#turnabout twisted au

[verathena14]

hi guess who's making a twst x aa au...

defense attorneys: silver, lilia (silver's mentor) prosecutors: riddle, sebek (riddle's protege-of-sorts), rollo (who is either the payne replacement or the final final boss (think mvk), i cant decide atm) detectives: deuce, idia (cyberforensics) judge: cater

ace is deuce's annoying (/affectionate) bf that gets accused of murder (a maggie and gumshoe situation), also he works at trey's bakery (there's some sort of poison-in-the-food situation with ace's false charge) the savanaclaw trio are side characters, maybe witnesses, leona could be the uncooperative client in a case. acts like a tough guy but he's got a soft spot for ruggie & jack, takes them under his wing kinda the octotrio are very dubious witnesses. they very obviously hint at having some kind of involvement in whatever case is happening but nobody's sure if theyre joking or not, and they dont end up being any of the actual culprits in the end. but theyre still hella sketchy kalim is the one who gets accused of murder all the fucking time. he and silver are friends, so he kinda(?) fills the maya role? or like. larry but immensely better? idk, something like that. jamil is always trying (and failing) to keep kalim from being accused of murder, and he always calls silver up when kalim's been arrested💀 vil & rook are the obligatory movie actors (main characters in some global studios production, probably another steel samurai spinoff), epel is their adopted son but he likes to hang out with the savanaclaw trio (much to vil's dismay) ortho is idia's assistant & android brother, just like in twst (and maybe his human version's death has something to do with the "ten years ago" case that every game has) malleus is part of a very influential family, and ofc he gets accused of murder once. his case is when the players first meet riddle as opposition, because there is no way that sebek would EVER, in ANY UNIVERSE prosecute malleus. he just couldnt. lilia doesnt die (cuz as much as i love angst, i just couldnt do that) but instead after the first couple of cases he travels the world n does some stuff thatll probably be plot important (idk man) also silver & sebek have that beautiful wonderful opposing counsel romantic tension. im a silbek truther what did u expect. also sebek's gonna have a whole edgeworth arc where he gets accused of murder and he has to learn to trust silver and its gonna be GAYYYYY neige is a rival of vil's (like engarde and corrida except without the whole adrien & celeste thing cuz that was lowkey fucked up. and also the rivalry is mostly on vil's side) so maybe like neige gets poisoned (non-fatally probably) and vil gets accused for it or smth chenya is the recurring witness who is sometimes helpful and sometimes not-so-helpful. like lotta or oldbag but more helpful than them ernesto and gino are culprits in one of the cases probably. hey can we talk about how playful land was straight-up human trafficking. thats kinda fucked-up right. also scully might be a client who's a twist villain at some point. idk, i havent seen all of his event so all my knowledge is tangential.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT!! Also in this au, magic is just a thing that exists, much like in twst, where it’s like modern world-adjacent and also some people have magic 🤷 I just can’t imagine twst without magic, tho it might not be the exact same system n stuff… idk

[painted-kneecaps]

like 70% of this fic so far is Phoenix Wright having heartfelt moments with all of his adopted children. I KNOW it’s a pride and prejudice AU. WE’LL GET THERE

[adventures-in-mangaland]

Dead Boy Detectives Fic Recs Part 7

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

So I hear there's been some fandom drama? Guess it's time for another fic rec list! This fandom is so lovely, so let's focus on the positive and give all the love to our writers and artists. You guys are so talented. ♥️

Work It Harder, Make it Better by dear_monday, two_ravens

Olympics AU! And kind of Sk8er Boi? Charles is an Olympic skateboarder at the end of his competitive career and Edwin is a rising star in the world of dressage. They fall in love at Paris 2024. Amazing writing, as always, and I also enjoyed Niko and Crystal as members of the skateboarding and equestrian teams having their own Olympics Romance and Jenny as Charles' world-weary coach.

Twin Flame by Leandra

Another "He was a punk, he did ballet" romance! This time, everyone is alive and the boys meet when Charles watches Edwin perform at his little sister's ballet recital. The romance and Charles as a big brother are very sweet, which is great as this fic also covers some heavy themes. It's set in the 90s so there's discussion of homophobia, the AIDs crisis and Charles' canon child abuse. Suffice to say, his bisexual awakening is quite fraught. Recommended!

Love for Hire by lucrow

Edwin hires Charles to freak out his parents with his obnoxious fake boyfriend. What could possible haaappeeen? And yes, it's a ballet/punk romance too. 😅 Anyway, it's giving fantastic banter, lots of emotions and great use of trope! I also enjoyed Edwin's relationship with his mum in this fic, excellent parental feels.

so I try to talk refined by shadowquill17

Charles finds out about the Cat King taking on his appearance and (somehow) arrives at the conclusion that Edwin isn't attracted to him. Charles having body image as well as chronic self-esteem issues was interesting but kind of heartbreaking. Read it for Edwin's agonised attempts to verbalise his sexual attraction to Charles without exploding. That's love right there.

A Royal Pain(e) (series) by handwrittenhello

Royalty AU! I love a bodyguard romance from time to time and this one is lovely. Lots of yearning.

Turnabout's Fair Play by LikeMmmCookies

Edwin enlists Niko and Crystal to teach him how to flirt with Charles. It starts off cute and awkward and ends up Master Of All He Surveys, which is very Edwin.

I will love you (I really love you) by ghostinthelibrary

Charles has a feelings realization and tries to confess to Edwin. Repeatedly. From a cock-blocking enchanted statue to a Hellhound, it's farcical and fun. This fic has been living in my head rent free for months.

seasons of mists by laiqualaurelote

Edwin hires Charles to be the barista in his book shop's cafe. Two cosy AUs in one! And it even comes (appropriately) with its own reading list and fanart! Very cute, excellent autumnal vibes and a superb imaginary book shop. I'm genuinely so devastated it's not a real place. 😭

Ariadne's Thread by hobbitsdoitbetter

In which Edwin is demisexual and trying to make it work with Charles. Love to see some ace spectrum representation!

you know the problem with history (it keeps coming back like weeds) by aletterinthenameofsanity

Amnesia AU! And kind of Secret Relationship? Edwin has Not So Temporary Amnesia that made him forget a whole romantic relationship with Charles early in their partnership. And Charles never told him... Surely this will have no impact on the events of canon?? 😬 I loved this twist on the trope!

scraped to the marrow by Anonymous

Edwin learned black magic in Hell and kind of went to the Dark Side. I love the trope of "Everyone thinks Character avoids violence because they're scared/weak/nice/bad at it, but actually they're a bit too good at it" and this fic does it well. I love regular Edwin, but Lord Bone was also pretty cool.

To Walk Back Into Hell by Asidian

Charles goes to Hell in Edwin's place, so naturally Edwin needs to find a way to rescue him! Interesting Hell lore and I loved all the Charles love in this.

It does not stop by williamvapespeare

Now he's safe from Hell, Edwin finally works through his PTSD. Emotional, but peak Emotional Support Charles for the win!

signed, sealed, delivered by sulfuric

Outsider PoV of the boys and the agency through the years from the perspective of the Ghost Postman. He's kind of underrated as a side character, but there are so many Implications about the Dead Letter Office, so I enjoyed the worldbuilding. And the supernatural community of London gossiping about/shipping the boys (they're just like us, for real). Love that trope.

not so secret by lola_prongs

Social Media/Celebrity AU! In which they're both actors and Charles relentlessly thirsts after Edwin on Twitter. Great use of social media/epistolary storytelling.

Like a record, baby by singtome

Another celebrity/social media AU, but this time Charles and Crystal are budding rock stars and Edwin is their manager. Also Edwin goes viral as the mysterious #HotGuyatUnity after his picture's taken at an event and Charles *tries* to set the record straight. This one's funny, generous with the yearning and UST and is part of a series that also touches on the darker side of the music industry/celebrity, which I appreciated. And it also has this excellent visual representation of the online drama.

@ghostinthelibrarywrites @tumblerislovetumblerislife @shadowquill17 @neurodivergent-fangirling @whatthehorsedoicallthisblog @shazziez @many-gay-magpies @extremely-eager-reader @atariakana @guardianspirits13 @colourmornings @herebehunters @avoiceofnerat @littlepocketuniverse @overlord-of-chaos @fairandfatalasfair @handwrittenhello @every-moment-a-different-sound @williamvapespeare @laiqualaurelote @dear-monday @dear-lucrow @aletterinthenameofsanity @likemmmcookies @bibliomancer7 @c-rowland @nobledragonflying @hobbitsdoitbetter

I've tagged some people again. Let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

[misterloveletter]

AA Swap AU Questions

I have received some good questions over the past few days. I’ll summarize them here.

Q: Are any of the other characters swapped? Is Manfred von Karma a defense attorney now?

A: No, only Phoenix and Edgeworth are swapped. Manfred von Karma is still a prosecutor, through a series of twists, he adopts Phoenix instead. Mia Fey becomes Edgeworth’s mentor.

Q: Does Gregory Edgeworth still die?

A: Yes. I find that in roleswap AUs it is common to have DL-6 not happen, but I’m interested in writing a version where it does.

Q: How does Edgeworth meet Mia in this AU?

A: Like Turnabout Memories, she defends him as a college student from a false murder charge. Mia is initially involved because of her suspicions towards Dahlia, but immediately recognizes the Edgeworth name from DL-6 as well. Until she explains it to him after the trial, Edgeworth knew almost nothing about the incident as he had serious memory loss. Her goal of justice for her mom becomes their bond and inspires him to follow his childhood dream of becoming a defense attorney.

Q: It's interesting that Phoenix got his last name changed while canon Edgeworth kept his. Does that mean von Karma likes Phoenix more than Miles? A: In the swap AU, he doesn't adopt Phoenix to frame him later, but rather because he is a witness to something important and must be controlled. The "Edgeworth" name was a vital reminder of his revenge in canon, but "Wright" is a name he can throw away. Manfred von Karma makes a successful prosecutor out of him, until Miles Edgeworth reappears as a defense attorney and things start going off the rails.

[evelinessa]

The Man on the Magazine

An extended version of the modeling AU I wrote last year for Turnabout Playboy: A Phoenix Wright Pinup Zine by @turnaboutplayboyzine.

Gen | Narumitsu | Fluff and light angst | 5.3k | Rated G

The Man on the Magazine

Phoenix Wright, Ivy University art student, was browsing magazines mindlessly whilst waiting in line at the campus clinic for some precious Coldkiller X. There, his attention was captured by the distantly familiar face of his old childhood friend—Miles Edgeworth. Sensing something was off about his once-friend, Phoenix attempts to contact him numerous times to no avail. Determined to save Edgeworth from his path, and left with little other options, Phoenix dives headfirst into his new aspiration—becoming a model. -- AKA: Phoenix and Edgeworth's backstory with a modeling twist!

Some tropes & tags:

Alternate universe - fashion & models | Pre-relationship

[toads-n-moss]

Hi! i was wondering what manfred's reason for adopting/taking in phoenix are? they don't really have a connection outside of edgeworth in canon so i was curious what you came up with! thanks :D

great question :D /gen

manfred takes phoenix in after case 1-5, thorns of the turnabout.

well.. takes in as in.. he kind of just takes him. lemme explain.

this is kind of a long story so buckle up folks-

as we all know, manfred is all about perfection. he wants to maintain his perfect streak of wins no matter what. after edgeworth defeats him in previous cases, specifically turnabout samurai, manfred is livid. he wants revenge against edgeworth.

but he notices something.

during turnabout samurai, phoenix is actually the one who raises the case-turning question and helps miles out of a seemingly hopeless trial.

in hindsight, manfred sees the potential in him. he sees phoenix's attention to detail and how that could be a good quality for a prosecutor. he overhears that phoenix is studying law, but is unsure of what he wants for his future (just a small existential crisis, i'm sure it's nothing). so manfred knows that phoenix could possibly be persuaded into being a prosecutor.

there's just one small problem. a certain defense attorney named miles edgeworth of course.

the two are almost always together, and manfred already knows that both of them are distrusting of him.

luckily, just like the dl6 incident, a whirlwind of poorly timed events leaves phoenix in the perfect position to be taken in by manfred.

1-5 takes place almost directly after 1-3 in this au, so the anger manfred has about losing is still fresh.

however, a few days later, manfred is called back to the courtroom, this time prosecuting miles edgeworth for the attempted murder of phoenix wright.

long story short, manfred is now aware that phoenix has head trauma and most likely has some form of amnesia.

phoenix is now finally isolated from miles as he is in the hospital while miles is being held in the detention center.

this sets up a perfect window of time where manfred is able to take phoenix after the case is over and fly him back to germany.

that is manfred's revenge on edgeworth. twisting a friend into someone that goes against everything he stands for. turning phoenix against miles to cause him the most pain and conflict.

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Red Alert; an AU Guild Wars 2 Story

The Tideturners have lived in secrecy for decades, their operations hidden deep within the heart of the Mists. Rarely have they ever dared to reach out to the myriad of worlds that exist beyond their headquarters-- but things are changing. Time ticks away. The horizon draws closer. They cannot afford to hide away forever.

When the Commander was contacted by their head of security and offered a tentative alliance, he wasn't sure what to make of it. Why him? Why now? Who even are these masked strangers that all seem to know him so much better than he knows any of them? It was unsettling even back then, but now he knows exactly why.

Tick tock. Tick tock. It was a daring move, breaking into the Sidewinder's office to search for the answers, but the truth of this place is finally in his hands. If only it didn't leave him with so many more questions than answers. How can he possibly trust them now?

He has no idea how much his old adversaries feel the same.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

      The Sidewinder had always claimed that ASP’s security features shone crimson as a warning. Few had reason to doubt her claims; it made sense after all, didn’t it? Red was the color of blood. Danger. Risk. Injury. Who wouldn’t take it seriously? That was certainly how the Inquest used it, and the message never went questioned for long. To most, it was as logical an explanation as any– and there was no reason to ask any further after that.

     What else, after all, could the color red possibly mean?

     The Commander had almost forgotten, after all these years.

     Alarms blared, shrieking into the Turnabout’s main office from every direction. Every circuit flared with sharp, biting crimson, flickering along the wires and making the electric lighting overhead sputter and spark as if on the verge of a short. Power surged all around them– all from a source that he now knew all too well. How had he been such a fool?

      “Mai.” A single word left the asura’s lips. That was all he needed to say.

      The masked figure before him bowed her head. Acknowledgement, yet defiance remained as her shoulders rolled, the dangling chain links of her mechanical pauldrons rattling. He didn’t need to know what expression lay behind that disguise; he could already guess. Or, at least, he was pretty sure he could.

       “You know,” hummed a familiar electronic voice from a nearby speaker, “This really is no way to repay our generosity. Breaking into our humble workplace, after we so graciously invited you into our home? Tsk tsk. You really are a shameless little rat. Pity we didn’t set up any mousetraps for you.” Even laced with a heavy layer of static, he knew that voice well.

       “Don’t play coy with me. I know who you are, too.” The Commander’s voice was quivering. “The red energy signature, the morbid jokes, that pretentious attitude… Mai’s identity was just the last piece of the puzzle.” His eyes narrowed, jaw set as he glared into the closest camera. “You really had me going for a bit there, too. I almost believed you might be the real deal.” A twisted laugh echoed through the room, tinny as it reverberated from every intercom at once.

      He knew that laugh, too. He’d certainly heard it enough times.

      Red meant danger. Red meant fire and molten metal.

     But most of all, it also meant Scarlet Briar.

     “Come now, I would have thought the truth would be even more impressive! It’s not every day you meet a literal ghost in the machine, darling.” The Commander rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

     “Oh please. Every Inquest flunkie knows how to merge a living being with a golem, it’s not that impressive. I’ve encountered at least a dozen different biomechanical prototypes over the course of my career.” An annoyed ‘tch’ could be heard crackling through the speakers.

     “And how many of them were able to utilize that procedure to anchor a Fractalized echo, hm?” He had to admit, hearing her actually sound a bit irritated was a nice change of pace. “Or, say, give that spirit total control over a supercomputer hub and by extension, the entire facility it operates? None, I imagine. But you silly little asura do so love to think you’re the smartest ones in the room…”

     “Hm,” he remarked, unable to resist poking the bear one last time, “I think you just described yourself, actually.” A sharp pneumatic hiss rattled maintenance pipes in the ceiling, and he couldn’t quite tell if the technomancer’s invocation was hissing at him on purpose or had literally blown a gasket. He suspected it to be a bit of both.

      But the altercation was swiftly cut off as one boot thumped the floor impatiently. The Sidewinder didn’t look impressed; her tense body posture spoke louder than any words. The gleaming golden claws of one gauntlet were gripping a pistol at her hip, though she hadn’t yet drawn it. He studied her for a long moment, waiting. She made no move to approach.

     “Whatever you may think of me,” she growled finally through rattling hardware, “This doesn’t have to end in a fight. Surrender quietly and we can put this behind us.” The Commander fell silent.

     There was something in her voice that he hadn’t caught before. It was easy to miss behind the layers of electronic filtering, but… The more he focused on it, the more certain he was. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the revelation, something twisting unpleasantly in his gut. Suddenly he wondered if that mask was worn to disguise more than just her identity.

     … She was scared of him. The Sidewinder wasn’t shaking from anger, but fear.

     And in spite of all the poking and prodding, ASP still hadn’t made a single attempt to harm him. Neither of the two had, waiting for him to make the first move. They didn’t want to fight.

     The Commander wasn’t the type to back down from a scrap, no matter how impossible the odds. He’d taken on entire armies practically alone, slain massive heaps of raging dragon corruption, dismantled legions of mechanical horrors. He wasn’t afraid to use force if he had to– but that was just it, wasn’t it? He could feel his own hands shaking. This doesn’t have to end in a fight. The Mai he’d known rarely showed that kind of restraint. She only ever gave up when pushed into a corner, beaten down and hopeless.

     This woman was so broken she’d given up before the battle even began.

     There was no honor to be found in defeating someone like that. The mere thought of it just made him feel like a mean-spirited bully.

     A long, heavy sigh escaped the asura’s lips and, with no small amount of reluctance… He allowed his weapons to clatter to the floor. The Commander hoped he wasn’t going to regret that. For a long moment all was silent aside from the continuous blare of that alarm.

     “... Er..” To his amusement, the Sidewinder actually sounded a bit incredulous. “You’re.. Actually surrendering?” She straightened slowly, as if unsure what exactly she should be doing under these circumstances; this clearly wasn’t an outcome she’d actually expected. Even ASP seemed to be at a loss for words, her various jade tech artillery modules around the room slowly lowering in apparent confusion. Clearly the ‘AI’ wasn’t as much of a loose cannon as she liked to pretend.

     It wasn’t something he was used to doing either, but… This time, it felt like the right choice. The Commander nodded. “I am.” His former adversary only seemed to be even more perplexed, shifting her weight back and forth awkwardly before glancing pointedly at his dropped weapons.

     “... If I were to pass on what happened here, you'd be imprisoned at best, but most likely banished from the premises.” He could hear the inner conflict in the Sidewinder's tone. She paused for a long moment, head slightly lowered; only after seeing her nod a few times did he realize she was conducting a silent conversation with ASP. After a long, uncomfortable silence, she lifted one gauntlet and snapped her fingers.

     ASP’s alarms went silent as all the room's defenses retreated back into their hidden panels. All that remained of ASP's presence now were a few illuminated screens and the Sidewinder herself, her mask's red eyes watching the Commander in silent contemplation. He didn't interrupt, waiting patiently for her final verdict– only for the staring contest to finally break as she made a gruff ‘ahem’ into one gauntlet.

     “... Just put those away,” she ordered finally. “Gods know what sort of magical radiation you're packing. I'd rather not risk frying my hardware by handling them, but if anyone catches you armed then you're on your own.” He knows what she really means and won't say; if she confiscated his weapons they’d have to be logged. She's keeping him off the books. He gave her a nod of understanding and finally crouched to retrieve them, returning the weapons to his bag.

     “It really isn't an act, is it?” he inquired finally. “When I broke in here I assumed you were trying to pull a fast one on me, but…” Glancing to the cameras, he frowned. “You two really aren't planning anything are you?” The Sidewinder snorted quietly.

     “Oh you silly thing,” chuckled ASP with no small amount of amusement, “You really thought that, what, we lured you here as part of some nefarious trap? Come now, we both know I'm a more effective schemer than that.”

     “What she means to say,” clarified the Sidewinder with an exasperated shake of her head, “is that if we wanted to hurt you, leading you right into our base would be one hell of a stupid way to start.” One hand raised, resting on the side of her mask. Hesitation. “But… I get it. You don't trust us, and we don't trust you. Sooner or later something was going to have to give, and I know hiding so much didn't do us any favors. It’s time we talked… Face to face.”

     Click. The mask popped loose, electronics flickering out as it slid forward from the mechanical latches shifting underneath. When she drew it away, the sharp gaze that met the Commander's eyes told him everything.

      The woman staring back at him with weary eyes certainly was Mai Trin… But not as he'd ever seen her.

      She looked so tired and worn. Scars marked her jaw and vanished down into the collar of her coat, tracing old chemical burns that must have been excruciatingly painful. The wear of many years was written all over her features; he couldn't tell whether she was really that much older than the Mai he'd known, or if those creases had been carved by stress and pressure alone. This was the face of someone who'd been through the depths of hell and brought it back with her. There was no escape from the nightmares that lived on in her eyes.

     When he'd seen Mai drunken and rambling, abandoned by her crew with nothing left of her legacy except the barely coherent spirit of her former boss, he thought that was as damaged as the woman could possibly get. Maybe the Sidewinder was more stable, but he couldn't begin to imagine what could leave her with such a deeply haunted look. The Commander knew that look, though. He knew it very, very well.

      It was the same he saw whenever he looked in the mirror, thinking about all the things he could've done differently and all the lives he couldn't save.

      The Commander's gaze softened. Mai had wanted so desperately to be more than the horrors of her past. But in the end, no matter how far she ran, the darkness of her history always had a way of catching her up and dragging her down with it. He doubted this was what she'd had in mind, but it proved one thing he'd only ever been able to guess at before.

      … All she'd ever really needed was a chance to be someone better.

      “I shouldn't have ransacked your files,” he admitted, scratching behind one ear. “That was pretty reckless, even with my suspicions. I thought I knew what I was getting into, but… I apologize for misjudging you.” The Commander thought for a moment, brows furrowing. “Your version of Scarlet isn't exactly the industry standard either, is she?”

      “Well you certainly did find the rudest possible way to phrase that, now didn't you?” the invocation huffed. “But no, I suppose I'm not what you would consider a ‘standard’ echo of Scarlet Briar, as far as the Mists are concerned. Though I like to think that's a good thing.”

      “She died early,” the Sidewinder elaborated quietly. “Before the war even began. Her Alliance had barely even come together. Because of that she's a lot less… Corrupted. Turns out not having a dragon in her head does wonders for her sanity.”

     “See? As I said, it's a good thing.” Despite the revenant's somber tone, he could've sworn ASP sounded more chipper than ever. “I for one quite like being stable and well-adjusted. Isn't it nice when we aren't trying to kill each other?” In spite of himself, the Commander couldn't help a slight wry smile. He was starting to grasp her sense of humor a little bit more. For all her jokes, she was all bark and no bite.

      The last thing ASP wanted was to go back to square one.

      “Well, it's an improvement.” He maintained that smile. “At least now when you get an itchy trigger finger, you don't actually follow through on it.”

      “Exactly!” she cackled, apparently ecstatic that he was playing along. “See Mai, he gets it! These days I just traumatize nuisances with words instead of violence. It’s MUCH more efficient and I don't get confined to a toaster for maiming some incompetent clerk that doesn't know what an arcanomatrix cryotemperate modulator is.” The Sidewinder rubbed one hand over her face with the most drawn out exasperated sigh he'd ever heard. And that was quite a feat considering how many ridiculous questions had been asked of his poor college professors in class…

     “Please don't encourage her,” she groaned. “You're going to give me a hangover and I haven't even started drinking yet.” The Commander raised an eyebrow at her thoughtfully.

     “... ‘Yet?’ So I take it you haven’t kicked that habit?”

     “Try getting through a day with that menace rattling around in your skull and you'll understand.” ASP gasped in feign offense, but the theatrics were sign enough that she wasn't actually upset. He was starting to figure that out pretty quickly.

     … The two of them really were just joking around with him now weren't they? It was a surprisingly comforting revelation– not only that they trusted him enough to include him in their banter… But that he also felt good enough about it to join in naturally, too. Maybe, just maybe, this was going to work out okay in the end. Their casual snark actually reminded him of some of his friends from Dragon's Watch.

     “Fair enough,” he agreed, that smile still in place– even as ASP let out another offended gasp in turn. It was remarkable how quickly the tension had melted away now that they were actually being transparent with each other. Maybe that was all they’d really needed.

     A leap of faith, no matter what consequences it may entail.

     “Well, while you two were ganging up on me like the little traitors you are,” ASP bit back, “I’ve gone ahead and finished logging this security breach as a hardware malfunction in the official records. You’re welcome, you ungrateful drones.” He caught a faint ‘snrk’ from the Sidewinder.

     “Yes, thank you ASP.” With that, she made a swiping gesture in front of her with one gauntlet to summon a levitating holotablet, and then swiped and tapped a few more times before dismissing the display with a flick. “There, went ahead and cleared out my schedule for the day. I have a feeling this chat might take some time, Commander.” With that, she retrieved a stool from the edge of the room and placed it next to her desk, flopping into her own seat with a surprisingly casual air. He almost expected her to put her boots on the table, but apparently that level of disdain was strictly reserved for business meetings and politics.

     Understanding the prompt, he took a seat on the stool with a nod of agreement. “Then we’d better get started. I think we’ve got a lot to catch up on, Mai.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

     It was a bit haunting, she thought. The look on his face as she concluded her briefing felt so strange to her. Perhaps this Commander was full of surprises. And perhaps he wasn’t. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure whether his reaction was what she expected or not.

     Such keen sympathy wasn’t something she was accustomed to seeing on that face.

     But, for all his familiarity, the person wearing that face was much different from the one she’d known. And the Sidewinder had known that– of course she did– but had she been prepared for it? Not as well as she’d thought, it seemed. Even knowing the heart that beat within him was kind and warm, she still found herself waiting to find cold, bitter ice waiting in his eyes.

     This wasn’t her Commander. And she’d keep reminding herself of that until she believed it.

     “... I’m sorry,” he spoke finally. “It does explain a lot, though. And.. Strange as it is, I can relate.” The asura’s brows creased once more, studying her briefly before glancing at the red flickers that danced along a magitech display. “It seems like everyone around this place has a knack for defying expectations.” She caught the hint of a smile tugging at his lips, if for just a moment. But then it was gone– and he fixed his focused golden eyes on her once more, contemplative. “But… There’s one more thing I’d like to ask, if I may.” The Sidewinder felt her jaw clench ever-so-slightly, but she gave him a nod nonetheless.

    “Alright, ask away.” She had a bad feeling she already knew what his question would be.

    “... You never mentioned the Grand High Sovereign’s name.” She hated when she was right.

    “Trust me,” she answered quietly. “You’re better off not knowing.”

    But she could already see the answer in his eyes. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t telling him. She didn’t have to. He already knew. There was no hiding this truth from him, no matter how deeply she wished to. The guard rails were already off, and it was far too late to put them back on.

     Commander Ruju watched her silently with those tired, tired eyes, and she couldn’t help thinking how much different the two were. His expression was weary in a way that only the living could accomplish; there was a fire still burning deep within, smoldering under a layer of long-blackened ash. He kept it guarded carefully, but if you were to set your hand over the cinders, you would still sear your fingers on its concealed flame. Resolve like that had been tempered by a lifetime of strain, endlessly fighting against the flow of fate.

      The Ruju she’d known was empty and cold, forever seeking the darkness that would one day fill in where a living heart was meant to beat. There was nothing in his eyes, not even hate. That asura had felt more like a machine than a living being even before he replaced so much of his body with rigid, unfeeling metal. Now she wasn’t sure if he had a living heart at all.

      What had made him that way? The Sidewinder didn’t know, and likely never would.

      He lowered his eyes finally, one stubby claw starting to trace circles on the desk in front of him. “That’s why you chose me, isn’t it?” She couldn’t quite identify the emotion in his voice. Regret? Frustration? Resignation? All of the above? “I’m the only option you haven’t tried.” There was no blame in it, though. She almost wished that there was.

       “Lots of Commanders have tried,” the Sidewinder admitted. “None of them survived. You–”

       “I can do it.” Her heart sank, breath hitching sharply. “I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. I might be the only one who can.” The earnest fire that broke out in his voice– the fierce resolve. She knew that expression, and she was never, ever going to let this happen again.

       “Don’t.” He seemed almost taken aback by the firmness of her tone. “The last thing we need to do is to feed another corpse into that lunatic’s meat grinder.”

       “Your chances of survival are roughly 0.000001 percent, dear,” ASP chimed in coldly. “And that’s assuming you flee at the start of battle. Victory? That’s a hard 0. I’ve run the statistics. And believe you me, a supercomputer powered by an intellect like mine simply doesn’t make errors.”

       Commander Ruju paused at that, but she could tell he was thinking. Finally there was a light tap of his nail against the table once more. His resolve was unwavering, but she saw something else this time– a flash of cunning. Maybe he was most used to having immense brute force on his side, but… That wasn’t how he got his start. Before Ruju was a soldier, he was a scientist.

      “Then, how do we even the odds?” The Sidewinder could feel her invocation smile.

      “... That’s more like it. Now you’re thinking like a strategist, Commander.”

[inyunjin]

what are your fav ryeji aus? PLS RECOMMEND 🥹🥹🥹

Howdy, anon. Thank you for the ask! It was an absolute delight to go through my bookmarks and remind myself of all the lovely ryeji fics I've read, but here are the AUs that have stuck with me the most.

Wheel, Snipe, Celly by lonewolflink

This fic has changed my life, no joshing. I am literally sitting at my computer wearing a Ducks jersey while waiting for the game to start right now because of this fic. Link's passion and knowledge of hockey shines so bright, that as someone who did not care about hockey or sports at all before this, I just had to get into it because of it.

One could argue that the ryeji aspect of this hasn't gone full throttle yet. But the build up and relationship building is there and it's so good and not only that, just a great ensemble fic featuring not only the ITZY girlies, but the TWICE girlies as well.

quiet afternoon crush by ddeongies

Another ongoing one, this one would definitely sate any ryeji-wants you might have. Vicariously live through Ryujin/Yeji as they experience all the sapphic-college-twists-and-turnabouts you didn't get the chance to experience.

Man, what a journey this one is. To me, it has all the feel-good, love to see stuff you get with a budding relationship between two (kinda) idiots, but without any of the unnecessary drama one might see with this kind of story? The ryeji in this is so incredibly sweet and soft, while also being super hot, oof. So good.

i'd rather your body (than half of your heart) by ghostheadlock

I don't know what to say about this one. Wouldn't call it a feel good fic, but man, this thing has continued to haunt me ever since I've read it.

A Ryujin character study about her liking Yeji and how that might manifest in different ways? Is that how I would describe it? I don't want to go too deep into this and I'm terrible at summarizing things.

Read this. It will latch onto you.

heaven is a place i know (when i'm with you) by anonymous

Ryujin is a fallen angel in Hell.

Yeji is an angel from Heaven that comes down to visit her.

Beautiful.

give us a chance (please) by qaisal

I don't read a lot of soulmate AUs.

I love this soulmate AU. It's not a simple "Oh, hey, looks like we're soulmates, let's fall in love," and I think we get to see a lot more out of Ryujin and Yeji because of that.

where we are by snowddeong

There is SO much here that I want to see more of. I feel like anyway I could describe this fic would be a disservice to what it's actually about? Yeji's engaged to be married, but she has an affinity for Ryujin who's a phone sex operator and, like, huh???

This is only a one shot that kinda suggests a bigger world around it, but this thing is such a mood and I love it.

--------------------

And I could go on, but at that point, I'd just be listing every AU I've ever bookmarked. I hope I was able to throw a couple of suggestions your way or maybe give you a chance to reread some stuff you've already read.

Ryeji is super important to me (it's the ship that got me into reading/writing Kpop fics), and these are the ones that I am just absolutely enamored with. I'm so grateful you limited your question to AUs, 'cause this list would've been impossible to make if it was just no-holds-barred.

I've yet to throw my hat into the ring when it comes to AUs, but I have a couple of ideas that will hopefully see the light of day one day. If not, as you can see, there is absolutely no shortage of amazing writing out there.

Anyway, thank you again, anon, for the ask and a big double thanks to all the ryeji writers out there! You're amazing folks and I love you all!!

[hotel-japanifornia]

I have so many questions after reading your wip list and I don't know where to start asking fhdkhjfshdkj. I'll start there. I am deeply curious about the "Phoenix Never Exists AU with a twist", especially the twist? (if the twist spoils the fic, don't tell me what it is 🫡)

Ok, so I'm glad you asked this, because I've been waiting for the opportunity to talk about this subject. Basically, ever since I heard about The Miraculous Turnabout, the idea of a "What if Phoenix never existed" AU has practically always piqued my interest. But, the more I thought about it, the more what I personally would happen began to diverge from well, pretty much every fic with that concept really.

Now, this is where the twist comes in: simply put, Mia Fey doesn't die by Redd White's hand. Instead, because the person who Dahlia gave the necklace to was either not interested in it and gave it back or was killed by Dahlia, I had it so that Mia practically puts her career on hold to pursue Dahlia. The idea was that in doing so, she would go missing and Maya would as well in trying to find her some years later.

One could assume that Mia wouldn't do this because of her mission to bring Redd White to justice but, remember that this is the woman who staked her badge on putting Dahlia away. I just don't see her not pursuing Dahlia especially after having at least one of her clients and her (potential) lover die by her hands.

Essentially, what this WIP entails is Godot becoming a detective instead of a prosecutor. He tackles on a few small cases before trying to get the one he really wants resolved opened again. One day, he meets a mysterious little girl who snuck out of her hometown; when questioned, she reveals that she used to have a cousin who would visit the city sometimes.

[painted-kneecaps]

Pride and Prejudice and Turnabout AU

Pearl’s Debut

(I really just wanted to write Nick being a proud dad so forgive me for not being linear-

This scene takes place after the first ball in the story, at the point in P&P where they all go to the Lucases party. It’s Pearl’s first season, and Morgan is adamant that she make her debut, much to Phoenix’s chagrin.

This party will also be the first time Edgeworth asks Wright to dance, but that’s neither here nor there.)

•

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Pearls?”

She looked up at him, a timid smile stretched taught across her face. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly in concern, hands clenched in the fabric of her gauzy pink gown.

She looked lovely. She looked grown up.

She looked like Mia.

She drew a shuddering breath and nodded firmly. “I’m ready, Mr. Nick.”

“You don’t have to make your debut this year,” he reminded her, his tone almost pleading. “There’s always next season.” Eighteen is too young. This can’t be right.

But Pearl’s face hardened with determination, and she rolled up her sleeves in that way that she did when she was completely and thoroughly set on something. Nothing would change her mind now, Phoenix thought gloomily.

“No, Mr. Nick, I’m ready,” she breathed, “I want to do this.” Her voice wavered slightly.

Phoenix frowned. “Is this about what Maya said? About one of us getting married? Pearls, please tell me that’s not why-“

Pearl chuckled and shook her head, her smile finally appearing genuine.

“No, Mr. Nick,” she laughed “I know you’d never allow me to marry in my first season, anyway. It’s just-“ She looked away, nibbling on her thumbnail anxiously.

“Mamma wants me to do this so badly, and I just thought… maybe if I…”

Phoenix’s breath caught in his throat. “Oh, Pearls.”

“I just- maybe she would want me again.” Her head hung low, hands twisted in the silk of her new gown as Phoenix wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She sniffled, softly, and he sighed.

Phoenix had never gotten along with Morgan Fey. From the day Mia died, they had been at odds- Morgan had done everything in her power to obtain the estate for herself, despite Mia’s clear instructions, calling into question Phoenix’s legitimacy as a steward and a guardian, and even as a lawyer. When none of that had worked, she had sent her eight year old daughter to live with Lady Maya, under the guise of falling ill. She had never recovered, but somehow the only thing her illness ever prevented her from doing was being a parent.

Phoenix resented her for it- not for burdening him with Pearl, never for that- but for the dejected hunch of Pearl’s shoulders whenever the young lady was in her presence, for her eagerness to do as her mother bid, regardless of what Pearl herself wanted, for the pain of knowing that she was only a town away, and yet completely unreachable.

“Your Mamma is… a complicated person,” he said carefully. “She wasn’t ready to take care of anyone but herself. Some people never are.”

“You weren’t ready either, Mr. Nick,” she said tearfully “but you did it anyway. Because you love us.”

“Your Mamma loves you, too, Pearls,” he murmurs, hoping, praying that it’s not a lie.

“Not like you do, Mr. Nick,” she said hoarsely.

He smiled. “You know I’d never speak ill of your Mamma to you, Pearls,” he sighed “But no, not like I do.” His voice wavered, watery at the edges. He kissed the top of her head, her brown curls perfectly coiffed and pinned into the odd little looping shapes she always liked to wear.

“You know I’ll be beside you whatever you choose, right Pearls?” he asked, squeezing her gloved hands in his own. “If you want to debut this season, I’ll support you.” He grinned. “And, if you want to wait and come out with Trucy, I’ll support you even more.”

Pearl huffed, her smile watery as she swiped at the corner of her eye with her thumb. “I want to do this,” she said determinedly, straightening her shoulders.

Phoenix regarded her fondly, eyes glossy with pride. “Well, then,” he grinned, extending his arm. “Shall we, Ms. Fey?”

Pearl took a deep, steadying breath, giggling nervously, and slipped her gloved hand into the crook of his arm.

“We shall, Mr. Nick.”

[burnttoastlife]

How does the swap Iris do Bridge to the turnabout? Since I’m canon the reason Dahlia agrees to Morgan’s plan was to get back at Mia via Maya, which wouldn’t make sense for Iris in this au 🤔

Good question, let’s brainstorm!

Perhaps she, instead, does it because she sees it as an opportunity to help her mother, and rebuild a relationship with her. Especially since Morgan’s manipulation can make it seem as if it is for “the greater good”, Iris could hypothetically be easily tricked into doing it.

Morgan would just need to change her strategy, is all. Bringing up Mia was the perfect way to piss Dahlia off… so instead for Iris, she needs to play like Mother Gothel and sweet talk her into it. Convince her of how wronged they are by the branch family. Twist her sense of “justice” even further.

[the-writer1988]

I bring questions for the ask game... just a few:

4, 7, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, 39, 42, 43, 76 (for BTK)

Just a few....

Thank you so much for the ask!

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

I find inspiration from watching new things, or reading theories or posts and it makes my brain go into overdrive. For example, my latest fic idea was partially inspired by the 'Splitting Heirs' fanfic by @phantoms-lair and @providentially-demonic

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

It really depends on the scene. I do tend to veer towards Eugene's POV in my Tangled fanfiction because most of my fics revolve around him. But it does also depend on the scene and whether that POV fits. I tend to think about what I want from the scene before I start writing.

10. Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

Blinking, Eugene was slow to respond. “Uh… no problem, Your Majesty. Turnabout is fair play, I guess.”

I'm not going to say which WIP this is XD

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

Feedback is important to me. Though I do write for myself, I have always liked to receive feedback as it helps to keep my motivated, especially for very long projects. In my younger years, I did find it difficult to continue writing fics where I did not get much feedback or support but I am a lot more chill about it nowadays. It will always make me smile when a new comment is left.

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Too many lol!

Erm, ok, so one, is called: The Lost Prince. This fic follows the premise of Gothel kidnapping Eugene and raising him in the Tower instead. It is a twist of Tangled.

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

A common theme that does appear in my fic is whump. Hurt of my favourite characters. And the comfort that follows. Poor Eugene gets too much attention from me.

Or from other fandoms: Tony Stark, Sirius Black, Aragorn, and Obi-Wan Kenobi over the years I've been writing fanfiction.

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Hmm, I think my wildest ride one would have to be what I am currently writing: Between the Kisses. Though we have a rough guide to what we want to cover, it has evolved and developed and is coming out very different to what we had originally intended when @tangledbea and I first embarked on this mega project. I am enjoying every minute of it!

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

From The Lost Prince AU

The King had nearly lost his wife in childbirth and had - somehow - used the power within the Dark Kingdom to save her. It was rumoured that the newborn Prince had been born with striking cyan hair and eyes which had faded naturally to brown. 

If the baby Prince had somehow absorbed this power perhaps this was how Gothel could bring it to the Sundrop to amplify its power? 

42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Return to Me by ArcticPersephone. And, YES, I recommend it! It is a rewrite of S3 with one big change and I am honestly astounded by this fic. The character development and the plot always leaves me guessing and I would recommend this fic. It has everything for everyone, no matter who your favourite character is!

Return to Me - Chapter 1 - ArcticPersephone - Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon) [Archive of Our Own]

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

Erm. I would probably say yes in that I do take joy in whumping my characters but I enjoy the comfort that comes after as well.

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of BTK?

That is a rather difficult question to answer. At present there is potentially future scenes that were conceived of at the start of the project that won't make it in as plans have changed. But I can't think of anything specific that hasn't made it into the current chapters posted so far. :)

[ask-the-fox-guard]

Welcome to the new and improved Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria!

We will redirect to our Security Team for any concerns.

About:

The Fox Guard AU revolves around the former retired entertainer, Foxy being a security guard of Freddy's. It has taken elements from the Rebornica au and adding a lot of its own twists and turnabouts.

A lot of the information in the blog are outdated but it is tough to compile which is now canon and which isn't. Feel free to ask us!

Rules and Information:

No NSFW nor heavy suggestive asks. Mild joking is alright.

Asks for the other characters are welcome! (If unspecified, it will be redirected to our head of security, Foxy.)

Magic!Anon and RolePlay are encouraged but only one at the time.

Multiple Muses:

Any asks that involves multiple people, may it be m!a or rp, are limited to at least 4 or 5 muses. Asks for ‘everyone’ will be limited to the Security Guards only and our special staff, Vincent Heliotrope.

Stories:

One of Us

Available Security Guards and Staff:

Foxy the Pirate/Felix Schmidt

Michael A. Schmidt

Jeremy Fitzgerald

Fritz Smith

Scott Owen (Phone Guy)

Vincent Heliotrope

Gerald Anderson

Raymond Miller

"Alfred"

Will be updated!

[selfdiagnosedeyemotif]

So here's the lovely little freaks :]

Phoenix: Augustus Lambert

Maya: Melinoe Obsidian

Edgeworth: Delilah Brooks

Gumshoe: Salvador

Mia: Julie Lambert

Judge: Gloria

Gregory: Elias Lambert

Von Karma: Ione Brooks

Yonni Yagi: Oscar

Important info for the au (it's very different from canon OC lore so just ignore any trains and tragedy lore you may have seen)

Augustus and Delilah are siblings (I'm removing any and all romantic implications btw) and their parents are Gary and Ione. Ione hated Augustus cause he was a problem child (autistic kid in an unsupportive NT family) so she got rid of him and he was adopted by Elias Lambert.

One day in his 20s, he finds out his long lost sister Delilah is a prosecutor and becomes a defense attorney to try get into contact with her again.

After finishing law school, he meets this woman Julie and they get married. Julie has this younger cousin Melinoe and Augustus hardly knows her but Julie absolutely adores her like a sister. Melinoe has the ability to contact ghosts like Maya does but it works differently from canon because that crap where Maya looks like Mia made me deeply uncomfortable. Instead then it's still just Melinoe but it's like she's been possessed by Julie.

Gumshoe is Salvador because he would be :] he's stupid as crap in canon and has a deep respect for Delilah too

Anyway for the turnabout goodbyes case then it's mostly unchanged. At the time of the elavator incident then Augustus had already been adopted by Elias. Ione killed him because she just hates him. She didn't really have a good reason. In canon she's worse though so this is an improvement.

Oscar also consistently gets the short end of the stick in every au ever despite being a really nice and friendly guy in canon so I'm keeping up that tradition by having him be Yonni Yagi :3

I'll provide pics in the next ask :3

i think it's a really interesting twist on the usual tropes to have gregworth adopt phoenix rather than edgey!

[imsosocold]

Different DL-6 victim anon here yet again - obsessed with the Yogi AU making Manfred question his morals as he repeatedly tries to prevent Miles from confessing. Like, objectively he knows Miles is innocent, that he has no business being punished for a crime he didn't commit, but he can't very well say that to him, can he. So he tells him "it was an accident, you're not to blame" instead, but it's implied in Turnabout Goodbyes that the law in Japanifornia would rule him as guilty anyway? So is Manfred truly saying "the law is unjust"? (I mean I know he's really saying "I know who the criminal is and it's not you" but again he can't SAY that so he has to pretend he's saying something else and stand by it.) Besides, if Miles is innocent and he confesses either way, does he deserve to be found guilty, as per Manfred's "every defendant is guilty, ever" philosophy? Is part of his desperation to keep Miles from confessing to avoid that cognitive dissonance? There's just so much to unpack there and it is SO fascinating

And the Miles AU breaks my heart. The betrayal once the truth would be revealed omg. Probably as severe as the one Miles must have felt in Turnabout Goodbyes, although in a totally different way. On one hand, Manfred didn't frame Gregory for murder, and although he's here to pick up the pieces as Gregory is grieving, he's not Gregory's caretaker, he wasn't as formative a part of Gregory's life as he was for Miles. On the other hand, this is a fellow father that took Gregory's son from him. There are no amends that can make that right, and I think Manfred is too proud to try anyway, even through his guilt. I wonder if Gregory thinks Manfred did it on purpose? And whether Manfred would correct him. I'm not sure what would hurt less, "no I won't deny I took your son's life purposely just to make you miserable, no I will not explain either" or "I actually meant to kill you and not him, it was your son who was supposed to survive." I'm sure Gregory wishes the latter had happened anyway, but hearing that that was what Manfred meant to happen... it would hit different.

It actually makes me wonder about the canon events again. I wonder if Miles went to talk to Manfred after the trial? I wonder if he got an explanation for Manfred's behavior, of if Manfred just refused to talk to him. (I actually also wonder how Manfred went from "I'm gonna take this kid in and teach him everything I know" to "I'll bury you with my bare hands" but tbh I could write an entire essay rambling about that. It's such a mystery to me!) Is Miles under the impression Manfred planned the whole thing fifteen years earlier? Does Manfred correct him? Does he not bother? Hhhhhh *shakes them*

Ooohhh, best of luck on your journey! I hope it brings you the healing you're seeking. I'm glad you're having fun but please take care of yourself and don't pass out while hiking! All the best!

One of the things I love about Manfred is that he’s filled with contradiction and cognitive dissonance.   I’d love to read an essay about his potential reasons from going from “ loving yet stern father inwardly struggling with guilt and generally how to express himself ”  to “ I will give my all and risk everything to frame this kid I raised”.   In the Yogi AU, Manfred probably wouldn’t be thinking that deeply about morality ( I don’t think he’s that self aware) but if he did, he’d definitely try to twist it. ‘ I’m not wrong about anything, this is just a special circumstance.”  There’s definitely a part of Manfred whose desperation to stop Miles comes from him not wanting to have to examine himself further. Of course, if Manfred attempts anything like Turnabout Goodbyes he could use all this .  I’m imagining Phoenix trying to defend Miles when Miles himself is insisting he did it, certainly with his own father figure finally going against his own words, Manfred finally  “relenting” to the truth.  Very tasty. In the Miles AU, I think Manfred would probably admit his initial plan in the retrial, similar to his outburst in canon as well as the reason for wanting to murder Gregory. Whether he’d admit the extent of the guilt he feels for killing Miles is another story. Something I’ve always found interesting after Manfred’s outburst in the trial, he’s surprisingly calm. He doesn’t run or scream or cry or verbally assault people. He has an almost resigned air to him, like a prisoner being taken to their execution.  I imagine things would be left pretty ambiguous, similar to canon.  Gregory would probably never learn Manfred’s motivation for becoming practically a caretaker to him . There’d definitely be a lot of self blame from Gregory, if only I hadn’t been so picky about Manfred’s evidence, if only I hadn’t believed so blindly.  Just expecting himself to have known better.  Oh, and Phoenix as well! He got the truth, but at what cost?                                          I really wish we had gotten more detail on the whole custody and imprisonment process , along with more information about the prison system in general. Things in Japanfornia are really complicated and its not made very clear what law wise goes, not what general character opinion is beyond laws ( like how its generally agreed killing abusers is self defense though the law may disagree). But honestly I don’t think the series could bear to cover such complex topics. A scene with Manfred and Miles talking about their past  would probably be considered too dour for most players ( not for me I want to squish them like bugs).  I do imagine, at least at the start,  Miles goes to visit Manfred in prison. How could he not, despite everything Manfred was like another father to him.  While Manfred is a tricky character, personally I think he’d have a “ what’s done is done” attitude,  that even with pride aside he’d believe there’s no point in revealing his real feelings as it wouldn’t change anything. All Manfred has left is the secrets he holds onto like armor.                                        Thanks for the well wishes, it’s been a long journey but I did my best and made it. Lots of love sob.