#more like me grasping at canon straws to justify a personal favorite hc

[velvees-archive]

Dual Destinies Spoilers (5-5)!

so what exactly did phoenix mean when he said he was sorry for everything he put edgeworth through?

a quick look at forums/reddit netted me the following interpretations:

he’s apologizing to edgeworth for ushering in the dark age of law and leaving him to deal with the aftermath

he’s apologizing for all the trouble edgeworth went through to help him get reinstated/vouching for the jurist system

neither of these feel quite right to me. the first point because phoenix says he's troubled miles for “eight years”, yet the dark age of law didn’t officially start until a year after he was disbarred (simon blackquill’s guilty verdict). this means the dark age would have only been in effect for seven years. also, shifting public opinion of the courts is edgeworth’s responsibility as the chief prosecutor, which he’d only been for about a year as of 5-5.

*granted, i wasn’t as locked in for dual destinies as i was for other entries in the franchise, so this could just be me not paying enough attention to when the dark age began.

i do think phoenix feels guilty for contributing to the public’s negative perception of the courts, so this interpretation still holds some merit, unlike the former half of the second interpretation, which doesn’t make sense at all. phoenix didn’t get confirmation edgeworth pulled some strings to get him reinstated until after 5-5’s resolution, when edgeworth openly admits it. the latter half is fine, but i don’t think it was specifically the jurist system he was referencing—one because “eight years” implies phoenix began work on the jurist system immediately after the gramarye trial and two because edgeworth’s response, “i’m sorry i wasn’t able to help you” contradicts the idea that phoenix's apology was related to his help with the jurist system.

so what is phoenix apologizing for? we know how terribly he was affected by losing his badge aka the focal point of his identity, which amplified his cageyness and bitterness tenfold. we know edgeworth was present in his life because he would fly phoenix and trucy out to europe while phoenix was disbarred. we also know from this dialogue that phoenix purposefully kept edgeworth from “helping” him (“nah. i was the one who made that decision”).

this leads me to believe the trouble he put edgeworth through was—on top of the agreeable parts of the two aforementioned interpretations—emotionally charged, angsty 7-year gap + lead up to his return anguish, wherein phoenix shut miles out and miles had to shove his way in, first trilogy phoenix style. and edgeworth’s apology, while seemingly related to phoenix’s badge, was also about him feeling like he hadn't done enough to aid phoenix during the lowest point in his life.

[karahalloway]

5 Favourite Fics

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💜

Thanks for the tag @secretaryunpaid and @peonierose! You are both still on my to-read list, but life keeps running away with me...! And I will be sure to start with the fics you picked out in your post!

Since I probably only have like five actual fics in total, I am going to choose five favourite chapters (which are kind of mini-fics, if you think about it... yes, I am grasping at straws to justify this! Shh! 😅)

So, in no particular order...

(Less Than) Noble Intentions - Extraction

I know this chapter is still in progress, but once it will be done, it will be not only the longest chapter I’ve written for any fic, ever, but it will also be the longest Drake POV chapter I’ve ever written. There is quite a lot that happens in this chapter, and each part will have a different feel, so from a pure writing point of view, it has definately been interesting exploring how Drake would react in such a variety of situation, but I am also having a ton of fun deep-diving into his ‘tactical’ side as @secretaryunpaid​ called it 🤗

(Less Than) Noble Intentions - Drive

This is probably still my all-time favourite Drake POV chapter. It’s gritty, it’s intense, and angry Drake is just something else *whimsical sigh* And it’s the chapter where he realises that he is in love, and the way that ended up playing out was both funny, angsty and cute 🥰

Sleepless in New York - First Impressions

This is probably my second favourite Drake POV chapter. It was a chance to do a dive deep into Drake’s dirty little mind (Chapter 1 of Sleepless is more of a first person narration of external events and conversations (not a huge amount of introspection) and because Crazy was the first Drake POV chapter I ever wrote, it’s not as deep or as polished (I feel) as subsequent attempts), and imagine what he could’ve been thinking when he met Harper for the first time (and I HC that his thoughts/reactions would’ve been very similar in UA as well). I think it was as a result of this chapter that I felt that I had the ‘insight’ into Drake’s personality and thought processes I needed to go and write Burnt. Also, I had a ton of fun with the whole Italian sequence (I have never spent so much time on Google Translate, or on random language websites learning Italian-American!)

Sleepless in New York - Showtime, Baby!

If you’ve read this chapter, you’ll know that it’s a crazy ride! It took me AGES to decide what song Drake should sing, but when I finally found the song... well, the rest is history! 🙃 As you know, I am a stickler for accuracy and detail, so I went as far as dancing out the choreography that I saw in my head - to make sure that it worked with the timings / lyrics of the song (yes, I am weird 😅) 

(Un)Common Attraction - Escape Plan + Helluva View

I know these are two seperate chapters in the story, but realistically, they could be one long chapter as they cover the same day. Even though I wrote these two chapters over a year ago, and my writing has changed/improved a lot since then, they will always hold a special place in my heart because (i) they were the first two completely non-canon chapters that I wrote for UA, and (ii) it is when H&D realise (probably more at a subconscious rather than conscious level) that they are falling for each other, and I loved the chemistry and sexual tension, but also the heartfelt moments-in-between that created. 

Hmm... Having done this, I now realise that most of my own personal favourite chapters to have written are Drake POV chapters... Feels like I might be engaging in favouritism...! 😅

Tagging @aussiegurl1234 @angelasscribbles @petiteboheme @sillydg @harleybeaumont and any other authors who wants to share!