#i Feel Like I'm Gonna Get Thrown Tomatoes For This But#he's Terrible For That But Honestly I Get It

you buried two people that day

Someone finally said it!!! Edgeworth is a very nuanced character. He is more than his trauma, his "unnecessary feelings" for Phoenix, or his emotional constipation. Narumitsu is not a one-sided Phoenix saves Edgeworth all the time dynamic. They're equals! Does Edgeworth's insistence in Farewell My Turnabout that Phoenix is not a hero mean nothing? I want to do like a proper analysis of this sometime, probably after I finish Trials & Tribulations...

okay here’s a secret for you guys: i actually prefer mtnr over nrmt

im not even sure why LMAO the second i started shipping nrmt i automatically pictured miles as the top like it just came naturally to me ig?

idk what it is about him that comes off that way to me but in all the ships i like the serious character is automatically a top for me so..

and because of that i got genuinely suprised when i found out that bottom!miles was way more popular in fanart/fics than i initially thought

like i didn’t mind at first because im not THAT obssessed with top/bottom dynamics i didn’t care too much about that stuff as long as it’s a ship i like and i’ll forever be grateful and happy that i get to see content of my fav ship everyday regardless of it’s specific contents/character dynamics it’s just a personal preference that’s all <3

but ngl there are times where i get kinda miffed about how miles *specifically* is protrayed in these fanworks because they always… woobify him? and don’t get me wrong ur free to protray him however u want pls don’t let me stop u this is only my opinion😭

they always baby him too much and take away his most defining traits like his ruthlessness and intelligence so they could turn him into this oh so angsty sad little boy who cannot intuit any emotion that’s not sadness or grief and needs to be taught how to feel happy by phoenix all the time as if he isn’t capable of doing it himself and needs to be handheld constantly

idk about u guys but miles’ character isn’t just about him struggling with unecessary feelings or missing his dad or whatever and yes that’s a huge part of him but what im saying is that’s not the ONLY big part of miles as a character

let’s not forget this is the same dude who told someone he didn’t gaf if they k worded themselves and he spent the last couple years prior to reuniting with phoenix SENDING INNOCENT PEOPLE TO JAIL OR POSSIBLY EVEN GETTING THEM THE DEATH PENALTY like this man’s ruthless as shit even after his character arc which really shows that von karma’s influence will forever be a part of him no matter how much he changed😭 he’s not evil or malicious but he’s not ur “sweet and sad widdle boy who we must protecc🥺” either

i dont like it when ppl dumb down this ruthless, intelligent and traumatized man to “aww my poor sad widdle baby” no offense but that’s not miles anymore that’s a whole ahh oc atp LMAOOO

I absolutely LOVE it tho when people dive into his darker side it’s such a refreshing thing to see ppl do with his character like YES give me more fics where miles is willing to bend the law if it's gets in the way of the truth, and it has ACTUALLY HAPPENED BEFORE!!!

it’s also another reason why i like mtnr because the fans of that dynamic actually DO explore this side of him a lot more where he’s more in control of everything and just takes charge and does whatever tf he wants without caring about what others think it’s a really nice change for once LOL but said fanworks are few and really hard to find

and also ppl always think miles is the most law-abiding citizen in society or whatever but i think that's bcuz him being prosecutor (one of the best too) and how much he loves his job automatically means that he’ll follow the rules to the ends of the earth or something but it’s been shown multiple times that he cares more about the truth than law itself ESPECIALLY if said law prevents him from knowing what really happened

sorry if this comes off as mean and i genuinely do not have a problem with ooc protrayals hell i LOVE ooc fanworks they’re super fun and i eat those shit up like a full course meal it’s just that miles get babied by the fandom so much more than phoenix does and hardly anyone ever talks about his morally gray side that’s willing to commit literal crimes to bring the truth to light in favor of turning him into the poster boy for ace attorney angst and it just kinda annoys me sometimes💀

this was supposed to be me talking about nrmt dynamics but it turned into a miles character analysis(?) instead… whoops

I'm gonna ride the wave here and talk about Rise from the Ashes and why, even though I think it's a good retcon and doesn't involve any contradiction either factual or thematic, I believe it is still undeniably a retcon.

The crux of the matter, I think, is the definition of retcon. Here's what Merriam-Webster has to say about it:

the act, practice, or result of changing an existing fictional narrative by introducing new information in a later work that recontextualizes previously established events, characters, etc.

It has to change the narrative, not the events of the story themselves. It has to recontextualise the events in question. And I'd argue the case does those exact two things by establishing that Miles Edgeworth not only never willfully forged evidence, but was morally against it in the first place, even though the contrary had been implied in the four first cases of the game.

Here's how Miles Edgeworth is introduced in Turnabout Sisters, in the first conversation we have about him with Gumshoe. There are two dialogue options, one where you can say that yes, you do know him, or one where you say that no, you don't.

Here's what Phoenix has to say about Edgeworth if you pick "I know him":

I know him. He's a feared prosecutor. He doesn't feel pain, he doesn't feel remorse. He won't stop until he gets his "guilty" verdict.

And here's what he has to say if you pick "I don't know him:"

(Of course I know him... I was just playing dumb. He's a cold, heartless machine who'll do anything to get a "guilty" verdict! There are rumors of back-alley deals and forged evidence...)

The words "forged evidence" appear only in one of the two options. They're only rumours; there's nothing established. However this is the first discussion of his character; this is the first impression we get of him. The idea we are supposed to get from him is someone ruthless and without scruples, who "hates crime with an abnormal passion."

Later on there is of course the case of the updated autopsy report. The new report is entirely legitimate and treated as such. However it is presented by the narrative as an underhanded trick, with Phoenix exclaiming against it, and further establishes Edgeworth's lack of limits in his prosecuting ethics set up by the conversation with Gumshoe - confirming our bias. We're still talking about narrative intent here, not merely the facts of the story. The updated autopsy report is not an instance of Edgeworth forging evidence, however it showcases his ruthlessness, which by extension serves to corroborate the rumours Phoenix was talking about with Gumshoe - making you believe Edgeworth would indeed tamper with proof without showing him doing so. Edgeworth coaching the witness's testimony and withholding the wiretap has the same effect.

Right before the second trial day, we get to talk with Edgeworth himself, who has come to warn us that even though he knows Phoenix, Phoenix shouldn't expect any mercy from him. Here's what he has to say:

Edgeworth: [...] whatever Mr. White says today, it will be the "absolute truth." No matter how you try to attack his testimony... If I raise an objection, I have it on good faith that the judge will listen to me. Phoenix: (What, does White have the judge in his pocket, too!?) So... you're saying I'm going to be guilty. End of story? Edgeworth: ... I will do anything to get my verdict, Mr. Wright. Anything. Maya: Why... Why!? How can you torment an innocent person like this!? Edgeworth: "Innocent"...? How can we know that? The guilty will always lie, to avoid being found out. There's no way to tell who is guilty and who is innocent! All that I can hope to do is get every defendant declared "guilty"! So I make that my policy.

There is also the climax of the case, where Edgeworth tries to request the trial to be extended one more day:

Edgeworth: Ergo! I would like to request one more day before Phoenix Wright is granted his freedom. I need time to make one more inquiry into this matter. Judge: Hmm...! Phoenix: (Another inquiry...!? This isn't going to be another one of those "updated autopsy reports"! This guy just makes up evidence as he pleases! This is bad...!)

This heightens the stakes and creates tension as Phoenix puts his foot down and requires for the trial to come to an end on that day - and it does thanks to Mia's intervention. Once more Edgeworth forging evidence isn't shown, but is implied in a way that we are meant to take as fact.

So that is the image we have of Edgeworth by the end of case 1-2, our first confrontation with him. Someone ruthless, someone who will do "anything" to get his guilty verdict - even if that involves shady dealings (such as, but not limited to, tampering with evidence). Someone without limits.

Then 1-3 happens, where in the course of the trial Edgeworth realises Will Powers is innocent and helps us corner Dee Vasquez into confessing to being the true killer, therefore throwing his trial and helping us win against him. This is a big deal. This is a cornerstone of the arc of game 1, of Edgeworth's redemption arc. After that we get the infamous "unnecessary feelings" scene, where Edgeworth confirms it: he was shaken by the events of this trial and his first loss in the previous one. This is something new for him.

And afterwards of course is 1-4, where we get to the bottom of Edgeworth's vitriolic hatred for criminals and discover his backstory. We get to meet his mentor von Karma, "twenty times as ruthless as him," and witness him pull all the stops to prevent us winning and making our life really difficult. Interestingly he, too, skirts the line of forging evidence, but that fact pales in comparison to everything he does do: orchestrating a murder and framing Edgeworth for it, destroying the letter that incriminated him, hiding the evidence of DL-6 so that Phoenix cannot have access to anything to solve the case.

(On a side note: von Karma using "faulty evidence" against Gregory Edgeworth is actually an established fact, and I think the way AAI-2 retconned that to introduce Blaise was quite clever, but maybe I'll make a similar post about Manfred after the AAI Collection comes out in September)

So that's Edgeworth's arc, where he is confronted to a world where getting a "guilty verdict" isn't always the morally correct choice to make, and where his worldview is entirely deconstructed to allow him a redemption arc. His return in 2-4 continues that arc with his new motto of the "truth" being the most important thing (implying that hadn't always been at the centre of his considerations).

Now compares this with what he says in 1-5.

Edgeworth: Of course not! I didn't touch the evidence. Yes, I will do anything in my power to win a trial. However... I do have a code, and I follow it faithfully.

This is the first time we hear of Edgeworth having a moral code. This is the first time we hear of Edgeworth having limits to what he allows himself to do to earn his guilty verdicts. Up until now all we heard was "anything," as well as justifications as to why defendants deserve and need to be punished - "anything," by essence, implies not having limits.

It's not a contradiction. But it's a recontextualisation, and therefore a retcon.

I'm not going to give quotes or we'll be here the whole day, but we all know what 1-5 then does; SL-9, the Joe Darke killings, Gant's involvement.

By giving the rumours of forged evidence about Edgeworth a tangible starting point, the case reframes them, from something that he was previously implied to do routinely to a single event, one that was orchestrated behind his back and that he had no bearing on or even any idea it was happening. By establishing that Edgeworth does follow a moral code, his image of fearless prosecutor is deconstructed even further; where in 1-4 we were given a reason for his actions, now we are actually being told his actions weren't as severe as hearsay (and Phoenix's bias) led us to believe.

The case also introduces the idea of "working with the defence" and the search of the truth to Edgeworth, which plants the seed for his eventual return in 2-4 and deepens his character arc a little more.

Thematically, I personally think 1-5 inserts itself very well into the larger narrative. It plays with both themes and facts established by game 1 and teases themes and facts that will come in the next games (2-4, all of game 4). However it does recontextualise Edgeworth's arc by establishing he never willfully forged evidence, contrarily to what was previously implied, and giving him a retroactive caveat to his policy of "anything to achieve his guilty verdict" that hadn't existed before. Therefore, it is a retcon, albeit one that works, in my opinion, well within the larger arc of the games and with Edgeworth's character.

This!! I do get why slow burn wrightworth is so popular and I personally prefer them getting together right after the events of AA3 (Miles being there for Phoenix during disbarment is a NEED okay?), but I totally get this. Sometimes two less than healthy people getting together will end in ruin but what about hope? What about the fact that you don’t need to be fully healed to be loved? What about communication and trust and working together and finding the truth? They clash but also fit perfectly in court, so why not in their personal lives too?

And gosh, Farewell My Turnabout would hit so much harder if they were together in the trilogy (and by that, OP, I assume you mean all three games). “We aren’t some sort of heroes. We’re only human, you and I”— Love does not “save someone”, it does not fix everything but that doesn’t mean you should stop fighting.

Hell, all of Justice for All would hit so much harder. Now Franziska has more reason to believe Phoenix “killed” Miles. Now Franziska’s deep hurt disguised as a desire for vengeance has a whole new layer of pain: your foolish love killed my little brother, so I cannot show that I love him. I must fight him and I must win and then he will never leave me behind again.

And when Phoenix says “I decided that the Miles Edgeworth I knew had died… At least, that’s what I told myself”, it would hurt even more because the Edgeworth he knew wouldn’t have abandoned him, and the Edgeworth he knew would have been saved by his love.

(Side note, everything I said about JFA I believe to be true for canon as well. It would just be amplified and more heartbreaking if narumitsu were together during the original trilogy)

Also it is so hard to find fanfics with this concept but this is the closest I’ve found, enjoy! (We need more fanfics with this premise please)

I Turn To You (For My Comfort) Phoenix and Miles get together post Turnabout Goodbyes

if i woke up (next to you) Phoenix and Miles get together post Farewell My Turnabout

Turnabout Groceries and it’s sequel Home for (Almost) Christmas (which is not finished currently) AU where Phoenix and Miles adopt Trudy and Kay respectively before the events of the first game and narumitsu get together post Turnabout Samurai

Wow this is such a long reblog but OP you truly inspired me.

I can certainly see why people are obsessed about the slow burn reading of narumitsu, the one where they wait for 7, 9 or even more years before they ever do anything romantic together, but. Their relationship in the trilogy era could be so, so interesting and complicated and yet so. Warm and full of comfort.

Just... Two traumatized and mentally ill men trying their best to figure out this relationship thing. Phoenix remembering what it's like to have a romantic partner again, after being betrayed, after being left behind, and now confronting his abandonment issues. Edgeworth learning how to love somebody, and now trying to express it, perhaps searching for his own ways of doing so.

Yes, they encounter a number of problems. Edgeworth gets this nagging feeling at times that he's too broken for a romantic relationship, that he's a parasite leaching on another person's care and affection, thus at times he acts aloof and withdrawn. Phoenix gets paranoid that he'll end up completely alone again very soon, whenever he notices Edgeworth getting so cold all of a sudden. Edgeworth genuinely thinks at the worst moments that the right thing to do is to just break up right now so he doesn't waste any more of Phoenix' time. Phoenix is anxious that one day Edgeworth can just disappear on him again without saying a word. Edgeworth feels forever indebted for everything Phoenix did to help him, and now when he notices his partner struggling he wants to do the same for him, but he doesn't even know why Phoenix is troubled, and even less about how to help him. Phoenix is less than honest sometimes on how he feels because he really thinks that his problems are nothing compared to Edgeworth's, but he can't help but feel bitter nevertheless that his partner isn't that helping. And then feels like a petty person for that bitterness and knows that he can't be actually cross at Edgeworth for not being a mind-reader. If truth be told, they both think that the other "has it worse", so they both make the same mistake of not opening up fully until something not very good occurs.

"But why didn't you tell me anything??" They both ask each other. Often. But the important thing is, is that they get to ask that eventually. Say sorry to each other. And then move on knowing each other a little bit better, and maybe not repeating the same mistake in the future. At least, the chances are lower now.

Would it be unhealthy for them to be together in that era? Well, depends on your definition of the word 'unhealthy', but I'm a firm believer that it's better to figure out things together, with your loved one, and that's what they are doing. Healing goes much smoother when you have mutual support. And sometimes hurt people can understand and help other hurt people better than any 'healthy' person can. You are in pain, and I'm also in pain, so I understand how you feel and want to help you get through this. It's all about trust and empathy. And isn't it the core of narumitsu and their relationship?

So basically, while it takes a lot of work for them to be together at this point, it is worthwhile. And that is why I prefer the interpretation that they have something going on already in the trilogy. I really want them to struggle, but make it work. I want their relationship to begin not in the best possible moment, perhaps, but to grow more comfortable and mature with years regardless. It is not ideal and far from the perfection, and that is exactly why it's so real and beautiful.

Results time!

It seems like the most popular option is "Fav Miles, prefer top!Phoenix/bottom!Miles" at 22.8%, or 26.1% if I adjust the numbers to remove the "see results" option. And the least popular option is "Fav Miles, prefer top!Miles/bottom!Phoenix" at 5.5%, or 6.3% if adjusted. (Please let my math be correct, it's not my strong suit). It seems like Miles fans have a clearer preference than Phoenix fans.

The reason I made this poll was to test the theory that people tend to prefer their favorite characters as the bottom in a m/m pairing. The data suggests that this could be the case, however we can only conclude correlation and not causation from these results.

Feel free to explain your reasons in the tags! (I'm very curious)

I have to save him.

writing around feelings

imo the absence of a feeling in writing is more powerful than directly describing it. people comment about how i do this a lot in writing so i thought i’d share what i mean and how i do it

so basically i’m trying to articulate a feeling without actually acknowledging it in the writing. when people avoid a thought or a feeling they don’t give it a name. it’s like touching around a bruise, you feel a little around it but avoid fully touching it because it hurts. that’s what i mean

in practice i think i have a couple ways of doing this:

1/ does, doesn’t, would, could: even if a character doesn’t take an action or acknowledge a feeling, the possibility is there in the story and i like drawing attention to that, it addresses the periphery of an emotion in an interesting and internal way, examples:

Erik raises the visor of his helmet. A soft summer breeze hits his face, catching on the sweat and cooling him ever so slightly. He feels Istvan’s eyes on him but doesn’t meet them.

Ryunosuke faces forward, letting his hand drop from the hilt of the sword. He takes a short breath. He tries not to focus on the dust.

2/ flat description of actions: you can describe an action without describing the emotion attached to it. i feel this is more impactful than doing both at the same time, or just choosing to focus on an emotion. there is emotion in the action, the reader can decide which one, examples:

“Kate,” he says, a little too sharply. “Be very careful there. Be very careful.” His hands are shaking again. He crosses his arms and shoves his hands under his armpits.

His computer gives a soft chime. An email. A new lead, but the stories are safe and tame, nothing like the danger he was used to. He shakes his wrists again, warding off carpal tunnel for another day. Another chime sounds. He looks out the window again.

3/ bury emotion in metaphor: this one i do constantly, i’ll just go off on a tangent about something else and the emotion will come through, kind of like how a character will try to distract themselves when faced with an emotion they don’t quite know how to process, example:

Sunlight trickles in through the dense tree cover, like water. A ray touches Hans’s golden hair. Henry watches the light play on the yellow strands. His hair is combed back but a few strands fall onto his forehead, pushed around by some invisible wind. They could be harp strings, or silk threads. Something delicate and fine. Another ray of sunlight falls over Hans’s hair and it seems almost to glow.

He unclenches his hands one finger at a time. The stress of muscles tensing no longer exists, not here, but the ghost of tension still lingers, the memory of it, over his knuckles and in his wrists. He wishes he could just have this. Just the pain in his joints of holding onto something too tightly for too long.

I beta read this!! You should check it out :)

Made a narumitsu au fic based on Koe no Katchi, check it out if you want

-Shout out to @aceof-stars for beta reading this!

-Tw for suicide

-No spoilers past the beginning of farewell my turnabout please

-Ask about the au if you'd like

“some people don’t deserve redemption” redemption isn’t something that’s deserved, it’s something someone does. it’s making the choice to change the way you live your life, to be better, to do good things instead of bad things and try to make up for the bad things. and everyone can and should do that, at any time, no matter what they’ve done. we can’t change the past, but we can choose what kind of person to be now and in the future. we have the responsibility to do so. it is so completely not about “deserving.”

One core trait of Phoenix Wright as a character that I rarely see discussed is how utterly evasive he is about his private affairs. It sticks out the most in AA4 when we see Phoenix from the outside, but "Phoenix won't tell anyone anything important unless he absolutely has to (and even then, he probably won't)" is by no means a new development for him.

From AA1 onwards, we see Phoenix dodge people's questions about his personal life time and time again. In part, this is by narrative necessity - Phoenix knows more than the player is meant to know in order to achieve the optimal tension curve. But AA takes his narrative shortcut and turns it into a real character beat.

Phoenix Wright is the most cagey fucker on the planet.

At the end of 1-1 Mia asks him how he came to befriend Larry and Phoenix dodges the question with a vague promise to tell her later - this also means that in all of his time working with Mia, he's never actually disclosed his full motivation for becoming a lawyer to her.

In 1-2, Maya asks him how he knows Edgeworth and he dodges, because of course he does. The same song and dance repeats at the end of 1-3. And despite Maya's repeated prodding by 1-4, Phoenix still has not told her a thing about his past. That's from October until December that Maya is left going ??? and her questions go nowhere.

Then, between AA1 and AA2, Edgeworth is presumed dead by suicide. Does Phoenix tell Maya about this? Absolutely not. He does not tell her in letters nor is he clear about it when they see each other again in person, months later.

What Maya gets once it's inevitable to talk is a vague 'he's gone' and no elaboration other than the request to not speak about him again.

This is Phoenix's default coping mechanism.

In AA3, there are numerous instances where he mentions forgetting Dahlia, not speaking her name again, etc. Edgeworth is 100% getting the 'person who hurt me too deeply to think about' treatment here.

But to not even tell Maya a vague overview on the matter, when Maya knew him too? Rough. And it just keeps going.

It's six months between telling Maya that Edgeworth is 'gone' in 2-2 and her finding out that 'gone' seemingly means' dead' in 2-3.

Maya complains about it, too. This isn't a matter of 'she never asked again', it's a matter of 'Phoenix is dodging all questions'. Gumshoe has to intervene in order for Maya to finally find out.

And finally in 3-5, does he tell anybody why he's going to Hazakura temple and why he seems interested in Iris? Absolutely not!

At this point we get Edgeworth openly acknowledging that Phoenix keeps his emotional cards extremely closely to the chest. When he states that he wants confirmation on whether or not he has met Iris before, this exchange happens:

Even as Edgeworth directly calls him out on being evasive and never actually speaking to people, all Phoenix can do is acknowledge that this is how he is by apologizing - but he won't change his ways.

AA4 Phoenix is really just a natural evolution of Trilogy Phoenix - Trilogy Phoenix is already evasive, already hates telling people about his struggles or accepting help... It's really no wonder that he'd isolate himself instead of reaching out once he gets disbarred.