in exchange for a not guilty verdict. Phoenix was in despair when he found out, nearly passing out, and he worried for her throughout the entire case. He even went to some questionable lengths (at first) to secure her safety.

Now, this is fine by itself. I don't have any issues here, and I think he acted appropriately. 2-4 is actually my favorite case in the series. My problem comes from when we compare the two scenarios and see how 5-5 Phoenix handles it.

Firstly, his concern should be, at the very least, the same level he showed back then. But it isn't anywhere close, when in reality, he should be much more upset at the circumstances in 5-5.

We have Maya, who was only a friend to him, an adult at the time, and also someone he'd only known for a little over a year at that point. Then we have Trucy, his daughter, not even 18 yet and Phoenix is still legally responsible for, and someone he'd raised for the last 8 years (half of her life).

Then the difference in their captors. De Killer is a cold, logical, professional assassin. He doesn't act hastily. His actions are very calculated. Maya is also his only hostage and the only insurance he has to keep Phoenix working with him and trying to defend Engarde. He wouldn't kill Maya unless there's absolutely no way for Phoenix to still defend Engarde. In that situation, Maya is too valuable. There's a certain safety and comfort in that, as Phoenix would have less worry that Maya would be killed, as long as Matt isn't declared guilty.

Let's compare this to Aura, who is acting in the opposite way to De Killer. She's not a professional killer, and the hostage situation was an act of desperation. She's more prone to acting rash and killing hostages because she's acting out of emotion and desperation to save her brother, as well as to avenge Metis.

She isn't able to think carefully and logically in that instance. It's not just business to her like it is for De Killer (his “aftercare” as he would call it). She also has numerous hostages and far more leverage than De Killer had. She could kill Trucy and still have influence over the prosecutor’s office, as they still had other hostages to worry about. Phoenix also had other reasons to take that case and keep defending, considering Athena was the defendant (though, if Trucy actually died, it could be too difficult for him to continue the case).

So, not only should the person who was taken hostage be more important to him in this instance, he should be more concerned as, logically, Trucy was at a higher risk of being killed than Maya was.

Again, I think Phoenix’s reaction in 2-4 was appropriate. The problem is with how he handles the situation in 5-5.

Even though he should be reacting more severely in the 5-5 situation, due to the increased chance of death and due to whose life is in danger—he doesn't. The concern he shows is a sliver of that, and because we have seen how he's reacted in that type of situation before, it makes the incongruity here even more obvious.

How it was handled here in comparison to 2-4 left such a bad taste in my mouth, that it significantly dragged down my opinion of Phoenix as a parent (and that's without getting into the issues I have with SOJ).

Even with that, I don't think he's a bad dad. Especially considering the amount of bad dads in this series. In a lot of ways, he probably did the best he could with the situation he and Trucy were in (during the 7yg), especially as he wasn't planning to become a father at that time and with everything going on. So I think he's good overall. But he isn't the best in the series to me.

See the fandom hot takes ask game here.

[azuriizt]

may I hear your based opinion on soj appearance of maya?

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you, I did not pay much attention to Maya because I was too busy gazing lovingly at Nahyuta. But from what I did see -

While it was great to see her again after two games, can my girl not catch a break? She's been training non-stop to become the head of Kurain Village, and while some of the overwhelming pressure was lifted off her shoulders because of her mom and aunt no longer being in the picture, it's still a big responsibility - given, she's also older than she was when we last saw her.

Maya keeps her silly weird girl personality but I personally could tell she's matured some, and it's... I don't know, endearing? Nostalgic? Made me feel old even though I don't experience their timeline. That being said, though, she's still cursed by the narrative; got arrested, and then had to witness a man get shot down and die right in front of her (for her sake, mind you) only to be tasked with the responsibility of channeling him so that he could have another happy memory.... And then got wrapped in a whole bunch of other stuff that ended with her spending an entire day on a coma, plus officially became the head of Kurain Village by the end of the game, which she said is going to take up most of her time.

In short - I was happy to see her back, but I would be happier if she could just chill and enjoy life once in a while. I can only hope she's healed from all that happened when she was younger, but with the severity of what she experienced now I also pray for a therapist. Capcom please let Maya rest.

[folkdances]

hi, you don't have to answer this, but i've seen you mention your favourite aa cases, and i was wondering how you feel about dgs/tgaa? it doesn't seem to feature much in your listings and i was just curious about why that was. none of this is meant to be accusatory btw, i was just wondering to see if any cases in those games also particularly marked you!

okay my dark dark secret is that i haven’t played dgs hangs my head in shame. i started the first game and got to the penultimate trial and then i got busy with school … i got the game the day the localized version was released too so this is from years ago now 😭 i’m replaying aa in order rn so i’m planning on finally playing the duology once i finish soj ^_^ but yeah i’ve definitely heard people’s high opinions of dgs and i remember liking it when i started it, just haven’t had the chance to finish it :-) my sister is an absolute fiend for the games though i can relay her gorgeous opinions to the good people of folkdances but nothing beyond that lol

[beauzos]

omgg 6, 8, 9, 10, 25, 30, 46, 79 for that big ass AA meme :3

Ace Attorney: 100Q Ask Meme

WAA thank you Ruby!!

6. Favourite Antagonist (in the role of the antagonist! e.g Edgeworth in AA1 counts but only in AA1.)

Ohh, man. Good question. I don't think she's the best one, I just really like Ga'ran. I think she has a lot of potential as a villain and they did a pretty good job building her up throughout SOJ. I also like the personal connections she has to the main cast. It adds a lot of stakes and it is a great thing to flesh out. I especially like her dynamic with Nahyuta. It really grabs me, but I love her dynamic with her whole family, too. She's one of the worst prosecutors but she is a great villain lol.

In terms of best antagonist, I think maybe Dahlia Hawthorne. She's my favorite antagonist from the original trilogy, at least.

8. All time favorite character?

Nahyuta!!!!! Before I played SOJ it'd have been Fulbright, and before the AJ trilogy it would've been Ryunosuke. And before TGAA it would've been Edgeworth or Franziska lol. But at this point Nahyuta is my number one. I think he's such a great character. I actually don't think his writing is as bad as it seems either after replaying Magical Turnabout last night. It's definitely underbaked but man he is so fucking funny and likable. Yes, he's quieter and less of a stand out than some other prosecutors but I like how impersonal he is. It's kinda the point, innit? That nothing of his real self is left and he's got nothing but the sanitized version of himself that keeps him alive?

I could write about him forever. Obviously. The question is just if I manage to finish anything now lol.

9. Least favourite character?

Honestly? Klavier.

There's probably other characters that annoy me more but I just don't like this guy. He kinda just gets on my nerves and he didn't click with me at all during AJ-- though that entire game did not click with me, so that could also be it. He's kinda boring. His personality is really weak, his dynamic with all of the characters feel really weak too and I feel like it says a lot that most of the dynamics he has is just people being annoyed that he exists KRKFJ

Sorryyy not to be a hater I know a lot of people love him. He just ain't for me.

I also don't particularly like Larry but he's kinda easy to forget about. But any time he shows up I'm just like -deep sigh-. He's pretty funny in the first game though, so there's that.

10. Favourite trial from all the games?

KMS I FORGOT THIS ONE ORIGINALLY SORRY

Anyways that's a good question. I think it's gotta be The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo. It just goes so hard, it's so satisfying to play because you keep solving each layer of mystery and have to go deeper. I think the deus ex machina with the "and I was recording the whole time!!" thing is stupid as FUCK but the rest of the case is legit great. This also includes the previous case since it's just part 1 and 2.

Fave original trilogy case is probably Bridge to the Turnabout or Farewell, My Turnabout. fave AJ trilogy case is probably Turnabout Revolution.

25. Favourite rare pair?

Is Skye/madhi a rarepair. It's rare compared to more popular Yuta ships at least, and it's my fave AA ship overall. They're t4t and Ema makes Yuta want to be a better person and he admires her so much for everything she is and everything she is capable of. And she thinks he's hot KRKFJK

I also like them as a QPR, but them being a QPR and them dating basically is the exact same to me. Trust me I am an expert (<-- aroace). I originally headcanoned Nahyuta as being a bisexual aromantic (and same for Ema) and I'm not sure if I still do so if he is (because ultimately to me he is just queer. What he is is none of my business KRKFN), QPR, if not, bi4bi t4t couple. Well, that's them regardless, but you see how it is.

My issue with the rarepair term is I really don't know what necessarily counts as one in a fandom as big as this, so in this instance, I'm just going with "lesser popular ship" or "ship that isn't the most popular for a character." I'm used to being invested in ships where I am, quite literally, the only person who ships them, so it's hard coming to a fandom where I like ships other people like too KRKF

Otherwise, idk, Black/bright if that counts? I love them a lot. And if that doesn't count. I don't fucking know. Dhurke/Datz then KRKD

(don't want this winding up in ship tags so putting slashes lol)

30. Character you’d push off a cliff with no hesitation?

Inga. I don't think I need to explain this one KRKF

46. Character you thought you were gonna dislike but loved in the end?

NAHYUTA!!! I watched videos ranking the AA cases after I finished the original trilogy. I didn't mind the spoilers because I didn't know how to emulate DD or SOJ so I didn't know if or when I'd ever play them. I let them convince me he was a horrible boring prosecutor. I let them convince me that I was really going to hate SOJ and then I DIDN'T!!!! He's great!!!

79. How long have you been in the fandom?

It depends? I played the original trilogy early last summer after buying it for like 3 dollars on the 3DS shop before it closed. I was out of games to play and I'd had it for months so I said fuck it and played it and really liked it, but it didn't get me super invested in the fandom the way I got into it this year. I played TGAA that summer as well and that really compelled me. So I was def into the series last summer, but I only got insane about it after playing the AJ trilogy after the remaster came out.

So... in a normal sense? Last summer. In the "this is my special interest" sense? February of this year.

[scarlettatg]

The Handmaid’s Tale

The deal

Episode 306 Household

Gilead has been a black box for years. We don't know how decisions are made, where the power lies. The more we know, the more we can do.

What if I brought you someone who would talk? A Commander. An Eye.

It seems unlikely that kind of person would... be cooperative.

I'll persuade him.

We won't be able to do business with Mr. Blaine.

You made a deal!

I don't think you know who Mr. Blaine is. Or who he was. Our research indicates he is not to be trusted.

No, there's been... There's some kind of mistake. I will talk to him.

He's left for Chicago. Some people are not to be dealt with.

What did Nick do? Before he was a driver?

He served Gilead.

How did he serve Gilead? Tell me.

He was a soldier in the crusade. We wouldn't be here without him. All this time you spent together and he never mentioned anything.

Episode 310 Bear Witness

Have you ever thought about leaving Gilead?

You mean go somewhere where I could get mood stabilizers instead of herbal tea?

Joseph would help you. You could leave together. He wants you to be... safe. He loves you so much.

Joseph is a war criminal. He can't cross the border. He would be... jailed for the rest of his life. Or... killed.

Episode 502 Ballet

You've risen fast, while somehow managing to help June. That takes talent. To fly under the radar like that.

Just trying to stay out of trouble.

Wouldn't you like to see your daughter in person rather than asking about her?

That's a pipe dream.

I know you got a complicated past. But America can be a very forgiving place. If you make amends, gain us some visibility, play your part for a while. I'd like to help you and your daughter. If you'll let me. We could help each other.

I'll remember that.

Episode 509 Allegiance

What about Nick Blaine?

What about him?

I offered to help him when I was in Gilead, if he'd help us, but he turned me down.

What, to be your inside man in Gilead or something?

At first, but then, eventually, to be our man here. With immunity.

He said no?

Yes, but he can still have that. Maybe you could persuade him. Nick was an Eye. He's a Commander now. Someone like that defecting from Gilead... Big impact.

Episode 510 Safe

Now that we've fulfilled our end of the bargain, I have some papers for you to sign. They outline our agreement.

Contract?

If it was up to me, I'd take you at your word.

Not sure how much my word is worth right now.

I'd call you an honorable man. I look forward to working together. You have the gratitude of the United States government.

I'll keep my end of the deal. You just keep her safe.

I will do everything I can.

That's not good enough.

I believe the idea of Nick leaving Gilead never occurred to June or to Nick until season 5 with Tuello’s offer. After the Waterford house burned down and especially after June gets to Canada, they both live in whatever stolen moments they get, and after that there’s just the continuation of their separate lives. Nick believed June would go back to her life and that his daughter would grow up safe away from Gilead (and him), that he has no choice but to stay in Gilead and that he has nothing to offer June. He probably knows that because his involvement with the SOJ if he were to leave Gilead he would be tried as a war criminal. When he talks to the Swiss they aren’t willing to deal with him, but Tuello is and offers him a deal despite his complicated past. I’ve always wondered why were the Swiss unwilling to deal with him then but now it’s seems it’s fine. Could it be that then he was just promoted to commander and his information wasn’t important? He still would’ve had access to military actions and that info could’ve helped the resistance in Chicago. Tuello does mention that Nick has risen through the ranks so maybe that is why they’re willing to work with him now or maybe they just don’t have access to anyone that high up. Interesting though that since the conversation with the Swiss and where we are now, I think maybe a year has gone by. June also didn’t think Nick being out was a possibility and we see that in her reaction when Tuello tells her about Nick not taking the deal. It would be in her best interest if Nick stayed in Gilead (Hannah) yet we see that what mattered to her was that he had said no. She wants him out and close to her. She even tells him to bring Rose because she doesn’t care how it happens, she just wants it to happen. I think this is important to know exactly how June feels about Nick. It’s subtle but it’s there.

Every time I think about the scenes in episode 306 I try to make sense of what is being said and what we have been given. We know Nick joined the SOJ so therefor he had to have been in some way involved with the take over - we just don’t know to what extent. I keep thinking that if he was so instrumental he wouldn’t have been a driver for years. Bruce recently said in an interview Nick chose to be a driver. I don’t think he had many choices. I assumed it was be a driver or a patrolling guardian/military police. After all Nick wasn’t a founding father and he was working class when he joined the SOJ, it made sense for him to be kept as working class once Gilead settled. If he would’ve excelled in the military Gilead would’ve left him in the military, he wouldn’t have had a choice. What Serena says to June makes sense but not how she’s framing it. Without soldiers Gilead would’ve not become, just like it wouldn’t have become without her ideas and without men like Fred and Lawrence. Gilead would’ve become if Nick joined or didn’t join. Whether he called the FBI (if he knew about the take over) or not (the FBI was already keeping tabs on the group). He could’ve made it out or he would’ve gotten caught and forced to comply. In episode 310 we find out Lawrence and pretty much the Commanders couldn’t really leave Gilead and that would’ve included Nick, especially since June had already found out about Nick in episode 306. I know the episode doesn’t really give us a hint as if June related that info with Nick but I can assume at some point she must’ve thought about that. After this she doesn’t see Nick again until season 4, her only chance to ask him to leave would’ve been in 409. We don’t see them talk about it (I keep believing they live in the moment and they both think they have no possibility of a life together). She didn’t know Fred had made a deal, until after she gets back from seeing Nick and what happened with Tuello for me was a clear call back to what Nick tells her in episode 303 they’re politicians they have their own agenda, they don’t care about us. After that there’s the phone call jn 503 and their meeting in 509, where the possibility of him leaving was now a reality, but his obligations had changed making that possibility once again complicated/impossible.

In 502 when Tuello offers Nick the deal he doesn’t even think that would’ve ever been a possibility and while some people think he said no, he clearly says I’ll remember that. It’s definitely not a no. Nick doesn’t trust politicians, he has new obligations, knows how dangerous it is, probably think Lawrence’s plan to fix Gilead will work and like he tells Tuello in 510 June doesn’t need him, she has people to care for her. Aside from that in 503 all possibility of helping June with Hannah (also not explored in the season but I find it extremely odd they would add a Rose/MacKenzie connection and not use it) became an impossibility and probably taking the deal vanished when MacKenzie sees him talking to Tuello. That’s also why he can’t really move when June asks him to in the phone call and why she begins to understand that Nick made a life in Gilead (just like she’s trying in Canada) even though neither of them are happy. I see this as a breaking him away from his line in 409 and I’m here to do what I can.

As calculating and strategic as we have seen Nick throughout all seasons, knowing he could’ve lost June and that he couldn’t protect her was what it took for him to take the deal we all wanted him to finally take. He didn’t take it because he wanted to end Gilead - even though we know he wants to better it because he doesn’t agree with the atrocities it commits. It was all about her safety. He pretty much sacrificed his own safety (nothing he hasn’t done before) for hers. I wonder how they will push him in season 6. Was this enough for him to understand that Gilead can’t get better and it has to end? Because it’s something that in a way June also has to understand. She can’t get to Hannah unless Gilead falls. She has to let Hannah go in order to fight for her and this kind of aligns them in a similar path like we saw them in season 5.

[blazehedgehog]

I wouldn't exactly call the development history of games like Sonic X-Treme or Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric "boring and normal". Hell, even Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles had behind-the-scenes schisms surrounding them. I get what you're saying, but in this case, you kinda stuck your foot in your mouth. This isn't merely "blue arms/green eyes" stupidity, it's a very warranted distrust against SoJ because they have a proven track record of tripping up SoA. That paranoia didn't come out of nowhere.

Here's the sad truth: in today's game industry, "developers were crunched almost to the point of death" is not new, though. Nor is it particularly juicy.

Like I look at what happened to Sonic Boom, and it makes a sick amount of sense. Rise of Lyric was Sega's equivalent of a licensed game -- but instead of "Batman: The Movie: The Game" it was "Sonic: The TV Show: The Game." They figured it would be easy money and that the games and the show and the comics would all support each other and create this huge cross-media launch that would be too big to fail.

Sonic games, like Sonic Colors, had sold extremely well on the Wii, so when Nintendo came knocking at Sega's door for an exclusivity deal, Sega jumped at the chance. Without consulting the people actually making the game, of course, because they were small potatoes compared to the big dollar signs the suits had in their eyes.

But then whoops! Uh oh! The Wii U was stillborn! Mario & Sonic at the Sochi Olympics bombed! Sonic Lost World bombed! Sega suddenly had the coldest feet on earth! And when Big Red Button was like "Hey boss, this game isn't turning out right, can we have some extra time and money to make it better?" Sega told them to take a hike. Behind closed doors they were undoubtedly talking about "acceptable losses" and sending the game out to die. All without ever considering the people actually making the thing itself.

Do you understand? Bad games are never made bad on purpose, but bad games are released bad on purpose, and that's for strictly business reasons. The people signing the checks of the people signing the checks cut their losses and let the dominoes fall.

"Sonic Team is jealous of Sonic Mania" suggests that Sonic Team is a person. An individual. And that the emotions of that singular human named "Sonic Team" can sway the flow of millions of dollars.

What I am talking about is the language of money. This is how corporations operate. This isn't a soap opera. It is something that happens on a massive, impersonal scale, where the actions of a CEO are 18 departments and two entire street addresses removed from the workers it actually effects.

That is boring. It's bureaucratic. It's like watching the movements of massive planets in the night sky, where from far away they look tiny and colorful and are moving so slowly as to be nearly stationary. But up close, it's a cold, emotionless machine. And it's always operating in service of getting more money, not less.

That's not to say that real juicy drama never happens. Of course it does. But that kind of stuff -- the "personal feelings got in the way of making money" situation you're describing -- very rarely happens and I'd argue a lot of corporations probably even have checks and balances in place to make sure directors and producers don't get that close to the projects they're working on.

Most of the reasons these things happen are less interesting and more sad realities of, I dunno, capitalism overall.

[myimaginedcorner]

To all asks sent through, they will be answered starting tomorrow! Some are a bit spoilery, so I chose to give people the weekend's first half to enjoy the chapter, and post my answers later, guilt-free.😊 Meanwhile, if anyone wants to share anything else, please do!! I love reading your reactions: truly, they motivate me to work harder every day.

My apologies for the delayed notice; today was a very busy day (with Ch9 included). Torn Page will be posted tomorrow, it needs some finishing I didn't polish well enough - again, I'm very sorry, but I got into a very good headspace for writing SoJ, and got distracted from the world around me 😰 (hence the outrageously late time for this post). But at least we're now at 15K...?

Thank you all for sticking with silly me. See you soon!

[azogue2718]

Kay Faraday - The Yatagarasu

[theggning]

Some context that I think a lot of newcomers to the AA fandom may not have is that series creator and lead writer Shu Takumi did not want to continue the series after the trilogy. He believed that Phoenix's character arc was over, and that hanging around with the same character after he no longer had a story to tell would be detrimental to the series.

"I felt that Phoenix's story had been told, and that the series should not continue", he explained. "Knowing when to end a story is very important and I wanted to avoid dragging it out and having it become a shadow of its former self."

When Capcom decided that AA4 would move forward, Takumi insisted on creating a new main character and telling a new story, but was convinced to involve Phoenix as well. This leads to Phoenix being present in the game at all, as well as the transitional "passing of the torch" storyline that makes up most of the plot.

Only, the torch never really gets passed.

Takumi stepped away from the mainline games after this point. He was not involved in the production of Dual Destinies at all (busy working on PLvsAA and Great Ace Attorney.) In Takumi's stead, the new series writing team immediately promoted Phoenix back to main character status -- despite the fact that Phoenix still doesn't have a character arc at this point. Meanwhile, they fumble around with Apollo's backstory, trying to flesh it out while feeling obligated by Capcom to keep Phoenix in the spotlight. Add Athena, a brand new third main character, and it's easy to see how DD feels like it's struggling for focus, trying to keep too many balls in the air while their flagship protagonist is still at center stage, with nothing to do and no growth to undergo.

I feel like this problem becomes really apparent in SoJ, which I do feel is a stronger game than DD. However, by this point they clearly have absolutely no idea what to do with their protagonists. Phoenix is yet again in the spotlight, with ludicrously high stakes in place of any arc on his part. Athena, whose arc/backstory was more or less finished in DD, is now kind of just here and relegated to background status. And Apollo, who was meant to be the protagonist of this trilogy, receives a second and wildly overcomplicated backstory and then gets put on a bus and written out of the series entirely.

I love Ace Attorney and there have been moments in all 6 games that I found enjoyable or memorable. But without question, the original trilogy hits harder and works better as an overall story, and feels a lot more cohesive. It's a shame that Apollo never really got his own trilogy, and I think most fans will wonder what might have been if Takumi had been able to write that trilogy as he intended to.

I think Takumi was spot on, though. Just as it's important to have direction in your characters and story, it's important to know when to move on to something new.

[inspector-montoya-fox]

So what’s the significance of Franiska Von Karma’s departure at the end of Justice for All ?

I’m not going to go on some essay-length analysis but I was thinking how the credits roll over the shot of her flight. It’s significant for sure, so here are some random ideas I’ve had. Surface level: well, defeated she returns home. She returned with a vengeance after Manfred’s fall from grace, but instead of blaming Phoenix she targeted Edgeworth (mostly). Underestimating Phoenix was a huge mistake so once she got her ass handed to her, she returned “home” with her tail between her legs. Also, her ego got shattered when her third chance to beat Phoenix got stolen from her in Farewell, and, in a vonkarmic turn of events, got handed over to Edgeworth.

I truly think Franziska’s a mistreated character. Not in an Athena’s subject to non-deliberate misogyny way, but more like under-appreciated. She’s set up as this prodigy prosecutor, trained in Germany and Manfred’s daughter. She’s presented as ruthless and violent, her reputation preceding her for the entirety of Reunion’s first act when Gumshoe’s like OMG the new prosecutor is such a menace! Phoenix and Maya ridicule her in court, and she fails to compose herself, acting like a brat. And then, instead of giving her closure or an epilogue, she’s replaced by Edgeworth just to then get emotionally cockblocked by him at the airport. She’s only redeemed in T&T when she returns as a mature antihero who still wants to win but is way more sympathetic, and... becomes the victim of Godot’s... misogyny ??? Her cameo in Bridge definitely acted as a foundation for her character development in both Investigations games.

Anyway, I think the ending in Justice for All is the most melodramatic ending in the entire series. Beyond Franziska’s departure, Phoenix has to deal with the emotional trauma of Maya’s abduction and the split ending has him walking away from the trial too. The music chosen for the credits is the saddest out of all of them, it gives a sense of unfinished business but calm after the storm. So I’m wondering if the reason behind all this drama surrounding the ending is Franziska’s failure to see the bigger picture and realisation that she needs to grow up.

Her departure coincides with Maya’s return and in a metaphorical sense, it could signify how there’s no place for someone like Franziska in the cast of characters. At the same time, though, her injury coincides with Maya’s abduction too, so I think there’s a duality/binary opposites kinda thing being set up. Maya is definitely the opposite of Franziska. From physical appearance to character traits to ethics to MO, they could not be more different. What’s also interesting is how Maya is MIA for both Reunion and Farewell, making Big Top the only instance when she faced off Franziska in court. Considering all of these facts, I feel like Franziska (specifically in Justice for All) acts as a monkey wrench to the equation: she’s there to test relationships and the limits of characters, like Phoenix and Gumshoe, and is then subtracted alongside Maya to present what she’s brought to the table this whole time.

Her flight back might also imply how the domestic (Japanese or American) law is superior to any foreign one (this being also heavily pointed at in SoJ and maybe even Athena if we count how many times she’s stumbled). What I keep forgetting every time I think of Justice for All is that Franziska actually helps in Farewell, even if she’s hospitalized, but absolutely no one (including myself) acknowledges it. It’s not an Edgeworth-level redemption arc but it sure is something, I guess. In Justice for All specifically, I think she’s definitely under-appreciated, as mentioned above. I think she’s like the antihero who sheds lights on the value of everyone who is already there: Gumshoe’s willpower, Edgeworth’s resources, Maya’s... presence, Phoenix’s perseverance. And Pearl.

[greenyvertekins]

Whilst I don't think it would've saved the saturn, it is very unfortunate that the relationship between SoJ & SoA got so heated when they should've been working together more such as providing more material, talking together & making sure that they're build then demoing is the latest build (Nakayama viewed an earlier build, was furious & ordered the entire game to be based around the boss battle mechanics.)

I agree. The feud between SoA and SoJ definitely had a hand in dooming the company to dropping out of the hardware business. And the whole clusterfuck surrounding X-treme’s development, how they had to outsource programmers who didn’t know WTF they were doing only to come-up with the stuff that made Nakayama livid is just one nail in the coffin.

Apparently, the SoJ guys had already left the building by the time the STI guys were able to show-off other elements of the game’s development.

[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.

[sophistopheles]

Hi I was thinking about that second soj case and something bothers me. In DD, we learned that Phoenix and Miles went to see Trucy show together however in soj, Miles didn't go (we can say that he was busy this day) bu what i find weird is that he didn't even send her flowers or look after her when she was accused of murder. I would like to think that these things happened "behind the scene" and they wanted to keep Edgeworth for the final case but logically, he should have been in that case.

Hi there anon, thanks for the ask!

Yeah, I gotta admit that Edgeworth being totally uninvolved when Trucy got arrested for murder is a little strange, taking the interpretation they’re as close as the rest of the game makes them seem (sleeping on his shoulder on the airplane, sneaking into his trunk in Khura’in, etc). You’re right- the Doylian explanation would be that it’s only case 2 and Capcom doesn’t like to pull out the big recurring characters like Edgeworth and Pearl until the last case when everything’s coming together. But from a Watsonian standpoint, it’s definitely something of a mystery.

The flowers thing can be explained as him spending enough time around her to contact and congratulate her personally! The people who sent Trucy flowers are all, to different degrees, unavailable- Lamiroir is presumably busy making music or performing somewhere, Jinxie & Mayor Tenma are up in Nine-Tales Vale and Klavier’s... dropped off the face of the Earth, or something. We can assume Edgeworth was planning to go to the show’s premiere with Phoenix once he came back, or something similar. 

As for why he didn’t help out- well, probably for the same reason Phoenix didn’t rush back to LA as soon as he heard Trucy was in trouble. At this point Edgeworth knows Apollo and trusts him with Trucy, just like Phoenix does. (Plus, we don’t know he didn’t visit Trucy off-screen! He may have checked in on her while Apollo was out investigating, or used his authority to get in after visiting hours closed.)

Hope this helps you, anon! This was fun to think about & write!

[hotel-japanifornia]

If Phoenix or Maya died instead of Mia, that would be a very sad AU to the entire series as a whole. Who knows what that would have done to her.

Well, I did write an AU where Maya got murdered by Redd White. I’m not going to act like my fic is the definitive of how Turnabout Sisters would have gone if Maya was the victim but I do think that it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that things would have gone that way. Mia for sure would have figured out that Redd White was the murderer and would have gone after him, and do anything in her power to take him down. 

As for what happens to Mia after The Reversal of Sisters, well, here’s how the rest of the franchise would have gone at least in my view:

Mia finds out that Will Powers, the actor of the Steel Samurai was arrested for murder. Recognizing that name as the show that Maya loved so much, she takes the case because she knows that’s what Maya would want her to do.

Phoenix insists on tackling Turnabout Goodbyes on his own as he desperately wants to help his friend out. He loses because Maya isn’t around to call Lotta out on the validity of her testimony, and Edgeworth is found “Guilty” of murder. As a side note, Von Karma disappears and is never heard from again. Afterwards, Phoenix slips into a deep depression and Mia consoles him, the two comforting each other due to them both losing someone they care about deeply.

Mia ends up defending Lana at the request of Ema Skye. Lana is much more open to the idea of having Mia as her lawyer but still acts similarly cold and distant towards her as she did Phoenix. Mia, with Ema’s help, manages to defend Lana successfully, though she still goes to jail. At the end, Lana and Mia promise to stay in touch during the former’s prison sentence through writing letters.

The Kurain case never happens as there’s no Maya for Morgan to plot to get rid of. Instead, Dr. Grey goes nuts and tries to murder Mimi Miney who is disguised as Ini. He is arrested for attempted murder. The reason I think Grey would go after “Ini” is because he would want to take vengeance upon the sister of the woman who had in a sense, ruined his business. I also don’t think Mimi would have gone after Grey had he not suggested the channeling honestly.

The Lost Turnabout and Turnabout Big Top would have been taken by Mia. She offers both cases to Phoenix, but he’s still depressed after losing Edgeworth. She does manage to convince him to stand in with her during trial.

Mia would have no reason to take Farewell, My Turnabout. In actuality, I think that Matt Engarde’s case would have been taken by a public defender as everyone else is convinced of his guilt. The public defender loses the case and Engarde is found “Guilty. And as an added bonus, the public defender’s body is found the next day but nobody knows if their death was a murder or a suicide. You could argue that maybe Mia would have taken Matt’s case, but I’m not so sure. Engarde looked rather “Guilty” from the onset and if it wasn’t for DeKiller, I’m not so sure Phoenix would have taken it either…without coercion from Maya.

Diego wakes up in August 2018. Mia, scared of losing him again, proposes to him very soon after he wakes up. The two of them marry and Phoenix is the man of honor.

Soon afterwards, Diego joins the Fey & Co. Law Offices as a third lawyer. 

Phoenix, inspired by Diego’s return to law, starts taking cases again, but starts off slow with simple hit-and-run and assault cases. He doesn’t take up the case revolving around the murder at KB security (Diego does), but does take up the murder at Tres Bien which goes much differently than it does in canon. This is because he isn’t as popular in this universe so Furio Tigre can’t impersonate him to get Maggey convicted of murder.

Diego is Phoenix’s aide during the Gramarye trial and tells him to watch out for that forged diary page. With his help, Phoenix is able to avoid being disbarred. However, Zak still disappears after the conclusion of the trial (because why wouldn’t he honestly?) and Phoenix still adopts lil’ Trucy.

As a side note, because AAI and AAI2 require the presence of Edgeworth, the smuggling ring and the Mastermind are never caught for their crimes. Actually come to think of it, the Mastermind actually WOULD be put in jail, but for a murder they never actually committed. 

Turnabout Visitors ends up going differently since it requires Edgeworth to have the room he has in canon. If Jacques was able to get Edgeworth’s room, he might not end up needing to murder Buddy after all. On the other hand, Rhoda would be accused of murdering Akbey, Lauren would be accused of murdering her father, and Kay would be accused of murdering Coachen. I don’t know who would have been accused of murdering Ka-Shi-Nou though.

The fake president is never discovered and SS-5 is never resolved. Blaise, Patricia, and Di-Jun-Huang never face retribution for their crimes.

The UR-1 trial goes a bit differently than it does in canon. Since a Fey & Co. defense attorney may have taken young Simon’s case, it’s possible that they’re able to prove his innocence and demonstrate the existence of a “phantom” killer. He would have still been arrested on tampering with the crime scene but on a lighter sentence due to trying to protect a young Athena. Make no mistake though, Simon totally adopts Athena once he gets out of the slammer. Whether or not she becomes a defense attorney still is up in the air but I think it’s likely. She might get inspired by watching Simon in court and want to face off against him in court.

Because the UR-1 trial goes differently than it does in canon and Phoenix is never disbarred, the dark age of the law never truly starts.

Apollo ends up working for the Fey & Co. Law Offices instead of Kristoph. I’m not sure how exactly AJ would have gone down. I think Kristoph would still have murdered Shadi and Turnabout Corner and Turnabout Serenade may gone down like in canon. Whether or not Kristoph is caught for murdering Shadi…is a different story.

Ema also doesn’t grow up to be a grumpy bear detective but probably is still bitter about not getting her dream job.

For DD, I can see 5-2, 5-3, and 5-DLC going the same just with Simon acting in a different manner since he was never convicted of Metis’ murder and as such, doesn’t have the lingering threat of death hanging over his head. I don’t think that Bobby and Simon knew each other before the latter got convicted so it’s probably a different detective working those cases. Unless the Phantom kills that guy and somehow manages to manipulate Simon into thinking the other detective just simply quit…

The Khu’rain cases in SOJ likely don’t happen because none of the Fey & Co. defense attorneys have any real reason to travel there. 6-2, 6-4, and 6-DLC might still happen but with different lawyers working those cases. 

As for the sibling reveal, well, like in canon, it still hasn’t happened yet. That’s mainly because it’s really not up to any of the lawyers to decide when Lamiroir will let Trucy and Apollo know of their heritage, Although, it might be a bit sooner since Apollo doesn’t go to Khu’rain in this version.

Phoenix never finds out the truth about Dahlia. As a result, he probably stays single for the rest of his life. He almost definitely would have trust issues if he ever got into a relationship again.

Lastly, Morgan receives a call from Mia about Maya’s murder. She decides to use Maya’s death to her advantage and tells Pearl a couple hours later that Mystic Maya had contacted her personally and told her that she never wanted to see her or Pearl ever again. Pearl is inconsolable at first and refuses to believe that her beloved cousin would ever do or say such a thing. However, over time, as Pearl grows older and Maya never returns, she begins to take Morgan’s word for it. Meanwhile, Morgan does her part to ensure that Pearl never finds out the truth and murders anyone who threatens to try. 

Pearl becomes Master as a result in 2021, she doesn’t receive the Master’s Talisman from Misty and is instead given a new one upon courtesy of her mother (I don’t think we ever learn if new Master’s Talismans are made when a person becomes Master. I’m pretty sure they aren’t passed down though). By the time she’s 18, she’s blocked the memory of her cousins out of hatred towards them for leaving the family. Misty never goes out of hiding out of fear that her sister might kill her if she tries to reach out to Pearl. She and Larry are still master and student though.

Pearl does go for training in Khu’rain but it’s unknown if she stays with the Inmees like Maya does in canon.

This at least, is an outline of how it could have gone. Things almost certainly would have been very different if Phoenix had been murdered. He would never have been the lawyer he is today, etc. Maya and Mia probably would be working together to try to put Redd away, so that’s a fun thought for an AU.