#its trucy i'll just say that

[turnaboutstar]

I finished turnabout serenade it wasn't as mid as I thought it would be it was actually fun I saw people say it's like big top two but it's better than that case and even that actually had some good moments imo (just like the parts with franzsika and edgeworth etc) like that was interesting!!!and maya was pretty fun in that case but yeah despite most of it feeling like filler and max and ben existences I still think it's better than the first case of that game that's my least favourite it was so annoying imo anyways them playing the video a bunch of times was getting a little annoying but I think with how weird 3d klavier looked it kinda made it more funny than annoying and I think it wasn't that bad of a set up to the next one I'm so excited to play it but turnabout corner was definitely less fun than this one

[weena-mercator]

narumitsu fic recs - part 1

I've been putting together fic recs for a while, trying to sort things into different categories rather than just sharing one big post of stories that are all over the place in type, length, etc. - I've appreciated all the fic recs I've gotten on reddit and in nrmt discord servers, and wanted to compile things in such a way that it makes it easier for those who are interested in reading more fanfic! while I still have decent amount of fics bookmarked on my "to read" list, i have read a not insubstantial number this year (don't mind me just rolling into the fandom nearly 23 years late - actually I really liked AA when I first saw GG play in 2019, bought the game b/c of it - & I liked nrmt but something about JFA was the turning point for me to become just totally normal about them)

anyways, i digress...

I'll start off with my favorite contenders for long (more than 50K words) canon-compliant (or mostly canon-compliant fics) - some are more dramatic and some are more light-hearted

obviously since this is a recommendation list, I may make comments about how I feel about something with a fic that you don't agree with - I only say this to point out some of my thoughts regarding the fic, not to start a hc war... and I'm definitely not trying to say "this author is wrong" or anything like that, just pointing out my personal opinion

a long way to fall by prospectkiss

this is the first long fic I ever read for nrmt and I can't recommend it enough. Heads up that this fic is E - Taking place between T&T and AJ (handwavey give them more time in this time period than in canon), this is also a case fic that majorly ties in to the plot - you've got romantic tension, mutual pining, drama, angst and a great (and spicy) ending. word count: 78K POV: rotating between Phoenix and Miles why it’s a must read IMO: I admit I am partial to getting together fics that are pre-disbarment or very early 7YG, the PINING and build up is incredible and it’s very difficult to put down but especially once you get about halfway through, it will be hard to stop! I think I read this in only 2 sittings.

the long way home by griffonage

a fic that deserves SO much more love - it is so incredibly well-written and heart-wrenching. the very beginning covers major events of the first trilogy quickly while the majority of the story takes place during the 7YG. Phoenix is always right there for Edgeworth, but Edgeworth is pretty great at making terrible decisions -including running away from things he wants deep down- and that finally takes its toll on Phoenix, whose anger is very justified. Per the tags: ??? to friends?? to it's complicated to it's VERY complicated to... unsurprisingly this makes for a pretty angsty relationship & moments that make you just want to shake Miles (and Phoenix, but a lot more Miles). This is also an E fic FYI, as far as I remember that stuff is only short scenes in a few places as opposed to like, a whole chapter devoted to it. word count: 84K POV: Miles why it’s a must read IMO: there are multiple little case fics along the way that are interesting, this story truly made me sad I wasn’t also working and exploring in Europe, Trucy!!, the OCs are very well done, it’s a great character study of Miles, and writing wise, this is one of the most well-written stories I’ve ever read among fanfic and published novels written in my lifetime

trace (vestiges) by FaultyParagon

this fic is pretty well known, and while it may not rank quite as high for me now as it did when I first read it, I do regard it highly. I don't know how much editing/beta-reading happened for it, so my one little thing about it is that the grammar mistakes happened a little too frequently to gloss over, but still not terrible (I know we all write for free but with frequent or significant enough errors, I'm taken out of the world easily, maybe that's not a problem that affects the majority of readers, idk). A mostly filling in the gaps fic that takes place from AAPW to right before DD - it's not exactly a slow burn, but just because they manage to get together earlier rather than later doesn't mean they aren't going to encounter obstacles in their relationship. This fic is M - it sort of rides that line between M and E in my opinion, as the sex isn't very graphic but not just glossed over either. word count: 225K POV: Miles why it’s a must read IMO: touch-starved Miles, again, I’m partial to them getting together pre-disbarment, despite it not being exactly a slow burn it does have quite a build up, I really love seeing Miles have a lot personal growth, especially in regards to handling his emotions, during his “choose death” year and during 7YG as well as how he is there for Phoenix and Trucy during that time

turnabout feelings by ssygir

a 7YG fic where Edgeworth requests Phoenix's help to research trials by jury, bringing Phoenix and Trucy with him to Paris - where they unintentionally get caught up in a murder investigation, and Phoenix realizes his feelings for Edgeworth are definitely not platonic. While my personal view is that Phoenix has known he's been in love with Miles for a looooong time, I can appreciate a good fic where he's just now figuring that out. Some little things about Edgeworth's characterization feel off to me, but maybe that's just me. This fic is E, but that's pretty much limited to one chapter. one small note: this fic does have a follow up, but hasn't been updated in over a year (although the author has said they plan to finish it at least! so hope is not lost yet) word count: 76K POV: Phoenix why it’s a must read IMO: it’s an early 7YG getting together story, the case fic is fun, not a total sloooooow burn but definitely builds up, a good pick when you want a more lighthearted story with very little angst

dating for a turnabout by Mikomikono

technically set in that tiny window between AAI2 and Phoenix's disbarment, Miles asks Phoenix to join him to investigate a smuggling operation at a resort - except they find out that the event taking place at the resort is a couple's retreat, and the only way to have full access is to pose as one... oh and of course Larry happens to be there too. This one is a fun case fic with mutual pining, only one bed and a sprinkling of angst among some silliness and fluff - while I wish there was a little more to the ending, it was a very fun read, T rating. word count: almost 90K POV: rotating between Phoenix and Miles why it’s a must read IMO: the author has little profiles and evidence info for the case posted for each chapter, very fun! I’m picky about fake dating stories and I think this one does it very well, and again, I really like seeing pre-disbarment getting together - and they are pining fools here, it’s good stuff

chasing history by SlatedForAbandonment

post canon, Phoenix invites Miles to stay in his guest room while he's in LA working on his PhD. Some small notes on timeline - this is where it gets a little loose with canon compliance, although the author does note that in the tags - Edgeworth is already Chief Prosecutor but currently taking a leave of absence to work on his dissertation, but hasn't found permanent residence again yet, despite this being a few years post SOJ (at one point it is stated that Apollo is 28) - I also feel like a lot of Edgeworth's behavior/reactions are more fitting of trilogy era Edgeworth, or even early 7YG... all that being said, it is a super slow burn, well-written with fun dialogue and very sweet moments as well as a bit of angst. rating is T. word count: 68K POV: rotating between Phoenix and Miles why it’s a must read IMO: even though I feel like this story would more realistically take place much earlier in canon, you get a great slow burn with plenty of incredibly sweet moments along the way that just make you melt

the catch-up game by theacegrace

post canon, Trucy is on a year-long magic show tour and Phoenix is left feeling like everyone keeps moving on and leaving him behind, while also dealing with some realizations regarding one Miles Edgeworth. again, my personal take is that Phoenix would've realized this long before now, but this story is an interesting Phoenix character study and once you get about 3/4 through the story, the situation is very tense - it's hard to not read this whole thing, or at least the back half, in one sitting. rated T. word count: 66K POV: Phoenix why it’s a must read IMO: it’s always interesting to consider that prior to his disbarment, Phoenix was the more self-assured and bold one of the two when it came to matters of the heart, and then afterwards that essentially flips for a while - now Miles has gained a lot of confidence and gone through a lot of emotional growth (Phoenix starts to gain this back a lot after becoming a lawyer again, but he’s definitely not just back to trilogy-era Phoenix)

it would feel so good to make you mine by hi_its_ellis and lowbatteryhealth

post DD, this is an unusual slow burn - both Phoenix and Miles know they're in love with each other, but they've come to an unspoken agreement on how to handle this - there's a winner and a loser, and the "loser" is whoever cracks first. honestly, another fic where I just wanted to shake them until they came to their sense, but it's very fun and sweet, T rating. word count: 54K POV: various why it’s a must read IMO: it’s tagged idiots to usdiots LMAO, so many sweet moments among the aggravation - they are BOTH moron-sexual, your honor, and you’ll want to strangle them /affectionate…

a turnabout toast by ideny

summary by author: (after the events of AJ) an estranged Phoenix and Miles respond to a friendly challenge from an unexpected source: do three things each to fix your lives. this fic is technically the least canon compliant because we of course learn in DD (and this fic was written before the release of DD) that Phoenix and Miles did spend time together during his disbarment, at the very least in Europe helping Miles research. So this is a hell of an angsty read, worth it for the story-telling despite that it departs from canon in that way. Not rated, but I don't recall anything above T rating stuff happening in it. word count: 68K POV: rotating between Phoenix and Miles why it’s a must read IMO: damn they really go through it in this one, dealing with the aftermath of the events of AJ is very interesting, lots of angst but I feel compelled to tell you don’t worry, the ending will ease your pain

Obligatory recs:

legal partners by miggy

project: matchmakers by WingSongHalo

how to court a fool in under three months by snowyrunes

All 3 of these are post canon getting together fics, AND all 3 are told from various POVs, not just Phoenix and Miles - there's a reason they are some of the most well-known ones - PM is probably the most fluffy with the least angst (and has a very cute multi chapter follow up), followed by LP (has a fairly short E follow up) - HTCAFIUTM is the slowest burn (it also has a follow up that hasn't been updated since 2022... which stinks because it did leave off on a bit of a cliffhanger and I really wanna know what's going to happen lol)

I have yet to read the highly regarded canon-compliant long fics listed below, but they are on my to-read list!

you ever been in love? by hechima

saturation by tiedyed trickster *

indefensible by zombolouge *

a brief for the defense by Ophelia_Writes * (this has now been orphaned FYI)

turnabout dishwasher by zuzsenpai

*indicates that it has not been finished yet, possibly won't ever be

If you know of any other 50K+ canon-compliant fics that you'd highly recommend, please let me know!

my other posts will be for AUs, chapter fics shorter than 50K, one-shots (might have to divide those up by theme), probably a NSFW set as well if there's interest!

[frickingnerd]

nothing's wrong with you

pairing: trucy wright x gn!reader

summary: trucy comforts you on a bad day...

“hey, don't worry! there's nothing wrong with you and there never has been…”

trucy gently rubbed your arm as she smiled at you, while you quietly sobbed. you had been trying so hard to keep it together, but today was just one of those days where you felt like the worst.

“i don’t think you’re annoying… i really like listening to and hearing what you have to say even if its a lot sometimes… i'll never grow tired of you, i know it!”

[ginaleztrade]

this is funny to me and only me because once i have to explain it in english it gets less funny

but ill try

welcome to my first toki pona post on this sideblog 👍 no one is safe

so this is just an ace attorney version of jan Kekan San's comic which you can watch here, it is very musi with the voices i recommend

if you're unaware, toki pona is a conlang with less than 200 words. this comic specifically uses the writing system "sitelen pona" (but if you want to learn toki pona, its mostly written in latin characters so you don't need to learn the writing system)

the dialogue in toki pona is as follows:

trucy: toki apollo: toki. sina seme? trucy: mi lon e ma apollo: seme a?! sina lon ma anu seme? trucy: ni ala. mi lon e ma

now time to try and explain this... i'll be using jan Kekan San's explanation to help out.

this comic is based on a common grammatical mistake in toki pona. the word "lon" has meanings as a noun, verb, and preposition. as a preposition it is most commonly used to mean "at" or "in". when used as a transitive verb it means "to make exist"

so someone may say "mi lon e ma" to mean they are at a place, when really they are saying they make a place exist. what they mean to say is "mi lon ma"

with this i will now try to translate the dialogue into english, though it will be a little awkward

trucy: hello apollo: hello. what are you doing? trucy: i am making a planet exist apollo: what?! are you on a planet? trucy: not that. i am making a planet exist

ok i hope you enjoyed my toki pona lesson and maybe this comic is at least a tiny bit funny

oh and.. its supposed to look like shit i made it in ms paint. just in case you were wondering

[snoocupz]

Yesterday my friend and I finished playing Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice on German! NOW,

Here's my personal opinion review of the German AA4 translation!

(And my free pass to ramble about my favourite game!) POSSIBLE SPOILERS for Apollo Justice, at least if you speak German!

1. Settings and names:

The game is set in the fandom-wide known Japanifornia still, and the translation doesn't really seem to make an effort to make it look like the game is placed in Germany, which I am somewhat glad about! Locations are, if so, translated very directly and at least to me it seemed like it kept its funny "Japanese/American" touch!

No names have been changed in the German version APART from Klaviers. Which makes sense, as the world Klavier in German is a literal object (just meaning Piano as most people know) and as a piano is also frequently mentioned I am not surprised they changed it. However, Klaviers German name is "Kantilen" which also includes a reference to music - however I mist admit I would have NEVER gotten this connection myself, making it... not a really good reference in my mind. I am quite surprised that they didn't stick with his French name Konrad, which is in fact an actual known and used name in Germany, other than Kantilen. There is no hint on the Gavins culture or anything, means Klavier unfortunately loses his touch of switching between languages, however I am somewhat glad that they didn't just changed it to any other language! So I am satsified and believe most of the English name puns were easy to figure out for a German person as well! :)

2. "Quality" of translation:

Here is a hard one. I should criticise the translation after all. Because I am genuinely surprised HOW MANY random typos the translation had. Sometimes they forgot words, sometimes a random letter would show up, sometimes a word was written wrong, or two words were written together that shouldn't. HOWEVER...

I must be honest, I thought it was absolutely HILARIOUS. It brought me a really good laugh whenever a random typo or word showed up, as if the person speaking ingame hasn't quite nailed the language yet. So I cannot actually say that it bothered me! I'll use one of said mistakes to come over to another point -

3. Use of formal language:

Now, this is something I just thought would be interesting to mention! In Germany "you" can be either said more commonly "Du" or more formally "Sie". Personally I thought it was extremely interesting to see who would use which word on which character as it was great to see how "different" their relationships actually are! As an example: When Apollo meets Phoenix and Trucy, they both immediately use the common "you" (du) on him, Apollo himself instead uses the formal version (Sie) for Phoenix mostly. Even more interesting was to me how Phoenix and Kristoph at the beginning of the first case while still being "friends" did use the common "you" on one another, until things get heated and they both don't only start calling each other by their last names, but also addressing each other formally and therefore more distanced! I thought that was really cool!... Up to the point where they appearantly couldn't decide between formal or non formal and just... made it to one non existing word. Another mistake that made me, personally, laugh rather than shaming it tho!

4. Use of specific language/ dialogue flow:

Lastly, the game translation deserves a big plus for the use of very specific German words that I wasn't expecting to see from the characters! Words as "Sonntagsfahrer" which cannot be directly translated but bring so much more character into it! The German language has a lot of specific words to express certain situations or emotions and they made really good use of this! Additionally it was simply funny to see the character use them. Of course Phoenix (no licence) would know what a Sonntagsfahrer is.

Here are some of my personal favourites when it comes to the use of specific words I somehow didn't expect!

Also; They make good use of common German slang. As an example, on some point Phoenix calls Zak "Kollege", not as in workmate, but a slang, and Woky keeps on saying "Alter" a lot, which is so very fitting. I was really expecting hin to say "Bruder" or "Diggah" next.

Lastly; Despite the errors they made the conversations on German feel really natural! I've got a lot of random scenes that made me smile and gave the characters such a strong personality! So - Here are some more!

If you made it this far: Congrats and thanks for coming to my Ted talk! Fact is - if you speak German and find it just as hilarious to me to hear and see these characters speak German I definitely recommend AA4 on German, it's been FUN!

PS: The fact that psyche locks are translated as "Psychosche Blockaden" truly killed me.Klar, ich hab jeden Morgen auch so ne psychische Blockade. 🫡

[star-light-shadows]

Hot take: This fandom needs to seriously get over Apollo Justice Ace Attorney.

I saw someone on here recently say that "it's cool in this fandom to hate on Dual Destinies and praise Apollo Justice." In my experience, this is true, and it infuriates me to no end.

There is some serious rose-tinted lensing going on in this fandom for this game, cause the simple fact is, Apollo Justice is a trainwreck of an Ace Attorney narrative, and Dual Destinies was more than justified in doing its own thing.

First of all, Apollo Justice's narrative is chronically not fleshed out, to the point of nearly being outright unfinished.

Every overarching plotline in the game is either painfully bare-bones or left with massive gaping holes.

Phoenix's disbarment, the main center of the narrative, is given the bare minimum of effort by the narrative, with a short case about why he loses his badge that has him only do so by acting like an idiot, and then 8 disconnected investigation segments that tell us little to nothing about the struggles and emotional turns that phoenix goes through.

2/3rds of Thalassa's whole story is flat-out not told to us. Her disappearance to Borginia after her near-death is completely unexplained, her presence in Borginia/her singer persona being completely irrelevant to the rest of her backstory or the main plot of the game at large. Then, it's revealed near the end that she had a previous marriage and a son. The game tells us nothing about the husband or why he's apparently dead, and the son literally just "slips through the cracks" to randomly show up later.

Apollo, the protagonist of the game, is one giant question mark. He's revealed at the end of the game to be the aforementioned son of Thalassa, but he didn't come back with Thalassa to live as a Gramarye for no explained reason, and just randomly shows up again as a lawyer tuteled under Gavin. The fact that this makes him and Trucy siblings is also completely glossed over, with Phoenix and Thalassa just choosing not to say anything for no good reason. (Special mention goes to the writer of this game outright saying he had no clue where to take Apollo and Trucy.)

Kristoph is sort-of-half-suggested to have some kind of backstory or deeper reason for his actions, but said reason is blocked off. And his relationship with Klavier is practically narratively nonexistent.

Both cases 2 and 3 are glaringly unrelated to the main plot, contributing nothing besides Thalassa's undercover introduction (as her singer persona, which, as mentioned earlier, is irrelevant to the main plot) and a horrifically bungled overarching theme I'll get to later.

The last case is also chock full of plot holes, like an entire segment of investigations that only makes sense if you assume time travel, and a good chunk of the very plot-important exposition in said segment being something that the first case indirectly tells us DIDN'T HAPPEN.

Then, even worse, its main characters are just as narratively deficient.

Apollo is a rip-off of Phoenix without the narrative stakes. Any role he has in the overarching plot and any relationship he has with the other characters is completely glossed over. And his personality is basically the exact same as Phoenix's. He's the one with his name on the box and yet he spends the entire game just being there, with Phoenix stealing as much of the show as physically possible.

Trucy is the blandest flattest assistant in the entire series. She can literally be summed up with the words "cutesy magic girl." Half of the game is effectively themed around her gimmick, but that gimmick is all her character has. She contributes nothing meaningful to the narrative, her dynamic with Apollo isn't even anything memorable. Then the game has the gall to reveal in the end credits that she's secretly sad as if that means anything when the game didn't even bother to acknowledge the obvious potential reason.

Klavier just exists. His relationship with his brother doesn't get any elaboration or narrative depth. The 3rd case uses his rockstar gig as an excuse for a central gimmick, but beyond that, he could literally be replaced by Winston Payne and it would make no difference.

Ema does her job well, but detectives rarely ever have all that much depth to begin with, and she certainly did not rise to the impossible challenge of carrying this game herself.

And Phoenix, when you strip off all the layers of poorly thought through mystery, just does what the narrative wants him to without any depth or further thought put into this iteration of his character.

All this would already be a bad enough look for AJ. But it does get worse. Because a lot of the big decisions actively made about this game's narrative were either terribly executed or in poor taste to begin with.

To start with, the elephant in the room, is Phoenix's disbarment.

There are way longer way more insightful analyses than I could write on how Phoenix's disbarment was a terrible writing choice, but to summarize;

Phoenix was disbarred so that he could play a more mentor-ish role in the game instead of being the protagonist.

Despite this not being an inherently bad move, in the end, Apollo Justice made every single self-sabotaging decision that could possibly have been made regarding this plotline.

Instead of actually pushing Phoenix to the backburner and giving the spotlight to the new protagonist, as his disbarment was supposed to do, the game decided to make it this huge mystery that it ended up spending the majority of its time weeding through.

Despite it very blatantly being the intention, Phoenix just straight up IS NOT a mentor in this game. He doesn't do a single thing the entire game that actually helps Apollo out besides giving him cases to work.

Instead of respecting Phoenix's existing character, portraying him in an any way-dignified light, and letting him have the reputation and legacy he built up in the first 3 games, Phoenix is straight-up character assassinated. They could've had him be the head of a legal firm tutoring bright up-coming lawyers like Apollo and Athena despite lacking a license of his own, but instead they dress him up like a hobo, turn his office into a clearly failing "talent agency," give him a daughter, (which you just KNOW the game wants you to assume has a scandalous origin,) and everything he does relating to the law is actively portrayed as the shadiest shit it could possibly be.

The actual case that caused his disbarment requires him to make the brain-dead decision to use blatantly dodgy evidence when simply pointing out the obviously visible ripped paper would've made his argument just as well. And when his presenting forged evidence is revealed, he's not even given a chance to defend himself despite 3 years of heroic and honorable exploits, including taking down MULTIPLE evidence forgers in high positions of law.

This also all happens literally 2 months after the end of Trials and Tribulations, completely ruining any semblance of the happy ending that the game was supposed to end with. (And yet none of his friends are present for this dark time, not even when one of them could probably pull strings and get his badge back within a year.)

Then, at the beginning of the game Phoenix deliberately has evidence forged and handed to Apollo to take down Kristoph, putting Apollo's badge in danger and proving the committee that took his badge away right.

And at the end of the game, the entire plot of the last case is literally just Phoenix puppeteering a trial to reveal Kristoph's crimes, but after how the entire game was spent making Phoenix look like a shady immoral prick, you can't expect the player to see this as a victory and not the horrifically manipulated circus court that it is.

Along with this atrociously thought-through plotline is a supposed theme of distrust, both in people and in the court system.

This is something a lot of hardcore fans of this game will parade as being the game being brilliant and more mature than other games, but when you actually look at what's going on here using any media literacy or genre awareness, it's not even a particularly strong argument that it was intended let alone is it good.

First of all, the game does not acknowledge this theme in the slightest. At no point does Apollo actually acknowledge how untrustworthy and unfair everything seems, much less struggle with that fact or what to do in spite of it. There's such a thing as too subtle, and Apollo Justice's "theme" of distrust is a master class.

The theme starts with Phoenix and his forging evidence in the first case. And despite everything I just explained about how horrible Phoenix is portrayed in this game, anyone who knows anything about how media works will know that Capcom isn't going to ACTUALLY deliberately portray Phoenix as the villain or the one in the wrong, so it's dead on arrival.

Along with Phoenix, the proponents of this concept argue that the other 3 defendants are also supposed to be untrustworthy, but in reality, they simply are not. It's a running gag (A very annoying one,) in this game that none of the defendants can/will actually talk with Apollo, but despite that, it's painfully obvious for all 3 that they are as innocent as defendants can get. * Wocky tries to act like a gangster but is so obviously a wannabe that it's questionable he even has the guts to kill someone. * Machi Tobaye is A F*CKING CHILD. In a case where the murder weapon is stated at least 3 times to dislocate the shoulder of a grown man if he's not trained to use it. * And Vera Misham is the most obvious stereotypical depiction of social anxiety I've ever seen.

Along with the defendants, this supposed theme is supposed to extend to the court, with the proceedings themselves being meant to be stacked against the defense in a particularly dystopian way. This is often compared to "The Dark Age of the Law" from Dual Destinies as somehow being a better version of said theme, but once again it's terrible. Specifically, the only way this supposed concept manifests is in the 3rd case. (Every other case is the same as any other game in the franchise) Where the fact that Machi is being accused as the killer is so blatantly nuts that it's basically the game laughing at the series and the improbability of some defendants' suggested guilt. Which, in practice, does not suggest to the player that the law is in a dark age; it just pisses them off.

Lastly, as an aside, Apollo Justice is also strikingly lacking in the more light-hearted aspects Ace Attorney is typically known for. Besides case 2, the game is pretty much devoid of humor or goofy antics. (And half of case 2's antics are centered around women's underwear.) This is defended by fans as the game being more mature, but in reality it's just a lack of an important piece of Ace Attorney.

As I've explained thus far, Apollo Justice is fundamentally flawed and appallingly far from even a functional narrative, much less a well-written Ace Attorney game.

The next mainline game to come after it, Dual Destinies, has become a punching bag in this fandom primarily for the crime of not being Apollo Justice 2.

But while there's a lot more that can be said about Dual Destinies and its relationship with Apollo Justice, I feel what I've explained thus far is already enough to justify its choice to largely leave AJ behind.

I'm going to finish this post here for now, but later I will reblog it with a 2nd part covering exactly that, explaining not only why Dual Destinies was justified in the direction it took, but how it is a truly phenomenal narrative that avoids Apollo Justice's deep-rooted flaws and frankly completely blows it out of the water.

[thepoggersdilemma]

I'm going to make a post with observations on AA6 because i keep terrorizing my friends on my private twt and no one there played the games.

It's mostly just notes to remember for fics and fanart so im not really trying to keep them that close to canon or anything.

I think none of them are as important to be considered spoilers, but just in case: AA6 spoilers and some AA5 plot mentions too

feel free to fight me in the comments (PvP arena)

Athena holding Apollo's hand because of his height fear 😭!! (I want to put apollo and wright in a ferris wheel SO BADLY, edgeworth too but we need there to be an earthquake-)

I feel like Apollo had a crush on Ema but she's on a different country with a dude right now LMAODESJFKS.

Someone threatened Apollo saying they'll rip his hair out and he went "Idc it will grow again" and kept on with the trial like nothing 😭 (my guy?!) i think this happened several times and he gave similar answers (*writes down his type of insane*)

I thought the bunnies from Trucy's case would be bad but i ended up liking them once they were together!! they were just silly!!

I got emotional over Apollo and Athena cheering Trucy up, they r sooo weird adopted family trope, it makes my heart combust.

they gave me shippy crumbs of Wright going "Thank uuu, thank u SO much, thank u Apollo thk-" on handout phone in front of everyone until Apollo told him to stop LMFAO. bratty phoenix pls come home

Phoenix bringing up having to take better care of his back.

Maya calling Phoenix out on suddenly being too serious, (omg because of his mentor complex) TELL HIM!! then her immediately getting caught by a police officer and Phoenix NOT REACTING and going "hello ema" while she yelled in the bg?!?!?

I'll keep editing this as i keep playing. idk if this interests you, its how i learned to communicate in the twt echochambers. I'll probably do something similar about AA4/5 once i have the time.

Phoenix going on an investigation all alone, and despite not liking it, he doesn't go through a breakdown, so, to me, this confirms he went insane over Apollo leaving in AA5, i dont need reality to confirm this ✍️

Phoenix having to bend over backwards because of the princess following him was funny, but now I keep blushing at how he keeps politely going "Yes Ms. No ma'am." and I need to throw him over my shoulder and take him into my cave.

Small interaction of the princess going "GUARD!!!" Then she asks Phoenix to do the same and he goes "Uhm, h-ello guard would u come over here please, hi"

So far i just started episode 3. Which is about Wright and Maya meeting up so far <3

[screamingaboutaceattorney]

apollo justice trilogy ideas

because capcom fucking WASTED the potential they had with aa4 and the storytelling of the trilogy deserved to be replicated with more characters

notes under the cut

aa4

keep everything basically the same, but add some references to clay, make sure apollo doesn’t exist in a vacuum outside of being a lawyer, yes its really fucking funny but objectively shit for worldbuilding

other than that, change nothing. this is my maybe favorite game in the series for a reason (not the cases)

aa5

scrap everything in this game. some bits and pieces can be kept, but it’s not a lot. there was momentum coming out of aa4 that capcom fucking WASTED with this game

rival prosecutor can be sebastian, detective can be kay

sebastian is friends with klavier and knows apollo because of that

when they meet there’s a scene where sebastian is like “it’s you! mr. forehead!” and apollo replies “what on god’s green earth did you just say to me” or something along those lines because it would be really really funny

klavier and ema are referenced, but not shown. in case 2 apollo can say/think something along the lines of “i wonder who i’m going up against, since ema is studying to retake the forensics exam and klavier is in germany”

speaking of which, klavier is reflecting in germany, spending time with his remaining family, figuring his life out. BIG miles in aa2 vibes but without the incredibly worrying note

trucy is in school more, which means clay can be co-counsel occasionally

background notes about what phoenix is up to (ie apollo thinking about how the first thing phoenix did with his badge back was defend a whale, mention of how he visited maya in khura’in, etc), but he’s still around for the cases. not really doing anything, but he’s there and kind of helpful

there are references to kristoph throughout the game, he is NOT brushed off or swept under the rug

case 1 is turnabout countdown without athena and apollo in the hospital, phoenix co-counsel maybe? basically ted tonate kills candice arme without any of the stuff relating to the cosmic turnabout

case 2 is the monstrous turnabout without athena, sub in trucy since jinxie is her friend anyways

case 3 is completely new, apollo’s landlord is killed, clay is co-counsel

case 4 is also completely new, a murder at a science lab maybe? but clay is co-counsel again

case 5 is the cosmic turnabout without athena and the cliffhanger to set up turnabout for tomorrow

clay and sol switch because i care about clay

culprit can be the phantom disguised as yuri cosmos, he escapes and remains at large when game ends, sets up aa6 nicely

aa6

canon has been thrown entirely out the window, khura'in can exist but it has nothing to do with apollo, it's just "where mr. wright's sister is working"

clay references come back, he's still in space, went up on hat-3 instead of sol because reasons

ema is the detective again, she passed the forensics exam and i love her

simon is the rival prosecutor, we can bring athena in gradually (and maybe set up an athena cykes trilogy but shhh i'll worry about that later)

i'm not sure what the cases are, but the central conflict is between apollo, klavier, kristoph, and the phantom

also klavier is back in japanifornia, tags along on investigations sometimes maybe?

@jackedup180 had a really good idea where there's kind of a matt engarde/shelly de killer vibe between kristoph and the phantom, kristoph makes the plans and stuff but can't commit any crimes because he is in Prison, the phantom can go commit the crimes and probably have more of an alibi

FUCK I ALMOST FORGOT but the phantom is disguised as bobby fulbright again, cause that would be a good dynamic and a decent enough twist. maybe at the end of aa5 they didn't realize that yuri cosmos was the phantom, and that can be brought in subtly now

the one case i AM decently sure of is 6-5, where the victim is metis and klavier is the defendant

no one really believes that it's him, big turnabout goodbyes vibes, but i'm doing that on purpose, dw

aura can still pull the hostage thing cause she wants justice for her wife, which leads to phoenix telling apollo about the Thing and bringing thalassa in at the end of the case because goddammit, capcom, it's been over a decade, you Need to tell them

miles can be the prosecutor cause klavier is still one of his best prosecutors and simon's too invested/not ranked highly enough and also wrightworth lol

[beantothemax]

GAH just saw the AA ask meme! I'll be saying 2, 8, 14, 16 and for 24, I'm gonna say which character do you think would be the best at taking excellent pictures of kibbies?

YAYAYAYAYYAYAYAY

2: favorite main character

APOLLO JUSTICEEEEEEEE HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. he’s literally me you don’t understand. he has red in his character design. he’s silly. he is so tired and sick of everything around him. what more can you ask for

8: favorite case?

hmm. gonna split this into favorite final case and favorite regular case

FINAL: ouuuuhhhhhhhhgggghhgggghhhvvscscscscscscavavavsvdvrwhwhwgagagagahahhhhhggggggggghhhAAAAAA <-currently dissolving due to experiencing one (1) thought of farewell, my turnabout

ITS JUST. HHOUGH. THE EVERYTHJNT. THE MAYA GETTING SNATCHED. EVERYTHJNG ABOUT ENGARDE AND ADRIAN AND THE TRAGEDY OF CELESTE AND THE. I CAN FORM NO COHERENT THOUGHTS BUT OUUUUUHUUUUUUGH!!!!!!

NON-FINAL: turnabout corner is just really fun!!! wocky’s a silly billy and eldoon is maybe up there with favorite random unimportant characters. man whose name is just noodle guy backwards and who plays a harmonica. ten outta ten. Wesley is fun solely because I like doing a stupid voice for him we don’t talk about anything else in relation to Wesley . OH YWAH PAL MERAKTIS. THEY NAMED A DOCTOR MALPRACTICE BUT JUST SWAPPED A FEW LETTERS AROHND. A THKUSAND OUTTA TEN

14: favorite defendant?

VERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

16: if there was one thing you could change about the series, what would it be?

hm... give trucy a gun with one bullet. that is all

24:

APOLLO HAS A THOUSAND MILLION TRILLION PHOTOS OF HIS CAT WHOSE NAME I FORGOT ON HIM AT ALL TMES

[loregoddess]

When I complete Spirit of Justice, I want to know what you'd like to see in a possible Ace Attorney 7. I know you mentioned you had ideas sometime before and I'm almost at the point where nothing is a spoiler in this series. It's quite exciting! I'll probably have a few ideas of my own for the next entry too. Is it possible Capcom is gearing up for that, since Investigations 2 got localized? If so then... Well. I think I'll have something to look forward to. 💖

Oh definitely, I feel like the fact that Capcom's managed to port all of AA onto current consoles, and even both AAI games managed to make it globally (and significantly more accessible than they had been) gives me a lot of hope we get AA news sometime soon(ish). Capcom's been doing fairly well thanks to RE4 Remake from what I've heard, and the announcement of Okami 2 at the Game Awards was entirely unexpected (I had just assumed Okami was one of Capcom's one-hit wonders, given how Okamiden kinda flopped despite being a decent game in its own right, like Capcom more or less treated Okami like Ghost Trick, a really excellent and beloved game that will not be part of a longer series), so like? Anything's possible.

Now, for what I would like to see in a potential AA7...

The shortest answer possible to "what would I, personally, like to see in AA7" would be a resolution to the loose ends left by AA4 (and 5 and 6, but those loose ends are mostly only loose bc of the loose ends in 4). I want the Forbidden Gavin Backstory (and also for a certain character to get a chance to fucking grieve, and also for the whole Apollo and Trucy are siblings and Phoenix and Lamiroir haven't told them yet thing to uh, finally be resolved, and also for Athena to get some more time as a main character, and...a whole list of smaller things honestly). Realistically I think there's a slightly higher chance of the Lamiroir-Apollo-Trucy family dynamite being A Thing in 7, but this is Capcom and I know their basement is filled with unresolved plot lines and forgotten characters (from games other than AA as well).

But like, the vast majority of my time spent during the height of my AA obsession was going over AA4 trying to figure out what the resolution would have been if the writing team hadn't been changed drastically. Me and a friend of mine spent a ton of time discussing theories and swapping story ideas. So, needless to say, what I personally would be most interested in is the lost story threads surrounding Klavier (I was very, very unwell about him see).

Although there's bits and pieces from 5 and 6 I wouldn't mind expanded either (I'm still so miffed about Clay's death, I'm sorry have the writers seen what spacesuits are like? what they're made of? there's no way that teeny tiny little pathetic excuse of a pocket knife stabbed his heart through a spacesuit. Capcom fight me). AHEM, but realistically? After all these years like, I'm fine to neutral w/ whatever I was dissatisfied with in 5 and 6, there wasn't anything (aside from that stupid little pocket knife) that bothered me enough to stick around in my memory, or, if I do remember it, still bothers me vehemently.

Now, will Capcom return to old plotlines, or will they go batshit and try something new? Well, who knows. I'm a tangential fan to Capcom's Resident Evil series, and have watched RE roller coaster in terms of characters and plotline management, sometimes abandoning beloved characters, sometimes coming back to plot lines or characters no one remembered, so as far as I'm concerned, anything's fair game for any of their flagship series.

Now, I have a ton of documents (theories, notes, story and character ideas, etc.) from the height of my AA obsession circa 2017-18, which this ask prompted me to go and revisit to see what past me was up to, and found I actually wrote up several outlines for potential "AA7 stories" where I did basically just write in everything I personally want (in varying degrees of detail per case). But while I think I had good story outlines (actually I had a ton of fun reading the final outline I had labeled as "the best" and maybe I'll turn it into a whole fic if I ever decide to replay/watch the entire AA series so I can brush up on the lore and characterization), I know it's probably very far off from what we'll get for AA7 realistically.

And like? I'll probably be happy with whatever we do get, even if I don't get my long-desired resolution to AA4. It's been so long...

Anyhow, I'd also absolutely love to hear what you'd like to see in AA7, or just ideas for future AA stuff, once you finish AA6 (I will be very curious about your thoughts on the game as well). It's been a while since I talked AA, due mostly to burnout, but I still have a lot of love for the series, kinda remember the spark I used to have for it, and it's been fun getting a fresh perspective from your posts about your experience with the series.

[catgirl-catboy]

17, 26, 29 for the ask game! (about either Homestuck or Ace Attorney, what you like more)

I'll do both, because why not

17.) Dumbest part of the worldbuilding

Homestuck: That highbloods live longer than lowbloods. Any fantasy racism plot where one race is more overpowered than another is completely missing the point, in my opinion. It gives in-universe legitimacy to things we are meant to perceive as racist.

Ace Attorney: Apollo's bracelet. I'm fine with my man having superpowers, but having them be partially triggered by a magic item is making things needlessly complicated, especially since Trucy doesn't have the same bracelet.

26.) A "He would not fucking say that" moment

Homestuck: Davepetasprite. It completely undermines the point of Davesprite's arc, since now he really isn't "The real Dave" Jake's hope powers should have been used here instead, to have a Dave be the hero without actually being the hero.

Ace Attorney: Low hanging fruit, but Maya becoming the Master and that being a good thing. Clashes tonally with the rest of the Fey family plotline.

29.) A ship or headcanon that clearly exists only to simplify fanon.

Homestuck: Honestly, Gamtav. I know it has some canon basis, but its one of those ships where the characters probably won't develop in interesting ways in. It just seems like it mainly exists to keep the two of them out of the way for Davekat and Vrisrezi.

Ace Attorney:

Horrifically abusive Manfred Von Karma. I don't think he was a good parent by any means, but the way most people write him makes AA1 feel like less of a gut punch. If he was beating Edgeworth and Franziska for every tiny mistake, then Edgeworth would be less suprised/horrified at the outcome of the trial.

Instead, I see him as more neglectful and distant. He doesn't demand perfection, but he sure only talks to you when you've won his attention.

[nutmeg-mayonnaise]

Hi!!! Lots of compliments for your art 😍 just two questions:

What about Polly? He get to be a babysitter at least? XD and Charlie the plant?

Also, do you post also on instagram?

Hello friend! Thank you so much for the compliments!! No, I'm not on Instagram, sorry!

As for your other question, I've mentioned in a previous ask that Apollo visits LA for major holidays and special occasions. When he does visit, he does interact with the kids, but I wouldn't say he babysits them. He may handle the kids but mostly because he's often with Trucy and Trucy spends a lot of time doting her younger siblings.

And Charlie is doing "fine"! (hehe!) Phoenix makes sure that he's well taken care of--in which usually it's Athena and Trucy who take care of him. When Trucy goes on tour with her show, Phoenix does step up. Eventually, Athena and Phoenix show Gregory how to take care of him, too. :)

I'll answer this question as well, since it's somewhat related!

There's a bit here so I'm going to have more under the cut!

I'm glad you asked about Klavier! While most of the AU is focused on Maya, Phoenix, and Edgeworth's parenthood, Klavier does have some things going on, too!

After the events of "Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies", Klavier does his best to continue living his life as a prosecutor, but what happend to his brother, mentor, and colleagues start to weigh on him. It affects his work, and Edgeworth takes notice. Klavier has a long chat with his boss, and Edgeworth recommends he help Apollo reform the legal system in Khura'in. Edgeworth believes Apollo could use some assistance from someone who has a prosecutor's perspective, plus, the change in scenery would be good for Klavier.

There's not much left for Klavier in LA, so it doesn't take much convincing for him to pack up and leave for Khura'in. Starting fresh in a different country was just what he needed, and he made himself at home there. Sometimes he hears what goes on back in LA from occasional correspondences from Edgeworth and when Apollo returns from America whenever he visits. There's nothing in LA for Klavier to visit, so he doesn't really join Apollo on his visits unless there's the fairly rare occasion where Edgeworth needs to meet with him in person.

Although Klavier still has some feelings of guilt and sadness with what he went through, he does find some solace in learning that the man he was manipulated into wronging is comfortable and happy with the people he loves. To boot, he thinks its extremely amusing his boss is raising a child with the same man, and has noticed that it has lifted his boss' spirits, too.

As for the baby names, I've detailed the Fey kids in another post, but here's a shorter version!

Gregory Wright (Edgeworth, Phoenix, and Maya's son) Mia and Melusina "Mel" Fey (Phoenix and Maya's daughters) Opal and Amber Fey (Pearl's daughters)

And then other kids I haven't drawn or spoke much about! Richard Jr, Hunter, Chase, Scout, and Miley Gumshoe (Gumshoe and Maggey's kids, all boys except Miley) Sister Elira (Iris' daughter) Jack and Ace Gramarye (Trucy's twin sons who perform as a single person "Janus Gramarye") Dusty Butz (Larry's son)

Thank you both for the asks!

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

Who is your favorite character from every Ace Attorney game?

For me its:

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Maya Fey

Ace Attorney: Justice For All - Pearl Fey

Ace Attorney: Trials And Tribulations - Ron DeLite

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - Trucy Wright

Ace Attorney Investigations - Kay Faraday

Ace Attorney Investigations 2 - Sebastian Debeste

Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies - Bobby Fulbright (not the Phantom tho)

Ace Attorney: Spirit Of Justice - Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (I like characters with missed potential

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles - Susato Mikotoba

SUSATO SWEEP!!!!! It's really hard for me to pick, like, favourite favourite characters from each game; I like them all so much <3 But just as an instinctive list, I'd go (under the cut because it got long):

AA:PW - I almost never talk about him, but I really love AA1 Edgeworth. I would say Larry, because I love Larry so much, or even Phoenix because. Guy of all time, but I think it really is Edgeworth. Got through 3/4 of the game going, "I need this man dead", and then spent the last 1/4 fighting so hard to save him, I was screaming for most of the case. Truly one of THE character arcs in video games. I also really like Cody Hackins and April May <3 I hope we see them again.

AA:JfA - Pearlsy is my little darling girl, and she ties with Franziska for obvious reasons, but you know who I think is extremely underrated in this game? Gumshoe. He's one of the few who can really sympathise with Phoenix's grief and Franziska's, he's compassionate, extremely helpful, SUPER cool with some fantastic lines and he saves Maya at the end!! JfA is the Gumshoe game to me; I love him so much. In terms of those exclusive to this game's cases, Mimi Miney takes it for me. I adore her.

AA:T&T - IRIS MY BELOVED!!!! IRIS IRIS IRIS. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, IRIS!!!!! And Dahlia, too <3 Also Viola Cadaverini because she's my world.

AA:AJ - Um... Probably Vera Misham or Alita Tiala? I'm not huge into the main cast, but I find how these two relate and are important to them and their themes extremely interesting, especially with Vera. She's so integral to Phoenix's story, and by extension Apollo and Trucy's, that it's wild to me that she doesn't reappear. Both their character motivations and background are really quite compelling, I feel (I know Alita is just technically a mix of Dahlia and Mimi, but I like both of them so I'm not complaining), and I really wish we got to seen more between Vera and Phoenix. I also like Machi Tobaye a lot.

AA:DD - Ah, we're on to the games I really Do Not Care For. Ummm... I want to give this to Athena, but, honestly, I despised her mechanic (not her fault), and Bobby was the only character really keeping me playing or entertained. So I'll have to give it to Bobby. Robin Newman was really fun, too.

AA:SoJ: Maya. I know this isn't the best depiction of her in the games, but it's her reintroduction into the series, and, despite the less than stellar writing and treatment of her character, she was consistently the one I was happiest to see onscreen. I really wanted to like the Khura'in cast (the first characters in the series to take direct and obvious inspiration from my culture and heritage? I was stoked), but, alas, the colourism and, more importantly, how utterly boring I found them, ruined them for me. I also liked Uendo Toneido as a witness.

AAI - Kay win. I love Kay so much here. She's so fun, and wonderful, and competent, and cool, and honourable, and funny. Kay, you're a dream <3 Also Rhoda Teneiro?? She was so funny??? I loved her as Edgeworth's assistant; I wish we got a bit more time with her. And Detective Badd? And Agent Lang? Calisto Yew? This game had a brilliant cast; I loved them all dearly. Calisto Yew, no one is going to do it like you again. They need to bring her back. For me.

AAI2 - JUSTINE, MY BELOVED!!!! JUSTINE WHO'S SO STRONG AND WHO'S BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH!!!! JUSTINE WHO HAS A SON SHE TOOK IN WHEN SHE WAS STILL IN SCHOOL!!!! JUSTINE WHO WORKED SO HARD TO ACHIEVE JUSTICE IN HER OWN WAY!!!! JUSTINE!!!!!!! Also John Marsh and Sebastian <3 They're a family to me. And I don't sleep on Raymond either. He brought a lot to the game (his theme is so good), and it was wonderful to meet Gregory's assistant. Honestly, the Investigation games generally have a really solid cast all around. So many fun characters.

DGS/TGAA - SUSATO-SAN SWEEP!!!!! SHE OBLITERATES THE COMPETITION. ONE OF THE FEW AA CHARACTERS I CAN POINT TO AND SAY, "THAT ONE'S MY FAVOURITE". But Ryuunosuke is my favourite defence attorney, and DGS Sherlock is my favourite adaptation of Holmes ever <3 This game is another whose cast I think just kills it the whole way through. Everyone was such a joy to meet and interact with. Hosonaga, the Skulkin Brothers, Nikola... Natsume Soseki was a shocking and utter delight <3 Shamspeare was hysterical. Olive Green was heartbreaking (I really love the gas case). But yes. Susato-san <3 Her <33

PLvsPW - Bonus one because I needed to put the main guy, the original man somewhere on the list <3 Phoenix, I love you so much. Genuinely, this game has so many great Phoenix moments, and him being a highly enthusiastic baker was phenomenal. I loved him so much here (the entire main cast was fantastic), and he had so many great moments with Maya and Luke that really showcased who he is and let him shine next to the Professor. PLvsPW, I will always love you. Game of all time, which helped set up so much of what would come in DGS, and it deserves all the respect for that alone. Stellar experience.

[axolotlsupremacyowo]

Okay, you already know who I'm picking, but I'll go ahead and say it!

Franzis-

No, you're wrong, I pick Trucy!

#1 Sexuality Headcanon

Trucy is definitely straight, though I imagine she only gets into romance in her college years

#2 OTP

I dont really ship her with anyone in the AA universe tbh, there arent really any male characters the same age as her. I kinda prefer her without any ships. Shes just Trucy

#3 BROTP

Her with Apollo and Pearl. Theyre both like siblings to Trucy, and I love their relationship with her so much

#4 NOTP

Her with Apollo. Not only because of the age gap but theyre also siblings. Its kinda squicky for me

#5 First headcanon that pops into my head

Phoenix braids Trucy's hair for shows. Phoenix learnt it from Maya, and now he taught Trucy

#6 Favourite line from this character

Admittedly...I dont remember any lines from Trucy. The only ones I do remember are from my fics.

#7 One way you relate to this character

Honestly, her optimism. I try to be optimistic about life, and I admire how Trucy is so optimistic despite all thats happened to her.

#8 Things that give you second hand embarrassment about this character

Two words. Magic panties

#9 Cinnamon roll or problematic fave?

Cinnamon roll. Trucy is a cinnamon roll

[quailfence]

[Image description: The "You guys are getting paid"? meme with Phoneix Wright from Ace Attorney. End description.]

[Plain text: The Big Overview of WAA Lawyers and Actually Getting Paid!!

Butz: Whoa… Nick. S-so, is that why you helped me out for free? Phoenix: Uh… yes. I helped you because I believed in you. (Except I don't remember saying I'd do it for free…)

Phoenix: A month has passed since my trial. Mia's murder was the talk of the town for some time… But no one paid any attention to the Wright & Co. Law Offices… How am I going to pay the rent this month? Maya: It'll be okay. I'm sure some big client is just around the corner! Phoenix: Hmph.

Phoenix: This is my chance to finally pay you back. Maya: Pay him back…? Edgeworth: Pay me back? For what? I don't remember ever doing anything for you. Phoenix: Never mind… I guess you don't really need to know.

Phoenix: Thank you. Oh, wait! Umm… I was wondering, how much is bail going to be? Gumshoe: Don't worry about that. Mr. Edgeworth is posting the whole amount. Phoenix: What? Edgeworth…? Gumshoe: Didn't I tell you? He's grateful to her for what she did. Alright, pal. Well don't forget to go pick her up, okay? Phoenix: (Hmm… Maybe I can get Edgeworth to pay this month's rent, too…)

Lana: … Mr. Wright? Phoenix: Y-yes? Lana: I believe our discussion here is ended. The rest… I leave to you. Phoenix: …! Um… you mean, you're requesting my services as your defense? Lana: Don't lose any sleep over it. Your client has confessed, after all. The case is over. Phoenix: Right… I'll do what I can to get to the bottom of this. Lana: …

Phoenix: It's a table for guests… There are some papers scattered on top. Maya: Ah! Look at this! Max's salary is written on this piece of paper. YIKES! Phoenix: W-What is it? Maya: I didn't know a magician… This salary is incredible! Phoenix: (She looks like she's about ready to pass out from shock…) How much is it!? How much is it!? T-T-THAT MUCH!? Maya: Incredible, huh? Phoenix: You can say that again. End plain text

[Image description: Sprite of Matt Engarde, smiling. End description.]

[Plain text: Powers: Um, anyway… So, who's paying for this lovely dinner party? Maya: As if you need to ask! Everyone say, "Thank you" to Nick! Phoenix: Huh? Gumshoe: Ah, yeah… I'm kinda at the point where I can't even buy instant noodles, pal. So I kinda already put your name on the bill.

Grossberg: Still, you surprised me… What, with your earnest request last night… "Let me handle this case!" you suddenly said. And quite forcefully, too! Mia: I just found out yesterday. About the case, I mean. End plain text.]

[Image description: text that reads "Apollo: …Who's going to pay us for this again?" End description.]

[Plain text: Apollo: Your request… let me guess, something's been stolen? Alita: Um, your flyer… It says "now defending" so I thought… Apollo: Whaaaat!? You mean, you mean you want me to defend you? Me? Trucy: Maybe you can tell us what happened? Were you hit by a car? Did someone steal your stand? Or your panties? Alita: No! No… I'm not the client, actually. The client would be my… well, my fiancé, I suppose you'd call him. Apollo: Fiancé…? What happened to him, then? Alita: He was arrested this morning. The charge… was murder.

Trucy: Polly! You look as happy as a clam in its shell. Apollo: For a lawyer this is it, the place where the battle begins!

Apollo: So… what kind of case is the trial simulation about? Phoenix: Well, since it is the first run through of a new system, I wanted something simple. Trucy: Good thinking! No sense wearing yourself out on something too serious! Phoenix: True. The case is a murder. Apollo: That's not simple at all!! Trucy: By "simple", did you mean that the defendant is… Phoenix: …Guilty. Yes. Most likely. …So, good luck, Apollo. Apollo: Um… with what? Phoenix: With the trial tomorrow. You're defending, of course. Recall that I said it had something to do with you.

Trucy: Oh, we'd better hurry. Doesn't look Daddy's going to make it, so let's get going. Apollo: Huh? Where are we going? What about the job he mentioned? Trucy: This IS the job, Polly! You're supposed to keep me company today! Now, come on! Apollo: Another day of not being a lawyer. Should've seen this coming. Trucy: Well, this is the "Wright ANYTHING Agency," y'know. And there's no law-related work at the moment, so… Apollo: (Tell me again why I chose to "work" here?) Where is Mr. Wright, anyway?

Trucy: Apollo! Maybe this is your chance. Apollo: Chance for what? Trucy: To do the right thing and defend Jinxie's dad in court! Apollo: Who, me? Wouldn't a man like Mayor Tenma have access to more experienced lawyers? Jinxie: Umm… You wanna know what the detectives said? They doubted there was a lawyer who could get a not-guilty verdict in this one.

Tenma: How… incredibly… RUDE! Apollo: Umm, sorry. Did I do something to offend you? Tenma: A visitor when all others shun me like a common criminal! And here I am with nothing to offer! I am the epitome of rude! Apollo: (………Wait, so he wasn't mad at me?)

Phoenix: What's the real reason you picked me, Sasha? Buckler: …Well, to be honest, I asked a whole slew of lawyers, but they all refused. They said stuff like, "There's no merit to taking your case," or "I'm not sure I can help." They're all as cruel as sharks, with hearts punier than whitebait!

Blackquill: Today, the orca. Tomorrow, Sasha Buckler. You intend to save them both? Hmph. You say you "believe" in your clients, but isn't money really your true motivation? Why not admit you're only doing this for your own benefit? I could understand that much more readily than your empty, righteous talk. Athena: Our own benefit?! That's not why we're doing it! Phoenix: Now, Athena. Try not to let him get to you.

Apollo: What are the charges this time? Datz: Unauthorized entry, or something like that. They think I'm an illegal alien! And I can't prove otherwise ‘cause I lost my passport! Trucy: Is there any way they'd let you go? Datz: Not without my passport… If only I had it! Dhurke, AJ! You gotta find my passport! Apollo: …All right, we'll find it. (One more thing to add to our to-do list. Now, where might Datz's passport be?) End plain text]

[Image description: text: "Larry: Anywho, you'll defend Elly in court, right, buddy?" End description.]

@aa-described @aceattorney-described

So the AA Fandom has no shortage of jokes about how our favorite Anime Laywers generally prioritize stuff like the Power of Friendship above more mundane concerns like 'getting paid for doing their job' but...seriously now, how often do they actually get paid for lawyering?

Well, welcome to...

The Big Overview of WAA Lawyers and Actually Getting Paid!!

The vast majority of AA Cases do not discuss payments for legal services explictly, so I will be Ranking how probable I feel it is the Lawyers got Paid. With a 0 standing for 'explictly and unambigiously did not get paid' and 1 standing for 'explictly and unambigiously did get paid'

The First Turnabout

That's an easy one, it is actually explicitly mentioned that no, Larry did not pay Phoenix for his services as a Lawyer.

And so, my first trial came to a close. Larry slapped me on the back and said, "Gee, Nick, it's good to have friends!" But I'm pretty sure he's not going to pay us. Unless you count the clock he gave Mia.

Which is brought up again months later during 'Turnabout Goodbyes'

Butz: Whoa… Nick. S-so, is that why you helped me out for free? Phoenix: Uh… yes. I helped you because I believed in you. (Except I don't remember saying I'd do it for free…)

So Phoenix expected and wanted to get paid, but he’s just, like, not assertive enough to get his money off Larry. And thus a long legacy of Not Getting Money was born!

Probability of Getting Paid: 0

Turnabout Sisters

Okay, so the subject of money does not come up directly in ‘Turnabout Sisters’ but like… Maya does not seem to have a lot of liquid funds on her at this point. For most of the games she generally relays on Phoenix to pay for things for her. At best right now she is semi-dependent on Morgan for cash - and considering her motivations, she probably came out with some excuse like ‘oooh Mystic Maya must prove her independence in such a dire situation or something, the whole Fey Family is broke we can’t afford to give you any more money I feel so bad ooooh’.

So I think if Phoenix got paid for defending her that was mostly a token symbolic gesture of gratitude more than actually anything that’ll help him pay the rent. And obviously Phoenix wouldn’t gain anything if he paid himself for that second trial of the case lol

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.1

Turnabout Samurai

Okay, so this is the first case where I think it is more likely than not Phoenix Actually Got Paid. There’s nothing textual, but I think with the implications of Phoenix starting the case fretting over how to pay the rent:

Phoenix: A month has passed since my trial. Mia's murder was the talk of the town for some time… But no one paid any attention to the Wright & Co. Law Offices… How am I going to pay the rent this month? Maya: It'll be okay. I'm sure some big client is just around the corner! Phoenix: Hmph.

And THEN his new Client is Will Powers who is:

a fairly sucessful actor whose life and career seems to be unglamorous but financially stable.

the first cilent Phoenix has who isn't a friend, a relative-of-a-friend or Literally Himself

generally just a really nice and wholesome guy.

It seems pretty likely to me that Phoenix and Maya got paid for this one!

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.8

Turnabout Goodbyes

OKAY so, I've seen folks say that Phoenix would've probably done this for free cause he sees this whole thing as repaying a debt for Being Nice to Him in Fourth Grade because as we all know, Phoenix is a Certified Ridiculous Human Being.

Phoenix: This is my chance to finally pay you back. Maya: Pay him back…? Edgeworth: Pay me back? For what? I don't remember ever doing anything for you. Phoenix: Never mind… I guess you don't really need to know.

Buuuuut... Larry at the time was also part of that Class Trial Bestie Pact and Phoenix did expect him to pay I mean Larry is not the Love of His Life but still.

And more important, this case ALSO established that Miles has a problem expressing gratitude and overcompensate using financial gifts.

Phoenix: Thank you. Oh, wait! Umm… I was wondering, how much is bail going to be? Gumshoe: Don't worry about that. Mr. Edgeworth is posting the whole amount. Phoenix: What? Edgeworth…? Gumshoe: Didn't I tell you? He's grateful to her for what she did. Alright, pal. Well don't forget to go pick her up, okay? Phoenix: (Hmm… Maybe I can get Edgeworth to pay this month's rent, too…)

So I feel, like, regardless of what Phoenix wanted - at the end of this trial - Miles IS going to make sure he is GETTING PAID. Dude was probably shoving checks into his mailbox like a full month after the trial concluded.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.9

Rise from the Ashes

So... the person who initially hires Phoenix to the case is Ema Skye, a 16 year old girl whose main funds are her allowance. And Phoenix was kinda willfully ignoring his financial situation at the start and only took this case for sentimental reasons. (just more evidence that Miles was STILL sending him payments for 'Goodbyes' lol)

It's been two months since Maya left the office… Two months without a single trial. I've had offers… But none I took. That is… until the day that girl showed up.

However he does get 'formally requested' by her probably-well-off-considering-prosecutors-in-this-series older sister shortly thereafter.

Lana: … Mr. Wright? Phoenix: Y-yes? Lana: I believe our discussion here is ended. The rest… I leave to you. Phoenix: …! Um… you mean, you're requesting my services as your defense? Lana: Don't lose any sleep over it. Your client has confessed, after all. The case is over. Phoenix: Right… I'll do what I can to get to the bottom of this. Lana: …

And after a very long and harrowing journey of being in-conflict with his own client, Lana did end up being very grateful for what he did. And again, this case espacially emphasizes that 'prosecutors make the big bucks' - so she had both the means and will to pay him.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.6

The Lost Turnabout

Alrighty, so, Maggey is generally a nice girl and also a fangirl of Phoenix Wright and that gives her an incentive to support him financially...

Actually, I really love to watch court proceedings, and I always root for you to win! When I'm off duty, I like to come here and…

But with how unlucky she is, that might imply that she could have Money Troubles. Although on the other hand she at least has a stable job at the moment... But on the other OTHER hand she does mention how all the other lawyers 'laughed her off'

Just when I thought all hope was lost; when all the other lawyers had laughed me off… "Leave it to me!" you said! You! The one and only Phoenix Wright came to save the day! And just like that, I was moved to tears, sir! I'll never forget what you're doing for me, EVER!

Which usually I wouldn't note as a financial thing. Usually when an AA Defendant is like 'oooh I have no one else to turn too, all the other lawyers turned me down......" this is because the case is considered too impossible to win or Unbearably Wacky (or some sort of conspiracy like with Maya in 'Sisters'). But, like, this is a Tutorial Case. Phoenix won that one with Fucking Amnesia. The 'impossibility' of the case was not the issue, so, yeah, it might legitimately be the money?

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.4

Reunion, and Turnabout

It's Maya Murder Trial Time Again! Pretty much the same as before with the two added factors being:

Maya is now officially employed in the Wright & Co. Law Offices during the duration of the trial.

AFTER the Trial, when Morgan is like, in jail - Maya might have a bit more acess to her family funds. Although they are established to Not Be Doing Well Financially in general....

A piece of cloth with a ton of finely-written characters jammed onto it. Probably esoteric knowledge only mediums should know. …Hmm, let's see… Here's one in English… It says… "100 Ways to Save Money". … Being a medium sounds like a rough way of life…

I think all in all these kinda even out to the same Chances of Getting Paid at last time??

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.1

Turnabout Big Top

So if you ever start discussing how pointless the AA 'middle cases' are - just remember this one crucial detail; they are the most reliable way Phoenix Wright gets food on his plate! We once again have a stranger (that Phoenix won't feel obligated to defend for free) that is very explictly Fabulously Wealthy.

He's not as nicey-nice as Will Powers is but I feel like paying Phoenix's legal fees is not something Max will bet an eye at.

Phoenix: It's a table for guests… There are some papers scattered on top. Maya: Ah! Look at this! Max's salary is written on this piece of paper. YIKES! Phoenix: W-What is it? Maya: I didn't know a magician… This salary is incredible! Phoenix: (She looks like she's about ready to pass out from shock…) How much is it!? How much is it!? T-T-THAT MUCH!? Maya: Incredible, huh? Phoenix: You can say that again.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Farewell, My Turnabout

Okay so this is the Big One. This one’s a really complicated one to determine.

Let’s just get the first thing out of the way, the fact that Phoenix “”lost”” the case does not matter one way or another. Criminal Defense Lawyers, as a general rule, do not work on a Contingency Fee Basis. That means they are paid regardless of the result of the trial. So if this was a normal trial, Phoenix would probably be paid.

But this was not a normal trial, was it?

Phoenix was FORCED to work as a Defense Attorney due to a KIDNAPPER. And, like, my first instinct is ‘if you are already forcing someone to work via criminal means, why the hell would you also pay them??’ 

Buuuuut….. This is MY instinct, not the instinct of goddam Shelly De Killer. 

Since Shelly’s whole thing is being the Honorable Assassin, and he has some level of respect towards Phoenix as like a Fellow Professional. I can see him thinking maybe wanting Phoenix to get paid for the work he is Coercing Him To Do Under Threat of Murdering His Best Friend for the sake of Honor. 

But also also, Phoenix’s terms are not officially with De Killer, it’s with This Asshole!

And Matt Engarde is absolutely the kind of guy to casually take advantage of Phoenix’s frantic ‘please please just let me be your lawyer or my Friend is gonna Die!’ thing where, like, obviously getting paid is NOT gonna cross through Phoenix’s head atm in order to not pay/severely underpay the guy even though he can obviously afford it.

All in all, things are not looking good for this case’s probability, which is a shame considering how it ends.

Powers: Um, anyway… So, who's paying for this lovely dinner party? Maya: As if you need to ask! Everyone say, "Thank you" to Nick! Phoenix: Huh? Gumshoe: Ah, yeah… I'm kinda at the point where I can't even buy instant noodles, pal. So I kinda already put your name on the bill.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.3

Turnabout Memories

First time covering a Lawyer that’s not Phoenix!

Now, Mia’s client in this case is a college student who probably doesn't have tons of personal funds, and considering her own motivations for taking on the case she probably would’ve done it for free but…

At the time she was employed at the Grossberg Law Offices, and Phoenix hired just the office in general and then Mia took over the case just last night.

Grossberg: Still, you surprised me… What, with your earnest request last night… "Let me handle this case!" you suddenly said. And quite forcefully, too! Mia: I just found out yesterday. About the case, I mean.

So... really this is just the Vibes I get from the Grossberg Law Offices, being generally the more professional and by-the-book law offices compared to the utter chaotic energy of Wright and Co, that makes me assume that they usually reliably charge their clients and pay their lawyers.

There’s some evidence further down the line (which we’ll get to soon) that some of their lawyers do some pro-bono work - but I dunno if Phoenix’s case was extreme enough to necessitate that (I mean he might be a broke college student but his family would probably help him with the legal funds although that assumes they even exist) . So my assumption is that Mia probably did get paid. Probably?

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.75

The Stolen Turnabout

So, Ron DeLite used to really financially struggle to keep up with his wife’s shopaholic habits - but that seems to have stabilized ever since his ‘benefactor’ showed up. So I’d assume he still has some funds left to pay his lawyer. I mean I guess it won’t be totally implausible if Desiree did manage to blow through them all…. Or maybe being a a high-spending shopaholic means that she’d want to pay extravagantly for her lawyer as well?

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Recipe for Turnabout

It’s Maggey again! And now she’s:

Closer to a friend, or at least a friend-of-friend. Rather than Just Another Client.

Is probably in a more dire financial state than before, on account of being unemployed and also in jail for the last two months.

Also being a waitress isn’t that prestigious a job anyways 

And if anyone is gonna help her cover her legal fees it could only be Gumshoe which… does not bode well to anyone involved!

Pissed at Phoenix cause it took her some time to realize that no, that guy who got her found guilty two months ago is not him

So basically everything that changed since her last trial makes it less likely that Phoenix charged for his legal services. I'm sure she'd try her best by the end, but Phoenix might just wave it off to save everyone a headache.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.3

Turnabout Beginnings

So first things first I want to reiterate that Criminal Defense Attorneys generally get paid regardless of if they ‘win’ and while I couldn’t find any concrete statements about the matter - I believe they get paid even if their clients die mid-trial??? I mean, the legal fees just get added to their posthumous debts? So the lawyer would hypothetically be able to claim their due payment from the deceased’s remaining funds and possessions. If they wanted to, that is…

Cause, well, this is why I said the Grossberg Law Offices might do some pro-bono cases. Terry Fawles was, like, a part-time tutor who has been incarcerated for the last five years. If he has any family or friends outside that could help him with his legal fees, he never mentions them. 

So I’m really not sure if he bought Mia services or if she volunteered to do this pro-bono after hearing he had no options for legal representations out of concern for, like, prisoners rights. 

And even if he was supposed to pay Mia for her service, after the grim ending of the case - I’m not sure if she would’ve even tried to pursue getting her legal fees from Fawles’ posthumously/from his next of kin. From how deeply traumatized she was by that trial, I think that would’ve only made her feel worse about the whole situation. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.05

Bridge to the Turnabout

Iris is a nun from a small temple that is mentioned to not-be-doing-so-hot (cause it’s tied with the Kurain Channeling Technique and it’s been on a downturn since DL-6), but she does have at least enough personal funds to have her own cell-phone and occasionally go into town. So it’s not a lot, but I think it’s enough to get Phoenix at least a a symbolic token-of-gratitude payment.

Also, it might be possible Phoenix will wave off the fees due to the Personal Connection to the case. You know, he was doing this primarily to Uncover the Truth and get some personal closure for the Dahlia mess.... Or maybe not, cause he did still get paid (or tried to get paid, or forced to get paid) to save his two Fourth-Grade-Life-Debt Childhood Best Friends in court?

(And I do mean just Phoenix, Miles probably would never charge for his services as ‘acting defense attorney’, we don’t need that farce to get any farcier)

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.3

Turnabout Trump

Now this is a complicated one, let us list the factors here one-by-one:

1. As per Apollo’s comment in the next episode, the Gavin Law Offices probably operated strictly quid pro quo.

(Good-bye, quid pro quo. Hello pro bono. sigh)

2. Phoenix is supposedly friends with the boss of the Agency. And in reality, Kritoph Gavin has a very VERY vested interest in making sure the trial goes According to Plan. Incentivising him to at least give Phoenix a discount.

3. Phoenix is also not doing that great financially right now. 

4. Oh right, that entire law agency disbanded once the boss got arrested at the end of the trial!

…Speaking of which, I may be out of a job. I work for Gavin Law Offices, after all. (I still can't believe I just saw Mr. Gavin get led away in handcuffs…)

I think it is most likely that Phoenix got some sort of “”Friend”” Discount from Kristoph. But I really don’t know what happens if an entire law firm gets disbanded right after the trial cause the owner got arrested as a result of it. It probably depends on whether Phoenix was in agreement with the Gavin Law Offices who then assigned Apollo on the case or if Phoenix had an agreement with Apollo directly.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.5

Turnabout Corner

Oh hey, look! Another rare case of an Ace Attorney that actually discusses the issue of money directly!

Well, I mean we know how much Apollo got paid for solving the case of Phoenix’s accident and Trucy’s panties (nothing) and for solving Eldoon’s Noodle Cart Theft (a free bowl of ramen). We don’t see them directly discuss the subject of payment regarding Apollo’s Actual Job…

Apollo: Your request… let me guess, something's been stolen? Alita: Um, your flyer… It says "now defending" so I thought… Apollo: Whaaaat!? You mean, you mean you want me to defend you? Me? Trucy: Maybe you can tell us what happened? Were you hit by a car? Did someone steal your stand? Or your panties? Alita: No! No… I'm not the client, actually. The client would be my… well, my fiancé, I suppose you'd call him. Apollo: Fiancé…? What happened to him, then? Alita: He was arrested this morning. The charge… was murder.

But as he was complaining before about not only being pigeonholed as some sort of a detective, but also not getting paid for anything…

Um… I was wondering when I get paid? We solved the case of your accident, and um, found a missing article of clothing.

And then getting this job and being so happy about it...

Trucy: Polly! You look as happy as a clam in its shell. Apollo: For a lawyer this is it, the place where the battle begins!

Implies that He’s Getting Paid - just as much as with Phoenix’s rent stuff in ‘Turnabout Samurai’ if not more. 

Also, I don’t think the fact that the person who hired him wanted him to fail and is now going to prison is a factor here.

As I already mentioned, Defense Attorneys get paid regardless of the outcome of a trial and logically that would apply both when they lose and when they win. Plus, I am pretty sure Alita filed her request officially through Wocky’s name or the Kitaki family in general and they were obviously very grateful for what Apollo did, and they had both the wins and wills to pay him.

So let’s give a big round of applause for Apollo Justice, the WAA Lawyer most likely to get paid!

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.99

Turnabout Serenade

These kind of showbiz-focused Middle Cases are generally pretty good for Getting Paid Probabilities, but this case is a bit more complicated.

Cause the plot of this case hinges on Machi being so desperate for money that he was willing to risk death via cocoon smuggling,

Situation… I cannot explain. But money. I needed. Very much money.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he was unable to afford a lawyer - without details of why exactly he needed that Sweet, Sweet Cocoon Money we can’t be sure.  But it’s plausible that hiring Apollo was not out of his price range but he was desperate for something far more expensive. 

Considering his young age and… you know, until the final day of the trial he pretended to not understand a word of English, it’s also possible hiring Apollo was a matter handled by Lamirior and/or the duo’s agency. Both of which will probably feel committed to Actually Paying, each from their own angle. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Turnabout Succession

Now, HERE’S a complicated one! 

Going generally over the usual stuff, Vera is a pretty nice person and she’s clearly grateful for what Apollo and Trucy did for her. And while the Misham Family was driven into forgeries by financial desperation, at the present-time they seem stable enough that Vera could at least afford the rates of the WAA. If this was just another case, it’ll get like a solid 0.7 at minimum. Pretty typical stuff by now.

But this isn’t just one more ordinary case. This a weird sort of ‘Test Trial’ for the Jurist System with every factor - including the Defendant and the Attorney - arranged by Phoenix’s weird little committee.

Well, for one, I'll be chair of the Jurist System Simulated Court Committee. The chair constructs the ideal situation… choosing the case, the jurist candidates… …even the judge and the courtroom.

Apollo: So… what kind of case is the trial simulation about? Phoenix: Well, since it is the first run through of a new system, I wanted something simple. Trucy: Good thinking! No sense wearing yourself out on something too serious! Phoenix: True. The case is a murder. Apollo: That's not simple at all!! Trucy: By "simple", did you mean that the defendant is… Phoenix: …Guilty. Yes. Most likely. …So, good luck, Apollo. Apollo: Um… with what? Phoenix: With the trial tomorrow. You're defending, of course. Recall that I said it had something to do with you.

So I guess the question here, did Phoenix basically make Vera officially hire Apollo? Did the committee hire Apollo and they’re the one paying him? Is this another case of Phoenix trolling Apollo into doing Free Volunteer Work for him?

Honestly I wouldn’t put that past the AA4 version of Phoenix..............but also if he did that I doubt he would’ve missed a chance to crack a joke at Apollo’s expense about that. 

...You know, I started this thread of thought with the thought I’m arguing for a lower Getting Paid score for this case but I think I just talked myself into increasing the probability.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.8

Also bonus round: THE TRIAL OF SHADI ENIGMAR!

Zero fucking chances Phoenix got paid on this one. HIS CLIENT DISAPPEARED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COURT PROCEEDING! And even if Phoenix gets paid before a trial is concluded (unlikely, since he didn’t know Larry wasn’t paying him until after the case was closed), he was his attorney for like half-a-day before he disappeared so wouldn’t have much of a chance either way.  And considering Zak’s character (and how he also tried to sabotage Phoenix’s current Poker-based career seven years after that), I doubt he put that much thought into Phoenix and his financial considerations to give him a down payment in case he had to to do his disappearnce act or whatever. The only thing Zak left Phoenix with when he left was his goddam abandoned child and ONE LESS BADGE!

So I think this case deserves a very special score!

Probability of Getting Paid: -1

Turnabout Countdown

It’s time for Athena’s first case! Or second case, depending on how you look at it.

Now, one of the major ways that Dual Destinies is gonna shake this Deep Serious Analysis up is that before we had, like, one Active Full-Time Lawyer at any time (maybe with a backup lawyer for Flashback Cases), and we now have Three Different Lawyers actively working together on the same cases. My main concern is primarily not which WAA Lawyers get paid for these cases, but IF any of them got paid at all. Still, shenanigans of cases changing hands officially and unofficially are gonna play a factor in my analysis as well.

And it’s here right from the start! We once again have a Lawyer defending their bestest friend in the whole world, and while some people’s instincts might suggest that means that Defense was for free, well… First things first, we already established Precedence for that back in the first trial of the first game with Larry (not for Lawyers getting paid by their friends, but at least expecting payment) and Juniper’s family is probably doing Just Fine considering she attends this super-fancy-pant prestigious Lawyer High School - so she would want to financially support Athena I would think.

And ALSO, Juniper technically didn’t hire Athena, Apollo was the one supposed to defend Junie in court at first. And although Juniper is… growing closer to Apollo at this point in canon, I don't think it's quite the ‘defend me in court for Free’ point of their relationship, compared to where Juniper and Athena are at. So this is just, like, one extra point to the Final Score!

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

The Monstrous Turnabout

So in this episode, we actually have two different jobs we need to make sure if Apollo actually got paid for. We have the actual criminal defense case, and we also have Babysitting Trucy.

Trucy: Oh, we'd better hurry. Doesn't look Daddy's going to make it, so let's get going. Apollo: Huh? Where are we going? What about the job he mentioned? Trucy: This IS the job, Polly! You're supposed to keep me company today! Now, come on! Apollo: Another day of not being a lawyer. Should've seen this coming. Trucy: Well, this is the "Wright ANYTHING Agency," y'know. And there's no law-related work at the moment, so… Apollo: (Tell me again why I chose to "work" here?) Where is Mr. Wright, anyway?

That being said, Phoenix might still be a bit of a troll but the WAA is doing a lot better financially now that Trucy has those Sweet Gramarye rights and he’s not quite as mean to Apollo as he was back in Hobomode. So I get a feeling that even with this little runaround, Apollo is probably at least getting paid for chaperoning Trucy around?? Probably?

The actual case is actually a lot more clear cut. It is directly mentioned that Damian Tenma could probably afford lawyers much more prestigious than the WAA, it’s just a matter of the WAA being the only ones crazy enough to take on this ‘doomed’ case. 

Trucy: Apollo! Maybe this is your chance. Apollo: Chance for what? Trucy: To do the right thing and defend Jinxie's dad in court! Apollo: Who, me? Wouldn't a man like Mayor Tenma have access to more experienced lawyers? Jinxie: Umm… You wanna know what the detectives said? They doubted there was a lawyer who could get a not-guilty verdict in this one.

And with Mayor Tenma’s personality being based around being almost overly-generous and grateful…

Tenma: How… incredibly… RUDE! Apollo: Umm, sorry. Did I do something to offend you? Tenma: A visitor when all others shun me like a common criminal! And here I am with nothing to offer! I am the epitome of rude! Apollo: (………Wait, so he wasn't mad at me?)

I feel like it is almost a certainty that Apollo and Athena did get paid for this case! 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.85

Turnabout Academy

Okay so, it’s Junie again! Or Junie for the first time depending on how you look at it!

So all of the points I already brought up about Juniper from ‘Countdown’ still apply (save for the stuff about Apollo, of course) but ALSO this is right when Athena and Juniper reunited and their whole emotional arc in this case is about Athena feeling Juniper is being Uncharacteristically Cold and Distant towards her. So defending her on a Friend Discount would be a bit strange at this point. Maybe I can see Athena trying to insist she’d do it for free but Juniper refused?

Although I think that IS a bit weird that they had this big whole scene with Professor ScaryStatue taking over Juniper’s case and the issue of payment doesn’t even come up in passing. I mean, yes obviously, the issues of Trust and Truth and Aristotle Means being Sus as Fuck are the important things in this narrative but I’m suprised there’s not even a mention in passing. Like Means accusing Athena and Apollo of wanting this case back for the Money but they refute him???

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.8

The Cosmic Turnabout

Okay, look, I know I keep bringing up the Larry Precedence but it really IS quite relevant. If Actual Overly-Sentimental Human Disaster Phoenix Wright tried to charge a rate for his childhood best friend who was drifting through life doing weird odd jobs at that time. - Then Apollo, who is generally more practical minded, is probably going to charge a rate for his older acquaintance with the stable Astronaut Job. And while Solomon is a bit of a Space Larry, I don’t think he’d try and avoid the payment in quite the same way. Probably.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Turnabout for Tomorrow

This trial has Phoenix defending one of his own employees in a trial forced on by a hostage situation. I feel silly even extending this paragraph any longer. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.01

Turnabout Reclaimed

First things first, yes, an Orca cannot pay for an attorney - but I assume that the person who hired Phoenix is officially Sasha Buckler. Who IS a human being with her own funds capable of hiring a lawyer. Especially as we know that other lawyers turned her down specifically because her case is ridiculous (and not for financial reasons). 

Phoenix: What's the real reason you picked me, Sasha? Buckler: …Well, to be honest, I asked a whole slew of lawyers, but they all refused. They said stuff like, "There's no merit to taking your case," or "I'm not sure I can help." They're all as cruel as sharks, with hearts punier than whitebait!

She does mention doing a performance as thanks at the ending of the trial but that’s probably no replacement for Actual Money.

But I think most notable for our analysis about this case, is not actually any of the Orca stuff - it’s this exchange right here.

Blackquill: Today, the orca. Tomorrow, Sasha Buckler. You intend to save them both? Hmph. You say you "believe" in your clients, but isn't money really your true motivation? Why not admit you're only doing this for your own benefit? I could understand that much more readily than your empty, righteous talk. Athena: Our own benefit?! That's not why we're doing it! Phoenix: Now, Athena. Try not to let him get to you.

Yet another rare case of the game Acknowledging Lawyers Are Paid As a General Rule! And notably, when Phoenix and Athena deny it, they don’t deny the fact that they are getting paid - just that it’s not why they’re doing this. This is not exactly an explicit confirmation of Getting Paid to get the score up to a full 1, but it’s probably as close as we’re gonna get. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.95

The Foreign Turnabout

Okay, so Phoenix basically just bursted into the Courtroom and bluffed his way onto the empty defense bench despite the protests of his own so-called Client. Said client also only started unlearning his Defense-Attorney-Hate during that same trial. And is ALSO a tiny little child who has to work part time as a tour-guide to make end’s meet. I highly doubt Phoenix asked for anything more than, like, a very token rate or maybe a discount on his next tour. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.1

The Magical Turnabout

Considering how this case has a WAA Lawyer defending the actual CEO of the WAA, I highly doubt the WAA got any money from it. But maybe Trucy could give him some of her personal funds as a token of gratitude?

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.2

The Rite of Turnabout

It’s MAYA TIME again! And while some consideration has to go to her bond with Phoenix or the possibility of some sort of Frequent Accused card the WAA issued for her - the fact that she is not currently a Coworker at the law office and has been an Actual Independent Adult for quite some time now means it is actually a lot more likely she’s able to pay Phoenix now than in any case in the Original Trilogy!

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.5

Turnabout Storyteller

This one’s a pretty average case. The Defendant is not a total stranger, but he is more of a friend-of-a-friend (and Simon was originally planning to get Apollo or Phoenix into the courtroom so the connection was even more distant when he contacted the WAA). He seems to be doing alright financially with his own noodle business, and he’s a pretty alright kinda guy. The only possible concern is that he’s too totally slushed to remember he’s supposed to pay his attorney. But then again, Simon might be ‘officially’ the one who hired the lawyer for the case.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.6

Turnabout Revolution

It’s time for the THREE CASES IN ONE SPECIAL!! Because we don’t just need to consider Dhurke’s trial, I think it’s only appropriate that we take into account both Apollo and Phoenix’s side of the civil case. They are both WAA Lawyers, after all.

On Apollo’s side, he is defending Datz Are'bal, an escaped prisoner/wanted revolutionary criminal in his own country hiding away in an abandoned building and making homemade lizard skewers for food- but Datz did apparently enter Japanifornia legally via legitimate means.

Apollo: What are the charges this time? Datz: Unauthorized entry, or something like that. They think I'm an illegal alien! And I can't prove otherwise ‘cause I lost my passport! Trucy: Is there any way they'd let you go? Datz: Not without my passport… If only I had it! Dhurke, AJ! You gotta find my passport! Apollo: …All right, we'll find it. (One more thing to add to our to-do list. Now, where might Datz's passport be?)

So he presumably has some sort of funds to pay Apollo for his legal services, at least a little bit. 

And with him being Dhurke’s best friend and knowing that he also struggled financially to make end’s meet as a defense attorney at first - I would like to think that’ll incentivise him to support Apollo financially if he can?

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Meanwhile on Phoenix’s side, while Phoenix uses the word ‘hire’ when talking about working for Atishon. Phoenix was once again coerced via kidnapping into the position of attorney. 

And THIS time, there is no Assassin with a Code of Honor who might consider paying Phoenix a fair rate. Both Atishon and his ‘benefactor’ are sleazeballs who would not pay Phoenix a dime if they can get away with it. Plus, with this being a civil case, there might actually be a Contingency Basis going on when Phoenix basically quit and then they lose.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.001

And finally, the grand event of this case - the Trial of Dhurke! 

So… Can a summoned undead spirit pay for an attorney? I suppose it’s probably easier in Khura'in than in other places. And it’ll mostly work the same as if the client died before the case finished, right? It’ll be considered a debt to be carried by their next of kin. Who in this case will be Nahyuta… but also maybe Apollo? Still, considering all of Dhurke’s living family ranges between ‘wealthy and well-respected’ and ‘Literal Royalty’ - I’m going to assume they’d be more than happy then to pay their Weird Brother for his help. 

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.75

Turnabout Time Traveler

And here we are! The last case, and a relatively straightforward one at that - at least compared to the last one lol!

Ellen herself does not have many funds as a housemaid, it seems - but since she literally just married one of the richest inventors in the world, I assume her husband is gonna cover the legal fees. The WAA Legal Team and Also Edgeworth and Ema also got an invite to the Wedding but I assume this is not instead of actual payment?

That is, of course, unless it’s technically Larry who hired Phoenix actually.

Then he’s never getting the goddam money he deserves for his labor.

Probability of Getting Paid: 0.7

Average Probability Score for All Cases (not counting the Zak Bonus Round): 0.51721875

So what have we learned today? I think that while the WAA’s reputation for basically giving away legal services for free is not entirely unearned, it is perhaps somewhat exaggerated. While there’s certainly a lot of Shennanigans and their rates are probably not high (especially not for people they know), they still get paid for a decent amount of high-profile cases. I mean, this Getting Paid Probability Score is over the 50% mark at least....

And… the odd thing is that the First Turnabout really is the only time the subject of the lawyer getting paid is really brought up directly. I get that it might, y’know, ruin the Drama if we acknowledge that our Brave Heroes are getting paid to save people from being convicted of a crime they didn’t commit - or on the other hand of the equation, that they should get paid cause They Need Money to Live. But still…

Is the fact that the only time payment is brought up directly is when Larry isn’t paying Phoenix a bad sign for the general financial situation of our Anime Lawyers? Or is it actually a good sign? Like, that they only mention Larry not paying implying that every time it is not mentioned that means the client did pay them?

[purenguyening]

Some assorted thoughts now that I'm making a bit more progress replaying Ace Attorney 4 and Ace Attorney Investigations:

(Warning none of this is really organized and most of it might not make much sense).

Ema specifically says "And I hear he gives up the defense attorney life", the wording suggests that Phoenix quit. But I don't think Phoenix lied to Ema, rather, I think if he did talk to Ema at that point he just said something more closer to "I no longer practice law." and Ema came to that conclusion on her own. I personally think Ema came to the conclusion Klavier is connected to Phoenix's disbarment in 4-3 and that adds more fuel to her disdain (on top of her own frustrations with her personal career).

I mean, on top of the fact Phoenix is keeping her in the dark about the circumstances to how he got disbarred, I start to really understand with a lot more clarity why Ema is so irritable.

Something I forgot about is that in 4-1 there was a reveal that Phoenix recorded his phone conversation. It just invokes a similar feeling to Phoenix using a recorded conversation between Mia and Maya during 1-2. I can't help but always look at Phoenix's actions in the 4th came in context to Mia.

It really feels like he's invoking a lot of the same decision making that Mia did with her investigations but with an higher level of paranoia and caution because of how deeply scarred Mia's death weighed on him. I think even when Trucy mentions she had to change schools a lot in 4-2 is also Phoenix's paranoia acting up, trying to avoid having Trucy make too many close connections because of fear. I also feel like the him being in borderline poverty might be a bit more deliberate as a form of "laying low", but I think this might be still a stretch, but I'm more than willing to buy into this is his thinking.

(Basically, I'm willing to buy a lot more into Phoenix's behavior compared to the average fan, I was like this before, but now that it's fresher in memory, it feels like that's how I should read it, but I digress).

On that matter, I wonder if the reason Apollo has a hard time buying into the idea Trucy and Phoenix are daughter and father is because the game wants the player to presume that Trucy is his biological daughter of Phoenix. Which you really cannot presume from the way Phoenix speaks. He just simply say that Trucy is his daughter but never elaborates any further. It hits differently give that Spirit of Justice reveals Apollo's been living in various foster homes. It feels like in retrospect Apollo knows what a fostered dynamic looks like because he's experienced it and he senses something's "off". It feels like it's meant to mislead the player into thinking he is a bad father (I'll be the first to admit Phoenix makes some really questionable choices in allowing what his daughter to do), but I wonder whether or not in context to just Ace Attorney 4, you were just meant to have doubt Trucy is Phoenix's biological daughter.

The rough overarching theme of the first Investigation Theme feels like a broad one, about how the law is bound by arbitrary constraints but logic and truth do not recognize those boundaries.

It's a little hard for me to pinpoint but the fact that Prosecutor Portsman tries to cover up his own crime, a murder taking place on an airplane as its in transition from three different countries, and how Earnest Amano uses his influence to obfuscate Lang and Edgeworth's investigation, feels like that's what the game tries to get at.... I do roughly remember the gist of the fourth and fifth case and both required a lot of effort such as the reveal the Yatagarasu has a member in the Prosecution, Defense Attorney, and Detective (to make for the three legs)....and in context to the fifth case diplomatic immunity becomes a roadblock to get at the truth in the fifth case....

And finally, I have mentioned it before in another post, but I'm kind of convinced Lang is illiterate. Often times he has Shih-na reading documents for him and when he pulls out a scroll, his face is specifically covered so you never get to see his eyes actually scan the page. This might be my most insane interpretation if I'm being honest....