#and i thought franziska was over the top

[evansentcoffee]

Onto dual destinies case 2! What a fucking fever dream. Who let Blackquill prosecute holy shit. His suggestion power or whatever should NOT be allowed in a courtroom, he's sicced a hawk on multiple people, he broke steel chains, Athena clearly has some trauma related to him, what the hell is going on. WHY DID THEY GIVE A PRISONER CONVICTED OF MURDER HIS GOD DAMN SWORD THAT HE MURDERED WITH

[weirdbabs]

there is no quicker way to get me from neutral or even enjoying a ship to hating it than to go into the tag its from and have it flooded w posts only in a shipping context

[screamingaboutaceattorney]

i don’t even know anymore

edit: image ids under the cut

image 1: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. dahlia hawthorne says “yes im trying to kill you LOL stop being so immature about it” with a happy expression. end id

image 2: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. aura blackquill says “*sips green chemicals out of my Erlenmeyer flask using a silly straw*” with a happy expression while clonco stands to her left. end id

image 3: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. at the top of the post is a picture of a bunch of snails in a ring with one snail in the center on top of a glass table. text on the picture reads “My girlfriend walked outside this morning to see this, a bunch of snails in a circle with leader in the middle…” juniper woods says “We’ve found it Snail Church” with a happy expression. myriam scuttlebutt then says “snurch” with her arms crossed. hugh o’conner says “Take me to snurch” with a smug expression. end id

image 4: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. trucy wright says “weatherboy (derogatory)” while pouting with her hands on her hips. apollo justice asks “op what does this mean” with an exasperated expression. trucy replies “wouldn’t you like to know weatherboy” with a happy expression. end id

image 5: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. aura blackquill says “im the smartest person on earth. if you saw my tits you’d understand.” with a smug expression while resting on clonco. end id

image 6: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. raymond shields says “i love not being a teenager but also sometimes people on the internet just say words and i have to look them up on urban dictionary like i’m 90” with a disappointed expression. end id

image 7: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. franziska von karma says “standing next to sunflowers always makes me feel weak like “look at this fucking flower. this flower is taller than i am. this flower is winning and i’m losing.”” with an angry expression. phoenix wright comments “Wow you are not ready to hear about trees” with a thoughtful expression. end id

image 8: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. sebastian debeste says “Thots on the Pope” with a smug expression. miles edgeworth responds “So the pope has thoughts now” with a thoughtful expression. kay faraday comments “crawling all over him like weevils” with a happy expression and justine courtney says “They’re called cardinals I think” with a neutral expression and her gavel extended. end id

image 9: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. pearl fey says “One day I hope I am the girl that walks into a room and all eyes are on her.” with a dejected expression. young trucy wright then says “The trick is to get a really big hat and then scream” with a happy expression. end id

image 10: image id: a tumblr post edited to look like characters from the ace attorney series are speaking. athena cykes says “u ever think about how ur skeleton is always wet” with a thoughtful expression. apollo justice replies “I wish I never had but thanks for ruining my life” with an exasperated expression. trucy wright adds “don ’ t worry ! there will come a time when it ’ s not :)” with a happy expression. apollo says “Thanks! Even worse :)” with a scared and startled expression. end id

[absolutefuckingfreak]

pearl + franmaya thoughts

Bridge To The Turnabout is one of absolute favorite ace attorney cases of all time, this isn't really surprising as from what I've seen, its generally considered one of (if not) the best cases. It gives us the best thing that has ever graced this world, assistant Franziska. But also Pearl and Franziska interaction, and this one interaction is basically the foundation for people's interpretations of Pearl's idea of Franziska and Maya being together. And I love it. Some of my favorite plots for Franmaya fics are the ones where Franziska NEEDS to win over the approval of this. Literal child. For the sake of her relationship. Whether it be through Franziska making Pearl think she is so super cool, bonding through hurt/comfort, or Pearl just coming to realize that Franziska makes Maya happy, I absolutely adore when people write and/or make art about it. In canon, Pearl literally just berated Franziska, a grown adult, for being mean to her cousin..and Franziska took that personally. The scene itself is amazing because Franziska would never take criticism like that from anyone. But this 9 year old absolutely tears her apart in a way no one could even DARE to try. But this isn't about that one scene from BTTT that everyone knows about. This is me being stupidly self indulgent over a ship I love. Franziska and Maya being gay for each other aside, I love the dynamic between Franziska and Pearl. In a way, they're just like each other, which leads me to believe that Franziska would truly see herself in Pearl, and want to protect her like she were her own kin. Both prodigies, both destined for something amazing, both having corrupt parents. I feel as though Franziska would look at Pearl and envision a tiny Franziska, wanting to be just like her Papa, incredibly intelligent for being such a young age, and not really knowing any better of the horrors of having to grow up so fast. I think as close as they would become, Pearl would tell Franziska about what her mom was like, to Franziska's horror. I mean, Pearl's autonomy was kind of stripped from her. Maybe that's a stretch but with the way Morgan acted and talked about Pearl, I've always compared them to Rapunzel and Mother Gothel from Tangled. A lot of people hate Manfred Von Karma and believe him to be an abusive father, but I feel like there's reason to believe from multiple sources that he actually loved his kids. But this isn't about him and there's people who have explained this point way better than I ever could. Something I see a lot less is talk about Morgan Fey. Who was willing to kill her own niece so Pearl could take her place. Like her own blood. Back to the Rapunzel and Mother Gothel comparison, Mother Gothel values Rapunzel for her hair and that hair's ability to keep her young. Morgan values Pearl for her absolutely insane psychic abilities, believing she could be the one to put the branch family back on top. She wants to basically live vicariously through her daughter and will absolutely stop at nothing to get her goal achieved. Sucks to suck for her because it doesn't work but it also makes you go what the fuck! Maybe one day I'll make another post after doing a bunch of research on how this could pyschologically fuck up a kid (though I already have some idea). Franziska would absolutely want to protect this kid's innocence. Pearl doesn't know any better, she's a kid. She doesn't fully understand all the adult stuff going on around her and this is touched upon in BTTT. Pearl shouldn't know about all the horrible stuff that goes on in her family. She should literally be playing with dolls and probably learning how to use a whip, this is Franziska after all. This is technically a franmaya post and yet it has mostly been about Franziska and Pearl's friendship because well, I think franmaya needs to be there for Franziska and Pearl to even interact, because it puts that feeling inside of Franziska to have Pearl approve of her like a dad would.

Another thing I wanted to touch on because I cannot form a coherent train of thought even if I tried was the "homophobic Pearl" joke, which is just something I think is funny but also hope people don't actually take as a factual part of her character. Like ironically, yeah that's hilarious. Truly though, Pearl would not be homophobic, obviously?? Like someone could make the argument that Morgan instilled homophobia into her, but also she didn't let her leave the village so I kind of believe Morgan would think she wouldn't have to, if she wanted to even. If she doesn't leave the village how is she gonna learn about different kinds of love. Also Pearl is just, really into romance in general, she believes it to traditionally be between a man and a woman because that's what she's been taught, she's a kid. Also Maya is like, her idol, if she said she liked girls and boys (or just girls depending on how you hc her) then Pearl would gaze at her all starry eyed and go "YOU CAN DO THAT???" and probably think up a bunch of stories about princesses being together. Pearl being included in franmaya sillies is so important to me, Maya watching as two of her favorite people finally get along, Franziska feeling that protective instinct bubble up inside of her at the innocence of this little girl, Pearl coming to terms that Maya loves who she loves, and Franziska isn't as bad as she once was. They are so. Found Family. They matter SO much to me.

[virtualfungus]

was thinking about franmaya in bed last night and im so insane about them!!!!!!!!!

its mostly about the parallels (obsessed with them).

even before they really start to get to know each other (possibly just after the first trilogy), they feel that connection of a grim legacy they have to bear, and one they won't give up on either, with maya becoming the master of kurain and franziska still being a prosecutor.

then obviously, i think theres this forbidden (as in, pearl vehemently being against it at first) but enticing element in falling in love with the girl that prosecuted you. but thats also bc franziska is genuinely trying to become a better person. yes, she will keep saying shit like "this is the von karma's way", but over time, she wants to change what even is the von karma's way (*aggressively points to her dialogues with sebastian*)

they both really admire each others strength. speaking of which, i think franziska is one of the only person who really sees that strength in maya, bc its easy to think shes just quirky and dumb but my girl went through so much shit and yet she still smiles. ofc, not all of her smiles are genuine, but a lot are. franziska doesnt understand it at first, but comes to find her strength, her resilience, beautiful and especially inspiring; turns out being strong is not all about being tough and not showing emotions.

it may sound silly, but franziska realizes its okay to just be human and flawed (or what she perceives as flaws). bc of course franziska is deeply flawed, but either shes revering her flaws as a result of her upbringing or trying to suppress to the point of harm.

mayas like "its okay to show your emotions and be vulnerable". but, eheh... that means maya has to put her own advice into practice, which isnt easy, but is liberating.

they can both be unashamedly themselves without being judged. because before being the master of a technique that could otherwise very much disappear and that requires thorough training and being an international prosecutor taking down smuggling rings, theyre young women who had so much taken from them, including their childhood. they can be silly, they can be themselves without being their occupation first.

maya rants about the steel samurai all the time. franziska initially finds this show childish, but maya really sells it and just reading way too deeply into it, but hey, shes just so passionante and franziska loves when shes like that. on the other hand, franziska will read a shitty book and tear it apart and maya lives for the absolute violence.

of course its not always perfect. at some point, their relationship becomes long distance. on top of that, theyre not always the best at communicating their feelings clearly, especially in the beginning. franziska can get upset easily and always want to have the last word, so they can argue for a while. overtime they do learn how to communicate better and yeah.

would their relationship last forever to the point of getting married and adopt? honestly, probably not. but their relationship is deeply meaningful, and theyll forever hold the other in high regards.

there are so many other things i thought about and worded so well in my head yesterday but i forgor and now idk how to properly explain it.

[candicoated]

Since you asked abt my prosecutor Trucy...

I started a fic for it a few years back (and haven't updated since ch 1 </3) but I really liked the idea of Trucy becoming a prosecutor while Apollo was away in Khura'in. I think she would have a similar deal to Klavier, a prosecutor for a day job and a magician as her passion. Because of this I liked Klavier as her mentor (and Edgeworth obvi). I thought they deserved more time together given both of their ties to the legal system and artistic passions. Trucy is v extravagant and over the top as a prosecutor, but not unfair! (Again, much like Klavier, but less of a drama queen).

I don't see her being full time or anything. I imagine Trucy is rather sporadic with prosecuting, but it's something she does when she feels like it. Also it give her more opportunity to hang with Franziska and I need them to interact lol.

This is such a fun concept. I can see Prosecutor Trucy with the over the top magician gag in her prosecuting. Trucy and Klavier bonding sounds like a fun idea. Hopefully you add more to it.

I would also love to see Phoenix's and Miles reactions to her going into prosecuting. Good luck on your AU.

[vonpharma]

w(h)ip wednesdayyyy!

hi! sorry i died last week. my blog got terminated! but now it is fixed. yippee!

here's my day 2 sicktember.

Delicately, then, Franziska does something Maya has never seen her do to anyone—she lays her palm flat, facing the sky… and presents her whip prostrate before Pearl, offering it to the little one.

For a moment, Pearl just stares at it, mystified. Unsure what she’s supposed to, allowed to do. Franziska helps her along, then, gingerly grabbing Pearl’s right hand and slipping the loose coil into her mitten.

“Aiming is one of the least trifling parts of it,” says Franziska, angling herself around so that she is now at Pearl’s back, bent at the waist. “Go ahead and grip the handle. Let the rest of it fall.”

Pearl bothers her lower lip, already chapped from the cold. “Are you sure? It’s your special thing. What if I break it?”

“I’m sure,” she says. “It’s meant to be used. Go ahead.”

Taking a deep breath, Pearl inches her buried fingers toward the thickest part of the whip, releases them from where they nervously clench the top of the coil. The leathery thing loses form, trailing like a fallen streamer down into the snow. Despite the permission granted, Pearl stares at it like she’s hurt it, somehow. Franziska takes no note, persisting—at Pearl’s backside, she slides her own hand across Pearl’s own, black leather on knit wool. 

“Place your thumb on the top, there,” Franziska instructs. Pearl follows her lead, hooking said thumb around the thing so that it nearly sticks out.

“Like this?”

“Precisely,” says Franziska, “You aim by pointing your thumb toward your target. What would you like to strike, Miss Fey?”

Pearl’s forehead scrunches up again, in that characteristic way it always did. She looks at one of the snow piles off to the side, one that Franziska had not previously decimated quite as passionately as the other sixteen. Wordlessly, Franziska follows her line of sight, angling the both of them toward it.

“That one?”

Pearl nods. There on the fringes, Maya is suddenly struck with a surprisingly rational thought—is this a good idea?

“Now, for a beginner like you, safety is paramount,” Franziska says, seeming to answer her thoughts. “The snow gear you’ve wisely chosen is perfect for that, though. Your whole body is covered, so you won’t hurt yourself. The only thing we really need to account for is…”

Franziska pauses for a moment, taking her whipless hand off Pearl’s shoulder as she seems to recall something. Deftly, she pulls a pair of big, chunky sunglasses from her jacket pocket and places them over Pearl’s eyes.

“There we go. Eye protection. Can you still see alright?”

“Yes,” Pearl says, staring straight forward. Franziska resumes her position.

“Excellent,” continues Franziska. “The second most important thing of all, little one, is follow through. With all your vulnerable zones covered like this, the whip cannot hurt you, even if you mess up. You must show no fear as you lunge. Do you think you can do that?”

For a moment, Pearl is quiet. Her eyes fall downward a bit, off of her goal. 

“I’m not sure.”

“I think you can, Miss Fey,” Franziska says at her back. “I’m right here beside you. Okay?”

Beneath her touch, Pearl tenses back up—this time with conviction that’s still finding itself. “Okay. I can do it!”

“Alright.” Franziska faces forward alongside her. “Now, you pull back first…”

Slowly. Carefully. Gently, it’s so damn endearing. Her arm alongside Pearl’s own ebbs and flows like a tide—lazily swinging in preparation, back and forth and back and forth. Pearly rocks on the balls of her feet, dancing this dance with Franziska, awkward and gangly as she towers over the little girl. The two of them throw the whip weakly a few times to get a feel for the form. Then, slowing to a halt, Franziska backs away.

“It’s all you now, Miss Fey,” she says as she’s retreating to the side. “By my count… three…”

Not quite as far as Pearl’s protective shrub, but far enough.

“Two…”

In the center of things, Pearl plants her fuzzy pink boots firmly in the snow. Her hands hold tight to the leather, cheeks puffed out and brow knit with conviction. She waits on Franziska, for the first time in her life.

“One!”

Taking a deep breath, Pearl fights the urge to slam her eyes shut, reels back one final time, and snaps her arm forward. She cracks the whip hard, and with a lot less grace and recovery than Franziska does, naturally. With how long the thing is in comparison to her tiny body, the amount of control she manages is honestly pretty impressive—this sweet young thing, decked out in pink and fluff with decorative beads in her hair, slamming the leathery thing down with careful abandon. The whole situation might have read as comical, if Maya weren’t so overtaken with boundless pride.

Imperfectly, the whip connects with the pile of snow, leaving a long indent toward the very top of it. Breathing hard, Pearl takes off Franziska’s now-crooked sunglasses and stares at that indent like it contains all the most precious wisdom in the world, her eyes growing big and bursting with starlight. The dust of those supernovas falls like the snow glittering around them to the rest of her face, upturning her lips into an open-mouthed grin.

“Miss von Karma!” Pearl says, beaming up at an equally pride-stricken Franziska. “I did it!”

“And what a masterful first hit it was!” Franziska throws out an arm, looking adorably like a baby fawn as she stumbles through the snow in heeled boots that were not at all made for the weather in question.

“Damn,” Maya finally announces her presence, “is this a good time to finally ask what on earth you two got up to while I was asleep?”

The both of them freeze in place, Pearl halfway into handing Franziska’s whip back to her. The popper shakes itself to a halting swing as it hangs, messily coiled in Pearl’s best attempt to mimic Franziska’s usual handiwork. They look like two misbehaving children as they’re caught there, and Maya briefly wonders what kind of total square they take her for.

[oingomyboingos]

Here’s my submission for bonus round 1 of @yuriolympics

FILL: TEAM ACE ATTORNEY

SHIP: franmaya [Franziska von Karma/Maya Fey]

In response to this prompt for a star trek AU

I thought it would be so fun for Maya’s psychic powers to be flipped into Betazoid’s emotional ESP. Franziska is a Vulcan because of her somewhat rigid beliefs. I imagine she went to the Vulcan Science Academy before deciding to become an ambassador. Manfred von Karma’s pressure on her to succeed might mirror Sarek and Spock. While she hungers to succeed and puts up a logical, perfectly non-emotional front, Maya’s Betazoid powers are able to sense past that into what she’s truly feeling.

I don’t have enough time or energy to write a full fic about this, but here’s what I imagine their first interaction would look like that leads up to the scene in the drawing: Franziska boards the Federation ship Maya is serving aboard to get to some sort of diplomatic rendezvous location, and en route they encounter some sort of unknown alien threat that leaves them isolated from the rest of the crew. Perhaps Maya tries using her powers to understand the pain of some alien creature, and Franziska has to mind meld with her to relieve the mental and physical stress. They’re able to save the day and get back onboard, and Franziska is planning on ignoring the whole thing to suppress the strange feelings of connection she experienced. Maya corners her and has the conversation depicted in the drawing. They go to Ten Forward for their date and have a lovely time.

[ALT ID: the image depicts two women drawn in the art style of star trek lower decks. on the left, a caption in the star trek title font says “Betazoid Starfleet Counselor Maya Fey.” On the right, also in the star trek title font, says “Vulcan Ambassador Ziska V’Nkarm” a stylized version of Franziska von Karma’s name from Ace Attorney. Maya wears a purple body suit similar to those work by Deanna Troi in Star Trek TNG, as well as her in-game hairstyle and magatama beaded necklace. She stands with one hand on her hip and looks sassily at Ziska. Franziska wears gray trousers and a high necked blue vest with gold diamond buttons over a puffy sleeved white top. She holds a Star Trek TNG era padd in her right hand and looks at it to avoid eye contact with Maya. She blushes green because she is Vulcan. Two chibi drawings near her head show her internal emotions “she’s so frustrating! but so hot?” The dialogue between the two reads:

Ziska: Behavior that does not follow logic is…foolish.

Maya: For a logical Vulcan, you sure are emitting a lot of defensiveness.

Franziska: …

Maya: …Emotion isn’t a weakness, Ambassador V’Nkarm.

Ziska: …

Maya: And yes, I am free this Saturday <3

ID ends/]

[oodlyenough]

now that i've finished dual destinies here is how i'd rank the aa games that i've played.

this started as a bulleted list but then as always i ended up rambling forever, so, some of it is under the cut. spoilers for AA1-5 & AAI1. anything not listed is a game i've not yet played

1. Ace Attorney (1)

can't beat the original. ok so maybe the first time i played turnabout samurai i got so bored i took a 3 year break. that's not the point. i was weak. i think this game is the tightest and as the introduction to the concept and the characters it does a surprisingly good job of balancing and developing all of them. pretty satisfying arcs and relationships for every major character. also 1-4 and 1-5 are two of The best cases ever.

2. Ace Attorney 3/Trials and Tribulations

this one coasts on the strength of the dahlia throughline. all three of her cases are great. the fey lore develops so well and so interestingly, i loved getting a chance to play mia, dahlia is the best AA villain, bridge to turnabout has so many great things going on, edgeworth v franziska rules, phoenix investigating with franziska rules. it had some of my favourite puzzles and puzzle solving. the weak points that lose it top spot for me are that i didn't like how edgeworth and franziska evaporate from 3-5 in the second half, i wish maya had a bigger role in 3-5, and i don't enjoy anything about godot. also the two middle cases bored me to tears

3. Ace Attorney 2/Justice for All

this is a messier game than the above two for sure and i also thought it had the worst puzzle writing of the original trilogy. the magatama's use here is a bit clunky. i also think the way edgeworth's disappearance and return is handled is not quite as satisfying as it could've been for such a big emotional thing. the execution of the start of 2-4 with maya's kidnapping and engarde hiring phoenix could've been done much smoother.

BUT: i love the expansion of the fey lore, introduction of morgan and pearl and kurain, and franziska is my specialest little girl and i love that she's here. and 2-4, especially as it goes on, is such a good interesting case and some of the BEST character stuff for phoenix and edgeworth and truly made me unwell about the ship indefinitely. edgeworth hunched over his desk with bugged out eyes through gritted teeth "the prosecution... rests..." ??? peak romance

4. Ace Attorney 4/Apollo Justice

this is a really fun game that has the difficult task of introducing a lot of new characters and it pulls that off fairly well. apollo, trucy and klavier are all really fun. it's super interesting to see phoenix as an NPC and see what a mysterious galaxybrain he is when you're not given a front-row ticket to his scattered thoughts. i think the mystery writing here was coherent and pretty tight and i had fun solving the puzzles. 4-1 is one of the best tutorial cases for sure.

downside is that it's underbaked and you can tell. the new characters, while likable, barely get a chance to shine or really develop. apollo is not really much more than an avatar, the story is still about phoenix. and even when i'm enjoying the game, it just does honestly feel kind of... mean... the way the game drops every character from the trilogy and does what it does with phoenix.

5. Ace Attorney Investigations 1

fun pixel sprites, some fun new characters, it's cool to be able to walk my lil dude around and click on stuff. some of it is pretty funny. there's a surprisingly large variety of new female characters in different kinds of roles and personalities and designs and i always appreciate that.

the mysteries are not very good and the puzzles are frequently frustrating. the lack of trial day structure means the pacing feels wonky in many places. the returning characters are not written very well, franziska in particular is a flanderized shadow of herself, and most damning of all: edgeworth, the main character, is not written particularly well. the bratworth flashback in particular shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the character established by the trilogy imo.

6. Ace Attorney 5/Dual Destinies

this game had most of the same flaws as AAI and it didn't even have nice art or fun investigation banter to save it. i like athena a lot, i love aura and canon lesbians, it's nice to see phoenix as a lawyer again and get some confirmation edgeworth and the feys didn't fuckin die off screen. aa5 klavier is fucking hilarious. some of the new NPCs are funny s/o to the orca and plonco and robin.

the non-chronological plot was unnecessarily convoluted, the dark age of the law was emphasized so much only to be totally underdeveloped, the phantom plot twist was cool for three seconds and then pretty stupid in retrospect. apollo's storyline is a disaster. trucy has been replaced by an automaton that talks about panties. the lack of being able to investigate scenery makes the investigation days short, hurts character development and contributes the pacing that makes every final trial day feel interminably long and infuriating. too many plot twists rely on the game simply not providing evidence until the last second, at which point the twist becomes obvious. the nicest thing i can say for dual destinies is that it didn't irreparably break anything i loved in the previous games.

[mostlyihyperfixate]

Okay! Finished "Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice." Wrap-up thoughts, go!

Disclaimer before we get started: These are just my thoughts and feelings. Being my thoughts and feelings does not make them correct. Anyone feeling differently than I do has just as much right to feel that way, and I harbor no ill will towards anyone with other interpretations or thoughts. I also recognize that I haven't played the other two games in this trilogy, which could possibly answer some of my complaints. Also: My mom tells me all the time that no one actually cares about my viewpoint on how stories fall short, so I fully understand that…well, no one might actually care about my viewpoint on how this story fell short.

The last case did not change my ranking. Of the four games I've played now, it's definitely ranked at the lowest. Turnabout Trump was fantastic, but none of the other cases managed to do much to captured my interest. I will allow that Apollo Justice overall had a lot more care to tie everything together than Justice for All did, but it also did so in a way that kind of had me scratching my head.

I think the biggest question I have for everything being tied together is…why are Klavier and Kristoph brothers? What is the narrative purpose here? Having them not be related wouldn't change a single thing about either of them. Klavier is, unfortunately, so bland that he doesn't react in any particularly person way to the reveal with Kristoph. It's just kinda…there. It's pretty much the exact same reaction he had to Daryan being revealed to be a murderer. The only thing I can think of is that Kristoph and Klavier were meant to go toe-to-toe in the trial seven years before, and Klavier trusted Kristoph with the tipoff. But I think there are several other ways that that could have still be true without what I feel is an unnecessary familial tie. Maybe it's a reflection of everyone else having familiar ties? It still feels weird to me.

As does the other stuff. Why did Apollo and Trucy need to be half-siblings? Why did Lamiroir need to be Trucy's mom? Everything is tied together, but ultimately it seems like it was kind of randomly done to make the characters seem closer than for any story-related reason. The game doesn't even end with Trucy or Apollo finding out about their relationship to each other OR to the singer that just HAPPENED to be involved in one of their cases.

And in the end, I feel like it was missing what I loved about the original trilogy: the relationships. I'm not whining because Miles wasn't involved at all. That's whatever. I also loved Phoenix and Maya, and Maya and Pearl, and Phoenix and Pearl, and Miles and Gumshoe, and Mia and Diego, and Mia and Maya, and Franziska and...literally everyone, and the list goes on and on and on and. I sort of feel like Apollo Justice traded out the character-to-character chemistry for over-the-top cartoon antics that left me wanting. I struggled to really care about ANY of these characters that weren't Trucy.

At least the last case did give me more Trucy and Phoenix together. Baby Trucy is so cute! I could have done with more of them, honestly. I get that the game wasn't about Phoenix, so I understand why they didn't do it. But it's about the only relationship I cared about--and it was literally only Baby Trucy and Phoenix.

And so, sadly, I leave this game not particularly interested or even convinced of the two major ships I've seen from it: Klavier/Apollo and Kristoph/Phoenix. If I squint, I can see the first. I really don't get the latter at all.

I've been over Klavier. I don't have anything against him. He's just bland, and he doesn't bring anything to the story or to Apollo as a character. At least if he had an emotional reaction, that would be SOMETHING. He's even just kinda "meh" about his band breaking up. And then the final case has Apollo thinking about the darkness inside Klavier, and how he's going to help remove that darkness, and I just…what darkness? You can't just say there's darkness in the last case and have me buy it! You've already made him different from Miles; don't be trying to recapture the lightning in the bottle with him when it's too late. Either introduce the "darkness" earlier, or work with what you've got.

Kristoph was a boring final boss, too. I felt like he was handfed to me as the culprit, and the entire time I was playing through the investigation segment, I was just like, "But WHY did he murder a magician?! WHAT could he gain from this?!" Only to find out he didn't actually kill the magician and the whole thing was just…he was mad that Phoenix took over a case from him, which is kinda of the same boring "because I'm evil, that's why" motivation that makes Matt Engarde not very interesting to me. But at least Engarde was difficult to overcome! He was entertaining in his evilness, and it was satisfying to win against him! But you don't even get the satisfaction of defeating Kristoph. He's literally about to walk away when someone just HAPPENS to mention the jurist system, and then Kristoph shoots himself in the foot not by admitting to anything but by insulting on the non-lawyers he's explicitly told are involved. What?

Whatever happened to all his black psyche-locks anyway?

I felt like it was all downhill for culprits, really. Kristoph was great in the first one. The nurse was a little transparent in Turnabout Corner, but the twist with her and the doctor was pretty good. And then Darayan was A) incredibly obvious from the minute he turned up on screen and B) incredibly boring. His motive was to make money. Okay. Look, I realize that's very realistic and all, but it's not very interesting. And the Kristoph again in the last case was disappointing.

I guess the games have never been super subtle with their culprits. It's always one of, like, five people, max, that you run into. But at least it was fun trying to piece together their motivations. Unfortunately, I also felt like this game was a lot easier than the previous three. I never came close to getting a game over once. Being able to figure everything out instantly not only derived me of one of the pleasures of the game, but also meant that I didn't have anything BUT the weaker motivations to go off of.

I hadn't seen or read a lick of anything about this game before I started, in contrast to having watched people play the first game and half the second. And the only two things that surprised me here were that Lamiroir was Trucy's mom (no, I did not peg that they had the same hair) and that Valant didn't kill his mentor (which I was genuinely pleased to see…the twist that the man killed himself was admittedly pretty good).

And then every single time poker came up, we had to spend five minutes shouting about how we absolutely definitely never ever ever ever GAMBLED because gambling is ILLEGAL, children! I wonder if they did play for money in the Japanese version, but they had to make it clear there wasn't gambling involved in the English version for the same reason the game corner got removed in Pokemon. I guess I get it, but it's kind of distracting.

I'm looking forwarding to playing the next two games. I hope I like Athena! I'm already not excited about the 3D artwork. I have seen renderings of Miles and, like, ick. There's nothing wrong with 2D art, you know? But I'm a bit bummed to see that Phoenix comes back as the star. I want to see more of him back in the saddle, but ultimately I feel that Apollo never got a chance to shine. I finished his game knowing only one more thing about him than I did at the beginning: That he's got a mom and a half-sister.

In the end, I don't think this was a bad game. I just don't think it was what it could have been, and it fell short of its predecessors for me.

Next time: Orca case???? Maybe????? I thought that was a joke but I've seen enough fanart to make me suspect otherwise.

[alynnl]

8, 14, 15, 16 for the fandom love ask game (any media you feel like chatting about)

8. you hope more people will come to appreciate

Overall, I just want more Ace Attorney fans to play and appreciate The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles in general. Everyone who plays it seems to enjoy it, but our numbers are small compared to the mainline games. The storytelling and the gameplay is just fantastic in this one and I just want more people to experience it, because it's worth it. It's even more worth it to go through the story completely blind, but even if you do get inevitable spoilers that come from being on the Internet at large, learning the context behind those spoilers is still emotional.

14. the ship that always makes you smile

My feelings about it have been a roller coaster, but I eventually settled on the more positive ones - I adore Wrightworth/Narumitsu. Their interactions in the first trilogy and all the story beats they hit were just amazing. There's a reason they have a lot of fan work and analysis to this day. The foundation is solidly there in the first trilogy and there are many directions people can go from that foundation (whether or not they include the second trilogy is up to them.)

15. the character that always makes you smile

So many of them (in mainline and the spinoffs in Ace Attorney) - but if I picked the first name that came to mind of course it's Miles Edgeworth. He is just everything to me. He's a sassy rival to Phoenix. He's a tortured soul who is haunted by his past. He's a big brother figure to Franziska and Kay. He's got hilarious banter between himself and Gumshoe. And he also won't back down against the truly corrupt and powerful. He's a hero, and icon and he's got style.

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

I don't know what makes a detail "tiny" since different people notice different things about stories in general. But I guess I have to talk about Van Zieks here and something I don't see mentioned about him a lot (from my scrolling on Tumblr. This might have been mentioned elsewhere.)

What sets Van Zieks apart from a lot of rival prosecutors in the Ace Attorney series is that he actually doesn't do anything unethical. Yes, he's rude and over the top with his bottle flipping and chalice throwing. And I will not ignore his racism either because it's so in your face from the very first case you encounter him. But he doesn't forge evidence and never even entertains the thought of doing so. He doesn't intimidate witnesses, bribe the judge or try and rule over the courtroom with an iron fist. He never blackmails anyone. And without giving away too many spoilers, there is more to him than being "The Reaper of the Bailey."

So I guess his moral code is what makes me see him as redeemable, as well as his character development in later parts of Chronicles.

There are arguments about whether or not his arc was handled well, but I think it was written decent enough for me to get what it was going for and accept it.

[characteroulette]

A study on prosecutors -- (previous) (next)

Let's get into the weeds of the Investigations games.

Judging any of the prosecutors in the Investigations games, Edgeworth included, is a difficult thing to do. We're not privy to their style of prosecuting, after all, since the whole game takes place outside of any trials. I guess this shows how much stock I take from said trials, but it is a core mechanic to the Ace Attorney series, so I feel justified on that one. Judging a prosecutor from half of the usual info makes things a bit of a harder sell to me, they really missed an opportunity to get us into the courtroom properly.

But I digress. Let's go down the list.

First off, Jacques Portsman. He's a first case villain for sure, as we know he committed the crime and his over the top performance is really grating. I kinda never believed him when he claimed to be a prodigy or some up and coming star because of that, though. Like, sir, you're a first case murderer. You're not that hard to crack, especially as the game has to tutorialise everything for us.

His being pretty awful is kinda the point, however. Here is one of many prosecutors whom Edgeworth has to work alongside in the office. He's as corrupt and ruthless as anyone else, he's another in the many who believe that winning and making a name for themselves is all that matters in the world of the law. He's a symptom of the way the law operates in this world, far from the cause. That's at least one fascinating aspect to him.

It's yet another show of how Manfred could have gotten away with his forty year streak without anyone so much as batting an eye at it.

Speaking of, let's dig into Manfred a bit deeper, seeing as he's the only other prosecutor we really meet in the first game. (Faraday gets like one line before he dies, so I can't really count him.) He's acting Edgeworth's superior here, no matter how much Edgeworth refers to him as his mentor. This is a disconnect that always struck me about what we get to see of their interactions; Edgeworth really does respect Manfred from the bottom of his heart. He sees Manfred as someone who helped him find structure and strength in his life after what happened to his father. But Manfred doesn't return that respect at all. Really, a lot of how Manfred speaks to Edgeworth here reads as condescending, and that's before he goes off about how worthless Edgeworth is. His promise of an hour of recess is also one that stood out to me; he expects Edgeworth to partake in some of the dirtier tactics that he (and Franziska) might. He's leaving that option open for Edgeworth to do whatever necessary to get his guilty verdict, to prove himself a perfect von Karma. It doesn't end up happening because we have to preserve continuity -- I mean, the trial gets cancelled due to murder shenanigans, but it's a detail that's always stood out to me.

We get a lot more intriguing a look into Manfred's character in the second Investigations game. He adores his wife to the point of proclaiming her the best chef in the world. That's weirdly humanising for him!! And he loves his daughter, too, even if he's not very good at showing it. He may be a wicked man, but it wasn't actually by his own hand that he had to tamper with evidence. Hell, maybe that's why Gregory was able to call him out. (He forged a WHOLE BODY and that'll forever be hilarious to me.) (Well, an autopsy report. Same difference.) What I would GIVE to be able to see the actual trials between Gregory and Manfred, with Gregory struggling to find any hold and Manfred acting composed while also hoping his evidence doesn't get called out. It had to be one hell of a battle, Gregory isn't one to go down without a fight.

Anyway, Byrne Faraday. I figure I might give a bit of a thought on him from what we can extrapolate.

Kay loved him dearly and he was definitely doing his best by her. That promise notebook they had between them is so sweet, the man was trying his best to be a good dad. He had some level of corruption, though, considering he was one foot to the Yatagarasu. Sure, it was more for justice than our usual prosecutor fare, but he was still cheating to get guilty verdicts. Even if his corruption swung the other way than where we're used to seeing, it shows he was willing to get his hands dirty for his justice. It shows his lack of faith in the legal system he was a part of, another symptom to this dark age. (As an aside, these two games are the true lead-in to Dual Destinies. Not Apollo Justice. You want the themes and points of DD to ring stronger or truer at all? Play the Investigations games before going into DD, it'll all make more sense that way. Or, as much sense as it can make.)

It is fun seeing how much they have to strain to get us to like Faraday, though. At least, I feel he's supposed to be likeable, since they focus on him being a good dad and not the fact that he was working behind the scenes to help rig his trials. A perfect contrast to Manfred, whom the games don't even try to make likeable since we all know what becomes of him in the end. And yet they put in just enough to get you to see him as less a monster than you might have. (The Inga solution! It works on me every time!!)

Also funny that there are only two new prosecutors introduced in the first Investigations game and they're both basically bit parts. Because then we get into the second game and meet our more traditional opposing prosecutor, Sebastian Debeste.

Ahh, Yumihiko Ichiyanagi. A mess of a child. Starts out pompous and believing he's always right because that's what everyone around him is forced to say to him. He's a nepotism baby, his dad's the Chief of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, after all. He's a brat and a pest and he's also so stupid you find yourself wondering how the hell he managed to get his badge in the first place.

Well, this is a world of dumbasses, you suppose. How else could simple logic be a superpower? You move on and concern yourself more with whom you suspect to be the true villain pulling the strings here, Justine Courtney.

Her subtle pushes and buttering Sebastian up are near sinister. It's like she's using him as a mouthpiece at times, a way to get her own goals and work done here. She wants to seemingly destroy Edgeworth, nearly singularly focuses on this goal at times, and you can't help but find pity for Sebastian being caught up in her scheme. He's seventeen and it shows far more on him than it does on Klavier or Franziska. He's floundering while everyone simply congratulates him on a job while done, unable to save him from those depths, that darkness.

What is the point of using this boy as a smokescreen, you wonder. How can parading him around be worth any of his foolishness?

Then we meet Blaise and realise, oh. He really was just a pawn in the grander scheme. He was a way to get closer to the true villain. He was merely getting in the way, being a foolish and stupid child, of everyone's true goals.

Franziska whips him and he doesn't even protest. He shouts out in pain like everyone else, but he never once tells her to stop. He just takes it, doesn't think of his usual profession of being the best.

He just takes it.

From that small detail alone, I couldn't help but immediately worry for him.

Justine shows her hand at last. Even if she had come to care for Sebastian, she's out to strike Blaise down no matter what. Blaise is the one behind that one strike against Manfred's reputation, he's behind this whole smuggling ring, he's everyone's antagonist as we all converge on this one point. Sebastian tries to stick up for his father, but even that lends to our favour. He gets in the way once more, he slips up just enough to give us what we need, and his father reveals to him in the cruellest possible way that everything he thought he's accomplished has been a total lie. He couldn't even be a worthy pawn to his father. He's a failure, through and through.

And Edgeworth gets to be the one to help him stand back up on his own two feet.

I cannot stress enough just how excellent an idea it was to have our final logic chess game be against Sebastian. How we have to use it more as a way to break through all that despair and anguish instead of for our own gain. Edgeworth being able to be a voice of strength for Sebastian, being able to offer this boy you thought your enemy for most of the game a spot of hope, is so good. It's exactly taking the lessons behind what made Edgeworth himself so good in the first game, at least in my opinion.

And we get to see bits of an actual trial!! We get to play assistant as Sebastian stands up to his father in one of the most hype scenes ever!! I'm so proud of this fail boy who came such a long way. A crybaby who, with the help of those actually willing to back him up and show him the right way instead of propping him up with false praise, is able to stand his ground and prove his father the villain he is.

He breaks that chain of legacy tying so many of our Ace Attorney characters down. Holy shit we were robbed this game, actually, huge shout out to the translation team who allowed us all to experience this cathartic moment.

[specialagentartemis]

franziska von karma for the ask meme? i recently redownloaded a ds emulator partly to get back to playing AA2 with my sibling so shes on the mind

for the character ask meme

Ooh fun. It's been a while since I've played the Ace Attorney games but they have a special place in my heart always

First impression

lol. Abrasive but entertainingly so. I was accustomed to the over the top zaniness so sure! This teenager is an Experienced Prosecutor who whips people. Why Not. Actually I think Franziska is the first character we're introduced to as the Absurdly Young Professional and I think I did think this was funny.

Impression now

I love Sibling Tragedy and Sibling Drama and Sibling Relationships and she DELIVERS. Tied with Edgeworth for Favorite Prosecutor.

Favorite moment

When she gets fuvking shot outside the courthouse and Edgeworth has to drag her, protesting all the way, to the hospital. And then she left the hospital Still Bleeding From A Bullet Wound to deliver the crucial bit of evidence to the courthouse anyway.

Idea for a story

I had a WIP a long time ago about Franziska teaching Adrian Andrews how to use a whip to feel powerful and confident. And they were slowly bonding and falling in love over that. I'm a Fradrian truther

Unpopular opinion

I don't see her liking or getting along with Maya at all, sorry.

Favorite relationship

Her weird sibling deal with Edgeworth! Ace attorney has so many excellent fraught sibling relationships but these two are my favorite. They were pitted against each other as kids. Franziska is the true von Karma but she felt like her dad gave more attention to Edgeworth. She needs to beat him in court. She was heartbroken and livid when she thought he died and came to America to take it out on the person she blamed for his death. She's the person he calls when he needs a prosecutor he can trust, and she charters a private jet across the Atlantic immediately and then insults him to his face when she arrives. They are both dealing with the fallout of the way Manfred raised them.

Favorite headcanon

When Edgeworth took the bar exam at age 20, Franziska was 13 and was SO INCENSED that he would get to be a full-fledged prosecutor BEFORE her and that would be UNACCEPTABLE so she demanded to sit the bar too. The same one as him. Yes she's 13. She can do it. SHE'S BEEN TRAINING HER WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS!

Whoever administers the bar in Germany tried to explain that 13-year-olds aren't allowed to be legal professionals but Manfred von Karma loomed and glared so threateningly that they let her.

[doorplays]

Door Reviews: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All (2002)

hello!!! it’s been a while

i’ve been feeling like writing again. i have a lot of WIPs for some reviews, some thoughts abt games, etc. just haven’t found the time and energy lately… but i find myself with some free time. so i’ll do another freeform ish review like last time, with the beginner’s guide. but now, it’s for the ace attorney sequel!!! i will be calling it aa2 from this point on

discussion abt what’s in the game

aa2 is the sequel to aa1, and it picks up months after the first game’s events. here, maya plays a more important role, as we go deeper into her nature as a spirit medium and her family ties. we get introduced to two new characters: pearl fey and franziska von karma. pearl is maya’s younger cousin, and franziska is edgeworth’s stepsister from when manfred von karma adopted him. and like last time, we get to explore four new cases, each with their own twists and turns.

it introduces a new mechanic: the psyche-locks. these appear in key moments of the game while speaking to some characters, and it is up to you to break them by presenting your magatama and disputing each statement the person you’re speaking to gives. it’s like a mini-trial before the main trial, and it’s a nice tool that helps with exposition while also giving proper gravity to the revelations involved.

game thoughts

the game is great!!! i love the cases (less so case 3, though it has its charm). the inclusion of the psyche-locks felt great. i love the way the characters were developed. phoenix wright is such a great character, and i loved maya in this game.

the cases felt intense at times, yet it never lost the levity that made it what it is. it really has a whimsical tone that’s over the top yet never loses sight of its heart. it’s a good sequel to me, building on the previous title while adding its own things. i like it a lot!!

game thoughts (SPOILERS)

maya really went through a LOT this game. i wanted to hug her a lot!! but despite everything she pushed on and kept cool in a way. i respect her a lot for that!!

pearly, despite her age, is very keen to help, and determined in her own way. she manages to channel maya easily, and that act was even crucial in getting information in the final case.

i liked how absolutely creative the cases were, though sometimes the answers are a bit of a reach. the third case felt contrived at times. well there’s a LOT wrong with the third case, but on first pass, i did enjoy my time with it.

i loved loved loved edgeworth’s return. my favorite boy. my blorbo. he’s changed now, and i think for the better. he went on a wholeass arc and imparted wisdom on his boyfriend, and even helped him get the guy. LOVE him.

and man. poor franziska. gifted child syndrome right there. i wish she finds time to relax. she’s such an interesting character, and i hope to see more of her soon.

parting thoughts

i really enjoyed aa2!!! i can’t wait to play more of aa3. i started it the other week, and the first case was so great. this is a great series that i wholeheartedly recommend.

Door Rates Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All: 5/5!

[fraeuleintaka]

Investigations 1 Cover Art

This is the 27th post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 54 days left until release!

Today's topic: the Cover Art of Investigations 1!

[spoiler warning for Investigations 1]

I analysed the new Investigations Collection cover art before and I thought I’d do something similar with the „cover art“ of each Investigations title with today focusing on the first one. These images were not on the cover of the DS game releases back then (as they were simpler with cut images of four different characters important to each game) but the Investigations Collection website uses these to represent each title so I’d say they’re used as cover art in this instance.

I love this art. It’s so dramatic! Miles, being our protagonist, is of course in the very centre of the frame dramatically pointing towards the screen like an Ace Attorney should. We also have the impression of movement or wind coming from the side as the ends of his jacket, his hair and his cravat are blown to the side.

Directly behind him, almost standing back to back, is Kay mostly facing away from us and just looking back over her shoulder with a fittingly cheeky expression on her face. It makes her look somewhat mysterious and not obviously like the trustworthy ally and assistant she ends up being which perfectly fits to her introduction in the game (when Miles initially doesn't know who she is or what she's doing) and implies her connection to the Great Thief Yatagarasu who is not a strictly positive figure.

Speaking of the Yatagarasu, on Miles' other side, seemingly spreading from Kay's back is a very large black wing which looks like one of the Yatagarasu's wings. Such a great visual! Another implied connection to Kay and an inclusion of one of the main mysteries of the story.

Below the wing on the left side we can see Gumshoe, mainly his face, in an implied running motion with sweat beading down his face looking quite stressed. Since Gumshoe is Miles' main and most trusted partner he can't possibly be missing from the key art and of course he's right next to Miles. With how stressed he is it's obvious that the situation is dire, they're under pressure and have to take action! You mostly get this vibe during the final case in Investigations 1 with the culmination of the whole story and I love how this composition delivers that feeling.

On the right side we see Franziska with a more neutral and calculated expression and her whip at the ready. I really love her pose her, it represents her well. She's generally on Miles' side but not always the most supportive ally so it makes sense that she's a little more separated in comparison to Gumshoe. She does her own thing but she's also not an antagonist.

Looming large and intimidating in the background we have our main rival, first antagonist, then ally: Shi-Long Lang! He's bathed in the light coming through a large open doorway, wearing his sunglasses, hands in his pockets, with a smirk on his face which makes him look incredibly impressive but definitely more like a villain than a friend. Behind him is Shih-na and a group of men clad in black, also wearing sunglasses, assumedly his subordinates. Since you do go up against Shi-Long with Shih-na and all his subordinates as helpers it's more than fitting to portray them as such. This visual alone creates a lot of intrigue around who these people are and what they want and looks stunning on top of that. What I probably love most about it though is that it's a clear reference to a particular scene towards the end of the game: the scene where Shi-Long actually bursts through a door exactly like this, with a row of men behind him and bathed in light!

Unlike the sinister version in the key art though it's a glorious moment because he's here to save you and strip Alba of his diplomatic immunity! It's an amazing, wonderful scene, one of my favourites from Investigations 1 and one of Shi-Long's most iconic (he has several 😎). It's a pretty epic move to reference this with the key art but turn it sinister instead because at the beginning of the game you don't know yet what Shi-Long's ultimate role is going to be as he starts out very hostile to Miles. In a way you can see it as representing his development, from hindering you at every turn to epically saving the day, and I love that they did that!

[metaphorical-goblin]

For the smutty Drabble prompt, either Franmaya or Adrian/Franziska (idk their ship name):

“Contrary to popular belief, Franziska was a gentle lover.”

Contrary to popular belief, Franziska was a gentle lover. 

Most imagined that the whip, the stance, could only add up to one real conclusion, but then again, most fail to imagine much of anything that is not perfectly presented to them. Maya Fey was one of the lucky few with the privilege of seeing the woman underneath the presentation.

Fran’s touches were soft, tentative, a woman afraid of shattering something precious (a woman who knew she had been built for breaking). Her hands often skirted over expanses of skin, only taking what was given to her after receiving yet another nod, after having Maya’s hands carefully rested on top of hers, guiding her through a dance she had all the instructions for but could simply not execute. Her bites were tiny and tender; every nip was a ceremony. She hovered over Maya’s body, waiting, kissing, lips staining creamy skin with lipstick and blush. Her eyes darted up, her mouth pressed again, hungrier and hesitant. Only after ‘please’ passed through moaning lips did she finally take, and even then she was wary, never marking, never rushed. 

She did not pull Maya’s hair as she flattened her tongue against her folds, did not claw into her back when her fingers slowly thrust inside of her, did not even make a sound as she came, eyes and mouth screwed shut and body shuddering all over.

Maya pulled her close one evening, trailing kisses over her neck and her breasts, twirling her hair between her fingers. 

“You know I love every part of you?” She held up her hand, placed Franziska’s on top of it. She intertwined their fingers on instinct, and Maya brought it to her lips. “Every little finger.” She kissed each knuckle, just to prove it. “Every bone. Every thought.”

Franziska stayed close and shied away all at the same time, burying her face in Maya’s shoulder and murmuring something about not needing to humor her.

“You know you’re so important to me?” And this time, she really did need to ask. 

And when Franziska doesn’t nod right away, they talk in touch-soft whispers in the quiet hours of the evening, tangled in the sheets with sweaty bodies pressed close together. 

In the morning, Maya wakes up with a small, barely-there purple bruise on the soft skin inside her thigh. She kisses Franziska until she gets dizzy, even as her partner blushes and squeezes her fingers into Maya’s curves, firm and grounded and real.