#anyway. Redd White is in for a Bad Time

[magpie-trinkets]

after Mia's death, and back in his office, Redd White receives a Furious visitor

[jawsofbalmung]

As forewarned promised, my extremely biased culprit/killer ratings based on nothing but physical attractiveness. Disclaimer: I am gay. Also my idea of who is considered a "true culprit" may be a bit weird so bear with me. Spoilers for all ten games!

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney:

1. Frank Sahwit: 0/10. You are nothing. His case lasts 5 minutes and he is ugly. I am not any more endeared seeing him in aai2.

2. Redd White: 2/10. Only gets a 2 because a friend told me about him a long time ago and I thought he was more of a major character and that he would become a blorbo. I was wrong, but I feel kinda bad for being wrong.

3. Dee Vasquez: 4/10. Woman, but pretty cool. Has the mafia on her side, so that's a plus.

4. Yogi Yanni: -10/10. Gross old man.

5. Manfred von Karma: -50000/10. Fuck you die.

6. Jake Marshall: 5/10. Cowboy if you're into that, but I'm personally not that much.

7. Damon Gant: -1/10. Not as bad of an old man as you could've been.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 2: Justice for All:

1. Richard Wellington: 6.5/10. Pretty boy. Cool ringtone. Could be hotter.

2. Mimi Miney: 4/10. Woman. Not very memorable, but cute anyway.

3. Morgan Fey: 1/10. Old woman.

4. Acro: 6.5/10. Would like him better with his hair down, but he's literally the only aa character in a wheelchair and I like him.

5. Matt Engarde: 8/10. FINALLY a hot villain. Very, very cute before he goes evil, but gets worse when he drops his facade I think tbh.

6. Shelley DeKiller: 2/10. Again could be a worse old man, and I saw cool fanart of him once.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney 3: Trials and Tribulations

1. Dahlia Hawthorne: 6/10. Woman, but I love her. If you're into high femmes, that's the one for you.

2. Luke Atmey: 2/10. Looks like Spamton Deltarune.

3. Ron Delite: 7/10. Adorable twink.

4. Fiero Tigre: 4/10. Smh the original is always better than the bootleg.

5. Viola Cadaverini: 4/10. Woman. Really skinny. Not much to say.

6. Godot: 9/10. You KNOW my mans is getting a high score <3

Apollo Justice Ace Attorney:

1. Kristoph Gavin: 9273897/10 AAAAAAA

2. Alita Tiala: 4/10. Another high femme woman.

3. Daryan Crescend: 4/10. Could be hotter if his hair wasn't Like That.

4. Valant Gramarye: 3/10. Could be a hotter old man.

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth:

1. Jacques Portsman: 3/10. Major Eh vibes from this guy.

2. Cammy Meele: 4/10. Another kinda cute but not that memorable woman.

3. Lance Amano: 5/10. Femme. Not much else to say. I like his hair.

4. Ernest Amano: 0/10. Yeah. Old man.

5. Callisto Yew: 5/10. Another high femme woman, I think her sprites are cute tho.

6. Quercus Alba: -10/10. Gross old man.

Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Path:

1. Horace Knightley: -100/10. Nasty.

2. Patricia Roland: 3.5/10. Woman. Her fox is the best part of her.

3. Dane Gustavia: 5.5/10. Really cool design but not my type. His song is sick tho.

4. Blaise Debeste: -10000/10. Nasty gross man with a terrible beard. Nasty.

5. Simon Keyes: 8.5/10. LOVE him. I am not immune to a sexy clown. Sorta awkward but cute before, but letting his hair down really did it for me.

Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies:

1. Ted Tonate: -1/10. Gross.

2. Florent L'Belle: 2/10. Ehhh.

3. Aristotle Means: -50/10. He scares me.

4. Bobby Fullbright: 3/10. I want him to be hot so bad. I call him Midbright.

5. Aura Blackquill: 6/10. I like her!! Her hair is stupid tho.

6. Marlon Rimes: 2.5/10. Extremely grossly skinny pre-transformation, weirdly buff post-transformation.

The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures:

1. Jezaille Brett/Asa Shinn: 4/10. I love her swan hat.

2. Magnus McGuilded: -500/10. He makes me SO uncomfortable to look at.

3. Ashley Greydon: 8/10. I like him. Weirdo twink. <3

Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice:

1. Pees'lubn Andistan'dhin: 2/10. He looks like my stepdad. No thanks.

2. Roger Retinz: 3/10. Robert Downey Jr. That's all I have to say.

3. Tahrust Inmee: 2/10. Sorry not into the skinny bald thing going on. He's a good man tho.

4. Beh'leeb Inmee: 4/10. Plain, but not bad woman.

5. Geiru Toneido: 5/10. The big one. Personally I do not have a bad case of clussy fever, but her design is cute! She reminds me of Pinkie Pie.

6. Ga'ran Sigatar Khura'in: 3/10. Her evil design unnerves me. She's overall just pretty mid of a villain.

7. Pierce Nichody: 9.5/10. Bro.... When he brings out the mask and the scalpel I can't handle it.... I was hoping he would be a villain from the beginning because I knew it would be hot if he was....

The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve:

1. Raiten Menimemo: 7/10. Kind of a twunk. Reblog.

2. William Shamspeare: 2/10. I appreciate the commitment but not for me thanks.

3. Olive Green: 4/10. Woman, but she's cute!

4. Enoch Drebber: 8/10. Auughh.

5. Courtney Sithe: 8/10. Hottest woman. Almost converted me.

6. Seishiro Jigoku: 5.5/10. Could be hotter if he didn't look like hipster Rasputin.

7. Mael Stronghart: 9/10. How did this happen to me. I did not like him before but now I do. What happened.

[detective-gum-chew]

okay okay okay

i know this isnt an orginal idea by any means but roleswap!narumitsu is just so good

so youll have to indulge me because this lives in my head rent free and i want to write it down concretely somewhere (also this gets LONG so ill pop a cut in here)

alright so:

1. at least in my writing of it, this is also a no-dl6/gregory lives au. but as well at that, miles and phoenix didnt go to school together

2. this means that there was nobody to defend phoenix at the class trial (yes i know the money stolen was edgeworths but shhh lets pretend it was someone elses, kay?) this lead to phoenix becoming not only bitter, but somewhat obsessive over the idea of punishing people that do wrong

(if someone can find that quote where phoenix talks about how he could have become a prosecutor because of the trial i will give u a gentle kiss on the forehead) 

3. Edgeworth was raised by Gregory and ends up becoming a defense attorney

4. in this, Von Karma goes down and Franzy is adopted by Gregory, and she assists Miles in his cases. (she can still have a whip, as a treat.)

5. anyway with that set up, lets get into some cases

6. Larry gets accused of Cindys murder, Miles defends with Franzy

7. Lets say Mia was in the crowd of that trial and decided to contact miles, seeing as he appears to be another uncorrupt lawyer and asks him for his help in taking down Redd White

8. He agrees, and she sets a time for him to meet at her office so they can talk. Mia then calls her sister and updates her on how shes going to recruit another person (Redd White hears this)

9. Much like the original case, Mia gets murdered, but this time, Maya isnt here to be blamed. Instead, its Miles himself, as the name that White heard over the phone (so basically we’re speed running to the “defend yourself in court” part)

10. the prosecutor today is Phoenix Wright.

11. but before that lets go into some backstory actually. Phoenix had encountered Mia previously during the Terry Fawles case. He had respected her as a peer, if not for just her determination and deductive skills. (After all, he was young at the time and solely focused on punishing the wicked) After Diego’s poisoning, he had briefly reached out for condolences

12. but anyway, Phoenix had distantly respected Mia, and now that she was dead, he was going to be tough on whoever he thought murdered her.

13. Miles proves his innocence, although it takes some baiting to get Redd White out of his building and actually into court. 

14. Wright is... not pleased about this, but theres not much he can do. His displeasure for Mias murder has shifted, but theres a new displeasure for Miles, the man who could beat him in court. (”well well well, you managed to save your own skin. But you should hope you get as lucky as you did in your next case”)

15. Next case! We know Miles is a steel samurai fan, so even without Maya it takes very little convincing for him to take the case. (Fran is not as amused but trusts her brother... enough.. to follow his lead)

16. Case proceeds mostly as normal, with Phoenix requiring Dee to re-do her testimony (maybe something deep within him still itches to put the true bad guy away, even if its harder than the accused)

17. I dont think Phonix would deliver the unnecessary feelings line, although there definetely is that moment in the lobby where hes like “hm. maybe you arent a bad person, but that doesnt mean i have to like you.”

18. and now, now now now, we finally get to the part where i somehow managed to put the most thought into. (for context it is nearly 2 am when i am writing this)

19. sleep schedule aside, you couldnt have thought i would made this WITHOUT some good angst, so here we go. case four is similarly structured to the original, but with an extra side of Phoenix angst.

20. Miles wakes up to Franzy shaking him. She points to the television. the news is on, but the voices are drowned out by a distant ringing as he stares at the image on the screen.

Famed Prosecutor Phoenix Wright Arrested For Murder

21. it just doesnt make sense. So he gets out of bed and into the closest clothes he can find and out the door with his sister in tow. He sits in the cold detention room, thinking about the other side of the glass.

22. Phoenix Wright looks dull. He asks what they want. Miles says he wants an explanation. Wright sneers and asks why. For some reason, that pisses Miles off. He slams his badge to the glass and Wright looks surprised.

“Do you know what this is? It’s my attorneys badge.”

“the badge doesnt mean youre a good lawyer.”

“Well Mr Wright, its 2-0, so i dont think you have any right to say that.” Miles glares at him and Wright sits back in his seat. He watches Miles for a long time.

“If im going to defend you, you need to tell me what happened.“ Wrights eyebrows shoot up and Franziska squawks at his side

“What do you mean defend him!”

“What she said.”

Miles narrows his eyes at Wright as he ponders to himself the answer. Why is he doing it? the answer comes to him. 

“Because i dont believe you did it.”

For all his snark, Miles cant bring himself to believe that the man in front of him would kill someone. Theres something about him, either in his eyes or the way he carries himself that makes the idea itself preposterous. Wright looks at him for a long time after he says it.

“Very well.”

21. Miles doesnt seem him until court, but at least he testifies. The next person up, a red head by the name of Melissa Foster, gives a testimony that seems airtight.

22. that is, until he looks over at Phoenix, who is pale as he looks at the woman on the witness stand. Phoenix catches his eye, and very carefully, very slowly, mouths one name.

Dahlia Hawthorne

23. (I really wish i could continue with the more narrative parts of this but im honestly running out of steam and ill get to the point lol. Maybe ill finish it later.)

24. Terry Fawles dies on the stand. Diego Armando falls into a coma. Dahlia Hawthorne walks free. Even after what happened to Diego, Phoenix is convinced he can do better. He sets up a meeting with Dahlia.

25. Doug shows up, trying to persuade him away from it, saying he overheard Dahlia’s plan to kill Phoenix when she arrives. Phoenix is cocky, and the pair fight. Doug gets shoved into the powerline. Phoenix, thinking him dead, panics and runs.

26. Dahlia, having overheard, goes back and finishes him off, drops some poison into his mouth perhaps. With an accidental death with a cause so obvious, nobody bothers to run blood tests (until Miles)

27. Its years later, and Phoenix gets a note that tells him they know what really happened to Doug. Phoenix arrives to a meeting place to find a dead body. He picks up the vial of poison almost absently. 

28. After all, Dahlia had gotten rid of Diego and Mia was dead. Now all she had to do was get rid of Phoenix

29. It plays out similarly to case four, with Phoenix being absolved of the first murder, then confessing to the old one. Miles has gone through the work to save his life once, that he cant not do it again.

30. but happy endings (ish) for all, with Phoenix being freed, Dahlia imprisoned and Miles having a better understanding of both him and Phoenix.

31. maybe more happens but we’re at bullet point 31 so its time to stop for now lmao. uh but yeah! roleswap au..... brainrot really.

[queergodot]

Ace Attorney Trilogy Murderers Ranked Most to Least Sympathetic

Godot: One of the very few who is outright no holds barred intended to be sympathetic in canon. I am mentally ill about him.

Mimi Miney: Her backstory is genuinely tragic and sympathetic, and you can't help but feel for her. That said the doctor she killed, though a complete asshole, probably did not deserve to outright die, and definitely not so badly that it was worth framing a teenage girl over.

Dee Vasquez: Her actual murder is more sympathetic than Mimi's, because it was self defense. That said she tried to have Phoenix and Maya killed to cover it up so.

Yanni Yogi: His backstory is undeniably tragic and sympathetic and I debated putting him above Vasquez and maybe even Mimi, but. Once again while Hammond was an asshole he was also literally just doing his job and he probably didn't deserve to die. But more importantly: Yogi felt the need to take revenge on a guy who'd been nine at the time of the murder. That's just pathetic dude. Grow up.

Dahlia Hawthorne: This game so desperately didn't want me to sympathise with her that I'm going to do it anyway out of spite. When you introduce a guy who was 'in a relationship' with a 14-year-old I will be on the kid's side and cheer when he dies. The other murders were kinda overkill though. Also literally came back from the dead just to try and murder some more. Funny, but not exactly sympathetic.

Luke Atmey: Not sympathetic but we're almost into the big bads so.

Furio Tigre: Same as Luke Atmey except I like him less.

Morgan Fey: Morgan is a ruthless power-hungry bastard who has no qualms using her own children as pawns in a plot to murder her cousin. However, she has valid reason to be bitter about not being the Master despite functionally running the clan. So like. Unsympathetic but the bar's low at this point.

Damon Gant: Dude, I just really don't think any of that was necessary.

Matt Engarde: Dude, it's the Kids' Choice Awards. This DEFINITELY wasn't necessary.

Redd White: IDK what to say here, if u think White's sympathetic may I suggest therapy?

Manfred von Karma: Remember when I called Yogi pathetic for taking revenge on a nine year old? Yeah. He was so in shock from a single penalty he killed a man and rather than get a little emberassed about it he doubled down for several decades. Hands down the most pathetic bitch in Ace Attorney.

[cherryneptunes]

Men (fictional and real) not in order that could do anything to me 😮‍💨😵‍💫

1.) Saul goodman/ jimmy mcgill

he’s hot sorry,,u gotta watch to understand it’s all in the personalityyyyy babyyyy top 3 character in the whole breaking bad universe,,,somehow managed to make his spinoff slightly better than breaking bad imo. You always root for the underdog lmfao His HUMOR n also i love his suits,,,😮‍💨

2.) Dylan O’Brien

This one is self explanatory i mean?? HELLO him in teen wolf,,mwah,,him in the maze runner,,mwah,,him in american assassin,,,HOT. He’s so sweet and attractive and stiles from teen wolf could get it too forget lydia. Um yeah he needs to tell ME to behave like he did that one girl on twitter. i also like the way his hair moves and the hold he has over the young black community needs to be studied

3.) Young Gerard way

i cant even BEGIN to explain the hold he has over me?? it’s insane i don’t go a day without his fcking face in my head. First off he was so?? perfect. his hair no matter how messy <3 him being the frontman of one of my favorite bands. Dont ask why but i kinda have a thing for his thighs they’re so NICE. his voice god especially that one clip of him talking in the morning. I don’t know why i’m so attracted to him but i’m not upset. Actually might be in love w him. If i had a time machine i’d go back and hit on him so we could ****. His face he was pretty and hot at the same time kinda looked like a girl but MY girl. i live for the hairs that curled at his jawline. my ancestors are rolling in their graves,,they can’t believe i love a white man like this,,,oh well,, 🎶take me to the kinggggg🎶 Vampire bf kisses kisses

4.) Rick sanchez

lord forgive me for i have sinned…

sike lol anyways i’m not ashamed to admit i’d let this mf twist me like pretzel dough. pls ****me. i bet he has so much experience and knows what’s going on Doesn’t discriminate and always down for a good time. I actually love him so much. His attitude makes him even hotter. I really wanna see him truly happy on the show fr. He’s so bad@ss. I need him.

5.) Damon salvatore

no joke i’ve been in love w him since 7th grade. Still hate the person who introduced me to vampire diaries because i’m 18 now and still obsessed (comfort show 💀) the black hair blue eye combo has me in a chokehold. Actually love him sm top 5 personal tv character. Deserved more but lemme not. He actually seems to be super sensitive despite the hard shell he wears to protect himself. also he’s super protective and sexy..and he knows he’s sexy which makes him hotter. He looks really good in the bathtub .Pretty eyelashes even prettier eyes

6.) Prince

15 year old me had NO RIGHT saying the things i said about this man on twitter,,, anyways he might be shorter than me but w my heels a kitchen counter and the right angle,,,we could make things WORK. He’s simply iconic..a genius tbh. Probably looked better in makeup than you. I still have his posters all over the walls in my room.

that’s all (for now) Honorable mentions include Eazy-E, trippie redd, young jonathan davis, ,,,

[askaceattorney]

(Previous Letter)

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Edgeworth: It’s called a HEX code. It’s a code used to identify color. I swear, you cannot fix stupid.

(Video in Letter)

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Edgeworth: I think there should be an extended version of this and there isn’t any!

Co-Mod: I like this tune, but trying to imagine the Oldbag while listening to it is like drawing to imagine a shining field of wheat while listening to the Jaws theme.  Not exactly a good match.

(Previous Post)

(Link in Letter)

Dear dawsongfh,

Mod Edgeworth: Using letters from nine years ago is not evidence. Even we don’t consider our letters canon.

Dear Someone,

Mod Edgeworth: Dawsongfg hasn’t gone that far yet and I do see that they’re trying to calm themselves down. You’re only not seeing it, because the letters from Dawsongfg are from May and June. The ones released that were to us before were before we placed that rule in. You will see a difference in moment’s time. That, I can promise you.

Dear Anthony,

Mod Edgeworth: Thank you. Much appreciated.

Co-Mod: 

(Sorry, I’m running low on Ace Attorney sprites for reacting to praise.)

I’m doin’ all right for the most part, and I hope the same (or better) can be said for you.  It’s always nice to hear some approval every now and then, even if it’s just from one person, so thanks a bunch!  It helps more than you know.

Dear Anonymous,

Mod Edgeworth: I’ve only seen a Let’s Play of it, though I can’t remember the Let’s Player.

Co-Mod: I’m not too familiar with it, but I watched the trailer video.  The story looks...

...interesting, but the controls make it look like the rage-quit-inducing sort of game.  I’m not too fond of those.

(Link in Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Mod Edgeworth: .......................................... I prefer Asougi Kazuma x Naruhodou Ryuunosuke.

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Edgeworth: You’re sorry about that and not the millions of other repetitive letters on Oldbag, threatening Iris and Phoenix to get together and insulting Apollo Justice? I hope you realize that those are more spamming than anything you wrote about Redd White and Grossberg.

Dear sweetlaive3,

Co-Mod: Can do!  There’s no guarantee we’ll remember, though, so please inform us if we forget to make those changes.

(Previous Letters)

Dear dawsongfg,

Mod Edgeworth: I suppose it depends on who is wearing it. Erm... I mean... it’s not like I...

Take favoritism towards... 

C-C-Cravat wearing men. I-I-I mean sure I might have a huge crush on two cravat wearing men, but... erm... I don’t have those feelings towards the other cravat wearers like... Manfred Von Karma and Barok Van Zieks.

even if Manfred Von Karma is my favorite villain (and, let’s be real, he’s far too old for me anyways)...

Kick me, baby! I mean..... okay, so I have a thing for hot anime men in cravats! So what?

Co-Mod: Keeping out of this one.

Mod Edgeworth:

Dear Rogertheegg,

Mod Edgeworth: I have to disagree with that or else you’re mistaking Kristoph Gavin to Calisto Yew - a Defense Attorney who was a great concept with horrible execution. I find Kristoph Gavin to be ten times more evil and much more intimidating compared to Manfred Von Karma. Believe it or not, Kristoph Gavin is one of my top five favorite villains of AA. Manfred Von Karma is only my favorite villain, because he hits me on a personal level. If anyone can send me a character essay on Kristoph Gavin, I would totally do it. In fact, you can send me a character essay request, if you’re interested to know why I love Kristoph Gavin as a villain. 

As for how I would do it, if I was to write a fan fiction with a Defense Attorney as the big bad, I would likely give the villain a personal connection with the main character, a motivation to make that villain a foil, use their job as a means of being that foil in a unique way, place them in a position of power higher than the main character and execute it in a way that makes them a terrifying villain that is a foil to the main character. That’s my basic blueprint. Since Kristoph Gavin was already done, I doubt I could do anything better than that. Mine would likely take inspiration from Calisto Yew, since she is a villain that was a great idea with bad execution.

Co-Mod: I’m mostly in agreement with Mod Edgeworth, but I just remembered another defense attorney who could potentially fit the category of the “Big Bad” if one were to add a few more details to his story -- Robert Hammond.  All we know about his career is that he decided to leave Grossberg’s office and start his own firm, and that he cared more about himself and his reputation than his clients.  He may have already received his comeuppance for it, but for all we know, Yanni Yogi was only one of several people who suffered injustice at his hands, so if we were to turn back the clock a bit, I imagine we’d have a good place to start for creating a bad guy defense attorney.

...That doesn’t count as cheating, does it?

-The Mods

[demonprosecutor]

TURNABOUT HEROES AU! A COMPREHENSIVE POST

BASIC PREMISE:

Miles Edgeworth is a big-shot prosecutor who, much like his mentor, specialized in the prosecution of super-powered individuals, more specifically, heroes and villains. He doesn’t have any powers; however, it does not dissuade from the fact that he has considerable influence to ensure that retribution is often a rarity in his line of work 

(far too often he’s heard stories about his colleagues being offed by a vengeful loved one or a villain who managed to smuggle in a weapon)

However, his luck was bound to run out anyways. After sending too many of their colleagues’ into high-security prison, Miles finds himself the unfortunate target to many villains and unfortunately takes up a new role of ‘Damsel-in-Distress’ if he wanted to play with cliches.

But even with his string of bad luck, the mysterious Firebird is someone who always seems to know when and if he’s in trouble. At the same time, Phoenix Wright had somehow reappeared in his life and now? He’s being SAVED on both ends, what does a man have to do in order to get a semblance of peace around these parts.

Or, as I like to call it, the “oh no, i fell in love with a superhero AND their secret identity unknowingly and i am in a crisis 24/7 about it” au

WORLDBUILDING:

The world is composed of individuals who have powers and who don’t. Generally, there is peaceful co-existence between these two groups - however, there are spots of tension between the two that culminates in trouble. Sometimes, powered individuals use their abilities for evil and others use their powers for good. Non-powered individuals are usually stuck in the middle LMAO

ROUGH TIMELINE:

Gregory Edgeworth is a non-powered defense attorney that specializes in crimes that are committed by powered individuals because they have the tendency to be indicted more harshly than non-powered individuals. He, while not too famous like his enemy, has steadily been growing in fame in terms of his willingness to help anyone no matter what, something that Miles, as a child, cherished.

As a kid, Miles, who is non-powered as well, is someone who grew up in a very loving environment. In spite of the fact that his father was a single father and sometimes came home late, he was always surrounded with a wealth of love and care from his father and his uncle. During this time, Phoenix and Larry, both powered individuals (and whose powers I will explain further downwards), were his tentative friends at the beginning - that is until the dreaded class trial. Phoenix was accused of stealing Miles’ money and the teacher + class was unfairly going against him, citing his powers as being evidence towards motivation for crime. But Miles stood up for him, his dad as inspiration, and told everyone off because you can’t accuse people without proof. From that moment on, these three were inseparable. 

They would always go to each other’s houses, always pair together for group projects, and always hang out - they were thick as thieves.

But tragedy struck around Christmas. Miles does not know exactly what happens, but all he knows is that when he woke up from fading consciousness, a moment of time seared in his mind for eternity is throwing the gun, the ear-splitting gunshot and a blink later, his father slumped dead on against the elevator wall.

From that moment on, it just goes downhill for Miles. He gets taken under Manfred’s wing and has the ideals of always getting a guilty verdict and people with powers are bad. For years and years, he grew up with this poisonous mindset with his adopted sister, Franziska, and together, they grew up to be the second-most feared prosecutors (the first being Manfred).

Meanwhile, Phoenix is desperately trying to find miles, trying to see if he could reconnect with him, but he never does. So in college, he ends up with Dahlia and gets subsequently accused of murder of Doug Swallow. He gets poisoned in the trial, a gift from Dahlia’s powers, but miraculously heals - figuring out another facet of his powers.

It is then when Phoenix meets up with Mia, determined after seeing that newspaper with Miles in it, she takes him under her wing and teaches him everything she knows about being both a defense attorney and a hero. Together, they make the dynamic duo of Firebird and Spirit! They fight crime on both sides of the law for years, while Phoenix thinks about his goal of reaching Miles.

Years later, Mia gets murdered by Redd White after obtaining information that could stop him and his company.

The trail for Mia’s murder is the first time Phoenix and Miles meet again. Instead of Winston taking the role of prosecution, it’s Miles!

Miles completely ignores Phoenix initially and focuses on the investigation and having the perfect trial. He does a lot more hands on investigations because sometimes, the police have a tendency to misplace evidence or not find things that he needs, so he’s at the crime scenes frequently. The night before the first trial, Miles goes to the crime scene where he first meets the hero Firebird. He is a bit of a jerk to Firebird before Miles writes him down as a potential suspect.

After his first loss, Miles is completely stunned. Before chalking it up to beginner’s luck. It doesn’t help that Manfred reprimands him very harshly for losing to a green attorney.

But for some reason, after that first trial, Miles ends up seeing more of Phoenix and Firebird around. Phoenix has the tendency to take cases that Miles is prosecuting for chances to talk to him and Firebird is always around the crime scene - he’s sure that they’re in cahoots with each other.

It’s difficult for Miles to talk to Phoenix because it brings up too many memories that he had repressed for his own mental health. But for some reason, Firebird is much easier to talk to.

It’s like Miles has a target at his back because he cannot go a few days without being kidnapped, being held at gunpoint, being used as hostage, and being rescued by Firebird, that insufferable flirt. However, Miles is reassured that he has someone out there who is willing to save him because not many would, especially since he would judiciously prosecute them without much guilt.

Firebird; however, is another story. 

He talks to Firebird and Phoenix about each other and it’s clear over the years that he’s slowly being less cold and more warm -- and it’s hard to not fall in love! Firebird is the one who falls in love first because if Phoenix is being honest, he’s been in love with Miles since forever, but it’s easier to confess behind a mask. And this was during a time where Miles hated powered people, so it was always left with taunts. But Phoenix never let that deter him, he had always cared for Miles, no matter what.

Eventually, Miles ends up falling for both Firebird and Phoenix and he spends many sleepless nights thinking about the hero who saves his life literally and his rival/best friend who saves his life emotionally.

NOTABLE CHARACTERS:

Phoenix Wright AKA Firebird:

His powers are pyrokinesis, healing, flight, and regeneration

Body is the same fragility of humans, but if he dies, he crumples to ashes and comes back to life brand new and without injuries!

Miles Edgeworth, non-powered:

A prosecutor trained under Manfred von Karma, specializing in powered crime

Terribly unlucky to the point where people wondered if bad luck was his superpower

Franziska von Karma, powered, but repressing her abilities:

A prosecutor trained under Manfred von Karma, specializing in powered crime - eventually upgrades to international prosecutor

Her abilities, once found out, are ice powers!

Dating Maya

Maya Fey, non-powered:

A journalist charged with protecting the secret of the Kurain Village - which is a place for resting heroes or villains who wish to reform!

Dating Franziska

Pearl Fey, powered:

Her powers are super-strength, extreme durability, and extreme endurance

Literally the strongest AA character

Iris Fey, non-powered:

The twin of Dahlia and aided her charade with Phoenix back at college

Now she works at Kurain Village with Dahlia in the reformation of villains.

Dahlia Hawthorne AKA Sweet Tooth, powered:

Her powers are poison control!

She used to be a villain, but reformed

Works at Kurain Village with Iris in helping villains reform

Morgan Fey, powered:

Her powers are the same as Pearl’s; however, they are a LOT weaker than her daughter’s

Very scary

Larry Butz AKA Toy Soldier, powered:

Powers: brings inanimate objects to life

But he prefers to bring toys to life as puppets, not really an effective fighter, but he’s trying and that’s what counts!

The Phantom, powered:

Powers: can shapeshift perfectly down to their voices. They can also steal memories

They are the perfect assassin

Gumshoe, non-powered or is he? huehuehue

The detective partner of Edgeworth’s 

Very loyal and energetic! He is such a sweetheart

Manfred von Karma, non-powered

One of the best prosecutors for powered crime

An asshole jerk

Trucy Wright, powered:

Powers: teleportation

She uses her teleportation for her magic tricks, but shhh, don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret!

Apollo Justice AKA Chords of Steel, powered:

Powers: sound manipulation

His chords of steel are sometimes A BIT MUCH!

But he could manipulate sound to make his footsteps quieter, his ability is really versatile

He can only SCREAM

Klavier Gavin AKA Piano Man, powered:

Powers: sound manipulation

BUT HE CAN ONLY SING IT!!!

Can charm/mind control people, but NEVER EVER does it because he knows how bad it can get!

Kristoph Gavin, powered:

Powers: charm

Can charm/mind control people hehehe

Ema Skye, powered:

Powers: perception

She can see the gross nasty fluids from a crime that can be seen with the human eye, she loves it

Lana Skye, non-powered:

Once the Chief Prosecutor, but now jailed

Currently, she is on parole and is going to be soon let out for good behaviour

Athena, powered:

Powers: She has the capability of knowing someone’s TRUE emotions and their deepest desires

It’s honestly a curse because she frequently gets overstimulated by crowds

Blackquill, non-powered:

A fearsome prosecutor that was jailed for crimes not of his own making

He seeks the phantom and wishes to either put them in jail or kill them, whichever comes first.

Mia Fey AKA Spirit, powered:

Powers: psychokinesis + phasing

LIKE A GHOST

Phoenix’s mentor as both a defense attorney and as a hero

[themanicmagician]

Shipwrecked [3/4]

[AO3]

Summary: When Redd’s boat crashes upon the shore of Bastion Island, Tom reluctantly takes him in while he recovers. Tom despises Redd for his past deceit, but when he has no choice but to spend time with him, Tom is reminded why he fell in love with the wily fox in the first place.

“What is this supposed to be?”

Tom eyed the frilly cocktail Redd had pushed into his hand. It was a swirl of blue and seafoam green, complete with a tiny toothpick umbrella spearing a pineapple wedge.

“Vacation Juice.”

“But we’re not on a—”

“It’s just a name. You’ll like it, trust me.”

Tom took a small sip. It tasted like pears. Very, very sugary pears. He couldn’t even taste the alcohol. As he took a second, larger sip, Redd said: “Told you you’d like it.”

Tom rolled his eyes, not gracing Redd with a response. He swallowed another mouthful of the “juice” as he glanced around the bar. It wasn’t one of their typical haunts. Drinking out in the city was always expensive, so they tended towards establishments with long, generous happy hours, and cheap brews to go along with. The bar they were in now—Tom had already forgotten the name—was a touch fancier. The drinks were all cocktails with themed names. The drinks were served in small portions, and the prices were obscene, but they were celebrating, after all. They could splurge, just a little, just tonight.

The bar was miraculously uncrowded. Tom and Redd had even managed to secure a corner table all for themselves. The lighting was dim, intimate. They were surrounded mostly by other couples, each pair focused on each other rather than a game on TV.

This was Tom’s third drink in under an hour, and he was getting to that pleasant, loose phase of drunkenness. He watched Redd swallow, observed the slow bob of his throat as he drank. He was struck by a bolt of desire. He wanted to trace the movement with his tongue. Tom shifted on his stool.

Redd’s cell phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket. His cool demeanor slipped, his eyes widened in alarm.

“It’s the landlord for the building!” He told Tom before he hurriedly took the call. “Hi! Phil, how’s it going? No, no it’s not a bad time at all.”

Redd hunched down, pressing the phone close to his ear to listen over the booming music.

“...Really? Oh—Oh no, that’s not a problem at all.”

Redd’s expression twisted briefly in distress. Tom’s stomach lurched with sudden, strong anxiety. What was the landlord saying? It was maddening, only being able to hear half of the conversation. He leaned closer, but could barely hear the tinny voice coming from Redd’s phone.

“Of course. I’ll get it to you tonight. Yes. You too. Ciao.”

Redd hung up, and sighed. When he didn’t immediately launch into an explanation, Tom blurted: “Well?”

Redd combed a paw through the fur on his head with agitation. It made his sleek fur stick up at odd angles, but Redd didn’t seem to notice, or care.

“The landlord, he got another offer on the store. Says if we still want it we’ll have to pay the first six months—up front.”

Tom swallowed, throat suddenly dry. He downed the rest of his Vacation Juice.

“I have some money put away, but not nearly enough for all that time.” Redd frowned. “But if I don’t get it to him tonight, we lose the place.”

“Well, how much is six months’ rent?”

“Everything included—all the fees, insurance, utilities and everything—it’ll be 200,000 bells. And I already went and spent most of my money getting us the stock. I can’t get a refund now.” He laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. “We’ll have all this furniture and nowhere to put it.”  

“How much do you need?”

“Tom, I couldn’t—”

“Redd. We’re partners, right? How much do you need?”

The fox shifted on his stool.

“...It’s too much to ask of you.” Redd mumbled, eventually.

“Redd.”

“Fine, fine. I only have about 15k bells left in my account right now.”

Tom brought out his own phone. It took a few clumsy tries for him to unlock it. He had just enough in his account to cover the remainder, built up from the months of pitching and selling ideas to businesses. This would drain nearly all of Tom’s savings, but it was an investment. It was worth it. Besides, they’d make it up and then some when their store opened.

“I can transfer it over right now.” Tom smiled. “Though I’m afraid we’ll have to switch to ramen and tap water for a while.”

“I could kiss you.” Redd said.

“What’s stopping you?”

After a sloppy kiss that tasted of pears and apples, Tom drained his account for the deposit. Redd called Phil back to confirm the transfer was a success. Once the landlord confirmed, Redd pulled Tom from the bar, hand in hand. They couldn’t really afford to buy more fancy cocktails, but there was a full bottle of sake at home, calling their name.

~*~

Tom awoke with a thunderous headache. He groaned, pinching two fingers to the ridge of his nose. He warily opened his eyes a few centimeters, then slammed them shut again. Nausea churned in his gut. He took a moment to just lay there, and prayed for his insides to stop revolting. How much had they had to drink last night? It was a blur. Tom had been feeling buzzed already from the cocktails and then the sake had gone and punched straight holes through his memory. He remembered snatches of moments, of sensations. Raking his paws through Redd’s fur, feeling the corded muscles beneath as they shifted. The sweet taste of Redd’s mouth on his, the triumph of finally marking up that exposed throat. The way that Redd, always so perfect and composed, became a stuttering, breathy mess as they made love. Then, a whole lot of nothing.

“Redd?” Tom moaned feebly. The fox handled his liquor a thousand times better than he did. He could entreat his partner to get up and fetch him some water. He flailed out blindly, reaching, but his hand encountered no fox.

Tom opened his eyes again, with heavy reluctance. He was alone in the bed. He swept his paw over the sheets. They were cool.

Tom spilled clumsily over the side of the bed to reach his pants, which were in a crumpled heap on the bedroom floor. He rooted around in his pockets until he found his phone. The time blared at him, like a condemnation: 10:05 a.m. For someone that normally got up for the day at 6, it was sacrilege.

Standing upright was a mistake. Dizziness and nausea slammed into him immediately. He barely made it to the bathroom before he was puking. He hadn’t really had much to eat yesterday, so all that came up was stringy bile. He flushed the mess down and rested his head for a minute against the cool bathroom cabinet.

He was surprised Redd hadn’t come to investigate, considering the amount of noise Tom was making.

“Redd?” He croaked.

There was no reply.

Tom sat for a moment more, until he was certain he wouldn’t neat the toilet again. He levered himself upright, bracing himself on the sink.

He shuffled out of the bathroom, and went into the area comprised of their kitchenette and living room. Redd was still nowhere to be found. And there was something...off. It took him a moment, and then he realized: Redd’s stuff was missing. His artwork that’d been scattered around, his books, they were gone. Tom checked their bedroom. Tom’s things were neatly folded in the drawers, but there was an empty gap where Redd’s clothes had once been.

Had something happened to Redd? Heart pounding with confusion and fear, he dialed Redd’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. He called again; same result.

After the beep, he left a message, his voice audibly shaky. “H-Hey, it’s Tom. Call me when you get this, alright? Let me know you’re okay.”

Tom returned to the living room, and paced anxiously until his attention was caught by a white envelope. It was resting on the floor, by the front door. Someone must have slipped it underneath.

The envelope was addressed to Redd, but Tom broke the seal anyway, hoping whatever was inside would provide answers.

Inside was a final eviction notice.

According to it, Redd was three months past due on rent, and had until the end of the week to move out his stuff before it was thrown out by management.

Tom was breathing fast, now. It felt like the walls were closing in on him. This didn’t make  sense. Redd had afforded this apartment for years before Tom had moved in. And as soon as Tom began making money he contributed half of the rent. He gave the bells over to Redd and assumed he’d take care of it. Redd had money before they’d poured most of their shared earnings into their store, so why—?

The eviction notice was starting to crumple in his shaking grip. He set it aside on the kitchen island.

He needed to find Redd. He needed to talk to him. There was probably some simple explanation for all of this that Tom just couldn’t see right now. Redd would explain, would tease him for getting all worked up about nothing. Or, or maybe this had been premeditated. Maybe he’d taken Tom’s money for months and then—

Tom yanked on his pants, and a shirt, and dashed out of the apartment. Redd wasn’t home, but there was one other place he might be at this hour.

Tom ran to their store. Animals gave him odd looks as he passed them, but he paid them no attention. He wasn’t built for running, especially not over long distances. He was soon panting and wheezing, sweat slicking his shirt to his back, but he didn’t slow. The walking sign switched to a red hand but Tom kept running, ignoring the resultant yells and curses spat at him from nearby cars as they were forced to swerve around him.

He reached the store at last—and his heart dropped to his stomach. The entire area was roped off. There were large heavy construction machines, including a crane with a wrecking ball at the end of it.

Tom ducked under the tape and tried to run inside, but was grabbed by one of the construction workers.

“Hey, hey!” The bulldog barked. “You crazy? You can’t go in there, they’re about to bust it down.”

“That’s my store!” Tom yelled. “What are you doing, that’s my property!”

“This place has been foreclosed on for over a year now.” The worker replied, bewildered. “It’s been slated for demolition. Gonna squeeze another high-rise in there.”

“But—But—”

The key in his pocket was freshly cut. If the place had been abandoned, it would’ve been relatively simple for Redd to install a new lock on the place. To add a layer of credibility to the entire request, to allow Tom to hope.

Tom was no longer resisting, so the bulldog released his grip on Tom’s shirt.

“You should step back, kid. It’s going to get real dusty here in a minute.”

He threw one last perplexed look at Tom before he rejoined his crew members.

Tom retreated behind the tape, and watched as the wrecking ball swung out, and smashed the front of the building inwards. His eyes watered, then, but not from the resultant dust.

~*~

He didn’t return to the apartment. He didn’t want anything they’d shared, or that would remind him of Redd.

He walked to the train station in a daze, only pausing to chuck his apartment and store keys in the trash.

Tom didn’t have much remaining in his account, but Redd had at least left him enough to purchase a one-way ticket back to his hometown. The train was the same make and model as the one that’d brought him here, six months ago.

Tom sat at a free window seat, and rested his cheek against the window. The glass was a bit smudged and sticky, likely from a child’s hands, but Tom left his head where it was.

The train came alive with a jolt. Soon the skyscrapers gave way to houses. Gradually, the houses became further and further spaced out, and the forest grew denser. He drank in the sight of green foliage greedily, like a man given water after days in the desert. He hadn’t realized, until now, how much he hated the gray of steel, the tan of concrete, the black of asphalt.  

The train stopped intermittently. Tom did not pay attention to the conductor’s voice over the loudspeaker, as his was the very last stop on the line.

“Hey, do you mind if I sit next to you?”

It took half a moment for Tom to recognize that he was being spoken to. He pulled his gaze sluggishly away from the window. A blue and white cat stood there, smiling down at him, seemingly unperturbed by Tom’s dour mood. Tom shrugged, not really caring what the cat did. He slid into the seat beside Tom.

“I’m Rover.” He beamed. Tom wanted to grab him by the shoulders, shake him, scream that it wasn’t fair, how dare he smile like that when Tom had been through hell.

“...Tom.” He admitted, eventually, in the expectant silence.

“Pleasure. So, where you headed?”

“Home.”

He understood it now. He wasn’t meant for city life, for a place that cradled you when you could provide it value, then dropped you into the dirt after.

“Took a day trip to the city, eh?”

Tom grunted.

“What a place! Fun to visit now and again, but I’d never live there, personally.”

“Me neither.” Tom agreed.

Rover filled the trip with largely one-sided chatter until he hopped off, three stops before Tom’s.

“Safe travels, friend! I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.”

Tom mustered up a wave for him.

The train pulled into its final station a little after noon. Hardly anyone was left on the train. As Tom left the station, he passed a few elderly couples, some younger animals psyching themselves up for a nature hike.

There weren’t cabs this far out, so Tom walked. It reminded him somewhat of his first day in the city, fraught as it was with exhaustion and confusion as he plodded down street after street. At least this time he walked with certainty. Starved of entertainment as a child, he’d explore the entire town enough times he could navigate it blind.

He wasn’t surprised to discover nothing had changed here. He hadn’t been gone that long, all told, and change came at a glacial pace in his hometown. There were the same trees, unchanging storefronts. Though he supposed there was perhaps a bit more peeling paint on the general store sign than the last time he’d seen it. The store had been owned by Gran Bluebell since before Tom was a kit. It was no great shock she didn’t bother with touching up the hard to reach sign at her age.

People recognized him. Welcomed him. Assumed he was just here for a visit. Tom smiled at them, and exchanged pleasantries but no meaningful information on his side. Humiliation burned his face like a hot brand. He could hardly admit to himself that he’d failed, let alone to them. They’d sympathize, express their condolences—but past their commiserating veneer would be a sick kind of satisfaction. I knew you’d never make it out there. You thought you were better than us? Smarter? We’re all stuck here in this town for a reason.  

Had the city soured his optimistic, rosy view of others? Perhaps it had. Could he truly be blamed, though? With pessimism, you expected the worst out of others. You could never be disappointed, only pleasantly surprised.

At length, Tom reached his destination. It was a house on the end of the row. One story, cream-colored. The doorbell had stopped working years ago, so Tom rapped on the door. He heard the shuffle of feet over wood, and then the door creaked open.

Sable’s eyes widened. She shut the door again to unhook the chain lock, and then threw it wide open. Tom could see a slice of the kitchen from his current vantage point. Mabel was strapped into her highchair, gleefully smashing peas into paste on the tray in front of her, babbling nonsense. Label was peering at him with large, dark eyes, half-hidden behind the frayed couch.

“Tom, what are you doing here?” Sable swept a critical eye over him, noting his lack of luggage.

Tom saw telltale signs of strain in his friend’s features. The circles beneath her eyes, the unkemptness of her quills, the stains, fresh and old on her apron. He shouldn’t bother her with his problems. But he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

“Tom?”

She cupped his chin, lifted his head up so he met her gaze.

“What happened?”

Tom broke. He surged forward, wrapping Sable in a tight embrace. Sable hesitated only the briefest moment before she encircled her arms around him, stroking his back soothingly.

“Sable,” He choked out.

“It’s okay now.” Her tone was soothing and soft. “Let it out.”

He buried his head in her shoulder, and wept.

~*~

Tom was rooted in place. Redd was gone, again. Without a trace, without a word.

He was being stupid. He was overreacting. Where could Redd go, really? The island wasn’t that large.

He knew this, logically, and yet his heart was pounding like a drum, his paws, clammy. He couldn’t help the irrational fear that history was repeating itself.

He managed to break through the panic which had seized him to return downstairs. He entered the Cranny. Timmy and Tommy swiveled away from their conversation with Fang.

“Have you seen Redd?” Tom blurted.

The twins shook their heads in unison, but the old wolf scrunched up his forehead in thought.

“The little red fella?” Fang rumbled. Tom nodded. “Think I saw him on my way in. Headed northwards, cha-chomp.”

“Should we look too?”

“...too?”

“No, boys. Mind the shop. I’ll find him.”

Tom waited until he was out of sight of anyone inside the store before he broke into a jog. He crossed over the bridge that connected the main swatch of Bastion to the smaller crescent of land to the north. Alex had left most of this land to the wilds. There was a grove of multicolored hyacinths, encircled by pear trees. Bastion’s lighthouse was posted on the edge of the water. There was no other sign of civilization out here—save for Flurry’s house.

Tom hurried up to the house, and was about to knock when the door swung open. Redd was exiting, a new book tucked under his arm. Flurry was behind him, wringing her tiny paws.

“You’re sure I can’t carry it for you?” She fretted.

“The book weighs more than you do. I can handle it, no problem.”

Redd was facing Flurry; he hadn’t seen Tom yet. He was speaking in that tone of voice, the same one he’d had with the boys, before Tom interrupted. Something soft, kind.

Then Redd turned to see Tom, and the gentle look on his face vanished, replaced by something charming and fake.

“Come to escort me home? How gentlemanly of you, Mr. Nook.” Redd batted his eyelashes obnoxiously. Flurry giggled.

Tom gave a short nod to the hamster before she shut the door. Tom waited until they were in the hyacinth field, far enough away from Flurry’s house, to speak.

“You can’t just—just leave without telling me.”

Redd snorted. “I’m not one of your adopted kiddos.” A thought seemed to occur to him, and with some annoyance, he added, “What, you can’t trust me to be on my own, is that it? Think I’m always up to no good?”

“You’re hurt and you don’t know the island. You can’t just go off on your own.”

“Please, Tom. Don’t bother with all this. You don’t care about me, you’ve made that perfectly clear.”

“That’s not what I—you’re so—!” Tom clamped his mouth shut. He took a deep breath, which didn’t do as much to calm him as he would have liked. “I’m sorry. I overreacted. You were just gone, and I panicked.”

Tom was surprised as that seemed to set Redd off. “Oh, panicked, did you? How do you think I felt when you left New Leaf, without telling me? I had to hear it from Chadder—Chadder, of all people!—that you’ve just run off to some deserted island, on your own. There are tarantulas out here, Tom. Tarantulas!”

“And scorpions,” Tom added, helpfully. Redd glowered at him. “I was expanding my business into travel. Not that you’d know anything about innovation.”

“You learned all you know from me!”

“Hardly!” Tom scoffed. “I taught myself everything after you stole from me. My first shop was made out of scrap metal and wood from the dump, and look at me now. Whereas you, Redd,” He jabbed the fox in the chest. “You just jump from one scam to the next, and don’t care who you hurt in the process.”

Redd flinched back. “I’m not. I’m not like that anymore. I—look. I might have. Lied. Before.”

“You’ll have to be more specific.” Tom said, waspishly.

“Guess I deserve that one.” Redd shifted his weight uneasily. “I’m talking about the art. It is real, like I said. Spent almost every bell I got to acquire it all. But I wasn’t planning to scam anyone with it. I wasn’t going to go island to island to sell people replicas. I just wanted to come here. Where you are.”

Tom’s ire drained, supplanted by confusion. He said nothing, and Redd took that as permission to continue.

“I was going to swing by once a week. Give a new piece of art to that human kid every time, because I know Blabbers—”

“Blathers.”

“—would want them all displayed in his museum. And over time, you’d get used to seeing me around. And there’d be no stories about fakes for you to hear. And maybe you’d…” Redd sighed. He looked up at Tom with an earnestness the raccoon had never seen from him before. “I scammed a lot of guys before you. A lot of them were like you—new to the city, hopelessly clueless, grateful for any scrap of guidance. But you were different. I...I do regret what happened between us. What I did to you. It still haunts me.”

“So why did you?” Tom asked, softly. “You know that I loved you.”

Redd’s face twisted in anguish. “I did know. I hate myself every day for ruining what we had. And the worst part is I can’t tell you why I did it. A part of me, a big part of me, didn’t want to. But it was what I’d always done. I didn’t grow up in a nice place, or in a nice home. I learned how to con, how to lie and cheat and survive. I learned how to take care of myself, because no one else was going to. And then you came along, and you didn’t want to use me, and you were clever, and wanted us to be partners, equals. You thought I could be that for you, that I could be up at as high a level as you are, and, and it scared me. It made me think that maybe I didn’t have to be that way anymore. I didn’t have to trick anyone ever again. But when it came down to it, I couldn’t change. I couldn’t make the leap. I fell into old habits, because they were secure, because I knew I could rely on the results. I knew I’d hurt you, but I did it anyway. Because I didn’t trust you, and I didn’t trust myself.”

Tom felt as if his heart was breaking again, but in a different way. Redd’s confession was a raw, sad thing.

“I’m not asking for your forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it. But I’m a selfish bastard, and I...I still want you in my life. In whatever way you’ll have me.”

There was a long silence between them. The hyacinths swayed gently around them in the cool sea breeze.

Redd had hurt Tom deeply. On one level, Tom did forgive him. Redd had suffered the consequences of his actions. He’d gained money, but he’d lost Tom’s affections, lost the chance for an honest living. On another level, Tom could not open his heart fully to the fox again. Redd claimed that he had changed, and he certainly seemed repentant. But they would remain only acquaintances, perhaps friends, at the most. He simply could not trust Redd to the extent he had in the past, and he doubted he ever would.

“What book did Flurry give you?”

“What? Oh.” Redd blinked. He checked the title. “Bark Antony and Kleopawtra.”

“Perhaps you could read it aloud to the kids, tonight. They’d like that.”

A tentative smile spread slowly across Redd’s face.

He accepted the olive branch.

“Fine, but you’re voicing Bark Antony.”

The pair of them returned to the Cranny, walking shoulder to shoulder.

[rainbowglittr]

Love and Marriage - Chapter 10 (Mature, Minors DNI)

Description:

After a loss in the family uncovers a family secret, Jaleia and her husband Jesse are forced to balance one family crisis after another along with their budding careers and their plans to expand their family. Will the pressure to keep everyone else together ruin their own relationship? Can ruined relationships be fixed before it’s too late?

Chapter 10:

Jesse's POV

I opened the door to our hotel room. I slept on the plane and I was still tired.

"Ooooooh." Diana said walking into the room behind me. We had a two room suite. I turned to Diana.

"Pick whatever room you want, shake out the blankets, and sleep. We got a busy day tomorrow. Or today." I rubbed my face. Diana slept on the plane and now was wide awake, touching everything in the room.

"Di, go to bed, I'm tired."

"Sorry, I'm just so excited. I can't even sleep! We haven't been here in so long. Thanks for bringing me. Oooh, let me take pictures by the window." She ran to the window.

"I'm going to bed, don't do anything crazy. Night." I said.

"Kay, night Jess!" She said

I found the bigger room and collapsed on the bed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"I miss you already, babe! I couldn't sleep." Jaleia said. I was face timing her before me and Diana left for the day. It was 5AM her time but 8AM in Cali.

"I miss you too, love. I haven't had to go away in a while. "

"I know. I hated it when you lived in L.A."

"Yeah, you kept telling me."

"So what's the schedule like?"

"Today me and Di are hanging out. This week and next I'm working with the new artists. The week after next is when I work with some famous people."

"Sounds fun. I'm going back to sleep. Love you."

"Alright baby, don't over sleep. Love you."

I hung up. I grabbed my wallet and keys and walked out the room. Our suite was nice, it had two rooms, a common area, a bathroom and a small kitchen area. It looked expensive as hell so I was glad that the studio was paying for it. I make decent money but sure as hell not enough to stay here for three weeks. Maybe not even 3 days.

I walked to Di's room and knocked on her door. After the "incident" we've all been more aware of knocking first.

"Di are you done? We gotta go!" I yelled through the door.

"Almost! I just gotta find the right shoes!"

"Well hurry up! We gotta pick up the rental car." I said. Because we were going to be here for a few weeks I got a rental to make it easier to get around. Having lived her before I knew the traffic was going to be shit.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

Diana had not stopped talking since we left the hotel. It was making my head spin. We had just picked up the rental, and now we were now on our way to see the Hollywood Star Walk of Fame. Diana had been bugging me to take her. And as I predicted we were stuck in traffic.

"And hopefully we have time to go to Universal or Disneyland or world or whatever the one on cali is called. I can't wait to take selfies. What do you-"

"Di."

"I cannot wait so see L.A, like really see it.-"

"Diana."

"I'm just so Excited!!"

"DIANA!"

"What?"

"Just a second of silence, please." I said.

"Sorry." She said.

"Don't be, my head is killing me." I said which wasn't exactly a lie but I felt bad for killing her joy.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

We got back to the hotel at midnight. Diana made me feel old. She dragged me everywhere on the Hollywood Stars to find her favorite stars. My feet and back hurt. I was done.

My phone rang and I groaned. I had spread out on the couch in the room while Di took a shower. I looked at the screen. Jaleia was face timing me. I answered.

"Hey Jess!" Jaleia said. She looked like she was in our bed.

"Hey bae." I said, trying to keep my eyes open.

"Awww, you look tired, how was your day? Diana drag you around?"

"Hell yeah! We went to the Hollywood Walk of fame. When I tell you I'm tired. I'm done! It was fun but damn."

"Aww, you're a good older bro. You look so tired. It's adorable."

"Woman, I am not adorable. I'm a man. I'm not adorable. "

"Yes you are! So cute when you're tired. I'll let you get some rest, make sure you call me. I love you."

"I promise I'll talk more tomorrow. I love you, bae. Bye."

"Bye."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The first few days in the studio were great. They knew what they wanted, what sound they were going for and they were already talented in music. There were three artists this week, Alana who was looking for a pop sound, Smoke R&B, Jazmyne soul. We worked on about three tracks in for each of them. When I'm in L.A it's a much bigger song writing and producing team. I got my man Dre, best friend since NYU, who produces, JD, Dre, Mandy all produce, and Mark, Green, and J.T and I all write. We do melodies and help produce as well but mostly we do the lyrics. I produce as well but my strength is in the lyrics. It's a lot of noise in the studio with more six people and usually it's hard to work like that but we've been doing it together for years and we're able to cut through all the nice to get the sound it words we need. We usually work in teams to produce an album.

Diana had been having a good time from what I could see hanging around the studio and watching us work. Anytime I could fit in I took her to different places around L.A, mostly places to eat because that's all we had time for. She couldn't get over the fact I used to live here before I got married. It was so hard to move but I had to, Jay couldn't since she was in her residency. But someday we're moving back. I had Diana on lunch duty, so she could get out from the studio for a moment. She picked up our lunch when it was within walking distance. She didn't mind because she once ran into Luke James and hasn't stopped talking about it since. So she volunteers to get lunch now.

On Wednesday, everyone decided to go out for lunch. I let Diana go with them since Dre was going and I knew he would look out after her like I would. He's known her since she was seven. I stayed behind to finish a track we were working. It was just me in the studio and I was so into working I didn't hear someone enter.

"Jess! How are you?" Imani Redd walked into the room. She was wearing a bra and those shorts girls wear where their whole ass is out. She hadn't changed much since I had last seen her in person except her hair was now blonde. She still looked good. I got up from my chair.

"Hey Imani." I said.

She laughed and said "You don't have to be so formal. We good. You looking hella nice. You didn't dress like that when we were together." She gave me a tight hug.

"What's up?" I said sitting down again.

"I heard I would be working with you and just wanted to swing by and say hello. I know we didn't leave on the best terms-"

"Fucking understatement of century there." I said, crossing my arms.

"But I wanted to make sure we were cool and that you knew how very sorry I am for doing that to you. You didn't deserve that. I loved you, I really did. I hate that I screwed it up, especially for a guy that wasn't even worth it. Are we good?" She said walking toward my chair. She bent down in front of my chair, putting her hands on the armrests of the chair. I leaned back to get her breasts out my face.

"Cause if we're not, I'm sure I can make it up to you." She whispered in my ear. I started to sweat.

"Um, we're good, what's in the past is in the past, there's no need to bring ANY of it back up. I'm actually glad what happened, happened, I wouldn't have met my WIFE if it hadn't." I said, rolling my chair back. She turned around and like I figured, almost her entire ass was out. As she bent down in front of me to pick some imaginary object off the floor, I stared at the ceiling.

"That's too bad," she said, now standing over my legs, putting her hand on my shoulder. "Cause I love to make a man happy and I've only gotten better. Congrats on getting married, Jess. I'll see you later. And please let me know if you need anything." She slid her hand down my chest slightly brushing my crotch. Her hips swayed as she walked out the room. I let out the breath I was holding in. I wasn't scheduled to work with her until the last week I was here but I could already tell she was going to be a problem.

>>>>>>>>

It was past 2AM in the morning as we sat and talked in the studio. Diana had passed out on the couch. All the artists had gone home and it was just Dre, Green, J.D and me left still trying to finish some tracks. Admittedly we stopped working a while ago.

"So you used to bag Imani?" Green said. Green was a 35 year old white guy who slept with any girl who would sleep with him. He's been divorced five times, all for the same reason - infidelity. He was a terrible partner but a great somgwriter.

"I used to date her, yes."

"How was she?" Green asked. Green was also a pothead, and had a few edibles earlier. He was still as vile sober as he was high. I wouldn't let him eat them anywhere near the studio, since I had Diana with me. Usually I didn't care but she was staring to get better and she wasn't going to pick up bad habit now.

"You know I don't talk about women like that. Especially since I'm married. " I said.

"Hmm. Yeah you let your wife whip you. But I would love to get that Imani in the sack. She got it all."

"I'm not whipped." They all gave me a look.

"Y'all think I'm whipped? Trippin."

"Nah, man I hate to say it, but she got you wrapped around her finger. Ain't nothing wrong, that's your girl. But hell yeah you whipped." Dre said.

"I'm not fucking whipped."

"I bet you had to beg her to come here. Especially once she found out about Imani. " J.D said.

"We talked about it but I ain't got to beg for shit!"

"Yeah, okay man." J.D said.

"I'm not whipped!"

"What happened between you and Imani anyway?" J.D asked.

"She did him dirty as hell. Played his ass." Dre said.

"We were engaged and she was cheating on me for months. I only found out because I walked in on her with another guy."

"Damn. She really had you going."

"He really acting like she wasn't shady before that though." Dre said.

"How was I supposed to know?"

"This nigga really gon ask that? She used to "go away" for the weekend and have "late night recording sessions" and never could show him a demo. You know that this nigga right here wrote like seven songs for her? Almost her whole first damn album. She played the hell out of you. I even told your stupid ass that she was doing you wrong. And you ain't want to hear it." Dre said.

"I was young and in love." I said. When he put it like that I did sound stupid for not knowing she was using me.

"More like young and dumb as hell!" J.D said. They all laughed.

"And you had the nerve to be all depressed afterwards, acting like you ain't know she was no good. I got sick of your Mopey ass. I guess the sex was that good. But I got to say you married well." Dre said.

"I did, didn't I? Well it's not like you had it together either. Remember that girl who tried to claim that you were her deadbeat baby daddy?" I said.

"Oooooohhhhh. She was a fucking nightmare. Almost ruined my relationship." Dre said. J.D's jaw dropped. We had met J.D after we got out of college.

"Followed him around campus everywhere. Dressed the kid just like him. You've dated some crazy ones, don't play me like that!" I said.

"Look, I would cheat on my girlfriend just to hit that ass. Imani got that ass." Green said.

"We know." We all said at once.

"I would never cheat. My girl would kill me if she ever found out." J.D said.

"I never want to lose my wife again. Not again. " Dre said.

"You cheated on Eva?"

"Before we got married, we were engaged. Wasn't worth it, it was the worst mistake I ever made. I would never do that again. And Jess is too whipped to even think about cheating. " Dre said.

"Fuck you... But you right about that." I said as they laughed.

"I know what it's like to be cheated on, so I would never do that her." I said.

"But you got to admit that Imani is fine. You would hit that again if you were single. "

"I'm happily married."

"He didn't say no."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"So what are you trying to say with the hook because it's really confusing. Is the relationship worth saying or not?" I said to Jazmyne. We were finishing up one of her songs and the chorus just didn't flow right.

"What I'm trying to say is I don't know what I want from the relationship. I guess I could make that more clear."

"Yeah, I really want that point driven home in the chorus. You're stuck between two feelings and you just want something worth fighting for."

"Oh my God, that's it!"

"Let's try it." I picked up my guitar and started to strum the melody.

Baby I'm stuck in the middle,

Of this one single issue

Don't know what I'm saying

And you seem to think I'm playing

Not sure if I don't want your love

Cause it feels like it's from above

I'm sick of being ignored

I just want a love worth fighting for

I just want a love worth fighting for

Jazmyne sang.

"I love that! I like the switched melody, and I love that new line. You are a freaking genius!"

"Nah, you did all the work. You ready to lay the vocals down for real?" I said.

"Yes!" She went into the recording booth, a couple of takes on the chorus and she was done.

"How does it feel to have all of the tracks to your first album ?"

"I'm so freaking excited! This shit was lit. So what happens next?"

"You're going to pick your favorites, and the ones you don't want on the album. You'll play it for some executives on the label and they'll give you feedback, you skim the tracklist and songs down more, hopefully get it approved. And then work on the cover art. They'll give you a date and some promo, and your album will be released. There's a bunch of other bull in between that but that's really it."

"I'm so excited. Wow that's a lot. But I'm so happy with everything, thanks for your help. Can I listen to them all?"

"Sure, they'll be unfinished of course."

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks." I handed her some headphones.

Alana was almost done with her album. Jazmyne was done with hers. Smoke however, had a lot more to be done.

Usually writing an album takes several months and it did for them. We were just here to polish the songs they had, write any ones they were missing, and really curate the style they were trying to have and finish the demo album.

It was my second week in L.A and it had been great so far. Last weekend I took Diana to Disneyland and we had a great time. She was such a good sport about being cooped up in a studio for so long I really wanted to do something special. It was Friday night and it was going to be another night spent at the studio.

My phone started vibrating on the control panel. I put down my guitar and looked at screen. Jaleia's face lit up. I answered, propped my phone up nearby and started to strum my guitar lightly.

"Hey Jess!"

"Hey Love, what's up?"

"I miss you. I'm sorry I keep saying it and calling you and-"

"I never get tired of you. Call me anytime."

"How's Di?"

"She's having fun, I'm sure she'll tell you allllllllll about it when we get home."

"I feel kinda stupid."

"Why?"

"I cried cause I missed you so much. The house is a mess, I've been late so much lately. I can't wait for you to come back."

"Aww, I'm sorry baby. It's only one more week. I miss you too."

"I know."

"Did you see all the organization tips I left you? I know it's hard for you to adjust your schedule suddenly. "

"One of the worst parts of ADHD I guess. Your wife's a mess. What's new?"

"Jay, you're not a mess, don't talk like that. What you up to tonight? You look cute." She had a low cut silky night shirt on.

"Um, I am having a sleepover with the girls. I finally convinced everyone. A quiet girls night. Movies, wine, snacks and shit. Should be fun. I'm really lonely, please come home soon."

"I'll be home real soon, alright."

"Oh and Jess? I found your present. And it's beautiful. I'm wearing it now. I always wanted a tennis bracelet! Now I get to brag about how great you are. When you get home, you will get the biggest thank you ever. Whatever you want. Trust me."

"I knew you'd like it. And I'm looking forward to that thank you."

"I have a little sneak peak of something I bought for you." She said and pulled her shorts down a little so I could see the top of her lace panties.

"You like these?" She said pulling her shorts back up.

"Hell yeah, you look sexy. I'm still on the studio Jay, so I gotta call you back. I love you, Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"I really miss you too. You're amazing and I love you! Have fun tonight."

"Love you too Jess! I'll talk to you later!"

[transthaumaturge]

Ace Attorney and the Finally Kind-Of Okay Queer Representation

Note: This post contains massive spoilers for Turnabout Academy, the third case in the 3DS game Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies. There are also spoilers for a few cases in the earlier games. Please only read on if you’re okay with that.

I love Ace Attorney, but as a series it is fraught with bad queer representation. It really says something that the first queer character that I felt pretty good about was five games in. Most of this bad rep is in the form of effeminate, gay-coded men that are written as evil and/or comic relief. A brief rundown:

1) Redd White, the power-hungry CEO of Bluecorp;

2) Jean Armstrong, the cowardly café owner who lied on the stand (and who is repeatedly misgendered by the judge for comic relief);

3) Florent L’Belle, the greedy Mayor’s Aid.

All three characters are presented as a mix of negative stereotypes and bad-faith comic relief. They’re dark spots in an otherwise really fun series, and it’s made me very uncomfortable interacting with each one as I’ve played through the cases. I’ve never felt worse about Ace Attorney than when it’s punching down on gay-coded characters, all of whom were written with no redeemable qualities. I mean, two of them were the actual murderers in their respective cases! Honestly, it just sucked.

That’s why I got so excited (and also super-nervous they would botch it again) today while playing through Turnabout Academy, at the moment when one of the characters is revealed to be explicitly trans. I’ll go over the general facts and then discuss why this was a step in the right direction, but still very flawed.

In the case, Robin Newman is a high school law student and a close friend of the defendant. In the early stages of the case, Robin presents as a very masculine individual and even wears a chest brace that is supposedly proof of her manliness. This whole time, she’s represented as a very aggressive and unhappy person. But on the first day of the case, it’s revealed that she put on a feminine costume belonging to the defendant because she really wanted to wear something girly. When further pressed, she comes out in the courtroom and reveals that she’s actually a girl—the chest brace was hiding the fact that she had breasts, and her parents raised her as a boy as some terrible step in forcing her to become a prosecutor when she grew up. Afterward, she’s a very cheerful, peppy person and says that she’s grateful she finally gets to live life as a girl and pursue her dream of becoming an artist.

As a trans woman myself, I started getting really excited as soon as it became clear that Robin put on the outfit—and even more excited when it was finally revealed that she was a girl who had been raised as a boy. The first thing that tipped me off to my gender identity was wanting to wear women’s clothing, so this gender euphoria through clothing scenario was something that I could relate to on a deep emotional level. And while I got nervous at first because the blame for the murder was briefly pinned on her, that ultimately goes nowhere. This is the first queer character in an Ace Attorney game that is represented as kind, positive, and trustworthy. Robin is wonderful. I love her so much.

But now I want to dive into where parts of her portrayal are still negative, and how Capcom made several missteps that ultimately resulted in Robin not being as fleshed-out and three-dimensional as she deserved to be.

First, Robin’s reveal is still treated like comic relief at times. I was really uncomfortable when several characters said “he was a she???” or something to that effect. Given that “he-she” was once a widely used transphobic slur for trans women, it wasn’t in good taste. Also uncomfortable was the fact that as soon as the big reveal happened, she took on a bunch of hyperfeminine behavioral and vocal tics. The worst was when she started swooning every time that anything shocking happened for the rest of the time she was on the stand. It felt like this was just a way to play up the comedy side of “hey, she’s a girl now.” She was forcibly outed in the courtroom, and then magically showed no trauma or self-doubt afterward. It almost felt like she wasn’t there to be a serious character anymore. Later, she thanks Athena for outing her. I think that sends the wrong message.

What did the game do right when portraying her? I loved how visibly relieved and happy she was after coming out, though it sucks that she didn’t get to do it on her own terms. It’s later revealed that she had confided in a professor about her gender identity and had a plan to come out to the school, so that was a nice touch. I also really liked it being mentioned that she had been raised as a boy, removing most of the ambiguity about what we were seeing—that this wasn’t a self-imposed repression of her authentic self, but something that had been forced on her. They used the right pronouns for her throughout the entire rest of the case without slipping up even once, thankfully not misgendering her for laughs like they did relentlessly with Jean Armstrong two games earlier. She was also just a really pleasant character to be around afterward, so that was nice.

What would be on my wish list if I were asked to help in rewriting Robin to be a more positive example of trans representation? First, I would fix her character’s comedic behavioral tics. Most witnesses have some silly animations, but the fact that all of her tics after being outed were hyperfeminine to the point of parody made me uncomfortable. Are there other ways to make her a bit quirky and visibly feminine without punching down on her burgeoning relationship with her gender? I’m sure that there are. It would also be nice for her reaction to being out in public for the first time to be more on par with what you might actually expect if a trans woman found herself in that situation. She probably feels relieved, but also a bit scared, embarrassed, and hesitant about how she’s supposed to act now. I would love to see some of that reflected in how she talks and in how she acts. Maybe she’s daydreaming of what she can wear now that she’s out, and that’s interspersed with nervous hair-twirling and curtsying at awkward times.

I’d also like her to say something to Athena about how she wished that she wasn’t forced to come out in front of a bunch of people like that, but she’s happy that she gets to be herself. Anything other than thanking Athena for outing her with no qualifiers. The fact that she was forcibly outed needs to be portrayed as a traumatic moment. Sure, something good came out of it and Athena didn’t immediately realize that that’s where the cross-examination was going, but it shouldn’t have happened. An apology from Athena would also be nice. She should feel at least a little bit guilty about outing someone in the middle of a courtroom, even if that someone was much happier afterwards.

Finally, I’d love for there to be less ambiguity about the events that led her to this point—and ideally, something that more explicitly shows that she’s a trans woman. The way her dialogue was written, I think the writers were trying to portray her as having been assigned female at birth, but later forced by her parents to take on a male identity for…some reason. It’s never explained why they would want to inflict that on her. She’s trans regardless of her sex at birth if she was forced to live life as a boy for her entire childhood, but I think that it could be handled better. A few possibilities that I like more:

1) She was already in the middle of gender transition, and started wearing the chest brace when her breasts began to develop since she wasn’t ready to be out in public—especially to her parents, who might have cut her financial support off if they had known. After all, she was at a prestigious private legal school. That must have been a concern.

2) She was intersex, and her parents raised her as a boy when she was growing up because that’s unfortunately what happens so often with intersex children—they’re forced into one side of the binary or the other, and sometimes they find out later on that their parents didn’t make the right choice or that they don’t identify with a binary gender identity at all. Robin had breasts because she was born with both male and female sex characteristics, and try as her parents might to force her into manhood, she still had a uterus. Not every intersex person is trans, but plenty are.

3) Or just…remove the bit where she’s revealed to have breasts altogether, and keep in the fact that she’s a girl who was raised as a boy! Why does she have to be “a biological female in disguise”? While either of the above two options would have been good ways to explain the fact that she had breasts, I’m not giving the writers enough credit to have thought of one or the other. If they had, it would have been hinted at. On some level, it felt like they were saying “it’s okay everyone, she’s not really trans. Look, she had breasts all along!” If that’s what they were trying to do, then screw it; just change the reveal but nothing else about the character, and make her an unabashedly AMAB trans woman.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the topic. I recognize that this was super long-winded, but I needed to get my thoughts out—anyone who’s interested in this and got something from the long read, I’m glad that I was able to provide some insight. And I’m not even done with the series yet! Maybe they did do better! I don’t have my hopes up, but maybe! Anyway, please feel free to reblog this post with your thoughts or message me if this inspired any opinions of your own. As long as those thoughts aren’t “Robin isn’t really trans or queer at all.” I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.

Have a great day, everyone! And thanks for reading!

[princesslunamoon19]

Ace Attorney Opinions  Part 1  Trilogy

Finally! I managed to finish the first OG game at Steam. This is my first time talking about the actual game and you guys will look forward more in the future when I am done with the 2nd Trilogy. So I cant wait to jump to the topic! But first thing first is this just opinions and background story, I came the knowledge from the Anime than the game. If you disagree with some certain parts, I’ll look forward to read on your comments. Also, I would put rate upon 10 next to title because in the end, I’ll arrange what is my most favourite and least favourite. In addition,  if you don’t want to read on Spoilers, I wouldn’t recommend to look which might as well watch the walk-trough play or played the game and come back here . One more thing, my grammar/ English is not good and I’m still learning therefore for people who loves to correct my mistakes. Bare with me here okay? Anyways let’s start!

Case 1 The First Turnabout 5/10

I really like how the story goes. It’s simple and understanding. I also do like how Mia teach Phoenix(me as I am playing him) how to open Court Records, press testimonies , etc... The game does gives me flows of what to do and concept as going through the game. I like how Mia and Phoenix interact with each other during the court as shows they are mentor and student friendship. When Larry comes in, my god comedy gold clown has arrived.(They give more details the game than the Anime.) Frank Sahwit, can say weirdo and meme of throwing wig.  Oh yea I forgot to talk about the Prosecutor Winston Payne, plain as paper which the legend of Paynes will lives on for beginners to learn how to play the game.  

Case 2 Turnabout Sisters 7/10

When Mia Fey knocked out in the Anime, docent punch me of sadness although at the game. The tense of intro did gave me a different feeling which I felt bad for her. I personally love the tension of music did give me goosebumps. Maya Fey, yea feels bad and Nick have to save her. I like there beginning  I have to mention about Redd White, personally what another weirdo and dick.

Case 3 Turnabout Samurai 4/10

Honestly one of the longest loopholes on evidences to proof someone innocence in this case. A lot of weirdo characters which are well remembered. Especially Wendy Old Bag. 

Case 4 Turnabout Goodbyes 10/10

OMG MY FAVOURITE STORY PLOT IN THE WHOLE GAME! Krama is what he needs to deserve. It’s very intense and I might go back and replay again.  Moreover I loved the friendship between Edgeworth and Wright as the story continues on.

Case 5 Rise from the Ashes 10/10

Interesting add fixture of fingerprints and spray luminol by pressing buttons/ clicking mouse. Thank heavens that I don’t need to blow unlike the console games e.g. Nintendo DS. Story wise, is similar to Turnabout Sisters but huge twist of corruption which I personally find this story plot better than Turnabout sisters. By the way, the villain of this case is damn satisfying to serve justice.

Conclusion

 Overall it is a good starting out as a defence attorney and I cant wait to finish the 2nd game Justice for All. Until the next post.

[artbymintcookies]

tell us about your headcanons!!

Oh my gd more holy cow okay ahhh have some non-DD ones (idk how contentious these are, if they even are but these are some fandoms I love and grew up with/still ID with)

1. Eleanor Shellstrop was an average person, and her flashbacks center around her bad parts because she believes that nasty stuff about herself. In reality she was nuanced even at her worst and that’s just depression bb

2. Merlin BBC and Gwaine definitely were an item I don’t make the rules they were just soft for each other and Gwaine knew about his magic but it was never mentioned because the reveal happened off screen and Merlin was fully accepted and Gwaine swore not to tell anyone

3. Hermione Granger was always black. She had a white grandparent, but she is and always in my heart has been black. can you imagine being a child and really rallying for anti-slavery of a people deemed “lesser than” and “more fit for service anyway” otherwise?

4. All renditions of Sherlock Holmes are asexual and aromantic please stop getting him to kiss Irene Adler.

5. Books! Irene was a bisexual and the partner she ran off to marry for love was a “woman in man’s clothes” type. Whether that means he was a butch lesbian or a trans man or whatever, I don’t have the time-specific cultural context to say definitively, but that’s that on that

6. Aziraphale is more sexual than Crowley, who hardly even knows what a genital is supposed to look like

7. That Eleventh Doctor guy definitely has had relations with all the Ponds. Amy, Rory and River. Never at once.

8. Naruto and Sasuke were supposed to be endgame. They’re both shitty dads and shitty partners because they have secret rendezvous with each other and it sucks for everyone involved. Just get divorced and marry each other.

9. Tom Nook and Redd never formalized their marriage (or, consequently, their divorce) which is why if you were ever ask them, Tom Nook has never been married, while Redd still refers to him as his “estranged husband”

10. Isabelle from Animal Crossing is an ex-con. she was thrown in the slammer for first degree murder when she was 16 (tried as an adult) because she saw someone littering. She told them off, but the person had a heart condition and was passed before they could get to the hospital. After seven years, she escaped through an elaborate heist and remade her identity. Her natural fur colour is brown.

[dopeitstom]

I haven’t done a year-end music list in a few years and I miss it. I’m not sure why I stopped publishing a list of my favorite albums and songs of the year, but since I still listen to a ton of music and keep pretty close track of what I’m liking the most, I figured I’d put something together this year.

2018 was a difficult year for me. Don’t get me wrong - there were a lot of great things that happened this year - both professionally and in my personal life. I dove into a bunch of side hustles to supplement my income, and in the process found out that I have a knack for flipping vintage clothes and churning out soul-crushing SEO copy. 

I loved hard, took trips, grew closer with friends & coworkers, worked on my mental health harder than ever before, and ended the year with a hole in my life that won’t ever be filled the same way again. I learned a bunch about myself in the process, stuff I hope I can carry over into 2019 and beyond. Stuff that will help me navigate the world, a world that I began the year thinking was a pointless hellscape devoid of anything remotely positive. I hope to start finding the beauty in the details again. I want to focus on the positives and the immense amount of privilege I possess when everything feels bad, and I want to continue to grow. I think 2018 was the start of that.

All along the way, just like every year, I had a constant rotation of new music that I was obsessed with. I tend to gravitate towards songs rather than projects for the most part, and my 2018 soundtrack reflects that. While my Best Of 2018 playlist is nearly 200 songs, I put together a list of the 25 best, with my favorite lyric from each.

P.S. - Here’s a Spotify playlist link for those of you that are into that sort of thing: https://open.spotify.com/user/1220131548/playlist/0gWlj9biKmAHpbFfgWBXz0?si=_AJWbfHoRgi7XtjMeE5VyA

I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

1. Trippie Redd - “I Tried Loving”

You can try, I guarantee the shit won't work

2. 6 Dogs - “Lonely Kobe”

Tried to save them but who's gonna save me Running for a minute I've been late lately

3. Kacey Musgraves - “Butterflies”

Kiss full of color makes me wonder where you've always been I was hiding in doubt 'til you brought me out of my chrysalis And I came out new All because of you

4. Chance the Rapper - “65th & Ingleside”

I could spare a rib to get my baby back I just wanna fall asleep where my baby at So I don't wake up wondering where my baby at I wonder if we'll make it back

5. Lil Baby & Gunna - “Close Friends”

Everything was so cool Lately baby been actin' so rude I don't know what somebody told you But I ain't gon' lie, I miss the old you

6. Lil Tracy - “Heart”

Kissin' on my tattoos, in a Jaguar Love hurts and I know you have a few scars Let my love heal you, I just wanna feel you I wanna know the real you

7. Ariana Grande - “thank u, next”

I've got so much love Got so much patience I've learned from the pain I turned out amazing

8. Wicca Phase Springs Eternal -  “Spider Web” feat. Clams Casino & Fish Narc

I try to find the path that's back to her And take myself to where I can be with her How can I say I'm not attached to her But I love her and I feel so bad for her All the time How can I make life easier?

9. Soccer Mommy - “Your Dog”

Forehead kisses break my knees and Leave me crawling back to you

10. Playboi Carti - “Shoota” feat. Lil Uzi Vert

You know that I'm smoking dope, I'll be high til' next week Know I had to let her go, 'cause she can't arrest me

11. Lil Zubin - “Days Are Numbered”

Our days are numbered So we stay fucked up

12. Aries - “SAYONARA”

Promise that I will stay out of reach Far gone, ‘cause the shit still bothers me

13. Future - “HATE THE REAL ME”

Infatuation turned to love on me A sober mind wasn't good for me 'Cause I love you way more than this music That's when shit was brought up and you know I had to lose it Damn, I almost lost it Said it was cheaper not to keep her and it's killing me 'Cause damn, I hate the real me

14. convolk - “i fucked up”

And all the memories I have The things I've buried in the past Moments I cannot get back, still can't forget you (I can't forget you) And when the tears fell down your face And all the words I can’t erase All the highs I try to chase, still can't forget you

15. Conor Oberst - “No One Changes”

I don’t wanna to feel so jaded   Getting on a plane to work things out   When I’m alone you’re all I think about   But I’m never alone very long

16. Juice WRLD - “Wasted” feat. Lil Uzi Vert

My eyes closed, hopin' this ain't make-believe And she don't know that all her demons live in me, yeah I don't know, I don't know Don't know what she been on, I don't know

17. Fantasy Camp - “Heart Is On The Floor”

But I want you to know That my love was true And I'm doing my best in hopes that I could be happy too

18. Swearin’ - “Anyway”

You are angry at me And I get it you have every right to be I broke a promise But see unconditional love only exists in movies Your love for me was a remedy A bright white light you followed idly

19. Lil Peep - “Runaway”

I run away from my problems I do the drugs when I want 'em I ran away from my momma Don't bother me with no drama

20. Travis Scott - “SICKO MODE” feat. Drake

Different colored chains, think my jeweler really sellin' fruits

21. boygenius - “Me & My Dog”

I wanna be emaciated I wanna hear one song without thinking of you I wish I was on a spaceship Just me and my dog and an impossible view

22. Hanzo - “Frozen”

I’m not alright I’m frozen, I’m gettin’ colder Ice on me, like it’s snowin’

23. The 1975 - “Inside Your Mind”

I've been watching you walk I've been learning the way that you talk The back of your head is at the front of my mind Soon I'll crack it open just to see what's inside your mind

24. Mitski - “Why Didn’t You Stop Me?”

I know that I ended it, but Why won't you chase after me? You know me better than I do So why didn’t you stop me? Why didn’t you stop me?

25. Snail Mail - “Pristine”

And if you do find someone better I'll still see you in everything Tomorrow and all the time

[birb-and-bairn]

Redd pt.3

Shoving the rest of the sandwich in her mouth, Leia bolted down the dressing room lined hall. Ducking under some costumes and climbing up boxes, she made her way to the last place she had left her dad. As much as she loved being at the studio with him, she did not like being left alone with the express owls and would take any opportunity to sneak off and do her own thing.

Spotting the Conductor’s back, Leia skidded behind him and took a huge breath.

“CNDUTOR!!” She yelled happily.

The Conductor jumped, his feathers puffing out slightly.

“Leia!! How many times do Ah need tae tell ye not tae run off?!”

Ignoring his question, Leia smugly trotted over and grabbed his hand.

“Prk?” She asked innocently.

“Wha- No, we ain’t going tae the park,” the Conductor replied, a little confused. “Why would ye think that, Lass?”

“Want to!” Leia explained.

“Ah, well, not today, OK,” the Conductor sternly replied.

Kneeling down, he motioned to Leia to get on his back. Excitedly, Leia jumped on. Getting piggyback rides were the best way to get around in little Leia’s mind.

As they traversed Dead Bird Studio, Leia babbled on in incoherent sentences about her adventures. Here and there and actual word would make it in but overall, Leia was still figuring out how to master speech beyond a few words. The Conductor nodded along and tried to make the appropriate comments at the right times to encourage her to keep at it, just as all the books on raising hatchlings had said, but he had no real idea what she was going on about.

Once they were in the elevator heading up to the main floor, Leia started asking questions. Those were a little harder to fake his way through but, heck, was the Conductor going to try.

“‘Nd ah doshna yer wanning ‘nd cranny?”

“-Ah’m not sure Lass.”

“But Cndutor! Dun ab- ab-” Leia stopped, struggling to find the words.

“It’s alright Lass, when we get on me train, Ah’ll get you some crayons and paper and you can try tae draw it out.”

Slightly frustrated, Leia sulked before asking another question.

“‘ome?”

“No, we ain’t going home. Ah told ye last night, we’re gonna be on me train for a few days,” the Conductor replied with relief.

With a ding, the elevator doors opened and the two of them headed towards the small train station the Conductor had set up next to the studio.

“Oh! Ma!” Leia exclaimed happily.

“No, not Ma! Why do ye keep callin me train Ma?!” It was the Conductor’s turn to sulk as he quickly moved towards the double doors leading to his train.

Leia, with the instincts of toddlers everywhere, latched on to this the perfect chance to have some fun.

“Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma! Ma!” She chanted with glee.

“UGH, Leia… Did Grooves tell you tae call me train that?”

“... No?”

“AHA! AH KNEW IT!” He exclaimed smugly before clearing his throat. “Anyway, Lass, Ah’ve got a gift fer you!”

“Yeehs!! Gift gift gift!”

As the two of them chattered their way across the station, Redd watched them from his hiding place in the station. He had driven all night, almost wrecked the car and barely snuck in without being detected. Sure the receptionist would have a huge headache later but nothing too bad. Leaning back against the wall, he let out a loud groan.

“Uuuuggggghhhhh, why?” He asked the heavens. “This whole year has been a whole pile of rotten luck.”

Continuing to grumble about his fate, Redd carefully, snuck around, trying hard not to catch the attention of either birds. Climbing up on some boxes stacked up next to the entrance to the employee break room, Redd carefully maneuvered his way to some of the building’s scaffolding, got himself right over the caboose car and dropped down. Lying on his stomach, incase anyone happened to walk by, he started looking for the emergency hatch.

His search didn’t last long. The distinct sound of a diesel engine in the distance immediately grabbed his attention. Poking his head up over one of the decorative metal feathers of the train, Redd scanned the distance. A small, white van covered with dried mud was leaving a large trail of dust behind it as is tore across the desert landscape. It took a sharp turn off of the desert and onto the paved road leading to the studio. Swerving into the parking lot, the van came to a stop and three figures climbed out and headed toward the train station entrance.

Redd’s face darkened. So they decided to change their plans, huh? Not that it would matter much. Though with Leia here…

Redd gritted his teeth. Even having him on the same train as his kid was making his blood boil. He wasn’t getting her too.

[bromfieldhall]

101 Days of Captain Swan - Day 45 - CS Fanfic

Read from the beginning on FF.Net or AO3 or

Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44

For @deathbycaptainswan - hope you like it!!

035:"Your stray red item turned my whites pink."

"Killian! Can you come here a minute please?"

The pirate's eyes widened at the summons that had been yelled at him and stood up. Although the words had been polite enough, the tone certainly wasn't.

"Oh, Mummy sounds angry," five old Eva pointed out innocently as she gazed at her father.

"Aye, she does, doesn't she," Killian agreed warily, his mind racing as he tried to think of what he might have done to garner her wrath. He picked up the baby monitor and hooked it onto his pocket. Their son was sleeping upstairs and since he was going down to the basement, he wanted to be able to hear if he awoke. "I won't be long, love," he told his daughter with a reassuring smile.

Well, he hoped not anyway. He knew that tone. Emma usually saved it for any villains that rolled through town. It seemed that whatever he'd done had put him on a par with those. With that in mind, he took the stairs to the basement with no small amount of trepidation, still unable to deduce what grave misdemeanour he'd committed.

Emma was stood waiting for him at the bottom, arms folded, expression grim. At her feet was a basket of fresh laundry that he spared but a cursory glance. His attempt at a smile merely had her eyes narrowing and he knew that whatever had happened, trying to charm his way out of it wasn't going to work.

"Aren't you going to say something about my clothes?" she asked calmly.

Too calmly considering the fire that was sparking in her eyes.

This was bad.

Had he completely missed the fact that she'd bought something new and therefore been remiss in giving compliment? Her blouse perhaps? No, he was certain he'd seen her in that ensemble before.

His gaze ran quickly over her form trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to be seeing. He came up empty.

"Uh...you look beautiful, as always, love," he commented before trying another disarming grin.

"Not the one's I'm wearing," she snapped curtly. She kicked the basket at her feet, drawing his attention. "I mean these."

His grin faded as he took a proper look at the pile of clothes. They were white once, he guessed, but now they were varying shades of pink. Some were one colour all over, others were patchy, but all were clearly ruined.

And right on top sat the villain of the piece – a dark red scarf that Eva had 'bought' him for Father's Day a couple of months ago.

"I don't understand," he muttered with a frown. Looking back up at her, he shook his head in confusion. "I didn't put that in there."

"Really? You've done it before," Emma reminded him wryly.

Yes, he had. A long time ago when he had no idea that his red waistcoat should have been washed separately. But he'd made damned sure not to do it again. He learned from his mistakes, especially when it earned him a night on the couch. Or two.

"Love, I assure you that I didn't put that in there. I didn't even know you were doing a wash."

"Well I know I didn't, so who…?"

"Oh, it worked!" came Eva's excited voice as she clattered down the stairs to join them.

Both adults turned and gazed at their daughter wide eyed as she rummaged through the washing.

"Eva, sweetheart, did you put daddy's scarf in the washing machine?" Emma asked dubiously.

"Of course!" she replied with a nod, then, with a triumphant grin, pulled out a pink blouse. "Look! This one is the exact same colour as your pretty dress you put on when you go out with daddy sometimes."

Emma's mouth dropped open in surprise and she sent a questioning glance to her husband who shrugged in response, equally confused.

"Is that why you did this?" she asked, looking back at her daughter.

"Yes," Eva replied, her smile slowly giving way to a frown as she began to realise that her parents weren't looking quite so pleased as she'd thought they would. "You always look so happy when wear it; so I thought if all your clothes were pink, you'd always be happy."

Oh, the workings of a child's mind! If only life were that simple. Killian glanced at his wife and saw her expression soften. It seemed she was just as enamoured as he with their daughter's answer. Still, there was something that he couldn't quite fathom.

"Tell me, love, how did you know what to do?"

"Henry told me. He said you did it once and mummy didn't stop talking about it for days. And then he started laughing and said it was the best thing ever." She paused, her frown deepening as she pondered something for a moment then her gaze swung to her mother, then to the pile of ruined clothes, then back to him again before she continued in a small voice, "But it's not, is it?"

He could see the slight tremble of her bottom lip and the telltale signs of eyes beginning to water but, before he could move, Emma was down on her knees and giving their daughter and warm hug.

"Oh, honey, I love that you want me to be always happy, but it's not the colour of my clothes that do that – it's having you and Liam and daddy and the rest of our family in my life. Being with all of you makes me the happiest I've ever been. You're all I need, okay?"

"Okay," Eva replied, hugging Emma back as tightly as she could.

Killian looked at his wife and daughter with a soft smile as they held each other a moment longer then Emma pulled back to place a kiss on Eva's forehead.

"Right, run upstairs and wash your hands. It's time for lunch." The little girl nodded and grinned, then raced up the steps to do as she was told. Emma watched her go then glanced over at Killian to see him standing there with an expectant look upon his face. Her expression grew quizzical. "What?"

Eyebrow raising at her tone, he stated nonchalantly, "Whenever you want to apologize for unjustly accusing me of something of which I was innocent, I'm ready to hear it."

"Oh, really?" she challenged, neatly sidestepping the basket full of clothes at her feet to go and stand right in front of him. Head tilted back, she smiled up at him then wound her arms around his neck and tugged him closer. "How about I show you instead?"

"I suppose that could work too," he acquiesced with a sudden grin.

Emma gave a soft, throaty laugh and his arms slipped around her waist as she leaned in for a kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet, a familiar wail sounded freezing them in place.

"Impeccable timing as always," Killian muttered ruefully before relinquishing the hold on his wife to pull the baby monitor from his pocket.

"He's probably hungry. Looks like I'll have to save that apology for later tonight."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then turned to go.

"Is that a promise?" he asked, hopefully.

Emma paused at the bottom of the stairs and looked back at him with a wry smile.

"With our lives? I'd say it's more like a definite maybe."

Killian laughed. "Good enough," he accepted with a nod and followed his wife up the wooden steps out of the basement.

And it was good enough, he decided a little later as he sat down to eat with his family. Big bad's, perilous adventures and all, their life together was more than good enough – it was bloody brilliant.

Send me a number from my blog!!

For those that might be interested:

@hookedmom, @captainswank-e​, @alpha-redd, @the-reason-to-sail-home, @galadriel26, @katie-dub, @walkerfairytales,@emmascaptn, @vigorousjazzzhands, @smoakinmayor, @laughswaytoomuch, @piratesbooty63fan, @natascha-remi-ronin, @bookishgiraffe, @jackieorioncat, @bethacaciakay, @liketenerifesea, @ab-normality, @mamageek2107, @teamhook, @justanotherwannabeclassic, @snowbellewells, @whimsicallyenchantedrose, @deathbycaptainswan, @kmomof4​,

[reaganwarren]

A/N: Greg Lives AU even though I was gonna take a break because . . . god I want to write about Franziska helping Edgeworth get his ears pierced. 

“Are you absolutely sure this is how you’re supposed to do it?” Miles asked, twenty-years-old and sitting in his mentor’s kitchen and watching a thirteen-year-old Franziska von Karma sterlize a sewing needle with a lighter she had found somewhere. Where did she get that, anyway? 

“Absolutely,” Franziska said. 

“. . . There’s not a piercing parlor or something?” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it perfectly,” Franziska said. 

“. . . I change my mind. I don’t want to.” 

“Awww, c’mon. It’s just a little needle. And you’re the one who let enough time pass that Phoenix Wright went and got another significant other.” 

Miles glared at her. 

“I didn’t let time pass me by, I was busy being mentored by your father and trying to meet his expectations! I’m graduating an entire year ahead of schedule! That takes effort!” 

“Excuses, excuses. Now, do you want to catch Phoenix Wright’s eye or not?” 

Edgeworth stared at the needle in Franziska’s hand, now hot from the flame and probably not germ-infested as a result. 

He thought back to the days of Diego Armando and the current days of Dahlia Hawthorne. 

Both of them had pierced ears, though they didn’t seem to have much else in common from afar. Other than the fact that they seemed to take up a lot of Phoenix’s time - which neither of them had a lot of anymore, since Phoenix switched majors and Miles had Von Karma to impress. And with Dahlia being Phoenix’s girlfriend, now Phoenix had even less time. 

It didn’t help that Phoenix and Miles tended to just keep getting on each other’s cases whenever they’d see each other these days. 

Phoenix wouldn’t stop telling Miles to talk to his father, “you haven’t called him in months,” “why didn’t you go home for break” - the incessant nagging made the short periods of time they did spend together very annoying. 

Granted, those were the times when Phoenix’s back pain wasn’t so bad that he was actually able to speak in anything other than pained sobbing.... It was a bit easier to think of the annoying conversations that the days where Miles spent most of the visit with Phoenix helping him inject his pain medication and holding him until he was able to stop crying, distracting him with talk of his life that Phoenix wasn’t privy to. 

He hated seeing Phoenix being in so much pain. 

It was all that damn Diego Armando’s fault.... It may have been Redd White who had shoved him, but Phoenix wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Armando. 

The anger burned in his stomach and fueled him when he was exhausted and stressed out to the max while trying to handle too many credit hours at a time in order to get ahead, in order to meet Von Karma’s expectations of him. 

“If you want to be a prosecutor who can handle criminals on the level of Dracona Wright, then you have to be the best.” Von Karma told him this so often, it felt like it was every day. It was becoming a mantra between them. Something that kept him focused on his goal, even when he wanted to sleep an extra hour instead of waking up early. Even when he wanted to “accidentally” miss a boxing lesson with Von Karma. It motivated him to drink that nasty coffee instead, it motivated him to not just go to Von Karma’s boxing sessions but be early for them. It motivated him to stay on top of his classes and homework, even when it felt like it might be killing him. 

The longer he kept this up, the less time there was for anything else. 

He simply . . . had to prioritize which people he wanted to keep in contact with as he worked to be the best prosecutor he could be. 

He made time for Phoenix, when Phoenix was able. He made time for Larry, who would officially be a member of the police force around the same time Miles would be graduating. Larry fully intended to be an officer Miles would be working with closely as a prosecutor. He ended up making time for Franziska since she lived with Von Karma when she wasn’t back in Germany, where she was already poised to become a prosecutor herself. 

There just . . . wasn’t any time for his father. Especially since, at first, Miles had refused to speak to him when he learned he had hired Mia Fey at Edgeworth and Co. 

He hadn’t talked - or even looked - at Raymond Shields in two years. He sometimes felt like he was still angry, but the rest of the time, he just didn’t have the time or energy to even attempt to reconnect. 

There just wasn’t any time these days. Miles kept telling himself this. And it was true. He swore on it. 

Even if there was an inextinguishable anger burning inside him, that wasn’t why. There just wasn’t any time for it. 

He promised. 

“If you’re sure this is how you’re supposed to do it,” Miles said, “then all right.” 

Franziska smiled, then came closer to Miles and poised the needle right against his earlobe. 

Miles’s grip on the chair he was sitting in tightened, and he squeezed his eyes shut. 

The clack of a familiar set of heeled shoes could be heard entering the kitchen right as Edgeworth started to feel the tip of the needle against his earlobe. 

“What are you two doing?” Von Karma asked as he walked into the room. 

Miles opened his eyes, taking in Von Karma’s raised eyebrow. 

“Piercing Miles Edgeworth’s ears,” Franziska said, taking the needle away from his earlobe. 

Miles let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. 

“Mr. Edgeworth, you’re aware they are parlors for that kind of thing, aren’t you?” Von Karma asked, a glint of . . . something in his eyes. Was he making fun of him?

“Papa!” 

“I knew it! I knew you were lying!” 

“You don’t need one of them when I’m perfectly good at piercing ears myself! I pierced Kay Faraday’s just fine!” 

“And her father threatened to sue,” Von Karma said. “No amateur ear piercings under this roof, young lady.” 

Franziska pouted. Miles breathed a sigh. 

“Papa, take us to the parlor! Miles Edgeworth needs pierced ears!” 

“I don’t need them, you merely made a good argument for them,” Miles said. 

Von Karma watched the two of them for a long moment, seeming to consider the proposal. 

“We’ll call to see if there’s an opening at Franziska’s parlor. If they do, then we’ll go.” 

Franziska grinned with as much smugness a thirteen-year-old could possibly contain. Miles’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“You’re - you’re really going to take me to get my ears pierced?” Miles asked. 

“Consider it a reward for working so hard,” Von Karma said, not even looking at Miles as he dialed the number for Franziska’s parlor. 

Miles didn’t know what to think about that. And he still wasn’t sure what to think even as they got in the car and Von Karma drove them to the parlor. 

It was a lot less painful in the parlor than Miles had been anticipating it’d be when Franziska was prepping to pierce his earlobe with a hot needle. And the gold balls that would be his earrings for the first six months until his follow-up appointment went with the color of his suit. 

Miles had pulled out his wallet, but Von Karma was faster. 

“Sir - !” 

“Don’t worry about it. You’re my pupil after all.” 

The kindness was . . . odd. But this did mean that Miles now had money to spend on something else. Like food. 

Miles caught himself checking the earrings every so often in whatever reflective surfaces he happened to come across. Now that he had them, he was actually surprised by how much he liked them. 

He also kept imagining Phoenix’s face when he’d see them when they met up again. 

He tried not to let his imagination run away from him, but the happiest day dreams involved him breaking up with that Dahlia Hawthorne on the spot for no reason other than Miles with ear piercings being hotter than her everything. 

Miles of course also noted that Von Karma also had pierced ears. He always wore rounded blue sapphires encased in a silver-colored metal. While Miles had always known that Von Karma had worn them, now that he had his own ears pierced, he was now curious about it. 

He didn’t ask right away. He waited a few days, until they were alone in Von Karma’s office. Miles set a stack of papers he had been asked to fetch on Von Karma’s desk. The sunset spilled in from the window. 

“Prosecutor Von Karma?” 

“Yes, Mr. Edgeworth?” 

“What made you want to pierce your ears?” 

Von Karma raised an eyebrow at him, barely looking up from his paperwork. 

“What makes you want to know?” 

“. . . Perhaps it’s a silly question. I don’t know a lot about Europe, but . . . here it’s seen as . . . odd. Men wearing earrings without there being a specific reason is a more recent development, isn’t it?” 

Von Karma snorted, then continued looking at his paperwork. 

“You’re actually correct. There was a sub-culture reason I got my ears pierced.” 

Miles waited. Von Karma didn’t elaborate. Miles then turned to go back to where he had been sitting and working. 

“It may not be a good idea to hold out for your little college friend to recognize your affections,” Von Karma said abruptly. 

Miles froze in place, then turned around to look at Von Karma. 

Von Karma looked up from his paperwork. 

“Men like that never see what’s in front of them. It won’t be until you’re unavailable that he’ll even notice. It’s better to not let someone like that control your life.” 

Von Karma then looked back at his papers. Miles stared at him, his heart pounding hard in his chest. 

“But do what you will. It may not matter, if you do not choose to continue your genetic line. Perfection doesn’t require someone to be hanging off your arm.” 

Miles chose not to verbally acknowledge. He sat back down at his desk and got back to work. 

Once his shift ended, he went back to the college campus. He was halfway across the quad to his dorm room when he heard someone calling his name. 

“Hey! Miles!” 

Miles stopped and turned around. 

It was Phoenix. 

He steadily made his way towards Miles with his walker. Miles could move faster and met him a little more than halfway. 

“What’re you doing out here so late?” Phoenix asked. 

“I could ask you the same question.” 

“I was studying at the library, then realized I wasn’t moving fast enough to get back to the dorm before it got too late. And I have that super early class in the morning.” 

“I guess that means you’re not sleeping any better.” 

“Not really. I might have to ask the doctor to up the pain med dosage. Again. I kinda don’t want to ask again, though, ‘cause I’m sick of sounding like a damn addict.” 

“. . . I’m sorry.” 

Phoenix shrugged. “It’s fine.... Hey, wait a minute.... Did you get your ears pierced?” 

Miles was standing under a street lamp now. The gold earrings glinted in the light. He blushed a little. 

“Yes, I did. Franziska von Karma wouldn’t leave me alone until I agreed.” 

Phoenix smiled at him. 

“It looks real good.” 

“Really? You think so?” 

“Yeah! They’re the starter set, right? How much longer until you can put in whatever you want?” 

“Still a few months. I’ve only had them for about a week now.” 

“Oooooh. Next you’ll be dying your hair crazy colors.” 

“I will not,” Miles said. 

“Heehee. I think it’d look good, actually.” 

“. . . Y-you do?” 

“Yeah, it’d look pretty cool. Miles Edgeworth the Punk Prosecutor, hahaha.” 

Phoenix grinned at him. 

Miles’s heart soared. 

He didn’t care what Von Karma said. Phoenix was beautiful. There was no one else Miles ever wanted to be with, even if it was only ever as friends. 

“Let me walk you to your dorm,” Miles said. 

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” 

“How is Kay Faraday doing?” Miles asked. “I haven’t seen her since her dad’s funeral.” 

“I actually haven’t seen her since then, either. Her mom’s family doesn’t really bring her around. They don’t exactly think a cripple can be a babysitter.” 

“Don’t use that word,” Miles said. 

“I’ll use whatever damn word I want,” Phoenix said, but Miles knew that Phoenix hated the word. He really only used it in a self-depreciating way or when he was angry. Usually angry at the very people who would use that word as a weapon against him. “.... Sorry.” 

“It’s fine. I’m not upset.” 

“I know, I . . . I shouldn’t have snapped. You’re just looking out for me.” 

“It’s fine.” 

“. . . Are you happy? Working for Von Karma?” Phoenix asked. 

“. . . Yes. Yes I am. He’s strict, but he’s really helped me. As soon as I graduate, there’s a position in the prosecutor’s office for me.” 

“That’s . . . really great, Miles. Definitely more than what I can say right now. But I’m pretty sure there’s one place that’ll hire me once I pass the bar.” 

“That’s good. Which office were you thinking of?” 

“Well, there’s always your dad’s.” 

Miles frowned. For a while all that was heard was their footsteps and the metal clacking of Phoenix’s walker. 

“Will that really be okay? Working there? With Mia Fey?” Miles asked. 

Phoenix gave a long-suffering sigh. 

“I happen to like her,” Phoenix said. “She’s a good person. And a good defense attorney. She’s been giving me a lot of good advice, since you’re not really around much to give it to me instead.” 

Miles frowned. 

“That’s not my fault.” 

“I know.” 

“. . . Just be careful. Okay?” 

“I will be if you are.” 

“I will. I am.” 

They reached Phoenix’s new dorm building, stopping just short of the elevator. 

“Well, I’ll see you around. Think you’ll be free for tea or something this weekend? Dollie has some new tea leaves I actually think you’ll like.” 

“. . . There’s an important case Prosecutor Von Karma is working on and needs my help with. I’m afraid I can’t this time around.... Maybe next weekend?” 

“You’re the one with full weekends, not me. Come by whenever you’re free, okay?” 

“Right. Yes. I will.... Good night, Phoenix.” 

“’Night, Miles.” 

Phoenix entered the elevator, then the doors closed behind him. 

Miles stood there for a moment, then went back out into the dark to head to his dorm room. His roommate was already asleep in his bed. The strap on Miles’s bag suddenly snapped, and Miles bent down to re-gather his stuff. 

In the moonlight, the package of razors caught his eye. He moved his hand and grabbed it. 

He stared at Phoenix’s unopened packet of razor blades in the palm of his hand. They were meant for exacto knives, the kind that one would use for the set design class. Miles wasn’t really sure what they used them for exactly, but they were also used for a variety of the more creative art classes. 

He did know that Phoenix had used them for something else entirely, but he wondered if Phoenix had been continuing his art as electives or if he had given it up entirely. 

He didn’t understand why Phoenix had decided to go into law instead. Or why he had chosen the defense attorney track. He didn’t understand at all. 

But they really hadn’t had the chance to ask each other why they were doing what they were doing. 

Without really thinking about it, Miles put the razor blades into his bag, then set his bag in his desk chair before getting ready for bed.