#also I love apollo athena and trucy as a sibling trio

[just-posting-kalone]

I've been playing Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy (just started the 3rd case in Dual Destinies) so I drew some doodles

#fanart #ace attorney #apollo justice #klavier gavin #athena cykes #klapollo #tall athena!!!!!!!!! let her be tall!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #I used to never draw fanart bc I felt like I could spend that time drawing my own characters #but surprisingly I had a lot of fun doing ace attorney doodles #still don't know how to draw each of them but I'm trying stuff out #maybe if I have time in the future I will draw more of them and actually try do to it right #also I love apollo athena and trucy as a sibling trio

[maybe-a-gatto-or-a-catto]

Tbh when I was getting into the Wright Anything Agency more and more and looked more into the found fam side of the fandom I was really surprised by a good margin of people headcanoning them with nuclear family dynamics? Like I DO see them as a found family, but that is different to what entire nuclear family units are

I do love WAA as a family, but I never saw them in a nuclear family kinda way. I always saw them as a close group (Athena calls WAA a group while saying how fabulous everyone is in Turnabout Reclaimed so that's something) who share a workplace where they're at everyday. Practically they're just a friend group, but how they care about eachother is what counts here. For a franchise about families, strong bonds and persevering together it was inevitable WAA to be family beamed by loads of people; But their relationships in canon really aren't nuclear family dynamics if you look at the source material. (I'm literally making a WAA compilation video of scenes that show how much they care abt eachother and ones that show their dynamic well. I would know siheke.)

Phoenix is a mentor/boss that genuinely cares/bit too of a dad friend to Athena and Apollo (I'm genuinely laughing at how I described their relationships LMAO), and he's Trucy's father; the trio of Apollo, Trucy and Athena is a friend group, and Apollo and Trucy are siblings.... But they don't know that yet so friends. (I totally hc that they see eachother as siblings though). If you look at all this, the only real confirmed traditional family dynamic is Phoenix and Trucy. That's only one relationship out of the several! MAYBE Apollo and Trucy but we really don't know that. There isn't really basis for the idea that they have nuclear family dynamics. I do see examples for it but mostly they come from Phoenix and that's Just Who He Is. he likes to care for people and be responsible for them. He refused to take cases after Maya left in 1-5, only taking one after Ema approached him. He just needs to have someone to care for y'know? He just, let's Rayfa walk around with him despite her kinda hating him for the majority of the SOJ. He also tries to cheer her up once in 6-3 (failing miserably). And he just adopts Trucy despite not knowing a thing about parenting? He's a responsible guy, and he looks out for the minors that decide to hang around with him. It's a good trait to have as an adult, let's be real!

Tangent, so you can skip this paragraph, but TGAA is a really good example of untraditional family! Around the end of TGAA2 Ryuunosuke and Susato become siblings to Iris, and Iris realizes her true father is Sholmes- but the dynamics Susato and Ryuunosuke have with Sholmes is definitely friendship. Same with Susato and Ryuunosuke. Ryuunosuke also calls them the greatest family so CONFIRMED!! (Shu finally understood the assignment.)

Overal, found fams can be so many things! They aren't contained to traditional family dynamics so don't be afraid to call a group of characters a found family if you see it that way

Also it's genuinely not invalid to headcanon WAA with traditional family dynamics! You choose how to interact with fiction you like, and there's nothing wrong with seeing it another way for your enjoyment :3 I'm honestly just being a bitchbaby about people who don't acknowledge it's not canon. aight chao

#ace attorney #wright anything agency #gattocatto's ramblies #gattocatto's silly posts

[plounce]

my Concepts for aj2

so these are my thoughts and ideas about the game that would follow aa4 in a timeline where we got a coherent apollo trilogy rather than aa5 and aa6. as such, i am discarding aa5 and aa6′s apollo backstories because i find them incoherent as an arc and only slapped onto him for the plots of the games. etc etc. theorizing on squandered potential is me-bait. trucy and klavier get to have THEIR place in the narrative as important characters!! (sorry athena. you will get your own trilogy with good writing and a better design in this timeline too)

this is very stream of consciousness and while i think it’s fairly coherent it is also not chronologically organized as i build on ideas. i am genuinely sorry if the read more doesn’t work on mobile because this thing is stupid long.

containing:

apollo, trucy, and klavier being a firm Trio and getting character development and growing closer :)

themes about found family, letting yourself love/be loved, performance and persona, love giving you strength to do good, you being the one to determine your identity

exploration of the trio’s backstories and the development of their skills

prosecutor franziska chipping away at the corruption within the legal system

klavier being the assistant for a case

kristoph continuing to be a corrupt bastard

buildup to the sibling reveal & canon klapollo in the conclusion of the trilogy

- apollo is the main character

- phoenix is absent for like the entire game besides maybe a couple tiny flashbacks, later revealed to be working with edgeworth on anti-corruption stuff (which is also tied to kristoph & kristoph’s ties within the legal system, “old boys club” etc)

- trucy is assistant for first half of the game

- klavier is assistant for second half of the game. his hair is in a little bun or ponytail :) no drill hair for THIS individual person

- klavier is prosecutor for trucy assistant cases. in the 3rd case klavier was supposed to prosecute against apollo but things keep getting fishier and fishier and things keep reminding them of kristoph. klavier is ordered off the case from on high. mysterious replacement. klavier is too invested in seeing truth & justice come to light so he helps apollo

- franziska prosecutes cases 3 & 4. she has short hair and it’s super sexy and hot.

- kristoph set things up so that klavier is implicated in things. dig into how klavier and apollo feel unable to escape kristoph’s influence - “he’s too foundational”

- 4th case klavier is on trial. oh maybe 3 isn’t about kristoph but it’s just background stuff about the rampup to the 4th case - klavier is put on probation while things are investigated but he doesn’t know WHY, but he’s still committed to his ideals

- trucy is pursuing her magic career, klavier still loves music - has been releasing solo stuff maybe, just some EPs for free/charity, but isn’t touring. focusing on law

- case 4 has a family friend (NOT A WOMAN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... A MALE DAMSEL PLEASE) get accidentally poisoned through something klavier gave them. that’s the trial itself. kristoph was the source. klavier is arrested. it’s more complicated that this but it gets to this point. day 2 of the trial is when klavier is implicated and he gets yanked into cuffs from the defense bench

- one of case 4′s pillars is a memory from the gavin brothers’ childhood. discuss how kristoph was as a child. klavier has been realizing how... odd certain things were, and trying to pass it off as like “haha yeah kristoph would dissect dead birds and convince our parents that every mess was my fault. i guess that makes sense considering how he ended up haha? I Don’t Feel Strongly About This I Just Think It’s Funny :)”

- apollo’s perceive abilities expanding to be able to perceive general emotional states as well - along with learning to practice more empathy, being considerate. No Klavier And Trucy, You Are Not Fine. this is kind of like athena’s thing actually huh

- trucy, meanwhile, is learning to be more like. emotionally... independent? no. emotionally... self-caring. both independent in that she’s a young adult and also caring in that she is trying not to force herself to take care of everyone all the time and show her less pretty emotions to apollo. take care of herself

- case 1 has to do with something happening at trucy’s show/her career/her school etc. she’s still a real person etc. trucy’s friends mostly being adults, her feeling isolated at school. nah wait this is a slightly absurd world she’s not overly weird for her classmates necessarily. yeah ok it’s about magic

- case 2 has to do with klavier being a rockstar, the pressure of celebrity and public fascination with his persona. stalker fans, music industry, talk shows, etc. someone trying to convince him to come back to music. klavier has to arrest someone he’s fond of again. no big stadium performance in this game

- the trio all dealing with themes of hiding and trying not to feel “bad” emotions: apollo going “im fine” and suppressing his problems & just trying to do his job so he can cope with how overwhelmed & stressed he feels constantly etc etc + trucy hiding the secrets of her magic which is sort of representative of her hiding a lot of her sad/”ugly” feelings because she thinks she needs to because she thinks phoenix depends on her being cheerful all the time + klavier dealing with having a public persona and the pressures of being Himself, trying to be the person others see him as/want him to be, who is klavier when he is not performing? who are all of them when they are not performing? who are they performing for?

- yes i am a “woman” yes i am obsessed with the idea of performance

- trio all dealing with/feeling lonely wrt family: apollo learning more about jove (possibly during the music industry case - someone knew his dad, who refused a big contract), who he was & one of the cases involving someone from his past in the foster system - maybe it’s even clay! - but in general feeling very disconnected from “family” in general esp compared to trucy&klavier’s family troubles being so immediate and raw for them + trucy feeling lonely and kind of abandoned as phoenix is increasingly gone in this game and seeming very distant from her, similar to how zak abandoned her, and also the pains of growing up + klavier’s parents either are dead or are somewhat estranged after he got kristoph imprisoned, klavier feeling very lonely in general after his pursuit of truth&justice has snipped many of his connections from him

- yes i am gay yes i am obsessed with found family

- franziska having a moment of “i get how it is and it sucks” with klavier about Complicated Feelings About Family

- she eventually does realize during case 4 that klavier is guilty but has to hide it in order to push one of kristoph’s allies out into the open. sorry kid uh... what do you like. i will buy you. an ice cream? or something. look do you want a gift card i’ll buy you a gift card

- kristoph’s lawyer shows up near the start of the game to give things to apollo which he is deeply suspicious of but ema tests them and they come up clean. guy shows up here and there throughout the game. maybe tries to bribe apollo or something. apollo gets invited to a Fancy Lunch because he’s the one that bested kristoph gavin and that shows Promise. in a sense. or something. apollo being manipulated by people who refused to hire him when he got kristoph convicted etc

- themes about being young in a world full of secrets and webs of alliance that you feel barred from because you have ideals and won’t compromise them and also either come from nothing or burned all your bridges. just aa protag things <3

- oh maybe there’s a new judge who is also In On Nefarious Plots

- catching these people doesn’t fix everything but - it’s something. they got a couple shitheads

- trucy continues developing her gramarye abilities. more emotional depth. more exploration on complex feelings wrt phoenix and her childhood and her adolescence and how she’s fairly well-adjusted as one can be but also... the shit still hits yk... she’s like 16 years old so she’s maturing

- ema is there. she and apollo get along a bit better. asks after phoenix. provides evidence against klavier, and then evidence for.

- followup on apollo-edgeworth klavier-phoenix parallels - who is the one bringing them further into the light, chaser/chased, the one who wants more/the one who pushes away, etc etc

- follow through on implied gramarye mafia connections

- klavier isn’t super in the first case besides the courtroom and maybe one appearance, but he is like. worried about trucy if there is cause to be worried about her. set up their dynamic beyond trucy just liking the gavinners

- trucy&apollo and klavier&kristoph compares&contrast

- franziska is(/appears to be) very doubting/dismissive of apollo’s belief in klavier bc it’s like... are you pursuing the truth? or trying to shield your friend?

- apollo does end up almost very close believing klavier was in kahoots with kristoph/kristoph’s friends because it just looks. really bad. like it genuinely looks VERY BAD. and he’s like “i have to find truth like prosecutor von karma said”. yknow how with a lot of aa cases it starts out “oh no it looks open and shut” and then is like “NO WAY THEY COULD HAVE DONE IT... BUT HUH”. this one is reverse. and then straightens back out again. dig the hole then climb back out

- yeah the theme is like. “are you trying to find truth or do you want to protect your loved ones. what is your duty as a person, your job or your loved ones.” this carries through on klavier’s thread from aa4 where he has to work against his loved ones. meanwhile apollo, who is a bit more cool-tempered irritable grump, is the one going “oh god, am i biased towards my friends?” so it sort of flips. what kind of stories will you weave to clear your friends of blame? kristoph’s boys club.

- echo back to “evidence is everything” - this line of thinking (in a certain way) is what saves klavier when kristoph is trying to punish him for his betrayal

- since phoenix is away, the gramarye siblings aren’t revealed yet. but more info is dropped to compensate - stuff about jove and apollo’s childhood in the foster system and how that’s shaped him into someone who keeps people at arm’s length to keep himself safe; trucy and apollo getting closer despite that, trucy busting down those barriers because she needs his support and he’s like “oh my god i have to support her.” older sibling stuff.

- maybe the trucy case involves like. a mafia guy trying to collect on debts or smth and tries to ruin trucy, and threatens apollo. there’s a hint that is very obvious to the audience but is like “wow apollo he thought you were my brother!” like the mafia guy calls apollo “the other child” and apollo is like “hey, i’m 24!” which is humorous but also the audience is like Oh My God I Know What That Means

- there isn’t a deliberate withholding of information from phoenix - he literally is not there to withhold it. but there is still tension and stakes and weight to their relation - apollo keenly feeling his absence of family and trucy feeling sort of abandoned by phoenix

- phoenix is like “ok trucy you’re almost an adult so i’m trusting you to stay safe and responsible while i’m away. apollo will technically be in charge but i’m still trusting you” and privately to apollo is like “If Anything Bad Happens To Her. Your Head Is On The Line.” so it is just them making it on their own

- klavier drops the line “watching you two is like what kristoph and i should have had” and then there’s a couple “...” dialogue boxes as the audience is like I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS and then apollo is like “... are you for real comparing me to kristoph.” haha funny but also THERE IT IS

- very carefully walked tightrope. acknowledged enough that there is still tension/suspense around it but not too much as to be slightly infuriating

- before the last case trucy gets mad at apollo for something - trucy is allowed by the narrative to be angry for real. stand up for herself. trucy and apollo come back together to defend klavier. they see each other in the detention center when theyre still mad at each other - trucy was visiting klavier (he wasn’t there for the fight). “you made fraulein trucy very mad, hm?” then during the trial trucy busts in dramatically with important help when things look very bad for klavier

- aj3 has emotional revelations/high points of the trio - siblings reveal and klapollo canon. aj2 is a lot of building of these connections and building suspense and tension. more more more of these relationships before they emerge fully formed in aj3

- the last trial echoes the “im the only one who can save prosecutor gavin” or whatever gay thing apollo says in the last trial of aa4 because he literally is. just a lot of hinting and them getting along. case 3 is very important because that’s when it’s just them and it’s “oh! we work well together! we’re complementary!”

- implement the dual investigation mechanic from dgs so it does feel collaborative

- just build on the fact that klavier is the first friendly, helpful, cooperative prosecutor. he wants to help you. make that a very positive, very important feeling while still making it extremely enjoyable

- resolves in “you can have truth AND the ones you love”. or smth like that but more nuanced. it’s very inspirational and sentimental etc

- you get to meet vongole and it’s a Pet The Dog moment for klavier. look! how nice he is. he truly loves this insanely sweet and lovable dog. trucy is enamored with vongole as well. “it’s strange that she was kristoph’s dog, hm? with how affectionate she is.” “well, i guess being owned by kristoph doesn’t means she’s an equally bad dog ... ER i mean--” “hm, you always struck me as a cat person, herr forehead?” “uh - well yeah, you’re right. but... that doesn’t mean i don’t think vongole is a pretty great dog.” IMPLICATIONS. SUBTEXT. TASTE IT IN THE AIR

- oh there’s definitely a moment in case 2 when you get to examine klavier’s apartment and you can look at a couple albums and for a gavinners album apollo is like “ugh” but then you get one of his solo eps and apollo is like “trucy made me listen to this. it... was okay. not as bad as the gavinners stuff. sounds more honest. or something like that.”

- oh also when you examine the guitar klavier offers to teach apollo some basics. hee hee (BUT ALSO... JOVE!!)

- maybe for case 2 The Industry Suits want klavier to stop releasing his eps for free/total charity so it’s a whole coordinated scheme. his manager, a devoted fan who hates to see him going his own way and being happier for it, etc. “we want you to be the person you were. the one we could possess.” be more like gavinners klavier instead of honest relaxed current klavier. be who we want you to be so we can make you dance like a puppet. music industry kristoph parallels.

- “i’m sick and tired of being a plaything for other people!” >:( face moments

- a fan broke into his house and defaced the solo stuff etc. >:( face.

- who determines who “you” are? what role do your loved ones have in your life? those who truly love you can save you and make you better. loving and being loved sincerely and genuinely and truly have positive effects on your life. letting people love you and letting yourself love them is good.

- ugh but this kind of contrasts with the “the old boys club is controlling and using/shaping the institution of law to amass wealth and power for themselves while throwing others under the bus.” well actually wait

- lunch with apollo = they don’t actually care about each other, would throw each other under the bus for their own benefit

- contrast between sacrificing the weak to protect the strong and protecting the weak to depower the evil strong

- love and bonds can motivate/enable you to chip away at the system and can help you make a difference. les mis etc etc etc

- the old boys club are all putting up fronts of appearing strong and tough and above everything and in control. real love and friendship let you show vulnerability and weakness and help you & your bond come out stronger for it. (tumblr voice) the mortifying ordeal

- additional stakes of “if you are found aiding this criminal and hiding evidence etc etc we will disbar you” or smth. stakes for sticking with klavier, for winning the trial, for demonstrating care. franziska is kind of like “... apologies. but you had nothing to worry about so don’t worry about it.” 

- klavier and apollo damned by association with kristoph, especially as a kristoph scheme was just found to happen, and it depended on kristoph being in jail, so maybe they were the ones to enable that part of the plan... it’s a long con...

- it feels like there should be another legal reform here to make aa4′s jury implementation but maybe this one is more about how reform is often very gradual and like chipping away at a mountain

- in aj3 the death penalty gets reformed. (tension there about kristoph being on death row and this game piles on a lot more GOD KRISTOPH SUCKS but then it’s like. no. we have to fight for True Justice and the legal system is extremely imperfect (how many of our clients narrowly avoided a wrongful guilty verdict!) so we have to prioritize protection over punishment)

- “it’s like chopping heads off the hydra. it feels like we’ll never actually change anything.” “yes, but hercules didn’t defeat it by himself. he had a partner that burned the stumps after he sliced off the heads. ... one person to hold the sword, one person to hold the torch.” NARUMITSU KLAPOLLO PARALLELS. HI

- okay i had some really good discussions on twitter w @henriettamarias about this and here’s a couple more things

- trucy’s case involves her inheriting the gramarye secrets and the legacy. the weight of tradition and the burden of what has happened in her family. trucy’s estranged grandmother shows up - it’s kind of similar to the feys kind of. the grandmother is a complex maternal figure who doesn’t know trucy and trucy doesn’t know her and it’s sort of the idea of... even if your “new” family is related by blood, you still have to choose them. and trucy’s like !!! because she’s openhearted but the grandmother disappears - doesn’t choose trucy. it’s not a Villainous Action it’s just... it’s complicated. maybe it’s to protect trucy or something. it wasn’t done to hurt trucy is what i’m getting at, but it still hurts

- one of the music industry people in klavier’s case is a gavin uncle/aunt/cousin who is pressuring him to go back to being an Extremely Profitable Rockstar. and klavier has to deal with more disappointment from a family that values extreme success and is sort of cold (this contrasts with the warmth of the WAA found family). they liked klavier when he was very successful and famous on two fronts but now he’s opened the door and invited in shame on their family’s name so everyone’s kind of mad at him. trucy and apollo get to be really defensive of him

- apollo’s case is one i’m still thinking on what it’ll be about because i’m deeply uninterested in his aa5+aa6 backstories but there’s not A Concept to go deeper into like trucy magic and klavier music... it does involve his past from being the foster system. i think maybe there’s a teen who he was kind of the older brother of for a while before the kid got adopted who contacts him for help defending himself.

- while trucy and klavier’s stories are about rejection from their blood family, apollo’s is about warmth with a boy who he met and made a familial bond with

- at the end of this case there’s some piece of evidence that mentions kristoph and this is never resolved within that case but it sort of leads into the next kristoph-focused case

- trucy doesn’t get angry at apollo over being like jealous there’s something else that happens in this case... it doesn’t end super satisfyingly and tidily wrapped up in a neat bow. there are a lot of lingering questions and it makes everyone uneasy

- in case 3 apollo gets injured and is feeling really defensive and kind of scared and trucy is upset with him for putting himself in harm’s way to save her and they have a fight and they’re both kind of hiding their true feelings with anger to cover up how scared they were (gramarye secrets) and it just. boils over. klavier tries to mediate but it’s... a lot. they both say some things they don’t mean. :(

- oh my god. the person who got poisoned in case 4 was apollo’s foster brother from case 3. and it HURTS because we’ve spent a whole case getting to know him and working so hard to save him from a guilty verdict and it’s like :D yay he’s ok! and then he just. dies. and it’s so fucking sad

- he got poisoned because kristoph looked through papers and found that him and apollo were close so he’s like “oh i can use that ^_^” because he’s a bastard. but klavier was the one in constant contact with him recently so it’s like UH OH! UH OH! plus other aa level complications etc

- the tightrope of trucy being mad at apollo and the tragedy of apollo’s foster brother dying is one that will have to be very carefully walked bc we don’t want trucy to look like an asshole because above all she does love apollo

- i guess it’s also apollo pushing her away because I’M FINE. STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME CONFRONT MY TRAUMA. IF I THINK ABOUT MY PROBLEMS I WILL GO INSANE. yeah that works

- OH and also she’s mad at him for not telling them about the lunch with kristoph’s lawyer friends. klavier is kind of mad about that too so apollo is like STOP GANGING UP ON ME

- so the setup of case 4 is: day 1: apollo and klavier investigating, in court klavier is implicated and is put in detention, day 2: apollo investigating by himself and missing his friends :(, franziska being like “where is your sister” and apollo being like “ok first she’s not my sister. second IM FINE I CAN BE ALONE, I CAN’T TRUST ANYBODY ANYWAY” and franziska is like “... yeah being betrayed sucks, i get it, but like. are you sure about that. fine whatever you idiot be a fool”, but then in court trucy busts in at a dramatic moment and narrowly saves klavier from getting a guilty verdict, day 3: trucy and apollo investigating and Saving The Day!!!!!

- for franziska in case 4 there’s this tension between her belief that klavier is guilty (because shit looks BAD and also kristoph sort of sent shockwaves through things etc) and franziska being older (she has short hair and it’s hot) and more emotionally mature and being like “baby lawyer. it’s okay to chill. it’s fine. you’ll be okay”. but also being extremely wary and hating the corruption and collusion within the law community because MvF dealt with a lot of that and she will be BETTER than that, she has to work hard to erase the harm that her father did. she’s kind of a superhero in terms of tackling a lot of corrupt-lawyer/cop cases - it’s her specialty now. god she is hot

- aw in case 4 ema is like. kind of reluctant to help implicate klavier. because while she thinks he’s annoying she doesn’t think he’s a bad guy. she feels really conflicted :( like she blusters to cover it up but she does say to apollo at one point “hey... you better do your job right. don’t slack. defend your client.” awww she care him

- kristoph gets brought out from prison as a witness in case 4. this really negatively affects klavier (and apollo too kind of but less so), but the strength of Found Family helps him be strong :) yay

- there’s mention made of kristoph having Secrets, but since apollo doesn’t have a magatama and phoenix isn’t there, the black psyche-locks aren’t explored. it gets revealed in aj3

- apollo does have a conundrum similar to the aa5 stuff where his perceive ability is going haywire at klavier’s entire emotional state because BOY is it screwy (suppressed memories from childhood??) so he just has to rely on plain old logic

- (cw animal death) god what if one of those childhood memories is kristoph poisoning klavier’s pet - experimenting, doing trials. klavier realizes that during the trial. jesus christ. evil bastard kristoph i hate his guts. at least klavier gets to go home and pet vongole so so much

- OH on a happier note we get to meet mikeko... mikeko loves trucy and klavier so much. it’s like a big gooey hint that LOOK APOLLO LOVES THESE PEOPLE - HIS CAT IS PURRING AND CUDDLING ALL OVER THEM :) Express Your Feelings, Apollo

- i think for aj3 it’s apollo & co having their own schemes and plans sort of. bc in this setup, klavier and apollo (and trucy too) are being yanked around by the machinations and plots of the older generation like in aa4. i think in aj3 is when they finally get a leg up and have control over things for once. good for them! good for them

- oh also in aj3, it’s revealed that thalassa has been held hostage by some bad guys, which is why she didn’t come back after some time away to figure herself out to tell them. and then apollo and trucy get to know they’re siblings :)

- okay that’s it. maybe i’ll add more if i think of more. hope u enjoyed :~)

#ace attorney #apollo justice #aj2 #klapollo #trucy wright #klavier gavin #i had a lot of fun writing this post :) #chirps #aa #aa4

[lemedy]

HOLY SHIT, LEMEDY’S FINALLY PLAYING SPIRIT OF JUSTICE: CASE 2, PART 1

The second that Trucy was up there on stage I thought ‘I am calling it, I am calling it right fucking now, baby Wright girl is going to be accused of murder because frankly, she hasn’t had her turn yet. I WAS RIGHT. BABY WRIGHT GIRL IS ACCUSED OF MURDER.

This game is dragging me, kicking and screaming, into the Gramarye family drama again and look, I love and adore Trucy but I do not give a single shit about the Gramaryes and their fuckery. I realise that Capcom is trying to recreating the Fey clan drama that spanned multiple games, but the trick with that was that the Feys were actually INTERESTING, I gave many fucks about Mia, Maya, Dahlia, Iris and Pearl. Infinite more fucks. Jesus, please spare me from more ‘I WILL MURDER FOR THE ULTIMATE MAGIC TRICK’, we’ve done this before, and I’m legit disappointed we’re going here again.

(If the game is revisiting the Gramaryes to finally reveal to Trucy and Apollo that they are siblings, all will be forgiven)

Athena and Apollo going to Trucy’s show!! Supporting her!! Cheering for her!! I love this little trio so much, and I am very happy and greedy that Capcom is giving this to me. Athena and Trucy teaming up to eternally pick on Apollo is just. JOY. IS WHAT IT IS.

Also appreciate the kids talking shit about their boss behind his back: ‘TROUBLE’S DRAWN TO HIM LIKE IRON FILLINGS TO A MAGNET’. Harsh, Apollo. NOT UNTRUE, THOUGH.

TRUCY CRYING BECAUSE SHE’S SCARED AND DOESN’T KNOW IF SHE RUINED EVERYTHING AND ACCIDENTALLY KILLED A MAN. It fucked Apollo up, it fucked me up. Because it’s so well-established that the most important thing to Trucy is to always keep a smile on her face, so her breaking down? SHE IS NOT DOING SO WELL. PLEASE, APOLLO AND ATHENA. SAVE TRUCY.

Robert Downey Jr is freaking me the hell out.

EMA’S BACK. And I got really fucking hyped to see her interact with Athena, even if it was only a little bit. And as much as I loved cranky jaded Ema in AJ, it’s legit nice to see her happy and smiling and finally, a forensic investigator. SHE GOT THERE. GOOD JOB, EMA.

(I will also sell part of my soul to hear her talk about Lana. HOW IS LANA DOING)

Interesting little bit about Edgeworth ‘reorganising the prosecutors’ office’, and getting rid of corrupt prosecutors. Not sure if that’s a throwaway line that’s there just to give a reason for the new prosecutor to show up, or if that’s going to be an actual plot in the game.

(Another thing I would sell a bit of my soul for: wacky times in the prosecutor’s office. Edgeworth, Simon, Klavier, Fran. All disasters. All together. FUN FOR ALL).

Okay, so with ‘Bonny’: I’d convinced myself immediately ‘she is either the murderer or in on it’, but then we talked to her and she seemed legit nice and caring and helpful. But then we overhear her and Robert Downey Jnr talk and she’s kind of terrible and evil and PLOTTING AGAINST TRUCY, THE GREATEST SIN OF THEM ALL and….I’m not sure why the game decided to reveal this hand so early? I’m not sure if I would have rather seen her inevitable breakdown on the witness stand before she reveals her true colours, so….idk. Not sure if I love the whole ‘eavesdropping reveals she’s evil after all’. Unless there’s some other plot twist coming.

APOLLO DOES NOT WATCH POPULAR TV, HE’S TOO BUSY READING MANGA AND DOES NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR GAME OF THRONES, YOUR BACHELOR, YOU’RE THE WALKING DEAD.

(Not see: that one season that Klavier did the Bachelor. It was weird time).

Apollo is scared of heights and Athena holds his hand like the bro she is. Good job, Athena. Protect the baby chicken lawyer.

‘YOU GET AWFULLY PRICKLY WHEN IT COMES TO GAVIN’…Apollo is being awfully catty about Klavier. I can only assume that Klavier drank the last of this morning’s milk and put the empty carton back in the fridge, or forgot to clean the cat’s litter box, or left the iron on. Apollo is a cranky boyfriend today.

‘YOU’RE LOOKING UP MICROAGGRESSIONS LATER, APOLLO’. ATHENA, I LOVE AND ADORE YOU. THAT’S RIGHT, DON’T TAKE THAT SHIT FROM BABY CHICKEN LAWYER. EDUCATE HIM.

And then there’s a legit nice moment between Apollo, Athena and Nick (WHILE THEIR OFFICE IS BEING REPOSSESSED), and I tend to have a slightly darker view of the Phoenix/Apollo relationship a lot of the time….but a nice scene is a nice scene, and I do like seeing that Boss Lawyer trusts his kids enough to not only run things, but also to take care of his daughter. A good moment.

(The dad nearly getting executed in Make Up Foreign Land, the daughter being arrested for murder. GOOD TIMES IN THE WRIGHT FAMILY. MILES, WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH YOUR HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER).

#lemedy plays spirit of justice #lawyer game blogging

[sage-nebula]

also, ace attorney for the meme?

My favorite parent-child relationship

Phoenix and Trucy are the obvious winners here, but with that said I have a true soft spot for Byrne and Kay Faraday as well. We only see a tiny bit of them, and we don’t actually get to see them interact at all, but it’s obvious how much Byrne loved and cared for Kay, and how much she continues to take everything he said to heart and do her best to carry on his legacy after his death as well. Phoenix and Trucy are definitely sweet, particularly with the way he adopted her when she had nowhere else to go despite how his own life was falling apart (and how he keeps a locket with her picture in it with him always!), but I also appreciate what little we got to see of Byrne and Kay as well.

My favorite sibling relationship

Apollo and Trucy, hands down. My favorite part of their relationship is how much Apollo acts like her big brother even though, due to circumstances beyond our control, neither of them actually know that they’re related yet. (Going on ten years now, Capcom. This is unforgivable.) He’s so protective of her, and so tolerant of the shenanigans, and she teases him even though she very clearly looks up to and believes in him as well. They’re precious and I adore them, wholeheartedly. ♥

Runners-up are the Skye sisters, though. Every time I replay 1-5 I fall a little bit more in love with their sisterly bond, and I hope that Lana can make a comeback in AA7. Come on, bring her back, Capcom. You know you want to!

My favorite family relationship (other)

Maya and Pearl as best cousins, + Maya as best Promoted to Parent. Maya had to be like Pearl’s cousin, big sister, and mother after everything with Morgan went down (er, both times it went down), and I think she did a wonderful job stepping up where needed. At the very least, it didn’t seem like Pearl wanted for anything, and it was clear that Maya was making a concentrated effort to take care of her. Credit where credit is due, their relationship is truly sweet and special. (And that said, I don’t think we actually got to see the two of them interact in AA6, did we? A shame, that is.)

My favorite friendship between two people

If I’m excluding ones that I also ship romantically, then Phoenix and Maya---at least, in the original trilogy. Their banter was always wonderful and it’s obvious how much they care for one another. I do cherish that about their relationship. That said, AA6 exhausted me and has made it so that I don’t want to see Maya in the main series at all anymore, so my opinion on this one is a bit soured now. Thanks, AA6. Thanks so much.

My favorite friendship between a group

The Wright Anything Agency as a whole has a wonderful dynamic (and, tbh, is better than the original trilogy’s Wright & Co. Law Offices). I especially love the power trio of Apollo, Athena, and Trucy, but Phoenix as the Team Dad is wonderful as well, A+++.

My favorite mentorship

People give a lot of flack to Phoenix for not being a good mentor to Apollo, but I honestly disagree? It’s true that, especially in AA4, Apollo had to put up with a lot of nonsense due to all of the secrecy and machinations in the background, but at the same time I think that Phoenix gives Apollo the kind of mentorship that he needs. Apollo is pretty anxious beneath his Chords of Steel smokescreen and second-guesses himself a lot; it’s clear early on in AA4 that he doesn’t really have confidence in himself to know what he’s doing, however much he tries to convince others that he does. By tossing him into the think of things and then pulling back the lifeline, it’s true that Phoenix is inciting Apollo’s anxiety---but he’s also forcing Apollo to see that he can do this, that he does know what he’s doing, that he can hit the ground running and still make it to the finish line. The Apollo that we see in AA6 is far more confident in himself in just about every way, to the point where he can tell Phoenix to his face to “stand down and be quiet” --- and I firmly believe that this is because Apollo has had to fight through the fires of his own self-doubt and insecurities, and that he had to do so because Phoenix refused to hold his hand (and thus hold him back). And it’s worth noting, too, that this is far different from Kristoph’s approach; Kristoph was the type to stand over Apollo’s shoulder, hold his hand, and critique every little thing in order to mold Apollo into a little mini Kristoph Gavin. Phoenix didn’t do that. Phoenix tossed Apollo into the fire, and as a result, Apollo came into his own, as his own person as well as his own attorney. Apollo thrived under Phoenix. He never would have under Kristoph.

So all of that said? Phoenix and Apollo are my favorite mentorship. Definitely.

My favorite rivalry

I mean, what other one is there other than Phoenix and Edgeworth? As much as I do ship them romantically, any case that they’re both working on together is guaranteed to be fantastic not only because of the content of the case, but also because of the banter that will be tossed back and forth across the courtroom. It’s only worth it to play as Phoenix if Edgeworth can be the prosecutor, full stop. (And I mean, I do love Franziska a lot, but let’s be honest: She does her best work when Edgeworth is pretending to be a defense attorney, and we all know it.)

My favorite hatred/antipathy

PHOENIX AND KRISTOPH, PHOENIX AND KRISTOPH, PHOENIX AND KRISTOPH!!

Kristoph Gavin is, in just about every way you care to name, Phoenix’s shadow archetype, and I love shadow archetypes. I love them. And that, coupled with the fact that we have unfinished business with Kristoph (we don’t know what he’s hiding behind his black psyche-locks, we know that he has to still be saltier than the Dead Sea after everything that happened, et cetera), means that I really want him to come back and I want another showdown here. We sadly didn’t get to see Phoenix truly react to Apollo emulating Kristoph in AA5, and the way that Kristoph gaslighted and manipulated Klavier was so subtle in AA4 that many people missed it, but both of those things could make a comeback. Kristoph’s hand in Trucy being abandoned could make a comeback. Kristoph could use Athena, given that she never knew him, in order to get the ball rolling (because he’s very good at coming across as classy and non-threatening, and it’s possible that he could fool even her ears), et cetera. There’s so much that could be done, and I want it to be done! BRING THIS BACK, CAPCOM!!

My favorite potential relationship between characters who never talk in canon

Aside from how they are part of rival fandoms (Steel Samurai and Jammin’ Ninja, respectively), I really would love to see how Maya and Kay get along. I think that they have similar temperaments, and that Maya would be starstruck by Kay’s chosen career path as a “phantom thief,” and that likewise Kay would be very interested in Maya’s spirit channeling. (Maya could also channel Byrne for Kay, if she wanted, which I think Kay would very much appreciate.) I would love to see the two of them meet and interact at least once; I think it would be amazing!

Likewise, I’m still waiting for Kay to come back as a prosecutor who forms a new Yatagarasu, with Athena as the defense attorney and Ema as the detective. I’m waiting, Capcom. Deliver this to me! DO THE THING, CAPCOM! Do eeeet.

#gen relationship meme #tangelomadness