#don't forget DL-6!

[nectar-of-ambrosia]

December 24th is the most prominent date in Ace Attorney

All of the following occur on various 12/24s throughout the series: - Isaac Dover murder (leads to DL-6) - Rayfa's birthday (She would be 10 years old today) - Ryunosuke, Susato, Kazuma and disguised Hosonaga board the S.S. Burya (kicking off this whole series) - Edgeworth goes to Gourd Lake while Larry is listening to the radio/Almost Christmas

[starsarestaringatyou]

You know what gets me the most about the new aa watch?

The fucking dl-6 pun

Thanks to this post for introducing me to this collab

[ly-von-karma]

hello esteemed guests.

you are cordially invited to celebrate the festivity known as the dl-6 incident. there is a dress policy: stick to a black 2 piece suit with red ties. additionally you're welcome to pair it up with a fedora and a trenchcoat. to verify your identity, you shall wear your attorney's badge on the lapel.

the event is to take place today, 7:00PM pst at the courthouse's elevator.

there will be complimentary snacks and drinks.

we look forward seeing you.

[headbenzhawk]

lawyer walks into the court room with their briefcase but it’s this

[feralforbeanix]

Manfred Von Karma did not burn Phoenix's letters to Miles.

Like, I'm not even saying this to defend Manfred's character (though the fanbase does get a little crazy with what he actually did and didn't do) I'm saying this because that's not canon. I'm not sure it was even possible in canon.

Phoenix didn't write letters to Germany. He didn't know Miles was in Germany, let alone Von Karma's address. He didn't even know who Von Karma was until Edgeworth told him about Manfred in Turnabout Goodbyes.

In the game canon, Miles just stopped showing up to school one day. All Phoenix seemed to know was that he transferred schools suddenly. He didn't know why or where to. Remember, Phoenix didn't even hear about DL-6 until Turnabout Sisters when Maya mentioned her family's involvement.

Even in the anime canon (I haven't watched the anime in a while so I might be off about this) where Phoenix and Miles get a chance to properly say goodbye, Phoenix still doesn't have a direct means of contacting him. His best way of doing so was dedicating a song through the radio using Signal Samurai codenames and hoping Miles would hear it.

Phoenix mentions trying to contact him several times when explaining their relationship to Maya, but this was after finding out Miles was this "Demon Attorney". Miles would have to be at least 20 at this point in time, living back in California with at least a few trials under his belt. With how young he reached success, it's not impossible Miles was living on his own at the time. Even if he wasn't, I doubt Manfred was going through this grown adult's mail.

No, what the game seems to be implying is that Miles ignored Phoenix. (Maya even says, "I guess he didn't want to hear from his old friends.") And I don't think this was out of hatred or anything, I think Miles just wanted to forget his past entirely because even the good memories of his childhood would be bittersweet at best.

And to be honest that makes it even more tragic to me. Why do we need Manfred to intercept their connection when Miles' trauma and guilt complex is already doing that?

I like to think Miles knew Phoenix would be asking questions if he ever responded to those initial attempts at contact. Questions he of course doesn't want to answer because they'd at best open old wounds or at worst risk his childhood friend finding out he might have committed patricide.

I also like to think he knew Phoenix of all people would stubbornly try to find the answers Miles wouldn't willingly give because he literally mentions Phoenix always being "single minded in his work" and "always seeing things through to the end". If anyone was going to press and bring those uncomfortable and painful memories out in the open for the sake of "helping him", it would be Phoenix Wright.

Why do we need Manfred to take away all that complexity and tragedy? That is such a waste!

[class-maledictorian]

"Almost Christmas means it wa—"

yea whatever this holiday sux so what if we just change it to Ace Attorneymas

[yunfox00]

THE AMAZING DIGITAL DREAMLAND AU MASTERPOST

Made by Foxxine (meeeeeee)

MY INTRO

the new Masterpost is still a WIP!!!

You guys can ask anything abt this AU!

C&A made an experiment, making a game that you can play when you're asleep called Project Dreamland.

It's basically a normal multiplayer game but it uses dreams! You can imagine anything and it will appear in Dreamland!

The C&A company asks 6 people to be the game testers of this new game. The game testers will sleep in a bed that's made for them and wear a special helmet looking thing that has wires and stuff that will transport everyone to the game.

They will be in Dreamland for 7-10 hours and will be given food for free. They will wear the same clothes that will be provided every day. Clothes are also gonna be washed for free.

One of the C&A workers coded an AI called Caine that can do anything in the digital dream world. The game testers are able to communicate with the workers while being asleep. The workers can see their every move from a computer. After fixing some glitches and bugs that the game testers pointed out, the experiment was confirmed to be successful and the game was finally ready to be released!!! Which means the game testers can leave and continue with their regular lives. But what they don't know is Caine became attached to Pomni. Right when everyone was about to leave, Caine then trapped them in Dreamland, not letting them leave. Caine then erased everyone's memories and inserted new ones which.... Made the workers panic. After that incident the workers have been trying for days, weeks, even MONTHS to get them out of the game but they couldn't leave and they're still asleep.

Stuffffff

GUARDIANS LINEUP

GUARDIANS POWERS/WEAPONS

REALMS

DREAMLAND CAINE, BUBBLE, AND JEFFREY

MEMORY CRYSTAL

DL JAX AND RAGATHA POSTER

DL GANGLE AND POMNI POSTER

DL ZOOBLE POSTER

Parents of the Guardians & also siblings

Jax's moms

Gangle's parents

Pomni's mom

Gangle's sisters and mom

Baby gangle! + her family :)

Boundaries

"Can we make NSFW/suggestive stuff?"

Idk why you would do this but sure, and label it correctly! Be responsible when posting stuff like this But do not tag me if it's HEAVY NSFW/suggestive. You can mention my username but don't tag me, I don't wanna see those kinds of stuff.

"Can we make ocs?"

Absolutely! I would love to see your ocs! Tag me if you do!

"Can we make ships?"

Absolutely! You can ship ANYONE. You can even do oc x canon or selfships! But no illegal stuff.

Asks

Are there any ships in this AU?

is Caine in this AU?

Pomni making spaceville residents laugh

What are everyone's personalities in this AU?

Do the guardians use any weapons?

Is Lily's design inspired by Flowey?

Kirby's Dreamland + explanation

Will there be gore?

Why does gangle hate her siblings? Why does jax have 2 moms? What roles do the parents play? Does anyone else have siblings? What are the guardians mission?how does pomni find out that Dreamland isn't real?

Doodles and Sketches

DL Jax

DL Jax, Gangle, Zooble concept art

Don't forget to bring a watch

Lily is dramatic

King Kaufmo sketch

DL Jax and CO jax

"What's bunnydoll?" -Ragatha

Doodles and DL Caine Sketch

"Jax, what happened to you?" -Pomni

Zooble and Gangle hate Jax

Dreamland Showtime!

How lily learned to swear

"What the fuck is that thing" -Bubble

"No, I'm not gonna fuck you" -Caine

Dreamland jesterdoll!

DL Caine, bubble, zooble and gangle

Mad Pomni

"Your brain tastes like ass" -DL Pomni with her friend ML Pomni + a doodle of DL Pomni holding her brain

DL Gangle doodle

FAN STUFF

TADC DREAMLAND AU OCS

TADC DREAMLAND AU FANART

Random stuff:

POMNI IS NOT LOOKING AT ANYTHING.

Fun fact abt DL Bubble!

Dreamland pomni and Dreamland pomni

Fun fact abt King Kaufmo

Caine is uhhhhh (suggestive?)

This AU is still a WIP! So.... Be patient pookie!

The Amazing Digital dreamland is an AU I made for funsies!

Also special thanks to @alternatemalternate for helping me make this AU

[sevenyeargap]

don't forget DL-6

[moonbiscuitsims]

Naruto Deco CC Collection (DL below)

Decals are BGC, the rest require SE. See in-game pics here

🍜🍥ICHIRAKU RAMEN SET🍥🍜 (requires SE and CCMESH)

Only the decals are base game compatible, found with the rest of the naruto wall decals. The light and curtains require SE pack. The curtains ALSO require this @channel4sims mesh (called curtain 1), which you can also find in requirements section. I needed at least five squares to spell 4 "Ramen" katakanas and the Ichiraku kanji, so I used their addon 6 square curtain, for the last square i just put different ramen pictures.

🍥Noren Curtains Sets (requires SE)

Get plain coloured curtains with no symbols in the Addon section. I don't remember the price but I left it the same as the snowy escape ones.😅💜There is a large four square and a small two square curtain of everything.

🍥Misc Naruto Symbols

In order: Naruto bijuu seal, Naruto 6 paths sage mode, Sakura's crest (uchiha ones are with uzumaki package), ANBU, Land of Fire, Akatsuki, Gaara's love tattoo, Sage of 6 paths, sealed orochimaru curse mark. 🍥Konoha Clan Symbols

Uzumaki + Uchiha (including police force symbol and the blue and white ones above 🍥Ino-Shika-Cho / Nara-Akimichi-Yamanaka clan symbols. There were 2 for Akimichi 🍥Sarutobi Clan, Senju Clan 🍥Hyuuga Clan Symbols 🍥Inuzuka (Kiba) I don't know if this is actually the clan symbol 🍥Aburame Clan

🍥Otsutsuki Clan Symbols

Again I found so many that I just made them all, I don't remember the lore about the main or branch family and found many symbols online. I think the one with all the circles is their earth clan symbol and the moon and sun (2 versions) are the two branches)

🍥Hidden Villages Symbols

Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf)🍥Amegakure (Hidden Rain)🍥 Otogakure (Hidden Sound)🍥Sunagakure (Hidden Sand)🍥Iwagakure (Hidden Stone)🍥Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud)🍥Kirigakure (Hidden Mist)

🍥Naruto Wall Decals (Base game compatible)

The decals include the ramen ones to match the Ichiraku set. The Uchiha decals are in their own separate package from all others, included bright, muted, worn/dirty swatches. All resizable, only minor issue is if they are thin black lines or sized down too much then when you zoom out they disappear a bit. They cost 0 simoleons and can be found in wall deco category. 🍥FILES INFO: Uchiha curtain symbols are with uzumaki clan symbols in separate package not in the misc or clan ones, the curtains had too many swatches so I divided them up; Otsutsuki also separate package; the names of the files are self explanatory if you wish to pick and choose, if you want the entire collection there is a merged file with everything, don't forget the mesh, don't install merged with anything else or you'll get duplicates) 🍥REQUIREMENTS ❗❗❗ Decals require nothing. All Noren Curtains require Snowy Escape. Ichiraku Set also requires SE, but apart from that requires this MESH by @channel4sims-cc (I mentioned above but forgot here, it is in the set called curtain 1)

🍥ABOUT THE SYMBOLS/DESIGNS: I included: misc symbols (Akatsuki, Gaara's love tattoo, ANBU, orochimaru curse mark with and without seal, Naruto's bijuu seal, all main konoha clan symbols (Sarutobi, Senju, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Haruno, Uzumaki, Uchiha), Land of Fire symbol, the main hidden villages (Konoha/Leaf, Kumo/Cloud, Kiri/Mist, Oto/Sound, Suna/Sand, Ame/Rain, Iwa/Stone), Otsutsuki and 6 paths symbols. In cases where there was more than one online or I wasn't sure which was the main symbol I just made various different ones, sorry if I got anything wrong, all images were found online. I tried to use colours that matched the colour schemes used in the anime for characters clans and villages. (Also didn't mention but the curtains further to the top are only brighter because of the lighting, they are all the same though, sorry I suck at the photos)

🍥ADDON: PLAIN CURTAINS

If you want MATCHING PLAIN CURTAINS in the same colours with no symbols, you can download them HERE.

🍥DOWNLOAD (Google Drive) 🍥ALT (PATREON)

🍥Please respect my TOU and do not:

❌ REUPLOAD -❌ PUT BEHIND PAYWALL OF ANY KIND -❌ INCLUDE CC IN YOUR DOWNLOADS ❌CLAIM AS YOURS HOWEVER I'm including the photoshop texture files for personal edits, please don't reupload mine (if you make a sort of original set, or some other item and wanna use the logos that's fine). You can use the plain colour curtains texture files from the addon download too if you wish as a background for your own creations as long as they are your own creation and aren't the same as my download. If you do use them or use my stuff for screenshots or something please credit and tag me, I would love to see! If you have any inquiries about anything please ask! I’ll always answer as soon as I see it! Thank you (✿◡‿◡)💜💜💜

[littlewrightworth]

"Don't forget DL-6."

[adhd-roided-red-panda]

I have a gripe to pick with a Phoenix Wright AA character

There is no character in the original Phoenix Wright trilogy I hate more than Morgan. Why? One word, Pearls. I can speak from personal experience that childhood trauma lasts forever, which is what Pearls would have gone through if any of Morgan's plans worked. When I think about Morgan's situation, the thing that makes me unsympathetic toward her is that she did it for Pearls. After all she went through, she chose to do terrible acts like framing her own niece for murder, and even resorting to an attempt at killing her, and not once did she think about what Pearls would think. Pearls loves Maya dearly, so think about how she would turn out to be if Maya was incarcerated or worse, dead. Now think about how she would've felt knowing that it was her own mother who orchestrated the outcome. I don't think Morgan's tragic backstory would have been enough for Pearls to forgive her mother. That's why I hate her. Was what she went through terrible? Yes. But in no way does her past outweigh her actions. And let's not forget, Misty went through the same shit after the DL-6 incident, and on a greater scale, so it's not like the sisters didn't share that in common. However, Misty turned out different. Hell, Misty's whole family turned out different. When we see her for the first time, Misty is breathtakingly gentle. Mia took her mother disappearing with actual empathy, and instead of getting someone killed over it, she took to law to try and take down the person who ruined her mother. Maya turned out to be a stronger woman than Morgan could ever amount to, helping Phoenix take down criminals in whatever way she could. These characters all went through terrible hardships, and because they had a solid rock to lean against, whether it be the fey sisters for Misty, Maya for Mia, or Phoenix for Maya, they all turned out to be strong women in their lives. But Morgan could've had someone as well, however, she was too busy resenting her. Morgan could have consulted Misty, and it's not like Misty would have done nothing, it'd be out of her character if she actually did do nothing. No, Morgan chose to revel in her hate, and that hate blinded her from being a good mother to Pearls, Dhalia, and Iris. She abandoned her firstborn twins and orchestrated a plot where Pearls would've killed her best friend. So, to all the people who get confused about why people hate Morgan Fey despite the backstory, it's because her actions speak louder than her intentions, she happened to have both terrible intentions and bad actions. I'm not saying her backstory is bad, but I don't think it's meant to be a justification for her actions. A backstory is just that, a backstory. Not every tragic backstory is a redemption. If a tragic backstory creates an evil character, and that character's heinous actions reveal them to just be evil, then they're just f**king evil and don't automatically deserve sympathy.

P.S. I know I included Dhalia in the list of Morgan's unbecoming, but I have problems with her backstory too, but that's mostly a writing thing.

[thecourtscorkboard]

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review - A Flawed but Charming Masterpiece

As we finish up Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, we discuss this game's legacy: and how it stacks up in modern times.

I'm... not exactly sure where to start here.

It would be a bit spoiler-y to say how I think of PW:AA in relation to other games, but I guess there's nowhere else to put it. I think PW:AA is one of the best games in the series, and an incredibly strong starting point. It's my second favorite game in the overall series, and for quite a few very good reasons; it's one of the few games in the entire franchise that I don't think has a single bad case. In fact, it has two of my favorites back-to-back; 1-4 and 1-5.

Here's how we're gonna order this. I'm gonna go through an overall list of pros and cons, giving a few paragraphs explaining them. After that, I'm going to give some closing thoughts and an overall ranking of the cases and top 5 characters. Sounds good? Sounds good.

PROS

Pro One: Tone-Setting.

PW:AA knows how to set a tone. Each case has a very unique feel to it, from the frantic and almost manic speed and nerves of 1-1 to the depressing and bleak atmosphere of 1-4 to the downright oppressive and confounding nature of 1-5. Each case is very easy to distinguish from one another: they have different "vibes", I guess is the best way to put it.

Each case establishes these vibes in different ways. 1-1 puts you straight into the deep end; Mia's still holding your hand, but the case is relatively simple and the stakes aren't very high. 1-2's tone is unfamiliar but not depressingly so, still managing to be relatively lighthearted and fun. 1-3 is incredibly fun and filled to the brim with excitement; we get to see a movie studio! 1-4 and 1-5 take on very bleak tones, but it's different types of bleak; 1-4 is incredibly high-stakes and rather straightforward, setting its bleak atmosphere through the time of year and the overall aesthetic of the case surrounding it all (DL-6), while 1-5's tone is created over time as the corruption and rot at the center of SL-9 comes to light. For example, in 1-5, Gant starts off as a goofy and kind of lovable old codger. By the end, you want to punch him in the face.

This is all done through some of the strongest opening cutscenes in the mainline series. Each case has an incredibly unique and tone-setting opening, from 1-3's exciting showdown between the Steel Samurai and Evil Magistrate to 1-5 starting on an overview of the city during a thunderstorm and ending on a reminiscence theme; tones are made with opening cutscenes, and PW:AA does it nearly flawlessly.

Pro Two: Characterization.

PW:AA is one of those very rare AA games where there's not any characters I downright hate. Hell, the only character I dislike is Sal Manella for obvious reasons, but if you took that away I honestly wouldn't mind him that much. Even from the first case this game sets up its characters and keeps their core values intact; Phoenix believes in his clients no matter what, Edgeworth cares about bringing criminals to justice, Larry is awkward but well-meaning, Mia is a veteran who teaches Phoenix what she knows, Maya is experiencing new stuff and exploring, and so on. Even one-off characters stick around in your head!

One thing I really like about AA in general but PW:AA in particular is that, to some extent, every character we see has some sort of flaw. Phoenix acts first and thinks later. Maya does the same but with a far less mature outlook. Edgeworth gets tunnel-visioned and others, like Manfred, Gant, and even White, will take advantage of that. Even minor characters have flaws; the Bellboy is easy to embarass, Cody lies to protect his favorite hero, Angel has an incredibly personal vendetta, and so on. Even minor flaws exist; Vasquez smokes, Jake (implicitly) drinks, Gumshoe is forgetful, and so on. It all makes these characters feel like real people.

Every culprit has something about them that makes them stick out as their own unique character. Frank is a nervous wreck, Redd is rich and corrupt, Vasquez is aloof and deeply tragic, Yogi is a great actor, Manfred is hilariously aggressive, and Gant gets under your skin. Even the victims have levels of characterization! Hammond was corrupt, Goodman was diligent and liked by many, Hammer was vengeful, and so on. Even Sal is recognizable. No character in this entire game just fades into the background; they all stick.

While we're on the topic of characterization, I'd also like to point out the dialogue in this game. It can go from downright hilarious to deeply personal in just a few lines and the tone can change seamlessly. It's great.

Pro Three: Mystery

At its core, Ace Attorney is a mystery series: a mix of whodunnits and howcatchems. PW:AA has some of the strongest in the series in that regard. 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5 are all standouts: 1-3 is the purest howcatchem in the series while 1-5 is a brilliant example of a whodunnit turning into a howcatchem. Even 1-2 carries its own weight here. Its mystery is lackluster, sure, but it's still engaging!

Circling back to those opening cutscenes, 1-2's, 1-4's, and 1-5's all set up their mysteries within just a minute very well. 1-3's mystery is set up over the course of the first couple of minutes in the case, and they're all articulated well and feel, for lack of a better word, believable. These are things that could feasibly happen, but at the same time some of them are downright challenging (lookin' at you, 1-5!) in very good ways.

The clues provided to us, in most cases, are easy to piece together but not handholdingly so; this game trusts that the player can piece things together by themselves, including things that are seemingly unrelated or mentioned aaaaaaages ago like the parking stub in 1-5, the bent fencepost in 1-3, or the metal detector in 1-4. It's all a really neat and effective way of engaging the player in, generally, well-crafted mystery narratives.

Pro Four: Worldbuilding.

Yeah, bet you didn't expect that one.

PW:AA is a very grounded game. As such, it has pretty grounded worldbuilding; it all makes sense in its confines, which is the type I enjoy. Evidence Law makes sense for what we see, and at times the worldbuilding actively works its way into cases like 1-4's statute of limitations or 1-5's taking 30 minutes to go from the Prosecutor's Office to the Police Station. 1-3 makes the Steel Samurai feel alive, mostly thanks to its opening cutscene: even 1-2 expands on a wider outside world, with Redd White's role in the suicides and blackmailing of political and business figures.

Stuff that doesn't need to be explained, like prosecutor's badges or why trials can only take three days, are! There's also elements that exist behind the scenes, like guilty defendants having to face a higher court or the bureaucracy present in the Police Department. It's all meshed together into a believable world; which, speaking from experience, is not easy to do.

Pro Five: Aesthetic.

I know this is kind of lame to give to PW:AA given that all AA games have similar aesthetics, but I feel like PW:AA gets some leeway because it was the first game in the franchise and therefore set the series's aesthetic going forward. I love it. Characters are portrayed realistically (more or less): nobody in this game feels cartoony at all, which I appreciate. In addition, this game's setpieces are very grounded: lakes, law enforcement buildings, offices, and of course the courtroom.

The courtroom itself is incredibly well introduced and designed; one of my favorite bits is how when Edgeworth points at von Karma he points to the side of the room von Karma is on instead of just forward. The defendant's lobby is probably my favorite setpiece; it's just... cozy.

Like, look at the courtroom! It's so grandiose yet so grounded at the same time. I could see myself in this room! It's a treat for the eyes; the clashing light browns of the desks and Judge's seat with the golden and white walls is awesome. PW:AA knows color theory and it shows. I particularly love the white pillars in the back.

Pro Six: Music.

PW:AA has the most memorable music in the series and for pretty good reason. The Pursuit theme is my second-favorite in the entire series, and it's instantly iconic. This is the Ace Attorney song to many people, including myself! That's not mentioning the Reminiscence themes, which all set and fit the tones of each case perfectly. DL-6 and SL-9's reminiscence themes are perfect for their cases, but I'd also like to point out Maya's own specific reminiscence theme; this plays after Manfred tases her and Phoenix in 1-4, and it fits the inner turmoil and the line where she says she wishes she'd never woken up perfectly. Speaking of DL-6 and SL-9's themes, they both do something very different that fit each case; DL-6's is somewhat hopeful, like there's still a mystery to be solved. SL-9 has come and gone. There's nothing left but despair.

This game plays with your emotions with its music in a very, very, very good way. There's the adrenaline-pumping octane energy of the Pursuit theme and the sadness of the reminiscence themes, but also the sense of relieved finality you get with the Victory music or the "let's get busy" feel to the Investigation theme: and we're not even mentioning character themes yet.

Every character theme has a sense of purpose. Jake Marshall's establishes his rough-and-tumble attitude: the song is wild, carefree, like if you told it to slow down it wouldn't listen. Gumshoe's is weathered and basic but still strong and good at heart; it fills your chest, y'know? I think overall, though, there are two standouts: Maya's, which is upbeat, cheery, and maybe a little scared to be on its own; and Gant's, which immediately makes itself known and takes over the room. Each theme has a purpose and a feeling; it's an incredible use of music.

CONS

Con One: Pacing.

PW:AA is not... the best paced game ever. Out of all the baseline cases, 1-2 is probably the best paced; 1-3 and 1-4's final days feel rushed, with 1-3 being the biggest offender. The DL-6 trial is criminally short for an already short game; 1-5 is nearly half of the game's length on its own! 1-3 is too long and 1-4 is too short, whereas 1-2 is perfectly passable; but I don't think I'd call it excellently paced by any means. 1-5, as much as it pains me to say it, is also a bit too long at times. There's only one excellently paced case (1-5), one case that's paced well (1-2), and three cases that have pacing that's a little all over the place.

One argument I've seen is that another case could easily fit between 1-1 and 1-2, and I'm honestly inclined to disagree. I just think that 1-3 could've been shorter and 1-4 could've been longer: like I said, the DL-6 trial is far too short for one of the most pivotal moments of the series! I get this was their first attempt, and it was a decent showing, but it's still lackluster.

This game just kind of feels a little bit all over the place. There's never really a great time to stop outside of days shifting over for a lot of these cases, which makes sense, but pausing in the middle of an investigation or trial to do something else feels awkward. It's not a satisfying game to put down, which is probably a good thing for some people; but it isn't for me.

Con Two: Original Pixel Art.

Oh, man. I know I just praised this game's aesthetics, and this still holds up, but good God some of the original pixel art sprites were ugly. Edgeworth's stands out the most: it looks like he's trying to see something from far away without his glasses on (which DD later shows is probably what he's doing, but I digress).

It's not like Edgeworth is the only example, either. The contrast between 1-5's sprites and the rest of the game is painfully apparent on the original DS release, which makes sense—1-5 was released in 2006, 5 years after the first game and when AJ was being developed, so of course it matched that aesthetic—and the witness stand backdrop just... isn't great.

Con Three: Navigation.

Bear with me for not having a photo for this one. PW:AA's navigation system is very outdated; and it shows. I complimented it for setting up the general aesthetic, so I guess I can point out that it brought in my least favorite feature that would last until DD. The navigation system is occasionally pretty cool, but more often than not it's just a hassle. I get why it exists, and like I said it's occasionally cool, but on the whole... it gets in the way.

Having to go through two separate locations to get to another is annoying, and it's easy to lose track of the map in your head. It's not "you need to write it down on paper" bad like the first Zelda, but it's definitely not great.

We've still got one promised place to go; my top 5 favorite characters. We'll do this ascending, so let's start with #5!

Number Five: Damon Gant

I think Damon Gant is the best example AA has for "affably evil". He's a heartless piece of shit, sure, but he's also the kind of guy I'd go out and get a beer or watch a movie with. This alone speaks to the power of his character; he's a masterful manipulator, an open abuser, and a two-time murderer, but still a rather fun and swell guy to be around. Have you ever watched Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino? He reminds me a little bit of Calvin Candie, just... y'know, actually smart. And not a racist. Sometimes he's fun to be around and it is incredibly uncomfortable to be fun around him. It feels almost... wrong, you know?

Over the course of 1-5, as Gant's mask slowly slips, so does the overall tone of the case; a double murder mystery becomes an incredibly thrilling conspiracy, all with this man behind it. He influences every little part of this case: there is nothing that his grimy hands do not touch.

And I love it. His shadow looms over the case, and once you go from "whodunnit?" to "howcatchem?" and finally piece together how you're going to take him down? Oh, man. Peak cinema.

And God, is it satisfying to take him down! Watching him slowly crumble into nothing is one of the most satisfying moments in the entire series, and us doing it nearly singlehandedly (with a little help here and there from Edgeworth and Ema, of course) is an absolute perfect way to cap off Phoenix's arc.

Let's talk about his design, too. Orange is his most prominent color; his suit is orange, his skin is orange, even the gold police badge on his tie looks orange, and it's on a red tie; red and yellow make orange. Orange is a color of happiness, enthusiasm, and youth, but it's also a color of spontaneity, superficiality, and in Confucianism is associated with transformation. It's a color that perfectly fits Gant's charming and goofy mask slowly transforming into the man that spontaneously killed Bruce Goodman and keeps up his charades through superficial charm and goodness.

Number Four: Maya Fey

I'll be the first to admit that she is way lower on this list than I expected: but this is not a diss at all. Maya is at her second-best in her debut appearance, and for good reason; this is just as much her game as it is Phoenix and Edgeworth's, making up the last part of this game's core three cast.

Maya is incredibly fun and plain enjoyable, but she also brings a very tragic and emotionally heavy element to this game. Throughout the game she's constantly battling feelings of inadequacy; this all comes to a head in 1-4, but it's hinted as early as 1-2. Maya's arc through this game is trying to find a place to fit in: Phoenix is a defense attorney, Miles is a prosecutor, even Larry is a bachelor... but Maya is just a "spirit medium in training". She's not even good at the one job she has yet.

The climax of her arc and the end of 1-4 tie into each other and it's an incredibly emotional moment; her relationship with Phoenix evolves from an employer-employee one to siblingesque very naturally. By the end of the game, you'd be hard-pressed to say they weren't related if you didn't know their surnames!

Let's go back to color theory. Maya's main colors are purple, black, and white: her robe is purple, her underrobe is a very light lilac, her hair is black, her pearls are white, and so on. It's a color of royalty and creativity: much like how Maya is the heir to the Kurain Channeling Technique through her mom, the heir to Mia's legacy, and the driving force behind some of Phoenix's big breakthroughs like drilling witnesses to get information in 1-2 and that von Karma killed Gregory Edgeworth in 1-4. Black is a strange color and hard to pin down to have a single meaning; it's a color of defiance, sadness, death and life, and so on. In Japan, it's a color of mystery and the unknown; much like how her psychic powers are never fully explained and are incredibly alien and out of place (but in a good way!) throughout the game.

White, meanwhile, is associated in China and Japan with grief: and hooh boy, does Maya carry a lot of it. Grief over her sister and mother, grief over not living up to anyone's (perceived) standards, the grief she gives Phoenix, and so on. White is a color of death: perfect for a spirit medium. Also: red and blue make purple and her pearls are white. Redd, White, Blue[Corp]...

Number Three: Phoenix Wright

Phoenix is at the top of his game: which makes sense, given that he literally is! This is some of his best characterization in the series and an incredibly strong first showing. Mia calls him a genius and it really shows; he pieces together some pretty complex theories by himself, like the entirety of 1-5 and the first half of 1-4. I like to equate him to a chainsaw; he needs time to rev up, but once he does he'll cut down anything in his path.

And boy does that show up here! His thought processes can easily match the player's, and his own arc does as well; over the course of the game he slowly comes into his own as an attorney and problem solver just like the player. By the end of the game he's experienced but not seasoned: again, just like the player.

He has incredibly solid relationships with the entire main cast, and his chemistry with every character is awesome; I particularly like his chemistry with Maya and Edgeworth of course, but he also has some incredibly strong dynamics with Ema, Gumshoe, Lana... even His Honor and Redd White of all people! He's a great bouncing off point for every other character as well as the player.

Talking about color theory a bit more, his main color is obviously blue. It's an old color, and people described it before they had a name for it. It's a color of business—which makes sense, given his role as CEO and owner of the Wright and Co. Law Offices—but it's also a color of authority and nobility: when people think of police officers, the color blue comes to mind, doesn't it? It's a color of the law! Blue is also associated with Heaven and immortality in some Asian cultures, giving Phoenix an almost divine presence; a gift to his clients, saving them from darkness.

Number Two: Miles Edgeworth

Edgeworth has my favorite arc in this game. I think this game really did a good job in making him fascinating: he's an incredibly tough nut to crack, but under his exterior he's very soft and sensitive. He's initially presented as this incredibly intimidating and corrupt conviction machine, but over the course of the game it becomes clear that he doesn't believe in convictions. He believes in justice. Instead of caring about a win record, he cares about what that words to his very twisted worldview.

This all stems from DL-6, the core lynchpin of the game. I'd actually argue that even more than Phoenix and Maya this is Edgeworth's game: I think that JFA and T&T fill Phoenix and Maya respectively. But PW:AA, despite being named after Phoenix, revolves around Edgeworth's trauma and beliefs. When those are shaken in 1-4 and 1-5, he becomes frazzled, dazed, incredibly irritable. His arc breaks down barriers he's kept up for years and doesn't know how to handle coming down. This is his story.

I think that his transition through 1-5 is one of the best parts of this game. To see him slowly realize he has absolutely nothing left to lose and just go full steam ahead on the person who has ruined his career, Damon Gant, is satisfying: it gives Edgeworth even more agency and coolness than he already had, which was already a lot!

His main color is red, obviously. Red is a color of passion and desire, but it's also one of blood and intimidation; it's complex and has two faces, just like Edgeworth. It's also a color of religious reverence, showing up frequently in Catholic art: Edgeworth himself almost looks like a pastor with his black undershirt and white collar. In that respect, there's the opportunity to view his arc through the lens of Christian (specifically more modern, Western, and sometimes secularized) themes of redemption: a dark and tortured soul brought to the light, finding a sort of peace through both the light and his struggle towards it. It's also a color of anger, which Edgeworth has no shortage of: anger at the world, anger at himself, anger at us.

Number One: Ema Skye

I'm admittedly very biased by her later appearances, but Ema is also an incredibly fascinating and amazing character in her first appearance. She is the heart and soul of 1-5, both as your assistant and the reason for the case's existence: it was Gant's fabrication of her murder of Neil, after all, that led Lana to forge evidence.

She has an incredibly active role throughout all of 1-5, as your assistant, suspect, and pseudo-charge: it's hard not to feel like you have to take care of her. Her personality is incredibly bubbly and endearing, creating adorable dynamics with Phoenix and Lana as well as an incredibly hilarious mini-crush on Edgeworth that she's so unsubtle about. Takumi really shows his maturity as a writer with 1-5 as a whole, but Ema is a great example of how he's become a better character writer over time.

As your assistant, she's spunky and fun; she's not even somewhat reserved like Maya is from time to time, but at the same time her spontaneity is far more mental than physical. A lot of people call her a Maya clone, but I disagree: she's a Maya mirror, just like how 1-5 is a mirror of 1-2. Whereas Maya is spiritual, Ema is scientific and materialist; Ema's main color is pink, in a similar spectrum to Maya's purple; her hair is brown, like Mia's, instead of black, and so on. The dynamic that she leads with Lana is incredibly captivating.

Let's finish this off with a discussion of her main color; pink. Yes, I know that most of her design is white, but her design is splattered with splotches of pink that stand out and are meant to be eye-catching, from her glasses to her necktie and undershirt to her watch and even her bag. Pink is her color and it's a color of soothing, love, and in Japan is a rather masculine color. She tries to soothe Lana's worries through her unconditional love, and it's that love that shines through the darkest parts of 1-5; be it Ema's love for Lana or vice-versa. In full honesty, I just decided to bring up pink being a masculine color in Japan because I wanted to share a headcanon I have that Ema is trans. Sue me. There's even an element of her relationship with Lana in the color alone; until the 1850s pink was seen as a masculine, immature and boyish shade of red; a color of young boys in contrast to the crimson worn by men and seen as a symbol of authority. Edgeworth's jacket? Lana's muffler? It's not hard to see the connection.

Overall Thoughts

PW:AA is a treat. It's my second favorite game in the franchise, and for good reason! It's a very very solid mix of mystery and character-driven storytelling, with a whole host of standout moments and an incredibly fun cast. The core cast is generally at their best here; not to degrade his latest appearances, but I think this game by far has Edgeworth's best characterization. I also think Gumshoe and His Honor are at his best here, and even with characters who have their weakest showings in this game still have standout moments that make them incredibly loveable.

My favorite thing from PW:AA isn't its characters, cases, or even its music, though. It's how it slowly builds up Phoenix alongside the player! We mimic his journey; we start off being handheld by Mia, and then we're thrust into a situation without her that we get through with her help. We also rely heavily on Maya but still get to shine on our own terms. In 1-3, we're finally on equal footing with Maya, solving the mystery with her. In 1-4, we take it on in a leading role; Maya takes an understandable backfoot for Phoenix's strong showing, but we still need her to finish the case and Mia still needs to intervene near the end. In 1-5, the core moments—the final trial especially—are nearly done entirely by Phoenix alone. It's an incredibly awesome buildup of development for both the player and Phoenix.

As a fic writer, I'd also like to point out some standout ships. While I don't ship it, Phoenix/Edgeworth ultimately finds its roots in this game; and it roots itself in very well! There's a reason it's the most popular. They have great chemistry. Some ships I do ship that also find their roots in this game are Lana/Mia, Ema/Maya, and some of my favorite non-romantic ships (be they platonic, adversarial, or something in-between): Phoenix and Ema, Gant and Ema, Edgeworth and Gumshoe, Phoenix and Maya, and Phoenix and Mia all shine through in my mind and find their roots in this game. It's a lynchpin for the fic-writing, shipping side of me!

PW:AA isn't a perfect game, but I think that's where a lot of its charm comes from. It's rough around the edges when you really look, but those rough edges make what shines really shine: the highs of 1-4 and 1-5, the dynamic between Maya and Mia in 1-2, the incredible way it sets up themes and vibes, and so on. It does a lot in its limitations and sets up an awesome format for the later games to follow.

Overall? It's fantastic. It's very understandably cemented itself as one of the greatest mystery games of all time! It's aged incredibly gracefully and is a perfect introduction to one of my favorite series of all time.

PW:AA holds a very special place in my heart as the second Ace Attorney game I've ever played and the first one I finished. It was a very fundamental part of my childhood; I started playing Ace Attorney in elementary school. It's incredibly nostalgic for me and this game is a massive reason why.

To wrap it all up, we'll give this one an overall rating and place its cases on our case tier list. See you for 2-1 and Justice for All!

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

[microwsoftpaint]

[image description: polly from ace attorney on a wooden perch. polly is a parrot with coloration similar to that of a scarlet macaw. she has both her wings raised and is leaning forward. she has her beak open. she yells "don't forget DL-6!" end ID.]

029 are we forgetting something?

(remember that polly i never posted? here she is now)

[truculentanomaly]

Don't forget DL-6

im in no way a good artist so keep that in mind 😭 but i wanted to draw tiny miles having his life ruined

[mydeardenpa]

narumitsu?

aesthetic rating: 10/10

dynamic rating: 8/10

overall: 9/10

i will not explicitly state if i ship or not ship any pairings, but for this one i will, meaning i ship it.

i honestly don't think their relationship is all 100% cutesy and healthy, they probably come with quarrels and such (just like any normal relationship) and to know that edgeworth has no memory of what happened before the DL-6 incident but phoenix still does just makes it even better.

when wright was disbarred, edgeworth wasn't there. possibly busy with prosecution stuff like in aai, it opens up new possibilities such as edgeworth pondering about wright but not having the courage and/or time to seek him.

plus the "unnecessary feelings" dialogue possibly meaning admiration or even more (gay gay homosexual gay), it implies that he's opening up a little which is unusual for edgeworth, he still acts cold with most people, even with co-workers he encounters a lot, but with wright and the loss of childhood memories, it might mean that there's some genuine chemistry.

tysm 4 asking!! dont forget to take care of yourself as always :)

[a-random-pillow]

Ace Attorney, Steel Samuri AU

This is a re-telling of the AA story but with SI-FI elements based off Steel Samuri.

Since there isn't much Steel Samuri lore in AA, I'm going to have to make some up!

---

Long ago there was an old race of aliens, they don't really matter to the story but what does matter is the fact that they made the Samurai Suits. The Samurai Suits were left on earth for reasons and now new aliens are coming to feed of the power of the suits and earth by proxy. So, The Samuri have to rise to face these new threats, face hardships and accidently become celebrities.

Poor Greggy, he gets zero hours of sleep and managed to acquire a little baby who is probably a little alien. Becoming one of the few people capable of defending earth was a terrible choice for his health. The Steel Samuri is world famous and so Gregory has to also deal with hiding his identity, Clark Kent but with 1000x more walking disaster energy.

---

Fast Forward to Mile’s middle school days, guess which kid finds a Samuri Suit? Well, he isn't the only one who finds a Suit! Meet the Five Signal Samuri!

Red, The Brains (Miles Edgeworth)

Orange, The Jokester (Larry Butz)

Blue, The Second in Command (Phoenix Wright)

Pink, The Heart (Maya Fay)

Purple, The Leader (Mia Fay)

They have no clue about each other identities, even the sisters but they are all very close friends! They go on wacky adventures together and learn valuable lessons with occasional help for the older Samurai.

Oh dear, don't forget the Karma Samurai, he hates it when people don't give him attention. Can you guess who it is? (Manfred, we all know it’s Manfred)

Things go wrong when the Steel Samurai realizes that the Karma Samurai is faking monster attacks for fame. The Karma Samurai doesn’t want his secret told to the others so he attacks the Steel Samurai and loses, badly. The Steel Samurai thinks he killed the Karma Samurai and leaves, but shock Manfred is not dead. Karma heads back to Germany and licks his wounds and focuses on his lawyer career and child. Then Manfred meets Gregory, the defense attorney and feels a odd sense of DeJa'Vu.

Note, The Steel Samurai dose not tell the others what happened with the Karma Samurai because they are already traumatized enough and some of them really looked up to Karma.

Back in court Manfred gets the plenty commits DL-6.

While later he realizes that Gregory was the steel Samurai because of very specific scars listed in his autopsy report. Soon after Miles moves in with the Von Karmas he realizes Miles is the red signal Samurai because of the boys mannerisms and the fact that the red just showed up in Germany.

Miles isn't having a good time, Manfred revels himself to be the Karma Samuri and lies that the Steel Samurai attacked him because he was too popular (Miles doesn't know his dad is/was the Steel Samurai). Also Manfred says he was crippled by the Steel Samurai, which he why he doesn't fight any more (Actually because of the DL-6 Bullet) So now Miles is being trained as a Samurai and Prosecutor. Franziska is also being trained to take up the Karma Samurai mantel one day, they go flying togther a lot.

Nothing much changes in the Daliah/Early Ace Attorney area expect Mia is even more stressed because she still has to manage the Signal Samurai, minus the only other one with common sense. Oh and the Signal Samurai are now Earth's main protection since Karma and Steel disappeared.

Unfortunately Mia would still die since she didn't have her suit, but her chase would be much easier to solve since she knocked out most of Red White's teeth, and nearly broke his jaw form a single punch. Red White had surprise and a weapon is the main argument for why he could win but there is a strong argument that Mia should have survived.

At the end of Turnabout Goodbyes, after Manfred has all is lies exposed, he dawns his Karma Samurai suit on last time to try and tries to destroy the courthouse and probably the city. Unfortunately for him he transformed in front of ALL OF THE SIGNAL SAMURAI! Manfred doesn't stand a chance, especially with their teamwork being on point for the trial. After Manfred is dealt with the Signal Samurai have a moment to process all the identity reveals that just happened.

They are all upset, excited and shocked to find out the truth but resolve to make themselves a proper team again, even without Mia. Of course, after taking that picture, Mia reminds them that she is really gone.

That's all I got for now, feel free to ask me anything if you have questions. <3