Thinkin about the symbolism in Pheonix viewing court like poker vs Edgeworth viewing court like chess and how it shows the difference between the defense side and the prosecution side.
Edgeworth views court as a chess match; in chess, both sides start on completely equal ground, with the same pieces on both sides, the only difference being the colors to differentiate who's who. The winner is the person with better tactics, who uses their pieces wisely, who makes less illogical moves.
Pheonix, on the other hand, sees court like poker, a card game in which the sides can never be equal, and you cannot be sure of who has the better hand, which gives way to bluffing and pretending you are doing well to persuade your opponent to back down, even if you have very little to go on. You have to weight logic vs chance, never knowing for certain that your opponent does not have a trump card on them. While being wise with your cards will get you far, luck is necessary to win.
This shows the difference between the prosecution and defense sides wonderfully, with the prosecution having all the access to the forensics, the witnesses, the crime scene, the privilege, while the defense has to catch up and do it all themselves, often in less time with less resources.
But even better, it shows why the prosecutors look down upon the defense's bluffing and conjecture, because if Edgeworth thinks this is like a chess game, then he assumes that the defense has equal information, not less information. Why do they need so much bluffing if all the pieces are the same, unless they are losing? Why do they act as though we have underhanded tricks when they use the smallest things to bring up? It is because on the defense's side, you know you have less intel than the prosecutors, you know your hand is worse, so you have to make everything count, because the only certainty you have is the trust in your defendant.
GOOD SHIT @dilf-phoenix-rights
[Image description: tags that read “#god. yea. #also applies to how they view the gravity of the situation / what they are worrying about losing #In chess you aren’t usually played by to win anything. there isn’t a prize to win other than proving yourself. The victory is the victory. #but with poker there (typically) is something to lose. Something that is very important to people depending on how well off they are. #so to Edgeworth (at the time) it is about pride. What he fears losing is the sense of accomplishment that is his perfect win record. #to Phoenix it is about people’s lives. There are consequences beyond a blow to his ego if he loses. end id]
