Today, You'll Never Guess What Happened At Gourd Lake

You know one thing that I absolutely hate? When one recurring joke about a character overshadows their trauma and complexity. I hate when characters are treated unseriously and frankly disrespected because of one meme or gimmick that is probably massively overused anyway. And why is it always video game characters.

Oh boy, this is a good observation but there’s one thing you’re missing. The game never explicitly states if Phoenix truly believed Edgeworth was dead. But at the end of Farewell My Turnabout, Phoenix says this: “I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died. …At least, that’s what I told myself”.

Phoenix lied to himself. Phoenix deluded himself into believing that the version of Miles Edgeworth he had in his head was dead. And then proceeded to act like he was grieving Edgeworth’s real death.

… I will do a full analysis on this one day.

phoenix wright is so funny like he doesn’t see edgeworth for years after edgeworth leaves school after his dad died and was lik e: edgeworth must be dead. ill never see him again.  then he became a lawyer and sees edgeworth and then almost witnesses him die bc of the law and was like: thank god he didnt die. now he’s here forever. then edgeworth quits for a bit  bc of cancel culture and phoenix legit is just like: hes actualy dead again and ill never see him again. hes for real dead like, he has no object permanence  emotionally or physically 

Something I'm fond of saying is "The villain drives the plot but the hero sets the tone." Something that's very important about this is that the resolution to the conflicts presented need to match the hero's tone. If your story doesn't believe problems can be solved the way the hero wants to solve them... why is this the hero?

If you want your problems to be solved with brutal catharsis, then your hero should be someone who believes in brutal catharsis.

If you want your problems to be solved with forgiveness and reconciliation, then your hero should be someone who believes in forgiveness and reconciliation.

They don't have to begin there. This can be something they come around to over the course of the story, as they grow and change per their character arc. But by the time of their ultimate encounter with the villain, their values should be the values that drive the story forward.

There's this thing in D&D that some DMs do. Where, when you roll enough damage to deplete the monster's hit points, they'll turn to you and say, "That's a kill. Describe for the group how you take the monster down." And you're allowed to come up with some cool maneuver or something that your character did in order to deliver the finishing blow.

The hero's ultimate triumph over the villain is a lot like this. More than any other part of the story, this moment is their apotheosis. It should be a celebration of everything they are and everything they stand for.

You have defeated the villain; Now describe for the group what form that victory takes.

Intro Post ✧

I'm revamping my intro post because it's been a few months since I started this blog and some things have changed.

Hello! My name is Jen and welcome to my fandom blog :) Feel free to DM me to talk about any of my interests!

I'll mainly be posting analysis/meta about whatever my main obsession is...

Ace Attorney ⚖️

Favorite characters: (1) Miles Edgeworth, (2) Phoenix Wright, (3) Franziska von Karma, (4) Manfred von Karma

Favorite ships: (1) Miles/Phoenix (Mitsunaru), (2) Manfred/Gregory (Shingou)

Favorite game: Justice for All <3

I am also a fan of over-villainized/neglected characters, like: Franziska von Karma, Manfred von Karma, Dahlia Hawthorne, Larry Butz, Viola Cadaverini.

My AA related tags:

#jen's aa rambles (just me ranting or gushing about ace attorney)

#jen's aa analysis (actually formatted analysis/meta/arguments about ace attorney)

Other Interests :)

Typology! mainly MBTI (cognitive functions!!) and enneagram

The Legend of Korra (Kuvira, Baatar jr, Baavira)

Avatar The Last Airbender (Azula, Katara)

Genshin Impact (Kujou Sara, Arlecchino, Raiden Shogun)

Other fandoms I'm in (feel free to talk to me about these but I doubt I will post anything about them in the near future): Kpop (but mainly Dreamcatcher), The Hunger Games, Divergent, Six of Crows.

Send Me a Character

And I will tell you my:

First impression

Impression now

Favorite moment

Idea for a story

Unpopular opinion

Favorite relationship

Favorite headcanon

I agree with everything you said, Azalea! Also here's the exact quote from Farewell My Turnabout:

(You really let me down…) When you disappeared, I felt… betrayed. The reason I decided to become a lawyer to begin with… Was because I believed in the things you said to me, all those years ago… And you… You betrayed your own words. That's why… one year ago, I made up my mind. I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died… …At least, that's what I told myself.

This line from Phoenix is so so interesting and akdjfdjhskjfdgjh I want to sink my teeth into it. One day, I will write a longer analysis on this but...

No matter if Phoenix truly thought Miles was dead or not, I think this quote makes it clear that Phoenix decided that Miles was dead to him. Phoenix couldn't handle the abandonment, the fear that after everything he did people would still inevitably leave him. So he turned to resentment and killed off "the Miles Edgeworth I knew". Because if Miles had always been the "Demon Prosecutor" obsessed with guilty verdicts (which is what Phoenix keeps accusing him of in 2-4), then Phoenix could dismiss his belief in Miles. Phoenix could dismiss all his efforts and desire to save Miles.

So Phoenix wouldn't have to deal with the pain of believing in and being attached to someone so much... only for them to leave him... again (coughs in Dahlia/Iris).

HOT TAKE: Phoenix should have known Edgeworth was still alive during the “chooses death” era. Gumshoe probably would have told him if he had asked, he was just too busy overreacting.

Lmao hello there you :P I know who you are. You probably are expecting this but I'm sorry to say:

Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree

Yes, it's true, they didn't find Edgeworth's body, but when someone learns about a note that says the person "chooses death" I think it's difficult to say that thinking they're dead is overreacting lol. Edgeworth was gone, he was gone for an entire year, which is a long time for someone to be missing; usually at that point, if the person doesn't turn up, there's a good chance they are dead - and there was the suicide note on top of things. It's not an unreasonable thing to think, and Phoenix was grieving the best he could, so I also don't think it's very fair to expect him to be perfectly rational in those circumstances. Besides, he seems to still be struggling to accept it by the events of JFA, which honestly tracks with the fact he never got closure.

Besides... there are lines in the game implying that Phoenix did think Edgeworth was alive (something like "you were dead to me" if I recall correctly), and that he resented him for leaving, not dying. Personally I think his behaviour screams of repressed grief and denial, but the alternative interpretation is there.

That’s it. THAT’S what SOTR should’ve been.

As someone who has spent way too much time thinking about Haymitch, I always suspected that the first sparks of resistance started around the 50th (mostly based on the symbolism of Maysilee being established as the OG owner of the mockingjay pin, really). The Capitol suddenly reaping double the amount of kids? That’s majorly pushing the boundaries of what even the most oppressed districts would accept. People are angry. People are restless.

Then, out of nowhere, comes this kid from the most underprivileged loser district of them all, and he has no qualms about announcing that he doesn’t give a shit about their games. Instead of dying a quiet and swift death like he was supposed to as a D12 tribute, he then proceeds to use his sheer force of will, an outrageous amount of audacity and his own intelligence and wits to crawl his way to the biggest fluke victory ever, ruining their grand quarter quell.

That’s it. That’s enough to inspire resistance, wouldn’t you think?

The force field thing was bad, but not kill your entire family bad. I think the killings would’ve happened in response to rising unrest post 2QQ in district 12 and perhaps even other places - know where your place is, or you’ll end up like Haymitch.

We did not need a contrived plot to blow up the arena. We just didn’t. And the evidence of what she originally intended is still right there in the text. I think so, anyway.

When I think about Larry in AA3 I wonder if the writer suddenly decided they didn't like him that much and decided to make it known in the game to the point where it bleeds to the characters (both Phoenix, especially him! and Edgeworth seem to see him as the 'annoying ass friend') and himself by flanderizing him or if this was an genuine decision to see how a person's life can go downhill over time and tried to make it funny.

Honestly I think it's the former (writers decided they didn't like Larry anymore), because I don't necessarily think Larry's life is going downhill. He found his talent in art with a mentor and he's attempting to become a better person... only for his mentor to then die. If it were anyone else this would spark some sort of meaningful character arc... but it doesn't. The game just turns Larry into more of a laughing stock. I don't get it, truly. They drop so much information about his trauma but it's treated like a joke. Phoenix and Miles don't even act like they care about him as a friend anymore... just why??

Also I do believe writers' attitudes towards characters often bleed into the writing and then bleed into fan perception.

I do not like Snow's characterization in SOTR. As much as I love when the main antagonist has a personal connection to the protagonist, they still need to seem like a threat. The garden scene did not make Snow an interesting foil to Haymitch, nor did it showcase his pettiness in a believable way. It just made Snow pathetic and out of character.

THG Trilogy Snow would used that oppurtunity to exert his control and he would have never allowed himself to seem so weak in front of a random district kid. SOTR Snow wasn't intimidating. His attempts at scaring Haymitch felt inconsequential, even though I knew how the story would end. Honestly, this quote from SOTR said it the best, “if you can get people to laugh at someone, it makes them look weak".

Instead of vomiting and info-dumping about his ex-situationship, what would have been chilling is if Snow started showed Haymitch photos or recordings of his family and girlfriend in a "I know where they live and I can kill them anytime" way. Then Snow is the one who gives Haymitch the phone that has Lenore Dove on the other line. Haymitch has to share his, presumably, last moment with her under Snow's gaze, knowing that he wouldn't hesitate to punish him through her. And as the reader we might know that Snow has an unhealthy obsession with the Covey, but it's never made so explicit that it makes Snow look laughable.

Manfred von Karma!

Thank you for the ask <3 (to every else who sent me a character ask, I'm working on it :)

First impression

I actually never hated him or had strong feelings about him. I was introduced to AA through narumitsu fanfic but I knew I wanted to play the games so I avoided everything with spoilers, including everything Manfred. I guess I just thought of him vaguely as a villain and Miles' mentor/father figure.

Impression now

He's one of my favorite Ace Attorney characters. I have him at 4th but honestly, maybe he's 3rd now?? I have developed an attachment to this ridiculous evil man. I love him so much. I wish there was more canon content of him, but I think he's an interesting character with a lot of room for nuance.

Favorite moment

He doesn't really have many canon moments (and I haven't played AAI). But probably when he gloated Phoenix into cross-examining Polly the parrot and it's implied that he witness-coached a parrot. Manfred, you are an insane person.

Idea for a story

I just want to see a story where Manfred is force-fed a redemption arc. Like for example a no DL-6 AU where Gregory manages to get a Manfred properly investigated for forging evidence. But to ensure he doesn't get another penalty, Manfred tries to frame another prosecutor to throw Gregory off his trail.

Only, Manfred finds out that the person he is framing is actually guilty of forging evidence. Manfred has to follow through with his plan and gets dragged into working with Gregory. Gregory is surprised but grateful that Manfred has been so helpful in weeding out corruption in the prosecutor's office, and wants to befriend/ally with Manfred. Manfred is seething with hatred. (Oh and eventual Shingou :)

Unpopular opinion

Manfred as a character deserves a lot more nuance. There's... a lot to talk about but these are the three main things I have a strong opinion on:

1) He was a flawed parent and I think it's more interesting to explore those flaws than to just label him abusive for the sake of villainizing him.

2) It does not makes sense for Manfred to be sexist/homophobic/etc. Simply because I don't think he cares enough to hate a group of people like that. He is very rational, efficient, and his perfectionism is focused on his prosecuting career. If anything, he discriminates against defense attorneys (lmao).

3) Manfred didn't brainwash or force Miles into becoming a prosecutor. I'm sure Manfred was influential but Miles had his own reason to be a prosecutor that stemmed from DL-6. Miles was also always a perfectionist (the paper cranes thing) and the von Karma family brand of perfectionism just amplified it.

Favorite relationship

Shingou!! <3 (Gregory Edgeworth/Manfred von Karma)

Defense attorney/prosecutor ship, toxic enemies to lovers, doomed romance, or super slowburn (if no DL-6 AU), bitter courtroom rivals turned bickering old married couple (who still duke it out in court), co-parenting Miles and Franziska (before officially getting together).

Favorite headcanon

Manfred did love Franziska and Miles (in his own way). Regarding Miles, Manfred saw him as a symbol of his failures (the penalty Gregory gave him and the shot in his shoulder). So Manfred struggled a lot when he began to actually care about Miles. When Miles's perfect record was broken, Manfred saw it as a threat to his own perfection. (I hope that makes sense. I do need to think about this more to solidify the headcanon. I just love complicated von Karma family dynamics)