Your post about Klavier being unbendingly lawful made me think about how hilarious it is that if you put Apollo, looking all proper and serious when suited up, next to Klavier, grinning rockstar decked out in chains and shirt partly unbuttoned, one would think Apollo would be the stickler for rules and laws.
But in reality Klavier has managed to make even being a rock star all about law, while Apollo was raised by literal rebels, has possibly been living with forged papers ever since being sent away at age [young], and also can and will punch someone for being too much of a dick. Not to mention what else he might have been up to inbetween age [young] and now.
Kinda makes me wonder if Klavier would assume the same, and how long it would take for him to realize otherwise... 🤔
okay so i'm going to take this as an opportunity to talk about one of my favorite things from aa4: the way that almost all the characters entirely subvert your expectations of them based on their outward appearance. (obvious spoilers ahead, if you're somehow following me without having played aa4)
So, yeah, there's Klavier and Apollo--the supposedly "bad boy" rockstar with a motorcycle and self-branded boots, contrasted with the seemingly straightlaced Brand New Defense Attorney in his comparably normal businesswear.
...and then Klavier turns out to make music entirely about upholding the law and is the prosecutor in the series most dedicated to finding the truth above all else right from the start, and Apollo punches his first ever client in the face once he discovers that the guy was...let's politely say not giving him all the information about the evidence he had.
The most obvious way AA4 subverts expectations surrounding appearances is probably in Turnabout Trump--you expect the legal mentor figure (Kristoph Gavin, in this case) to be trustworthy and upstanding. You're introduced to your somewhat shady-looking client who's Obviously hiding something.
And then it turns out that the sketchy guy you're defending is Phoenix Wright, former paragon of justice; and you realize your mentor is significantly more personally involved in this case than you could have imagined, and by the end of the trial you're not really sure what the status quo is actually going to be for this game.
(the rest of this is under a cut because I uh. had a lot to say about this)
And then this subversion continues with characters like the Kitakis, who are notorious for organized crime but who are revealed to be trying to put that behind them and open a bakery; or Alita Tiala, who at first glance seems to be a devoted fiancée but who's been planning on taking advantage of Wocky's inevitable death for her own financial gains. You've got Lamiroir, the "landscape painter in sound," who turns out to be blind; and Machi Tobaye, the young boy who's actually been caught up in a smuggling plot.
(...come to think of it, AA4 has a lot of children who end up involved in dubiously legal schemes through the influence of parents/guardian figures in their lives (Machi and Daryan; Vera and Drew Misham; Trucy and Zak Gramarye--and even Trucy and Phoenix Wright, honestly).)
Ultimately, almost everyone you encounter throughout AA4 is lying about who they are--they're acting, putting on a performance. And this is one of the things about the game that I think is genuinely so brilliant--because Perceive, as a mechanic, is all about seeing through this seemingly-perfect image to what's being concealed. You have a game full of people whose identities involve some form of pretense (Phoenix, pretending to be a washed-up piano/poker player; Klavier, and the inherent pretense that comes with being a celebrity; Trucy, and her whole family's illusion-based magic; Lamiroir, who doesn't even know her previous identity; etc, etc, etc), and the whole point, more than ever, is being able to understand and see through to what truth they're hiding.
(this is one of the things that annoys me about the fact that we never got a resolution for Kristoph Gavin's black psyche-locks, actually--because the game leaves that as a dangling plot thread, because we never do get to find out entirely what he's concealing with his polished, perfectly composed facade. We can make educated guesses based on everything we find out--he's a perfectionist, obsessed with being in control; he wants to be admired and have people depend on him. But the why is never resolved in a satisfying manner within the text of the game, and then isn't revisited)
...I can't remember if I had some sort of profound point to this--I think I just wanted to talk about how interesting the characters in AA4 were, honestly--and because I really, really love themes of concealed/hidden identity, whether it's more concrete or abstract. I think I was probably supposed to talk about klapollo here and not give you half an English Lit essay--but i've been wanting to ramble about this for ages and this gave me an excuse.
Prompts? Hmm... 🤔 Tony lifting Bucky in a princess carry just to prove he can? Bucky and Extremis-Pepper locked in an arm wrestling match? Morgan teaching Nebula clapping games? Any of them just smiling happily?
im absolutely loving all of these but my drawing rate is abysmal so here is the first!
Hellosies! I’m back on my bullshit, with hopes of staying on it for a while but I just wanted to share a little alteration to the Tony Retires AU headcanon that I have with the lovely @journeythroughtherain:
Instead of getting a castle in the Italian countryside, Tony instead just goes into the woods, in a hi-tech cottage where he works as a modern blacksmith and his hunky boyfriend Bucky cooks delicious food and posts it on the internet, like quality food p0rn.
The wonderful thing about this headcanon is that it doesn’t even have to follow CW or any other movie. It could work simply as Tony getting tired of his corporate work or post IM where he just leaves his former life behind and works on himself.
He finds true joy in building and creating and Bucky could use the time away, to live his life, cooking as a form of therapy and acclimation to civilian life.
Bucky used to think fall was the saddest season, what with how everything dies and goes to rot, but Tony loves fall and teaches Bucky all the joys and beauty of it. From taking walks in the crisp fall air, to appreciating the way nature prepares for winter; for survival. The colors everywhere, to just enjoying cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa while the autumn storms rage outside. Soon Bucky starts associating all with Tony, and well, now it'shis favorite season too.
idk how u expect me to write something well when u already did it jo, but i shall try!
~~
Autumn used to be the season that Bucky hated the most. He always hated how the leaves on trees would die and fall. He hated how the bright and sunny weather would be replaced with the harsh cold winds.
But spring? Spring was Bucky’s favorite season. He loved how lively everything would become. From the flowers blooming to people becoming more joyous, spring was Bucky’s favorite.
Autumn was the worst and spring was the best. It was as simple as that for Bucky. Nothing would ever change his mind... well, until he met Tony that is.
For Tony, autumn is the best season, and it was his favorite. At first, Bucky didn’t understand how his boyfriend could love such a depressing season, but soon enough, Bucky learned.
Tony taught him the beauty of autumn.
It started off slow. One crisp morning, Tony had dragged Bucky out of bed, and the two of them went on a walk. Tony pointed out all the earthy tones of colors and how captivating but calming they were. He showed Bucky how nature would start to prepare itself for the winter, how nature would prepare to survive during the shortest but yet the coldest of days.
Later, Tony taught Bucky how soft autumn could be. Bucky will always remember the day the rain was pouring for hours on end, and Tony tugged Bucky down on the couch to stare out the window. Bucky didn’t understand how watching the rain attack nature was soft until Tony curled up to his side, a steaming mug of hot cocoa in his hands.
As more time went by, Bucky began to understand why autumn was Tony’s favorite season. Inevitably, autumn became Bucky’s favorite season too.
A moodboard for journey's amazing, soft and fluffy get together fanfic, Best Bot.
Read it you want some fluff for these lovely characters, if you like outsider POV (this DUM-E POV is absolutely amazing!), if you don’t want to commit to anything long for a reason at the moment (it’s 1.5K only), or if you just want to indulge in the warmth (yes, Dummy is the bestest bot!). This fic is perfect for all of these, and you’ll definitely feel better after reading it. (I did. Despite being sick.)
Here it is :) still 616, but this time with Winter Soldier Bucky being home from a mission and cooking breakfast for sleepy Tony. He just stopped to kiss his boyfriend hello!
I had feel-good movies when I was younger (for example, I watched Miss Congeniality probably 10 times when I was home with a concussion), but nowadays it’s mostly fics. Still, Legally Blonde and Disney movies are easy contenders, but so are some oddball disaster movies, because apparently I like seeing the world destroyed when I’m not feeling well xD I’ll also watch some Try Guys videos because they make me laugh.
23. favorite piece of clothing?
There’s plenty of clothing that I like a lot, especially since I recently Marie Kondo’d myself through my closet last month. A lot of those are for occasions, though. In the end, it’s probably the super soft, fluffy, dark purple housecoat I found some years ago that is lovely and warm and super comfy.
29. morning, afternoon or night?
I’m pretty much a night owl. Afternoon is doable. Mornings, I usually spend sleeping again after I’ve walked the dog in order to get through the day xD
106: “My ex? Yeah, I’d still hit that. Except this time it would be with a car or baseball bat.” for Winteriron (one telling the other about an ex)?
and @hddnone who asked for the same prompt.
A Seat at the Table
It was one of thoseblack-tie awards affairs, the kind of thing where the alcohol was watered downand the food was pretentious and fussy and not at all filling. Tony watchedBucky schmoozing like he’d been born to it and smiled; it had been a long, hardroad to get Bucky so comfortable in a crowd -- even now, he paused every coupleof minutes to scan the room, picking out exits and potential cover and hisdistance from Tony -- but Tony was unspeakably proud of him.
Naturally, it was duringthat moment of quiet joy that a very unwelcome voice behind him said, “Tony,darling. You look wonderful, as always.”
Tony fixed a slightlyplastic smile on his face and turned to greet Ty, because Pepper would kill himif he made a scene again. “Stone. They’ll let just anyone in here these days,won’t they?”
Ty scoffed, raising aglass to Tony. “Seems they will,” he said. “But you know it was never personal.It’s simply a matter of money. If they were judging based on personality,or competence, well, you wouldn’t have a seat at the table, would you?You do look pretty, though. As long as you’re not, well, talking.” Ty reachedout and patted Tony on the cheek, rubbing his thumb at the corner of Tony’smouth knowingly.
Tony jerked his headaway, his smile curling into a snarl. “Well, it hasn’t been fun. Let’s never doit again.” He turned away, twisting past a waiter and around a bank ofexcessively leafy plants, seething. God, Ty was such an ass.
Tony wasn’t sure ifBucky had seen that, or if it was just his normal Acquire-Visuals-on-Tony checkthat had failed, but it didn’t take more than seventeen seconds (yes, okay, soTony was counting, sue him.) to make his way over to Tony’s cover and slide inbeside him to do his impression of casual and calm.
“Handsome fella,” Bucky commented,idly picking Ty out of the crowd with his thousand yard stare.
So Bucky had seenit. “My ex?” Tony supplied, not bothering to look. “Yeah, I’d still hit that.Except this time it would be with a car.” No, running Ty over wasn’t personalenough. “Or a baseball bat.” Better.
There went the flexingnoise of Bucky’s arm-plates shifting as he clenched a fist and the armcompensated. “I didn’t catch what he said,” Bucky admitted, as if that wassomething to be ashamed of, that he couldn’t hear a single voice out ofhundreds, nearly a dozen yards away or more. “But if he insulted ya, doll, Icould… arrange an incident.”
Just knowing Bucky hadhis back made Tony feel a thousand times better. He took a deep, cleansingbreath, and leaned in to kiss Bucky’s cheek. “They say the best revenge isliving well,” he said. “And I’m living so well, these days. We shouldhead back to the table. They’re going to present my award soon.”
