#i actually like eddie fender though

[iris-drawing-stuff]

Watching the Ace Attorney grieve over the fact that Sebastian Debeste's official canon name being Eustace Winner is so funny to me. Like,

Eustace.

fucking

Winner.

That's his actual fucking name! Damn his parents must have hated hi-

oh... oh no

[un-pearable]

sorry eustace and eddie i will be deadnaming you

[kugamoogle]

I've seen a couple posts talking about combining Eustace/Sebastian's fan and official names together as a fun little compromise (which I love!!), and while most of the focus has indeed been on him because of his....interesting choice of surname, I've also seen almost as many posts talking about disliking Ray/Eddie's name change too—mostly due to the lack of subtlety with his new name and the erasure of the sword and shield motif, and wanted to share a compromise my friend and I came up with in case it helps anyone:

Eddie is short for Edmund.

Admittedly "Edmund" isn't a name I'm particularly fond of myself—I definitely prefer the way Raymond sounds and I think it suits his design better, but it shares the same root suffix—and subsequently a similar meaning—to "Raymond", with the ending suffix meaning "protector", and thus brings back some of the subtlety of his fan name. It's also not a perfect homage to the shield aspect, but personally I only recognized "Edgeworth" as being sword related at all after seeing the Japanese name (granted, I'm also dumb) so....make of it what you will ig.

Not a perfect solution (and I don't think I'm the first to come up with this specific idea by any means!), but since the majority of the complaints I've seen are about the meaning and the pun, versus issues with the actual name fitting his design or the sound of it, I figured it may help someone.

I will also agree he doesn't look like an "Edmund", but honestly that's just more of a reason for him to go by Eddie. Lol.

[beecauseevan]

first kiss in front of the team/at work!!

"You ready?" 

Eddie turns. He's been staring at the firehouse, but Buck is a much prettier sight, cast in gold by the morning sun filtering through the car windows.

"Ready? For work?" 

"Sure." Buck rolls his shoulders into the Jeep's driver's seat in a half shrug. "For work, and for—you know. Twenty-four hours is a long time."

Eddie leans against the door at his back, a smirk blooming on his face. "Is that a pickup line?"

"I don't have to use pickup lines on you," Buck tells him, but he's smirking too. "I picked you up a while ago."

Eddie hums.

"All I'm saying," Buck continues, "is that twenty-four hours… is a long time."

Eddie could keep playing hard to get. Taking the bait sounds more rewarding, though. He reaches for Buck, curls his fingers into the front of Buck's black t-shirt,  "Guess I better stock up on this while I still have the chance, huh?"

"I guess so," says Buck.

Eddie looks over his shoulder at the parking lot. It's empty, not a soul in sight.

"We're all alone," Buck mutters, voice softer than before, though the gleam in his eyes hasn't changed.

"All alone," Eddie agrees, and tugs him close.

They arrived in the parking lot half an hour early, but when they actually make it inside, their shift is about to start. That means the locker room is empty, which in turn doesn't mean much—the glass walls provide no privacy—but Buck is nothing if not bold.

"Stop," Eddie mutters, fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, which hangs half-open from his shoulders. He doesn't have to glance up to know Buck is looking at him, can feel the weight of his gaze on the exposed skin of his chest. It makes him feel stupid, and tingly all over, and warm.

"I'm not doing anything," Buck replies, equally quiet, though the smile in his words is loud. 

"You're staring."

"I'm admiring."

And, honestly. Buck just spent four consecutive nights admiring every inch of Eddie's body. He should've looked his fill by now, but when Eddie finally meets his eyes, the hunger in Buck's smile is as obvious as it was this morning, yesterday, two weeks ago. Eddie shivers, glancing past Buck at the app bay to make sure nobody is watching them. 

What if they both took a sick day? What would Bobby say then?

He pulls himself together and slaps Buck's (gloriously naked) chest. "Get dressed."

"Yessir."

"Oh my god," says Eddie, and moves to the other side of the locker room before he forgets himself. 

And just in time, too. Hen knocks on the glass door, then sticks her head inside. "You guys coming?"

"Did the bell ring?" Buck asks, eyes wide. 

Hen narrows hers and looks from Buck to Eddie and back to Buck. "No. I think you would've heard that."

"Right," says Buck. "Sure. I wasn't distracted or anything."

Hen frowns at Eddie, clearly expecting him to know what is going on with Buck, and she's not wrong, but Eddie shrugs anyway, feigns ignorance. Hen sighs.

"Bobby made waffles," she says. "If you don't hurry up, I'm giving your share to Ravi."

The city keeps them busy, after that, provides them with a steady stream of fender benders and fires and the occasional cat stuck in a tree. By the time they get another moment to themselves, the sun is setting over the city and the station is awash in shades of crimson and gold.

Eddie is just stepping off the treadmill, sweaty and in dire need of a shower, when Buck joins him in the gym.

"Hey," Buck says. 

Just that. Just hey. He's smiling and his curls look soft in the afternoon sun, and Eddie wonders if this will ever stop being thrilling, if he'll ever be able to look at Buck without feeling like his chest is going to burst from all this love, if he'll ever be able to exist in Buck's presence without wanting, no, needing, to put his hands all over that glorious body.

"Hey yourself," he says, and Buck's smile widens, and he steps towards Eddie as if magnetized.

"I've missed you."

"You saw me ten minutes ago."

Buck shrugs. "You know what I mean."

Eddie does. He doesn't wish that he didn't. He likes knowing. 

"Sixteen hours," he says lowly, as Buck stops in front of him, just a few inches shy of appropriate—but then they've never needed much personal space when it came to each other. "Think you can manage?"

"Barely," Buck replies, before his smile sweetens. He looks down at his feet and Eddie looks down too, at Buck's hands, which are twitching at his sides as though they're desperate to reach out. "But, yeah. I'll manage."

Eddie nods. He drags his eyes back up and finds Buck watching him in return. He's so close Eddie can count his lashes, could trace the smile lines in the corners of his eyes.

"There you are." Chim strides into the gym and stops dead in his tracks, frowns at them, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that Eddie just jumped away from Buck like he's been stung. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Eddie says, too quickly.

Chim's frown deepens. Behind him, Hen appears on the scene of the crime, watching them over Chim's shoulder.

"If you guys are in some kind of trouble—"

And really, that's just uncalled for. Eddie opens his mouth and closes it again when he realizes he doesn't really have an excuse. Not for the first and probably not for the last time, Buck saves him.

"It's, uhm. Christopher's birthday party," he says. "We're—making plans."

Hen looks at Chim, who shakes his head.

"Chris' birthday is months away," she says.

"Well." Buck scratches the side of his neck. "Doesn't hurt to be prepared, right?"

He slides a pointed look Eddie's way, waiting for backup. Eddie opens his mouth.

It's new, still, this thing between them, new but not fragile. Three weeks ago, when their first kiss shattered every single one of Eddie's defenses, when he finally allowed himself a shot at true happiness, he warned Buck—told him that it would take him some time, that he would not be able to be Buck's plus one to a wedding any time soon.

Buck laughed at him, told him to stop worrying and we're not going to any weddings anyway, Eddie, unless you know something I don't, and kissed him again, and ever since then, he's been—patient, and careful, and wonderful, and everything Eddie could ask for and more.

He'd live like this, in secret, for another six years if Eddie asked it of him.

"Cause, you know," Buck continues, probably realizing that Eddie is too distracted to help him, and covering for him immediately, because he has his back even now. "Teenagers, they have—expectations. Right?"

"Right," says Eddie, and then he reaches out a hand and cups Buck's cheek and pulls him into a kiss, firm and sweet. When he breaks away, Buck is slack-jawed and glowing, and Eddie clears his throat and turns back to Chim and Hen, who are watching them with twin blank expressions. "Any more questions?"

"Huh," says Chim.

"Huh," adds Hen, and then, to Chim, "you owe me so much money. I knew it would happen before Christmas."

Chim groans loudly. Eddie leaves him to his misery and turns to Buck, who still looks stunned.

"Okay?" he asks quietly. He's lightheaded and giddy and so, so happy.

Buck's expression morphs into something different, something new, something that looks a lot like the inside of Eddie's chest feels—soft and warm and wonderful. "Okay. You?"

They have to talk to Bobby, and soon. Their future holds questions, of that Eddie is sure, and a lot of paperwork. He doesn't care about any of that right now.

"Never better," he says, and kisses Buck again.

[jo-harrington]

Interview Prep (Eddie Munson x Store Manager!Reader)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader

Summary: Reader is worried about making a change to some routines.

Previous Part: Standard Operating Procedures 1.03

Warnings/Themes: AU where the Upside Down doesn't terrorize Hawkins. Reader works at the Claire's at StarCourt. Eddie works at TapeWorld. Mutual Pining and Slow Burn, Meeting the Family, Anxiety, Fluff

Note: Special thanks to @chestylarouxx @fracturedarkness and @courtingchaos for reading my snippets, listening to my rambling, and easing my nerves with this one. It's been in my drafts since February! And it's always kind of eluded me, but it's very special so I appreciate the time you took to help me out. So so much.

You can find my masterlist here for more featuring our resident Store Manager and all of my other writing.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

---

“…and I swear the sound is so much better than my Fender. Like a thousand times better. I’m gonna need a new amp, I think. She is way too good for that hunk of junk that Rick got from his buddy way back when.”

“Uh huh.”

“God, I wish you could come to a show to hear it. Maybe...maybe I can ask Tom at the Hideout if our set could be a little later one night so you could come out after the store closed?"

"Sure."

“And then we could get pickle and bologna milkshakes at Benny's afterwards."

"Sounds great."

"Am I boring you?” Eddie finally stopped as he hit the button on the bailer and put his hands on his hips. "You're not even listening."

“What?” You freed yourself from your thoughts and got a good look at him. "I...what? No."

It was break time, which meant cardboard got crushed and garbage tossed before you ventured into the food court for something to eat. And on a day like today when your schedules aligned, that also meant your break was spent with your closest friend--only friend--in Hawkins.

And on any other day, you would have happily listened to his story.

Hell, you actually had listened to him...for most of it at least--he boasted about his new guitar, how he named her Sweetheart, and her first actual performance outside of Gareth's garage that had occurred the night prior--before you got too caught up in your own head.

It had been a normal Wednesday when you got to the store for your opening shift. The registers were counted, gate pushed up, and you were about to confidently post the new schedule.

Then the mail was delivered.

And with it, a larger envelope from home office that contained a very hefty packet inside.

Normally a package like that would make you happy; it was a sign that one of your favorite weeks of the year was approaching: planogram week. It was, quite honestly, not only your favorite week but your favorite part of the job altogether. More than your team, more than your discount...certainly more than helping customers.

Summer was coming to an end, which meant all of the trendy accessories would make way for backpacks, water bottles, notebooks, and lunch boxes. Things that stayed hidden away for 75% of the year, but were suddenly at the forefront of every parent and pre-teen's mind as they got ready to look their best on the first day of school.

Today, however, you suddenly felt a sense of dread as you opened the package because a planogram meant that you would have to schedule an overnight shift on the one night of the week that the mall closed early.

Sunday Night.

Date Night with Eddie.

Eddie's favorite night. And yours.

Your favorite part of your job encroached on what was becoming an essential part of your life.

So you spiraled until your break because it was easier to worry and overthink than it was to just...communicate the fact that you might have to miss a Sunday and face the possibility that Eddie could be mad at you.

Unfortunately he seemed a little steamed right now because he thought you hadn't been listening to him.

His little grumpy face was cute though.

Why was this harder than having to call your team to ask if they were ok with an unexpected overnight shift? God damn it, you needed to get a grip.

“You weren’t listening to anything I said,” he repeated.

“Yes I was,” you insisted.

“What did I say then?”

“You nailed the solo.”

“And…”

“And you actually got a round of applause.”

“And?”

“And you need a new amp.”

“And?”

“Uhm… a-and…”

Shit…maybe you had delved a little bit too far.

Growing up with a big, loud family--including an overbearing mother and two annoying brothers--meant you had the innate ability to split your brain in half and listen to them while also worrying about your own shit.

However, thanks to the intensity of your worrying, that ability failed you.

You wracked your brain for a good 30 seconds until Eddie’s scowl turned into a wicked smile, and then you knew he was just being a jerk.

“You’re the worst,” you grumbled at him.

“Excuse me,” he placed a hand on his chest in fake affront and stumbled back a few steps to collapse against the side of the trash compactor. “I'm the worst? You agreed to Pickle and Bologna milkshakes and ignored your best friend. Not very metal, sweetheart."

"I just have a lot on my mind." You shook your head and sighed. "Sorry."

"Well it's a good thing that I am a great listener. Unlike someone."

Eddie pushed himself off the compactor, put his hand on your shoulder, and guided you back inside to the food court. You got your meals of choice and tucked yourselves into a table in the corner by the JCPenney entrance.

"Alright," he started with his mouth full of fries. "Tell dear old Eddie what's bothering you."

You swallowed a mouthful of food and took a deep breath.

It was now or never.

"Well...there's this big thing coming up at work...planogram...uh...floor set," you began. "And it's really important and after it's done...we'll get visitors from corporate and my boss will probably make a few visits to see how it's going. I just want to do really well."

"Well, you've been doing a good job so far right?" Eddie shrugged. "Why wouldn't they think so now?"

"I don't know, I don't wanna mess it up," you admitted. "I'm a new store manager. And a lot of the team never worked retail before. I literally cried my first floor set as a sales associate. It's tough."

"You're just giving yourself the yips. I do it all the time when we add a new song to the set list."

"Don't just say that to make me feel better."

"Last week I forgot how to do a G-chord," he crossed his heart. "Scouts honor."

"You were a Boy Scout?" you asked skeptically.

"Stop distracting me." He popped another French fry in his mouth in an exaggerated fashion. "What else?"

"Well...we have to schedule floor sets on a Sunday."

"Ok."

"After the store closes."

"...Oh."

"Yeah."

Eddie sipped his drink thoughtfully and stared at you with his abyss-like eyes; they didn't betray a single thought going through his head and it made you nervous.

And nervous meant that you didn't shut up.

"I mean I don't want to have to cancel our night out," you started with the word vomit. "It's just the way things are always done and you'll see one day if you still work at Tape World for long enough, that's one of those things that...I don't know, if you try to do things differently it always comes back to bite you in the ass.

"And I'm young and whenever we have a conference call to talk about sales...my DM doesn't let me forget that I'm a baby compared to everyone else and it's so frustrating because I feel like I can't even suggest anything new because it immediately is dismissed as naive. It's like they keep waiting for me to fail. So I wish...I wish I could make a change so we could keep our plans. Like if it was anything else I could make it work but I...this thing I just can't, you know?

"But...but...b-because I would have to work on Sunday overnight I would probably be off another day so if you're ok with it we can do something else? Maybe on...I don't think I could get Tuesday off because of everyone's availability...maybe Friday if your friends are cool with me crashing your club night. Or...you open on Saturdays. We could do Saturday night instead?"

The punctuation to the drawn out sentence was your labored breath and Eddie noisily sucking the dregs of his soda through the straw. Shithead that he was didn't even have the decency to do anything but continue watching you with his big dumb cute eyes.

"Weeellllll..." he started in a sing-song tone and then paused and sucked at the straw some more.

Could he just tell you to fuck off already so this wouldn't be as painful as it was?

"That really sucks you need to work overnight," he finished his thought with a grin and shoved his cup to the side. "Being in the mall after hours...sounds kinda creepy. Do you think there are ghosts?"

"Are you kidding me right now?" you deadpanned. "You let me go on and on like that for nothing?"

"It was funny."

"I hate you."

"You cherish me."

"It was painful." You groaned. "Like I think I'm sweating. My heart hurts Edward."

"Don't act like you've never let me do that before," he scoffed and rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. You threw a fry at him. "Don't start what you can't finish sweetheart. One fry can turn into a food fight and I would hate to find out the hard way why I'm Hawkins High's food fighting champion."

"Ok so...Saturday night?" you asked. "This Saturday...are you doing anything?"

"Uh..." Eddie hesitated and sat up a little straighter. "I mean...no hot dates or anything. What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe just what we normally do?" you suggested. "Drive around, eat a bunch of junk food. Or if you want to come over to my place and I--"

"So, I have a confession to make," he interrupted you. "I actually do have plans on Saturday. More like...standing plans than anything. My uncle Wayne is off on Saturdays and we've always watched reruns on TV and ordered pizza. Family night or whatever. My mom used to do the same thing so...Wayne thought it would be...I dunno, good for stability or something.

"It's silly but I don't want to just ditch him without asking," Eddie explained and your heart melted.

Of course you didn't want to take time away from his family; you knew how important his uncle was to him.

"Oh...well that's ok...we can rain check for another day then or--"

"Why don't you just come over?" Eddie asked. "He won't mind. I am opening this Saturday so I'll be done by 5; you can get there in time for Wheel of Fortune. That way he can't yell at me when I try to solve the puzzles with lewd words." He mimics, what you assume is, Wayne's voice.

Eddie looked so eager that you immediately agreed.

Your heart stopped in your chest though.

Come over? And meet his uncle?

Sure...you'd already met Benny a few weeks ago...and yeah you'd thought of it like meeting someone from Eddie's family but...this was his actual family. What if you insulted his uncle or...or made yourself look stupid.

You needed to put your best foot forward. Make a good impression.

"How about..." your mouth started moving before your brain could catch up. "...instead of ordering pizza, I cook for you guys instead? I'll be off Saturday since I'm doing the overnight on Sunday. I can just bring everything over."

Eddie's eyes lit up and as he teased you about the impressive cooking skills that you had supposedly boasted about previously, all you could think was...

How did this situation get even more stressful?

---

The rest of the week leading up to Saturday had been overwhelming to say the least.

To you, food was life. Cooking for someone was everything that you could do to show them that you cared. How many hours had you spent with your grandma making cookies for neighbors at Christmas, or freezer meals when a distant relative had a baby, or a tray of something after a friend of the family had passed.

Food was love and friendship, and as much as what you had done for Eddie with the guitar had been a show of friendship...this meant so much more.

So you needed to hit a home run...or a bullseye...or whatever sports terminology signified that you won.

Which meant you'd spent some down time flipping through your grandma's old recipes that she had gifted you once upon a time--a thin, pocket-sized spiral notebook with a purple cover that was filled with her illegible handwriting and personal shorthand--and thinking of ideas that would be both impressive and hearty. You'd already changed your mind twice, and had made just as many trips to Bradleys for extra ingredients.

You'd also pestered Eddie several times through the course of the week to get his input without giving anything away.

"Does your uncle like cheese?"

"Of course he does."

"Some people don't."

"Would we get pizza every Saturday if we didn't like cheese?"

"There's some pizza that doesn't have cheese."

"Why the questions? Are you nervous sweetheart?"

And that was when he started to tease you. Every chance he got. Lunches, breaks, passing you on the way to the employee lot as you started a shift and he ended one.

He asked if you wanted their phone number so you could call Wayne and make kissy noises at each other for hours, if you wanted him to bring love letters home to save on stamps, and if you were planning to dress really nice for your date with his uncle.

"I'll be sure to grab extra chapstick for him so his lips are ready for you tomorrow," he laughed and leaned closer to make the biggest, noisiest smacking kiss noise in your ear as you waited for your break time cookies.

"You're an idiot," you rolled your eyes after he uttered the last one. "I don't want him to hate me because...what if he doesn't want me to hang around you anymore. I'd kind of lose my mind."

"Oh, uh," Eddie backed away a little bit and rubbed the back of his neck, then shoved his hands in his back pockets. "Wayne wouldn't do that. He's...a little bit of a grump, but he's harmless."

"Guess we know where you got it from," you muttered.

"I didn't know you were...actually worried," Eddie continued. "I'm sorry. But it'll be ok. Even if you...wore a potato sack and brought canned beans that we had to heat on the stove for dinner. He'll think you're great. Because you are."

You were both a little silent after that, Eddie staring at his feet bashfully as you felt your heart race and your head spin.

You finalized your plans that night when you got home and immediately started on your dessert, sure that it was all gonna be a hit with both Munsons.

It was gonna be great. Because Eddie thought you were great.

And Saturday, the doubt didn't creep on you at all. Not while you cooked, not as you packed your casserole dish and Tupperware into a large cooler bag, and not even as you drove across town, following Eddie's directions to Forest Hills without getting lost once.

It wasn't until you stepped out of your car and stared at the front door that you felt your stomach drop a little.

Those four cement steps might as well have been a thousand.

But...your sneakers only needed to crunch on the gravel before the door was thrown open and a slightly-breathless Eddie smiled at you...and then all the worry disappeared.

"Hey," he greeted. "D-did you need any help?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind," you shrugged.

He jogged down the steps in socked-feet and crossed to the passenger's side door of your car, talking a mile a minute as he reached in to grab your things.

"I, uh, got home an hour ago," he rambled. "The A/C at the store conked out...and then Paulie had me make a trash run before I left. Had a big shipment today. So if I'm still a little sweaty...that's why."

"You're fine," you laughed.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry. I've been cooking so I'm probably a little sweaty too. Lasagna and July...sort of don't go together that well."

He raced up the steps and held the door open for you.

"Lasagna? Oh the old man is gonna love you," Eddie chuckled.

You entered the Munson abode and were immediately hit by the strongest sense of home that you'd felt since...well, since you'd still been at home. Not necessarily that it was a place where you belonged, but...it was a place of belonging.

Mugs and hats and other memorabilia lined the walls, reminiscent of the tchotchkes that your mother stacked to high heaven on every available surface. The couch was a little faded but looked comfortable and soft as though you could sink into the cushions and disappear into a soft nether-realm.

Your grandpa had a couch like that. His spot sunk to the shape of his body. It was still your favorite place to sit when he wasn't already there. It was like a hug.

That was when your eyes found the armchair, molded around the shape of the man seated in it. He was older, a little weathered and greying, hairline receding, and even though he isn't smiling right now, the lines around his mouth were indication enough that he smiled quite a bit.

Just like his nephew.

"Uh, Wayne this is my friend from the mall," Eddie introduced you as he juggled your cooler bag and your large Tupperware to the kitchen counter. "The one I told you about. Works at the jewelry store."

"Nice to meet you," you smiled and held a hand out to him to shake. He took your hand in a firm grasp and as you shook his the way your grandfather taught you--to command respect and trust--his eyes narrowed.

"I had to hear about you through Rick, who heard about you through Benny," Wayne started. "And I haven't the slightest idea why my nephew thought he needed to keep you a secret; not the first girlfriend he's brought around--"

Eddie groaned something unintelligible from the kitchen and you fought the urge to break eye contact with Wayne so you could look at him.

"--but I just watched him run around for the past hour tidying up. And he's never done that before. So if you can help him keep the habit, you're alright in my book." Wayne smiled widely and let your hand go.

"Thank you," you chuckled nervously, suddenly realizing how silly it had been that you were even worried in the first place.

Eddie had been right.

You could never admit that to him.

"Even did the dishes," Wayne looked past you at Eddie. "He never does the dishes."

"W-we're having dinner," Eddie whined. "Gotta have clean plates."

The two of them bantered back and forth comfortably and you joined Eddie in the kitchen to get everything plated. There was a salad, buttery mashed potatoes, and of course your still-warm and gooey lasagna.

Eddie explained that it was Wayne's favorite that he rarely got to have homemade--

"Stoffers will do in a pinch," Wayne explained.

--and that you were already more loved than he was simply for making it, to which Wayne agreed. And he even pointed out the well-loved Garfield mug that he had gotten Wayne for Father's Day one year for that fact alone.

Eddie tried to protest when you took the dessert bowl from him to stow it away in the fridge until it was the appropriate time.

"I didn't even get to have cookies with you today," he reasoned. "Or a soda. See? I suffer when you're not working. How am I--a growing boy--supposed to reach my fullest potential without proper sustenance?"

You snorted and brought the plates out to the living area while Eddie trailed behind you.

"He's just grumpy because you're making him eat vegetables," Wayne chuckled as he took his plate. "A feat I have yet to achieve in 8 years. So if you weren't already in my good books, you are now."

Dinner passed relatively uneventfully at first. You and Eddie sat on the couch--which was just as comfy as you thought it would be--as Wayne occupied the armchair. They inhaled their first helping and showered you with compliments. Eddie begrudgingly admitted that your cooking was as good as you had bragged, and even said the dressing on your salad "wasn't Ranch but was still pretty tasty."

As Eddie had told you days ago, Wheel of Fortune started promptly at 7:30 and he and Wayne tried to solve as many puzzles as possible around mouthfuls of food. They teased each other when their guesses were particularly ridiculous, and celebrated when they got one right.

You solved a long puzzle correctly--your only contribution to their little competition--before there were very many tiles revealed on the board and Eddie patted your thigh in praise when you got it right with a soft "that's my girl" that nearly had you drop your plate.

When Wheel ended, Wayne stood up to grab seconds for himself and Eddie and a couple of beers for you all. Before he sat back down he grabbed a tape from a basket beside the television and popped it into the VCR.

"I hope you don't mind," he said sheepishly. "I like the background noise and Love Boat doesn't start til 9."

As the static on the screen cleared, you were treated to a good look of a Map to Illustrate the Ponderosa in Nevada.

"Mind? I love Bonanza," you laughed, and Eddie groaned beside you.

"No I already have to endure Wayne and Rick and their western reruns, and now you too?"

Conversation then turned to you. Turned to the usual stuff that you talked about when you met someone new. And you really...didn't like talking about yourself. The middle child and the only girl with two strong-willed brothers and parents that liked to pick and pick and pick at every imperfection; it was ingrained in you.

Thankfully, Eddie seemed to really like to talk to you, at you, about you.

"I work at Claire's. We do like...ear piercing and cute accessories for kids."

"She works there? She's the store manager. And the youngest one in the company. Right? Is that...no...in the district. Anyway..."

And where you faltered, he picked up the reins.

"I mean it's just community college. Everyone graduates. I'm not smart or anything."

"Are you shitting me right now? Sweetheart I can't even graduate high school."

Eagerly.

"And there was this one time, I shit you not Wayne," Eddie's hands mimed as he tried to tell his story. "She literally balanced on one foot on the top rung of a ladder. Had to have been...20 feet high...to get this kitten that was stuck on top of the bailer. How it got there? I couldn't tell you."

"It was not the top rung."

"It was."

"It wasn't 20 feet!"

"Let me tell the story."

"I'm supposed to be telling the story," you laughed at him.

"Ok, you're right, but you weren't telling it good enough," Eddie argued. "You have to emphasize."

"He means fib," Wayne clarified.

"I mean...bend the truth for entertainment purposes only," Eddie explained rapidly.

Eventually dinner was done and it was time for dessert, which Eddie eagerly followed you into the kitchen for.

"How am I doing?" you asked nervously as you rummaged in the fridge.

"You're doing great. How many times do I have to tell you he would like you?" he huffed good-naturedly.

"I don't know, I just needed reassurance."

"Are you kidding me?" he scoffed. "You're doing great. I'm sure he'll be asking me when the next time you'll be over is so he can maybe get some more lasagna. He doesn't just let anyone watch A Rose for Lotta with him. You're special."

"Am I?"

"You're special to me."

You looked up at Eddie a little shocked and he smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

You couldn't get your hopes up. You just...couldn't.

"What's taking so long in there?" Wayne asked as he ejected the tape from the VCR so he could flip to ABC. You both looked over and found him watching you with a smirk and a twinkle in his eye.

"I dunno," Eddie replied petulantly. "Someone's withholding my reward."

You rolled your eyes and grabbed another set of plates from the drying rack by the sink. You opened your container to reveal the fluffy green mounds of pudding and whipped cream and marshmallows studded with bright maraschino cherries.

"Sweetheart, you didn't," Eddie grabbed you by the shoulders and leaned over to look into the Tupperware.

"I did," you beamed.

The perfect end to a great night.

Because you might not have known that lasagna was Wayne's favorite.

But you knew that Watergate salad was Eddie's.

---

It was late by the time Eddie walked you out to your car, way past your usual bedtime, and later than you should have been up especially considering that you would be doing the overnight tomorrow.

The dessert had been consumed in its entirety; once you and Wayne had your fill, Eddie ate the remainder out of the bowl looking, quite literally, like a kid in a candy store. And as Captain Stubing and Doc Bricker bickered aboard the Pacific Princess, you began dozing on Eddie's shoulder.

He shook you awake and you said your goodbyes to Wayne.

"You're welcome anytime," he insisted as you headed to the door. "Lasagna or no. Don't let Ed trick you into spoiling us. He's still young but my waistband can't handle it."

And now you were standing with Eddie, the driver's side door between you as you sort of refused to get in and drive away. It was a real Midwest Goodbye.

"I'll see you at work..." you fumbled over your words as you tried to think of the next time you'd actually get to see him. You had the overnight tomorrow, and you'd be off Monday. Eddie would be off Tuesday which meant... "Oh god, well...Wednesday? That seems so far away."

"It doesn't have to be Wednesday," Eddie shrugged. "What if I brought you breakfast on Monday? After your floor set is over?"

"God that's gonna be so early for you," you dismissed his idea.

"So? You just made us the best dinner and there's leftovers for a few days, which you didn't want. Let me get you breakfast."

"I don't want to put you out."

The two of you bickered back and forth for a minute before you put your foot down and told him to sleep in because he had to close on Monday night.

"Thanks though," you said. "This was nice. Family dinner at home. It was really nice. Makes me a little homesick but...I guess Hawkins is my home for now."

"Hey, of course, any time," Eddie replied. He looked pensive for a second and then turned so he didn't have to look at you. Like he was hesitant about what you would say or think. "We don't...I mean I guess what I mean is...I really enjoy hanging out on Sundays and I know this is sort of a one-off thing. But...you know we don't only have to hang out on Sundays. We can do...I mean...have dinner again sometimes or meet you after work even if I'm off...or see a movie again...get something from Family Video or..."

"You wanna hang out with me more?" you cut into his rambling.

"Yeah, why not?"

"Friends hang out all the time but..." You shrugged. "Don't...skip out on...I mean I guess I don't know what it is you do with the guys outside of band practice and DnD. Don't skip out on them just for me."

"No, hey now, wait," Eddie held his hand out to stop you. "Those turds already see me all the time and are gonna see me more once school's back in session. And...I'll probably work less so...I'll take any time with you now that I can get."

"Alright." You beamed.

"Alright." He mirrored you. "More non-Sunday hangouts."

You agreed and he held out his pinky. You immediately hooked yours into it.

“See you Wednesday sweetheart,” Eddie said his farewell. “Don’t dream of me too much.”

---

"Alright guys, it's almost 7am, time to clean up," you announced to your overnight crew with a clap of your hands.

It had been a fun but trying night, but ultimately successful.

Saturday had been perfect but your whole Sunday routine had already been thrown off and you spent a majority of your day sleeping and cleaning and wondering what Eddie was getting up to at work.

As you predicted, everyone was more than a little confused by the planogram booklet but you were a patient teacher. Everyone thought they had an eye for store layout until they were faced with twenty shipment boxes of pencil cases and locker decor. You had to talk a few of them down from near-panics several times throughout the night.

Over the course of the floorset, side ponytails became even more askew than normal, a few pairs of shoes got kicked into a pile by the gate, and everyone turned into tired, sweaty messes.

To keep morale up, you had insisted on everyone bringing a favorite tape that alternated in the shop radio and you had stocked up at Bradley's with an assortment of sugary snacks and drinks for the break room. Thankfully, the treats had prevented anyone from bursting into tears or threatening to quit, as you had witnessed countless times during your time working in retail.

You really channeled Eddie's sweet tooth when making your choices and it had paid off.

But after 12 hours of unpacking, stacking, dusting, shifting, and sliding, you were all ready to go home.

You ushered everyone out of the store and locked the gate behind you, and as the group walked toward the employee exit, excitement had returned. Pride for a seemingly-impossible task completed.

"The store looks so good! Mindy is gonna shit herself when she comes in to open."

"Oh my god, do you think we're gonna have a store visit? Can you let me know what they think of the hair wall?"

"We're gonna make so many sales! Who can say no to that unicorn backpack?"

You entertained their conversation but when you set foot outside and saw a familiar van parked next to your car, you lost all ability to speak.

He had said he was gonna surprise you with breakfast...but you told him not to. Of course he didn't listen; it had you rolling your eyes in annoyed amusement.

God you knew everyone was a gossip, this was gonna get to Mindy and then she was gonna give you an earful. She already let you have it when she heard about your invitation to dinner.

You quickly thanked your team and ushered them to their cars before you meandered towards yours. You ignored the questioning looks that they shot you as you hesitated to get into your car but you waved goodbye as they drove away.

When the last car left the lot, you immediately stormed over to the passenger's side door of the van and threw it open to find a McDonald's bag on the seat, two coffees in the cupholders, and a tired-eyed Eddie in the driver's seat. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel in time with Kiss's Beth.

"I'm always somewhere else," he turned his upper body towards you dramatically and began serenading you. "And you're always there alone."

"Unbelievable," you scoffed at him.

"Just a few more hours and I'll be right home to you. I think I hear them calling. Oh Beth what can I do?" He slapped his hands against the steering wheel dramatically. "Beth what can I do?"

You climbed into the passengers seat, closed the door behind you, and opened the McDonalds bag to the delightful smell of hot, fresh, crispy hash browns and egg McMuffins.

"If it's not obvious," Eddie announced as he reached across the van to shove his hand into the bag for a hash brown of his own. "I'm Beth in this scenario because you left me alone for hours and hours and hours last night."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah I got into all sorts of trouble."

“I told you not to bring breakfast.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

"You didn't need to come if you were tired."

"I wanted to and I pretty much do whatever I want anyways," he insisted, and then thankfully focused on his food as you felt your face heat up.

"Well, if you'd like to know, me and the boys were not actually playing all night," you remarked and dug the sandwiches out of the brown bag. You handed one to Eddie, whose mouth was already full of salty, potatoey goodness after he'd shoved the hash brown in one piece. His cheeks were all round and full like a chipmunks and you held back a giggle.

God he was too cute. And he brought you breakfast after a long overnight shift. And he had called you his girl and told you you were special. How were you supposed to stop yourself from having a crush on him if this was...just how he was?

The two of you got to talking about your night, about his Sunday shift, about what you did before work, about what he did after it. And it was nice.

And as you sat there watching him slurp the hot coffee and watch the sparse traffic around the mall dive, you finally found the right words and the strength not to make an absolute fool of yourself.

"This was really nice of you, Eddie. You're wonderful."

He put his hand on his chest and looked a little sheepish.

"I'm wonderful?"

"You're wonderful to me."

---

Next Part: Corrective Action

The tag list is currently suspended.

[folklorebau]

the one — eddie roundtree

pairing: eddie roundtree x fem!musician!reader

description: after breaking your heart and losing your trust, eddie tries to win your heart back. through all the hurt, comes a lot of light.

warnings: written in interview style like the book! reader is a musician but she isn’t in the band, use of Y/N (</3). REQ’s are open!

🍸 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 🎙️ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 🪩 ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ 🎧

Eddie: I asked myself a lot of questions back then, but I could never actually answer any of them. It was like everything good had blown up in my face and it was all my fault. I didn’t really know what to do.

Karen: Chase two girls, lose the one. I always knew Eddie loved Y/N, but he also loved Camila. I told Eddie he had to go away and have a think about everything.

Warren: Whatever he felt for Camila, it was different with Y/N. Camila was his first love, sure, but Y/N is the love of his life.

Eddie took himself away from the band for a few days, he arranged it with the necessary people and put in place a ‘getaway plan’ as he recalls it. He stayed away for an extra week, hiding away in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When he came back he had a new guitar, a green Fender Stratocaster, and a few unfinished love songs.

Warren: Why he took himself up to Oregon of all places I will never know. He would of been welcome to hand on my boat but the man had shit to sort through I suppose.

Karen: Whatever he did those few days he was gone worked wonders.

Eddie: The second I got back I picked Karen up and swung her around. I couldn’t thank her enough.

Y/N: I wouldn’t be a second choice, I left because that’s what it felt like with him, that I was always going to be second choice.

Eddie: I always thought I knew best but I really didn’t. I knew Billy wouldn’t like the songs I had written, because it was always what him and Daisy had written that mattered. I think Karen was nervous when I told her I’d been writing.

Karen: I thought he had gone mad. [Laughs]

Billy: I would have heard him out at least, but… no I probably would have hated whatever he had come up with. I was a control freak like that. We [Him and Daisy] both were.

Eddie: I didn’t care what Billy thought of them. I hadn’t written them for Billy, I wrote them for me, but also for Y/N.

Y/N: [Laughs] They were… well they were okay! He poured his whole heart into them, so they were special but Eddie Roundtree is not a songwriter!

Eddie: She said that? [Laughs] Well… she’s right! I suppose I just wanted to tell her how I really felt. Once I had shown her what I’d come up with she sat down next to me and just started scribbling all over it.

Y/N: I wanted to finish one of the songs.

Eddie: She had picked one out, ‘The 1’. It was about what you wish you had, what you could of had if you hadn’t messed everything up.

Y/N: I kind of wanted to make him sweat a bit.

Eddie: I was so nervous, I just kept thinking say something, say anything!!

Y/N: We stayed up late laughing, drinking, writing. We talked about Eddie’s time in Oregon. I told him what I had gotten up to.

Eddie: Then she told me she had missed me.

Y/N: I was so worried to let him back in.

Eddie: I was so glad she let me in. So glad.

Eddie Roundtree sold the song to an up and coming band. Y/N and Eddie were credited as the songwriters for the record. Upon release it climbed the charts to number 32. The pair celebrated with the band they had sold the record to by buying them lunch one afternoon in California.

Eddie: She made me work for it.

Y/N: Like I said, I wanted to see him sweat.

Eddie: I didn’t mind though. Life was very fast, very unpredictable back then. I got to slow down with her, just making sure she was okay, checking in, having meals together, falling asleep next to each other, it was all… it felt like a sure thing. I felt very lucky, and the most alive I think. Yeah.

Y/N: He had asked me a couple times, can we make this official? I told him to wait it out. I think I wanted to know that he would stick it out, that he would wait for me for once. A lot of our relationship at the start felt like me waiting around for him. It wasn’t a payback thing necessarily, more just, I don’t know. I was protecting my heart.

Eddie: I felt very… unsure. I didn’t know if I was worth it to her. I think she saw that in me, that I didn’t really value myself. She turned that around.

Y/N: One night before a show, I turned up and he was so shocked to see me. I remember his face just lighting up, I knew then. I knew with everything in me, I wanted him and he wanted me.

Eddie: I had pined and grovelled for months and right before I am about to step on stage to a sold out show, she kisses me. I couldn’t believe it. I actually couldn’t believe her! I swear she just liked to see me sweat.

Y/N: I didn’t mean to! At the time I had gone to just see the band. Well, I was going to see Eddie too but I didn’t intend on kissing him! I’m glad I did though.

[wall-maria-around-ba-sing-se]

✨Rating the new localized names ✨

Justine Courtney -> Verity Gavèlle: very pretty name actually. If we weren’t going to get to keep the very good “Justine Courtney” then this is a close second. I might end up liking it more one of these days if it keeps growing on me. Depends on if you like the pun on “Truth Gavel” or “Justice Court” better 9/10 new name

Raymond Shields -> Eddie Fender: E DDIEFENDER -> “A DEFENDER”?? HIS NAME IS A DEFENDER? This is PEAK ace attorney name. I love Raymond Shields and this is good too. A little on the nose though… on the other other hand Ray Shields sounds like a superhero name so 7/10 new name

Sebastian Debeste -> Eustace Winner - I conceded that DeBest was not the most subtle of last names either but there’s a reason the entire tag is making fun of this name. I can get behind Eustace because it’s a very “rich kid” name and it sounds like he’s also being called useless, but his ass is not named Winner 2/10

[astrahannah]

Also, I really like Eddie Fender as a name? Well, the pun feels lazy, but this guy

really does look like an Eddie to me, actually. That's subjective, though

[fraeuleintaka]

Character Introduction (Investigations 2): Eddie Fender

This is the 42nd post in the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Countdown: 39 days left until release!

Today's topic: Eddie Fender Character Introduction!

Like with Justine (Verity) I'll be using his fan-translated name, Raymond (Ray) Shields, throughout this post.

Ray's introduction mostly paints him as mysterious, probably to invoke the way he gets introduced in the game with Miles being familiar with him but not having seen him in years and Gumshoe and Kay having no idea who he is. The introduction mentions this mysterious relationship with Ray knowing something about Miles' past but not specifying what and instead framing it as a question of what they could have to do with each other considering Miles is a prosecutor and Ray a defense attorney. It's kind of funny how intriguing Ray's introduction tries to make this sound when Gregory's introduction readily admits that Ray used to be his assistant which is their entire connection. You also find this out pretty quickly in the game and Ray mostly becomes a supportive figure. I guess they didn't want to spoil that though (especially because Ray spends a good part of I2-2 needling Miles about being Manfred's disciple before he's convinced that Miles has changed) so they only talk about this initial mystery. Doesn't help when Gregory's introduction spoils it then though.

Apart from this Ray is also described as always joking around (very true and something that actually annoys Miles sometimes) yet at the same time as being surprisingly perceptive, a skilled defense attorney and easily seeing through others' tricks. Especially the latter two are more of an informed ability as we never see Ray directly work as a defense attorney or confront someone. Still, there are several occasions where he helps Miles out of a bind or gives helpful advice of different kinds so he's definitely perceptive enough that the other points would easily follow.

Ray's full character artwork comes across as pretty neutral to me. He's definitely confident and more relaxed than confrontational which fits his joking nature but apart from that nothing really stands out. I like that he holds his hand to his hat (like he does when running) to kind of direct the attention towards it as it used to be Gregory's hat and therefore holds a lot of meaning for Ray. His chosen chibi sprite animation is him shrugging which I'd call his quintessential animation as it perfectly encapsulates his laid-back attitude. Very good choice and I like the facial expression he gives with it, that sort of half-smile.

[kuriboo]

hey have you seen the Nintendo direct today & if so how ya feelin

I saw some tweets earlier so I knew a bit of what I was getting into but I just watched it and HOLY FUCK MAN.................

under the cut i'll scream about everything i'm excited about! but this is one of the best directs of all time! this is SUPER long sorry but please know i am SO HAPPY this is one of hte best directs of all time i think

I WAS SO WORRIED MARIO AND LUIGI AS A SERIES WAS DEAD ;; I'M SO HAPPY IT'S COMING BACK!!! IT LOOKS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ART STYLE, THE GAMEPLAY! IT'S MARIO AND LUIGI!!!! I'm SO EXCITED!!! I'm behind on this series I still need to play dream team (I should probably start it over at this point, I have this digitally it came on my original 3ds and I've transferred it between systems twice now) and paper jam (I OWN THIS SOMEWHERE but my stuff is in disarray from room renovations...I'll find it some day) but I'M SO EXCITED! FOR BROTHERHOOD!

I'm more excited for the Dragon Quest remakes than I thought I'd be! I saw they were being remade and I was like okay yeah sure...this already was released on switch my brother already owns these...but this remake actually looks way better than the previous release on switch! I'm into this! I'm down for this!! It looks a lot better! I beat dq1 a while back, I need to restart dq2 because I haven't played it in so long... and I was just told I should've started with dq3, which I haven't played, LMAO so

Super Mario Party Jamboree...a third Mario Party on Switch! I'm excited for the return of Western Land, I'm excited for another Mario Party, I love Mario Party it's a longtime family favorite (though we barely played any between 3 and super, we have super and superstar on switch though) so anytime there's new Mario Party content I'm happy! I think I would've preferred an update/dlc of superstars, but...I can see why it's not! I'd like to play this online with family! I'm just a little scared at the possibility of not being able to play with pro controllers again...joy con exclusive gameplay is scary

ECHOES OF WISDOM! FEMINISM WINS! I saw screenshots of this on twitter but oh the trailer has me so hyped.... ZELDA SAVING LINK LETS GO........ I LOVE ZELDA'S OUTFIT AND HER FAIRY COMPANION AND MAGIC LOOK SO COOL! This is gonna be so fun to play. And I'll probably be a lot less anxious playing this than botw/totk since there shouldn't be weapon durability? so this might end up being my favorite switch zelda pretty easily lol. I'VE WANTED PLAYABLE ZELDA FOR SO LONG I LOVE THIS

Hello Kitty game I might pick up depending on the price.... it looks cute!

The Looney Tunes game looks so funny I kinda wanna play it SPACE JAM!!!!!!!!!

I'm probably not gonna get Luigi's Mansion 2 HD anytime soon but I LOVE LUIGI HE'S MY GUY HE'S THE DREAMBOAT THE GOAT THE DREAMGOAT.... I've never played any Luigi's Mansions though! I think I have 2 on 3ds but again, I'm not sure where it is.... Idr if we have 3 or not? We might? I'd like to play a Luigi's Mansion game someday but it's not my biiiiiggest priority. As much as I love Luigi, I love him so so so so much, but without ever having played it, I have this nervousness that I might not like the Mansion series...

I WISH I HAD EXPANSION PACK I WANNA PLAY FOUR SWORDS SO BAD

I have been screaming about the ace attorney investigations collection ALL DAY dude. This games have SUCH a good story (I've only watched playthroughs) so I'm excited to play them myself!!! The fantranslation has definitely impacted a bit of my excitement though. The name changes in particular... Verity Galile is honestly a good name, Eustace Winner is growing on me (I'm worried what they're changing Blaise to...), but Eddie Fender............I'm sorry but that is RAYMOND SHIELDS i DO NOT like the name eddie fender i CANNOT get behind it sorry.... BUT THE STORY OF THESE GAMES MAN I'M SO EXCITED!!! I JUST GOT THE APOLLO JUSTICE TRILOGY FOR MY BIRTHDAY (a couple of months late, but, uh, extenuating circumstances led to my dad keeping forgetting to order it, i am not mad) so i wanna play that before AAI and I STILL NEED TO PLAY THE GREAT ACE ATTORNEY COLLECTION TOO..... BUT MAN I LOVE ACE ATTORNEY I'M SO EXCITED I WANTED TO CRY

metroid prime 4! i still need to get into the metroid series (i need to give it another try, i haven't been able to get myself to really enjoy it yet) but i'm excited for metroid fans! this is such a long time coming...and now it's so close! the graphics look really good! i don't have much else to say about this one.

AND MAN

OH

MAN

THE UNEXPECTED GOAT

I DIDN'T SEE THIS GAME BEFORE WATCHING THE DIRECT BECAUSE NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT IT

BUT OH MY GOSH

PHANTOM BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PHANTOM BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEW PHANTOM BRAVE GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i love phantom brave SO SO SO SO MUCH i wanna CRY i'm SO SO SO HAPPY!!!!! ASH AND MARONA ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEVER EVEN THOUGHT WE MIGHT GET ANOTHER PHANTOM BRAVE! IT WASN'T EVEN A HOPE BECAUSE I JUST DIDN'T THINK IT COULD EVER HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!

PHANTOM BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

idk about the mech part that's gonna have to grow on me but YOU CAN FUSE CHARACTERS WITH MARONA AND GIVE HER CUTE NEW OUTFITS???????????????????????????

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PHANTOM BRAVE PHANTOM BRAVE

when this came up in the direct i literally could not stop stimming and shaking i SCREAMED i am SO SO HAPPY

i think i'm more excited for htis game than anyone else because literally no one that i've seen is talking about it but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PHANTOM BRAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[purenguyening]

Share your favourite things with me for that hangout ask (I'd also like to hear about your day and fandom opinions if you don't mind.

At the moment, I really like acrylic paint (I haven't done a real painting, just using it to color paper. But I do like the process of mixing colors on a palette, and to a degree, I find the process of cleaning brushes soothing. In terms of food, maybe it's just the humidity, but for whatever reason, I've been really craving anything salty (preferably seasoned with MSG), but salty cheeses and chips are always on the mind....

At the time I got this ask, I had wrapped up some business with the bank. Earlier in the day was also fiddling around with making patterned paper, but it was quite humid so the sharpie kind of smudged more than I was expecting... Not a bad way to spend the day off. At the given moment my day just started and work is just getting the ball rolling, though so far nothing for me to specifically to do since a lot of other things need to be done before I can get my hands on the load.

As for fandom....

In general, I feel like overall fandom seems a bit more hostile than usual. There's always some hostile people in fandom, but I think over the years, but it spiked starting in like 2016 and then snowballed in 2020. I think it's less obvious on tumblr and twitter tends to bring the anger out in everyone... but from my observations it feels extremely suffocating as the days pass....I have an understand how it came about, but it does feel...worrying.

For something specific, this is mostly because I finished replaying th fan translations of the second Investigations game, I do feel like Eddie Fender got the short end of the stick in terms of depth.

My general impression of him is that he's a guy who doesn't really like professionalism/decorum and tries to keep everything casual and laid back. In theory, this is an interesting character trait, because it would help him with investigations, like, in the sense of trying to calm down his client or witnesses who are all over the place emotionally. But this concept doesn't really show up despite his theme and his overall design hinting this. He does explicitly state that he thinks Miles can be too uptight and then the rest of the cast thinks he's not serious enough, so I kind of wished he had a chance to use his approach actually be fruitful rather than a punchline (in game he's just remembered for him casually flirting with everyone, and I got tired of the bit after a while).

This was a complaint(?) I had the first time I played the game, but I do think that it would have been good moment if Eddie actually offered a hug to Eustace in the fourth or fifth case, and thus, making use of one of his "gags" and actually used for something serious. I still have this feeling after replaying it again...

If you made it to the end, here's something I've been working on:

I've recorded myself assembling them together, but I haven't actually gotten around to making the video to post because I still need to make the art that's inspired by this. I have two ideas in mind, just need to get around to actually start...lol.

[quailfence]

[Image description: A series of Tweets by (rainbow emoji) grivey @ rip Sebastian debeste (@/sufjansevens). The first one has a doodle of Sebastian/Eustace from Ace Attorney giving a tumbs up, with "Eustace Winner" written below them. The rest of the tweets read as follows:

(Caps) How the hell do I make a shipname out of Eustace Winner (end caps).

eddie fender. actually also like that more than shields i always felt that was a Little lazy. kinda suits his personality (arrow) trying not to look at eustace winner

Verity is great though i fully accept that (arrow) guy who honestly thought Justine courtney was a kind of bad name

(Caps) I'm not calling her Eustace (end caps). End description.]

@aa-described @aceattorney-described

[tsuraiwrites]

"Shouldn't you be with him/her" for Fenders for DADWC? Please and thank you!

thank you so much for the prompt! this is definitely a piece that needs to be edited sober, but I hope you enjoy what I have here nonetheless. for @dadrunkwriting

Fic: Better to Ask Forgiveness

Darktown is as filthy and miserable as ever when Fenris steps off the lift, only barely missing a puddle eddying with putrid water. He adjusts the hood of his cloak, but even underground, there’s no escaping the rain. It sluices down the walls from pipes and holes above, the sewers for once fulfilling their intended purpose as polluted water forms shallow, fast-moving rivers on the ground. The smell is almost enough to cover the stench of chokedamp and rot.

Fenris moves gingerly, his long familiarity guiding him through the dark passages even with unsure footing. Only once does he slip, his foot plunging into an unpleasantly warm stream of sewage before Fenris can reel back. He curses, trying to shake the worst of the clinging damp away before it can sink into his leggings, but it’s of little use. His mood fouls further but he diligently continues on, not about to let the inconvenience of this whole matter stop him from reaching his destination.

No one bothers him as he approaches the clinic, either well-used to the sight of him or, more likely, wary of the large sword he carries slung over his back. Thus, his trip through the dank warrens of the city is quiet, giving him more than enough time to think.

Or more time to brood, as Varric would no doubt point out should he ever hear of this incident. Bad enough the dwarf was witness to Fenris’ shameful loss of control after killing Hadriana today. Bad enough Fenris put his foot in his mouth hard enough to choke on it not once, but twice. Bad enough that he’d already gone, head hanging, to Hawke’s door to apologize and ask for advice-

Fenris turns the final corner before his destination.

The lantern is out, and that of all things is what makes Fenris hesitate, his steps slowing to a stop as he nears the closed and barred door. If the lantern is out, that must mean the mage inside is asleep or working on his manifesto. The latter he does not care about interrupting, but if Anders is finally getting some sleep for once…

No, Fenris is just making excuses now.

Honestly he had not expected Anders to follow him out of that slaver den onto the coast, but in hindsight he should have; Anders’ footsteps ground in the sand louder than any decent warrior’s would. Fenris had been in no mood to listen to anything a mage had to say at the time, much less accept any platitudes he would surely offer, not after Hadriana tried to drip poison in his ear. So when Anders had put a hand on his shoulder, probably meaning to comfort or to question...

“Get your filthy hands off of me, abomination! Leave me be!”

His hands clench, gauntlets creaking in protest as he wrenches himself out of the recollection, still staring at the half-rotten wood of the door.

“Tell him you’re sorry, Fenris,” Hawke had advised him, as if words between them were ever that easy, when even months into their involvement a number of their conversations still end in sniping, though they’ve been much less vicious about it.

Until now.

Kaffas, but he’s stalling again. Before he can wander in any more mental circles he raises his fist to bang on the door. The wood shudders under his fist, but thankfully holds up under the assault.

“The clinic is closed!” a muffled voice calls from inside, confirming the mage is still awake.

“Then it is good I am not in need of healing,” Fenris says.

Silence descends but for the sound of water dripping, before his keen hearing picks up the rustle of footsteps approaching the door. There is the thump of the bar being lifted, then the healer throws the door open with a deep scowl on his face.

“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with him?” Anders practically sneers.

Fenris blinks, his irritation giving way to confusion for a moment.

“What are you talking about?”

“You went to Hawke’s house, I saw you with my own eyes. I figured you had your company for the night. Non-mage company.”

Saw him enter Hawke’s mansion? That meant Anders had been all the way in Hightown… to see Fenris? He takes in the mage’s damp hair for a split second before the last part of Anders’ statement sinks in.

“My company- fasta vass, mage, I did not seek Hawke to sleep with him! I went to apologize.”

Anders’ mouth falls open with shock for a long moment, his cheeks flushing with an all-too-familiar anger.

“You went to apologize to Hawke for being an asshole earlier and not to me?”

“Perhaps you can look beyond your own nose for once and realize that I am standing here, speaking to you now!” Fenris snaps, then clenches his teeth as a wave of exhaustion follows. They will get nowhere in this if he flies off the handle at Anders’ every pointed remark. He tries to shove the bubbling anger down, lock it away. It doesn’t work well but his words do, for once, get Anders to close his mouth – and a flicker of blue cracks across the mage’s cheek for a split second before it’s gone. Fenris clenches his teeth but does not remark on the spirit’s presence, no matter how he longs to point out the loss of control it implies.

The spirit is not why he is here.

“May I come in?”

That, finally, seems to prompt the mage to realize they still stand half in the entryway, their discussion readily audible to any passerby.

“Fine,” Anders says, the wrinkle between his brows deepening. He moves out of the doorway and Fenris resists shoving his way in, waiting until the man is well clear to follow.

The clinic echoes with dripping water, though in the weak candlelight Fenris can see the buckets set out to catch the worst of the leaks. The room is thankfully otherwise deserted.

Anders picks his way back to his small, walled-off private space and Fenris watches his back until he reaches a makeshift writing desk. Curls of parchment covered with spidery handwriting cover the surface, but Fenris only has a moment to take them in before Anders turns, pinning him with a scrutinizing look. It finally prompts him to speak.

“I am sorry, for the words I spoke both in the caves, and after. It was wrong of me.”

Anders stands stiff for a moment.

“That’s all you have to say?” he asks.

“I will not try to placate you with flowery words, if that’s what you want,” Fenris grinds out.

“You could promise not to do it again, for a start!” Anders replies.

“Like you, I often do not think before I speak!” he snaps, then closes his eyes and reminds himself he can’t pinch his brow the way he would like to while wearing the gauntlets. “I can’t promise I will not lose my temper, as you well know.”

“I’m not asking you to not get angry, you’re more than entitled to feel anger after everything you’ve been through. I just-” He shakes his head, but before Fenris so much as opens his mouth to reply, he continues. “I thought you’d grown tired of my filthy, abominable hands.” Anders holds out those hands with palms up, spreading staff-calloused fingers wide. His mouth twists up like he’s trying to make a joke, but the words fall flat. “Tired of being with a mage. After the way you acted… You’ve been disgusted by me the whole time, haven’t you?”

“No!” Fenris denies immediately, before his brain can catch up with his mouth. Anders jerks as if surprised by his vehemence, dropping his hands. “That’s not the reason I pushed you away. I... needed to be alone for my own sake, which is exactly why I left without our company in the first place.”

“Then it’s my fault that I followed you?”

“Must you be so willfully obtuse? That’s not what I said.”

“Then what are you saying? Spell it out for me, Fenris, because if I have to listen to one more person tell me about the evils of magic I’m going to scream, I swear to the Maker.”

Fenris wants to laugh. As far as threats go, screaming is the least of what a mage as powerful as Anders could do in response to anyone who challenges him. After a long debate with himself he steps forward, reaching out, half-surprised Anders even lets him take his hand. He is careful not to let the sharp edges of his taloned gauntlets dig into the mage’s skin.

“I’m not disgusted by you. I am conflicted by everything I have experienced at mages’ hands, but you have yet to hurt me with magic.” He takes a deep breath, “I… care for you, and value what we have together. But I need to be alone sometimes to collect myself. After what that bitch Hadriana said-” he cuts himself off before his temper can flare again, looking up to meet Anders’ gaze. “I will not abandon you in a fight, but if I otherwise leave, you must let me go. I will return.” Return to you, pushes itself across his tongue, but he bites it back.

That, he’s not ready to speak aloud.

“...Agreed,” Anders says after a long moment, his whole expression weighed down with expectation. “But I need something from you, too.”

Fenris doesn’t tense – can already guess what the man wants. He waits.

“Unless I actually break out in boils and spine twisting, don’t call me that again,” he says, tone level.

“Agreed.”

“Then I forgive you,” Anders says, easy as that. The mage tugs Fenris closer by the hand, and where Fenris expects to be pulled into a kiss, he’s instead swept into a fierce hug. Tentatively, he wraps his arms around Anders’ torso, trying not to let a faceful of unkempt, damp copper-blond hair get in his mouth. Anders’ grip isn’t quite crushing, but it comes close, and after a long moment Fenris feels himself relaxing against the warmth of the man’s body.

For now, it’s enough

[marvel-medigeek-fics]

Laundry Day

|| 1.6k || ao3 link ||

 Buck had overslept. Slept straight through his alarms, only to wake up 13 minutes before he needed to be leaving for work. Second time this week and, to matters worse, every single one of his LAFD shirts was balled up in the corner of his room. After pulling on the bottom half of his uniform, he sniffed the balled-up shirts. Rank, rancid, double rank, gag-inducing. The thought of wearing a disgusting smelling shirt made Buck's skin crawl, so he threw on a plain black shirt and hoped for the best. Hopefully, Bobby wouldn't see him before he could pull on an actual LAFD shirt straight from the dryer.

Buck pulled into the station's parking lot 11 and a half minutes later. He wiped a sheen off his temple and hoped Bobby wouldn't notice the stark lack of logo. He made a beeline for the dryer and grabbed one of the shirts from the pile in the basket. He hastily put on the first shirt that smelled like detergent, shoving his black shirt into his bag. Crisis averted.

Upstairs, Eddie, Bobby, Hen, and Chimney were deep in conversation about the "curse" a few days ago. "At least it's not like last time." Hen was saying. "Live power pole on one truck and the other one stolen."

"That was not the fault of the "curse", just an unlucky coincidence. The q word can't jinx you, it's just a word." Eddie shook his head, shoveling hot sauce covered scrambled eggs into his mouth. Chimney and Hen shared a look that said, 'He can not be serious.'

"Mhm. Just a coincidence." Buck raised his eyebrows, bringing the attention of his colleagues to him at the top of the stairs. "You wouldn't be saying that because the curse gave you a reason to ask out Christopher's English teacher or anything, right?" Eddie was smart enough to have his mouth full by the time Buck finished, as to avoid Hen's questioning eyes, Bobby's subtle brow raise, or Chimney's blunt questions.

"Is that why you said you had other plans?" Chimney almost threw his fork on the table in mock outrage. Hen rolled her eyes at Chimney's outburst. Bobby just went back to his eggs. Eddie just nodded and finished off his eggs, wiping the excess hot sauce off his plate with his last forkful.

"Good for you, man. We did save a life, you missed out." Chimney continued, trailing off as Buck moved to get a serving of eggs. No hot sauce, extra salt, extra pepper, extra garlic powder. And cheese. Lots of cheese. By the time Buck turned around, the entire table was staring at him. Their eyes moved from Buck to each other, having an unspoken conversation.

"What?" Buck quirked an eyebrow at their expressions. Bobby had his usual glint in his eyes, Chimney looked like he was about to explode, and Hen looked completely normal. Eddie, on the other hand, was staring a hole into his empty plate. The top of his cheeks were turning crimson, but no one was looking at him.

"Nothing. Eat your eggs." Hen shook her head and changed the subject. She'd seen the looks Buck and Eddie had shared, which were too intimate to be between two people who were "just friends". Also, Buck had a habit of watching Eddie's ass as he walked by him. So did Eddie. 'Watching his back' was their excuse.

--

“5 vehicle accident on South Seneca.” The words echoed over the intercom and every member of the 118 ran for the trucks. The day so far hadn’t been very eventful, and everyone was a little antsy. Squirrely, to be more honest. Eddie squirmed in his seat uneasily and Chim looked like he’d swallowed a lemon. Hen kept giving him knowing and pointed glances. Buck, on the other hand, was raring to go and about catapulted out of the truck as soon as it pulled to a stop.

The scene was messy with news vans, reporters and civilians surrounding the wreckage. The wind wasn’t helping, biting everyone deep. You’d think people wouldn’t be watching a car accident with that kind of weather. Luckily the police were already backing people away, and the 118 and the 223 could get to work extricating people.

In the middle, one car was essentially crushed from 2 sides after running a red light straight into the path of the three oncoming cars, hitting another on its way to a stop. Two of the cars were crumpled like sheets of paper, another was heavily dented by the force of getting t boned. The fourth car was barely scratched, with all the damage of a fender bender. The fifth car in the middle was smashed in both directions, with the passengers side door hit head on and the back seat drivers side in the same condition. The hood was rippled and smoking fervently. It looked awful, but it would still be flooding television stations on the 6 o clock news.

“Buck, Chim, we’ll check on the far side. Hen and Eddie, ditto.” The 118 moved quickly to the far side and immediately everything else was forgotten.

“LAFD, you were in an accident. Are you in any pain?” Buck and Eddie repeated each other, receiving vastly different answers.

“My daughters are in the backseat, Sophie who’s 2 and Marisella who’s just a baby. I’m fine. Check on them.” Said Buck, Chim and Bobby’s driver.

A baby wailed in the backseat, and the other girl, a toddler, was silently staring at these strange men. Buck raced around to the passengers side door, struggling futilely with the handle.

“It’s automatic.” The driver winced, springing Chimney into action to pry off part of the door. The door slid open on the other side and Buck immediately reached in and unbuckled the toddler from her seat. She seemed relatively unhurt, save a few bruises. Buck handed her off to Bobby and crawled to the other side for the baby, wailing profusely. He unbuckled her with the grace of an uncle who had been practicing and carried her against his chest, attempting to protect her from the wind, which was only getting colder.

Chimney was not having as good of luck extricating the father. The seatbelt was cutting a deep scar in his thigh and every time any thing would move blood would trickle out from around the polyester. Chimney very carefully slid a square of gauze under the belt and simultaneously cut the belt from causing more damage. Blood quickly soaked the gauze and Chimney maneuvered another piece to soak up the blood. “Hold this, sir, please. I’m going to place a tourniquet above your hands and you should stop bleeding.”

The fathers face was turning staunch white, and Chimney but his tongue. He’d have to work fast. And he did. 5 minutes later, the father was out on a stretcher.

In the next car, Eddie and Hen were dealing with an irate woman, who kept exclaiming she would be sueing. The driver, the state of California, LA first responders, God knows who else. She seemed unhurt, but was stuck on both sides. Her drivers side door was stuck, though not intruding on her seat. The rear passengers side door was the most realistic plan to get her out. Eddie climbed through that door and Hen attempted to coax her to follow him from her place just behind the drivers door.

“Why can’t you just remove my door?” She protested and both Eddie and Hen had to force themselves not to roll their eyes or snipe back with a comment.

“Even if we did, ma’am, there is still another car blocking us from getting you out.” Hen replied calmly.

“Tow it.”

“We cannot do that until everyone is cleared from the accident scene, ma’am.” Eddie said. “ please just come this way.” He offered his hand. She only relented after a sigh so loud it seemed painful and crawled her way out the door. Not even her blouse had a stain on it.

After she was escorted to the hospital in 331’s ambulance, hen and Eddie shared a look that simply said “some people.”

“I wonder if she’ll sue.” Eddie wondered when the 118 was headed back from the scene to the station.

“I doubt it.” Bobby said somberly. His voice changed slightly for his next statement. “ everyone is stable and south Seneca is open for traffic.”

—

“The 6 car accident on South Seneca that occurred at 4:37 pm involved 0 fatalities and no critical injuries. South Seneca was reopened for full traffic at 6:59 pm.” Pictures cycled the screen, of the cars, the 118s ladder and various other ambulances. Then there was Buck carrying the baby Marisella. The top of his turnout was peeking over his shoulder, protecting the child from the bitter wind. But the most interesting part of the picture was the name plastered on his back.

Diaz.

“Good job, Diaz.” Chimney clapped his hand on A bewildered Bucks shoulder. Both Buck and Eddie were turning red starting from the tips of their ears, and neither of them would live it down.

—

“Were you attempting to grab my shirt or was it just a lucky grab?” Eddie leaned against the door frame at the end of shift and stared at Buck who was pulling on a hoodie.

“In your dreams, Diaz.” Buck rolled his eyes and smiled into the locker, which was not unbeknownst to Eddie.

“Just in yours. Diaz.”

“Don’t tempt me.” Buck turned to see Eddie giving him a smirk. Oh what he wouldn’t give to wipe that smirk off his face.

[jo-harrington]

Corroded Coffin Fest - Day 1 - Firsts

Summary: The boys' first official practice together has a bit of a bumpy start.

Word Count: 669 (nice)

Rating: T

Warnings/Themes: Friendship, angst, mentions of FOI, Freak #3 is named Dave in my universe.

Check Out the Main Post for @corrodedcoffinfest here! Even if you don’t start on Day 1, you can still join! <3 Thanks @thisapplepielife for organizing, this event is going to be so fun!

You can find my masterlist here.

Please do not interact if you are not 18+.

Enjoy!

There was tension in the air.

Tension and maybe a little bit of BO. It was the last stretch of summer, after all, and they were four teenage boys standing in a garage.

The setup wasn't bad though, and Mrs. Emerson had set up a card table full of snacks and drinks in the corner.

"Alright," Gareth cleared his throat awkwardly. "So do we want to eat first or should we just get right to it?"

Jeff's head turned to Eddie, immediately deferring to the leader of the band for the final say, and the other two were quick to follow suit.

And in that moment, Eddie faltered.

No matter how excited they'd all been discussing this in the cafeteria the other day, it still felt wrong. Like something was missing.

There was no Ronnie.

No Dougie.

And no more second chances when it came to his friends.

Eddie looked down at his feet and let his sneakers shuffle against the smooth concrete floor as feelings of self-doubt crashed into him.

What if he fumbled it all again? What if he let them down? What if their sound really wasn't as good as Corroded Coffin's had been the first time around? At least they had something then; this was new, this was fresh, this was different.

Even worse, what if he tried to push them to be better and they just thought he was chasing after the fame game again? Even though he'd sworn to himself that if they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.

He hadn't exactly done much to earn anyone's trust back yet; a summer wasn't gonna undo all of the bullshit he'd put his friends through.

Eddies thoughts--his fears--grew and grew until they were just a buzzing drone in his head and there was a tight, anxious grip on his heart that made him feel like he was about to pass out.

"You know," Jeff spoke up after a few short, painfully quiet moments, "the first time I picked up a guitar to play with you and Dougie and Ronnie, you told me I sucked."

Eddie's head snapped up and he watched acrooked smile grow on Jeff's face.

He remembered those early day, before Jeff was officially part of the band. He said that he wanted to learn guitar he would give anything to sit in on their practices. Showed up the next day with an old out-of-tune fender and no idea what a chord was.

"I didn't have callouses yet so I kept having to stop for a break," Jeff massaged his fingers, remembering the phantom pains. "Then I got frustrated when I wasn't getting any of the things you showed me. I almost gave up, actually. I wasn't gonna show up for the next practice, but you stopped me before I got in my mom's car. Told me that I wasn't gonna get better if I just quit."

There was a heavy emphasis on the word quit, and Eddie closed his eyes, as if his friend would stop seeing directly into his soul if he did.

"I don't know how you knew man," Jeff continued, voice laden with intention. "But you did. And look at us now."

"Still a garage band in Indiana," Eddie snorted in self-deprecation.

"Uh, we're only gonna be the best garage band Indiana has ever seen," Dave interjected. "We just...have to play some music."

Gareth let out a whoop of agreement and Eddie opened his eyes to find the three younger boys staring at him expectantly once again.

"What do you say man?" Jeff asked. "First official song of the first practice of the new Corroded Coffin. What should we play?"

And Eddie stood there for a moment, contemplating, weighing and judging his options like this was the most important decision he would make in his life.

Maybe it was.

Finally, with one last glance down to his feet, he took a breath, pulled his shoulders back, and asked,

"How well do you guys know Flight of Icarus?"

[randomstarmuffin]

Several hours after waking up to this news here are more prescient personal thoughts on it:

The worst one to me is Eddie Fender. This is just lazy to me. "Hi my name is Defence Attorney" no sorry it's absolutely hilarious when it's Deid Mann because that guy's been dead for years and isn't really an actual character so you can get away with that but this is like. This is Gregory's little guy. I have to run around with 18yo "Defender" ?????? No. And not only that but in conjunction with all the localization re: the era of the og triliogy through aai2 (yes i know aa4 came out first but in terms of the time period w/in the games) the convention was kind of always for the main characters specifically to be like [normal human name] [name that is possibly less normal but still plausible and also a big pun]. Like other than Phoenix and Dick, everyone else literally just has Some Guy names that aren't necessarily punny or dual meaning on their own--and *besides* that those are both still names AND they stand alone separately from their surnames (and vice versa) so it takes away nothing to only say "Mr. Wright", "Det. Gumshoe"--so making this (Ed)die-Fender pun *rely* on his entire full name back to back just doesn't fit to me, stylistically. I could write an essay on why Shields is the PERFECT name to play off who he is and who he is in relation to the Edgeworths but whatever. He deserves better. Also him having a more "serious" name that is nicknamed to something less so is important to me personally and you don't get that at ALL with Eddie sorry. Uncle Ray supremacy.

Then Eustace Winner lol. I. Like okay the thing is i actually can totally see him being a Eustace lmao and I'm biased bc Eustace Narnia is my fav earthborn Narnia character and I do enjoy that both he and Seb have huge character growth arcs in the form of becoming more mature and realizing how the world actually works and their places in it, so that's fine with me other than he's still Sebastian in my mind because that's his name lmao. But Winner? Straight up? Not anything clever or fun or whimsical to it??? Winner????? And honestly??? That doesn't even feel like the right vibe. He (and Blaise who I'm suddenly realizing also will have a different given name augh) don't really care about WINNING so much as being. Well. The best. Lol. And obviously I've only seen the fan translation, but tbh it undermines them as characters if their focus is about *Winning*? That's von Karma's whole deal, we already have that, and I think having the struggle with prosecutorial legacy and shit be similar but not The Same is so much more meaningful. Seb isn't like Franz or Miles!! So his arc isn't the exact same either!! It's not about the Perfect Spotless Record to Blaise, it's about the control and the power to not have to give a shit how scummy he comes off. So. Idk "Winner" also feels lazy to me.

Unfortunately for my hater sensibilities I actually think Verity Gavèlle fits her quite nicely lmao. I mean Justine Courtney is a superb 10/10 name and fits her to a T already but I do think out of everyone in the main cast of 2 this is FAR AND AWAY the best name choice, period. If they had to change it, then this actually both feels like they tried and also like it fits her character and thematically (i still think they're cowards for not committing to the bit of the fan translation like can you imagine that's a fucking phenomenal story idk I know i can't expect a corporation to care about that). I have less to say because this bothers me less but I do find it interesting to use the accent grave on the surname but name her Verity instead of Vérité? If you're already there? Although idk is Gavèlle even a real name maybe it's not French lol. Though Verity comes from there so..... whatever. Anyway fun of them to name her after my 13th age character who's named after French Trucy :3

Aside from them, I have Fear about whatever the hell they'll choose to be Simon Keyes' name, like. I figured out of everyone they'd be most pressed to rename him and Courtney since they've officially used both Simon and Courtney in the series before (actually I think Courtney twice? Definitely in tgaa but wasn't the teacher in dd named that too? idk it's been a while)

And the last thing I'll give them credit for is from the trailer it seems like Nicole Swift's surname is now Lloyd and I actually think if her name's like Tabitha Lloyd or something like that now that's actually a major pun Improvement, so well done, they've got one star from me for this lmao. That's most likely all they're gonna get, but it's something.

ANYWAY!! That's my long ass hater rant of reasons why the aai2 Capcom names aren't real (they are) and can't hurt me (they do). In non hater news, I am STOKED they're finally FINALLY releasing internationally, and the UI and quality of life updates look awesome I am most excited about those of anything.

Weird to have actual ace attorney news!!!!! So so weird. The ao3 characters tags for ace attorney will be even worst to try to skim through and parse now that they're even longer than they already were lmao. Yay aai2 reaching a wider audience!

ACE ATTORNEY INVESTIGATIONS CAPCOM NAMES ARENT REAL AND CANT HURT ME 😭😭😭