I’ve Been Getting Into Ace Attorney! Scene From Farewell My Turnabout (no Spoilers Tho Pls, I Haven’t

I'm sorry but as much as I love and ship narumitsu, Miles's "unnecessary feelings" line is primarily about him questioning his morals and methods as a prosecutor. Miles who was believed he was doing good and enacting justice by getting guilty verdicts for all defendants, who lost faith in finding the truth because he couldn't trust anyone anymore. He was shown that the truth is not so unobtainable by Phoenix, and he began to question if he was truly doing the right thing all along. That's why I love the "unnecessary feelings" line so much; it marks the start of Miles's redemption arc.

Of course you can headcanon the "unnecessary feelings" line to have romantic implications. But Klavier gets my vote in this case.

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

This is further evidence for my point that that Edgeworth has a “move on” attitude towards trauma and the past. After his father’s death, he pushed down his grief and guilt to pursue guilty verdicts. He probably did everything he could to forget his old life. Even now, he doesn’t dwell on the past, the difference is his goal is no longer so unhealthily single-minded.

He buries his emotions not for the sake of hiding them but to accomplish his goals.

something's gone terribly wrong

(you're all i wanted)

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)

Phoenix is the one good at performing and Miles is the authentic one, right? It doesn’t fit them 100% of course, but I cannot see it the other way around.

Phoenix is an “insufferable emotionalist”, yes, and his emotional reactions are very genuine. But when he’s expressing emotions it’s almost always about other people; saving other people, believing in other people. When it comes to his personal issues, he is a closed book. He never says a word about Miles’s disappearance or Dahlia’s betrayal to anyone. Phoenix might not have multiple masks but he’s the one who took this piece of advice from Mia to heart: “for a lawyer, the worst of times are when you have to force your biggest smiles”. That’s his performance: the defender, the savior.

Phoenix is so driven by his attachments to other people that it feels like he doesn’t have an identity outside of it. He became a lawyer for Miles, twice. He pretty much only takes cases because Maya drags him to or one of his friends is the defendant. He doesn't function well when he's alone. You can't tell me he has a stable sense of self.

Miles suppresses his emotions, yes, and in the first game has a crisis over who he was as a prosecutor. But he doesn't perform. He holds himself to personal standards of perfection and doesn't care as much what other people think of him. And he's always authentic in his morals. He always tries to do what he thinks is the right thing, even during his "Demon Prosecutor" days. He thought getting every defendant a "guilty" verdict was the only way to get justice. It's the truth that makes him change his ways. It's pursuing the truth that becomes his main motivation. And isn't that the definition of authenticity?

Miles also 100% does see through Phoenix: "We aren't some sort of heroes. We're only human, you and I". Miles sees past Phoenix's performance. I think he might be the only person to ever address it.

Phoenix Wright is not the excruciatingly authentic and bright sunshine. He is the mirrorball who only shines so brightly because he reflects everyone else’s light.

But it's mutual. They see through each other. And that is probably my favorite part of wrightworth.

This. Is absolutely perfect. “This isn’t a fairy tale, Wright” !!! I feel like people are forgetting something about narumitsu most of the time. Edgeworth dismantling Phoenix’s misbeliefs and savior complex in 2-4. It’s equally as important and Phoenix dismantling Edgeworth’s misbeliefs and guilt in 1-4. You cannot just have Phoenix saving Edgeworth all the time.

savior complex

I think Miles feeling like his father would be disappointed in him is far more interesting if he came to that conclusion by himself instead of being "taught" to believe so by an external factor or being somehow trained to be something Gregory would have "hated" (and let's be real, Gregory would not flip a switch and hate anybody for anything, let alone his son).

Miles feeling like this by himself means there was a moment of self-reflection, even if that reflection did not reach the actually correct conclusion. It offers opportunities to explore how his brain works, themes of survivors guilt and grief that linger long after dl-6. That's interesting! That's intriguing!

What do you get from deciding there was some grand plan to form him into "a person Gregory would hate" (despite the obvious problems with that logic in the first place)? Cartoon villainy I guess? That's not very fun to explore...

One thing I love about Miles Edgeworth is how realistic and practical he is, more than he is moralistic. As much as Miles cares about justice and doing what he thinks is right, he’s not fueled by belief the same way, for example, Phoenix is. And this is one of the things I feel like gets ignored or brushed aside when Miles's character is softened too much.

Both pre and post redemption, Miles puts a lot of emphasis on reality and the bottom line of what people can do in a situation.

In Turnabout Goodbyes, the first thing Edgeworth says in response to Phoenix asking him why he became a prosecutor instead of a defense attorney is: "… I couldn't let myself deny reality like you."

He also doesn't truly believe that every defendant he prosecutes is guilty, contrary to popular belief. In Turnabout Sisters, he says this: ""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." Miles is disillusioned with finding the truth and trusting people that he settles for doing all he can hope to do.

And when you think about it, his motivation of finding the truth is an extension of his realism. After all, the truth is quite literally the most objective, realistic thing ever. In 1-3, after helping Phoenix convict Dee Vasquez, he says: "Will Powers was innocent. That he should be found so is only natural… not a miracle." The truth as a motivation is probably a grounding force for him.

When Miles comes back in Farewell My Turnabout, he calls out Phoenix's flawed motivations for becoming a defense attorney by offering realism: "We aren't some sort of heroes. We're only human, you and I. You want to "save someone"? That's something easier said than done, wouldn't you say? You are a defense lawyer. You can't run away from that. You can only fight. That's all you can do." Miles isn't saying Phoenix can't "save someone". Miles is saying that Phoenix shouldn't be so focused on saving someone that he forgets that his job as a defense attorney is only to fight for them.

Side note, I love the way Miles comforts people, he isn't exactly "nice" but he's incredibly kind. His blunt honesty digs at the heart of the matter, and he gives them an extra push because he respects them enough.

And then there's, possibly, my favorite Miles Edgeworth line: "It doesn't matter how many underhanded tricks a person uses… The truth will always find a way to make itself known. The only thing we can do is to fight with the knowledge we hold and everything we have. Erasing the paradoxes one by one… It's never easy… We claw and scratch for every inch. But we will always eventually reach that one single truth. This I promise you." This directly parallels the line he says in 1-2, and it makes me emotional every time I think about it.

The fact that Miles Edgeworth never lost his unwavering realism, in both quotes he acknowledges how untrustworthy people can be, but gained a new purpose.

His Trust...