#midnightdemonhunter

He’d expected the door to open slowly—maybe silently, maybe with an apprehensive little creeeak, who was to say—so when it swung, he couldn’t lie, he jumped. “Holy…a knock would not have killed you, you know.”

Josh paused in the doorway for a beat, no more and no less, his eyes narrowing not with distrust but disbelief as he (so very kindly) pointed out, “It’s my house.”

An excellent point, one he wasn’t really in the mood to debate with the others tucked away and giggling, hanging on his every word, so…he didn’t; instead, Mike did his best to resume his earlier lean, all cool-guy confidence and sideways smirks, ready to shift into Phase 2 of Operation Kiss Cam.

cw smoking

"How long have you been out here?" Louisa asks. The back alley behind the hotel is quiet save for the sound of passing cars, lit by a single yellowing wall light next to the door. Shirley is leaning against the brick with her hands jammed in her jacket pockets, looking at nothing in particular.

"Relax," Shirley says without moving as Louisa joins her. "I made small talk. Just needed some air, is all." Louisa doesn't blame her. She's considered suggesting to River that they make a polite excuse and leave six times in the last hour. But, well. Aside from everything else, it's only been an hour.

Shirley reaches into the inside pocket of her jacket and fishes out a cigarette and a lighter. "What's going on with you two, then?"

Louisa's almost relieved. They'd been doing a good job of hiding it, or so she thought, but if anyone was going to pick up on it, it'd be Shirley. "I told him I think we should get divorced," she says. It's only the third time she's said it out loud.

Shirley doesn't even flinch, just raises her eyebrows as she lights the cigarette. She takes a long drag, and says, "That'll do it."

"Yeah." Louisa leans her head back to rest on the wall. They may be well into spring, but it's been a cold few days, and the breeze has a bite to it.

Shirley passes her the cigarette. "How'd he take it?"

"Well, I think," Louisa says, "all things considered." It's been a long time since she smoked; she has to fight a coughing fit. Her eyes water. "Just haven't really talked about it since."

Shirley huffs a laugh. "Sounds about right."

She has a point. Louisa passes back the cigarette and closes her eyes. Neither of them say anything, for a while.

did both to make up for the fact i never got around to ur ask the last time i did a drawing challenge <3

I AM SO FUCKING GLAD YOU ASKED. my tippy top fave (in general too) is akane because they share a same plight. both have lost so much and feel like the violent setting they have found themselves in is nothing much or out of the ordinary. i have so so so many thoughts and cant find it in me to articulate right now but they are definitely scattered around and can pretty much be summed up by that one chapter 4 scene you know exactly the one.

other Fuyuhiko Parallel Greatest Hits:

- mikan. the atoners. obsessed with being forgiven, will make themselves suffer cruel and unusual punishments.

- komaeda. incredible amounts of self-hatred, vented through much different avenues.

- hajime. just some guy vs wishes he was just some guy.

- gundham. both swear up and down they're evil. they're not.

oooh ok! hehe no limits

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

oh. so many. this fic capped out at almost 130k and each chapter was originally LONGER than they are now. i have a horrible habit of writing so much i destroy my pacing. i fall in love with scenes that are intimate or lengthy even if they don't serve narrative purpose LMAO. but even some story elements were changed significantly. originally, the ending was even more dramatic than it is now. miles got kidnapped, trucy had a much bigger role, and i originally planned to have Maya confront Kristoph while channelling Mia. however, i realized that while I (happily!) lean into cheese, that ending was way more fun to imagine in a soapier fic than it was to read, and canon already puts Maya through too much LMAO

11: What do you like best about this fic?

ooooh. that's a tough question. i think i loved the chance i got to really linger on Phoenix, Maya, and Pearl's relationships. i love their family dynamic so dearly that oftentimes i had to remind myself to move onto plot or romantic storylines with Miles, bc I enjoy writing Phoenix interact with the Fey girls so much. they're at the very best when they're together, and in a way writing this was an unsent letter of love to my little brother (my maya haha)

12: What do you like least about this fic?

oof. there are some parts of this fic ill never be satisfied with. the ending might have disappointed people, bc i had to change writing styles: transitioning to writing what people already Knew from canon to divergence with my own ideas meant that things got lengthier, more expository, and I'll never know if i got it right haha. that, and, given the nature of ace attorney (perfectly balanced between goofy as hell and dark as fuck), any time i try to write something serious (ex. phoenix's background, financial worry, actual legal processes) it almost feels off LMAO. only in aa does actual law feel weird

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

augh. so much. that i love writing in this fandom. that i still love the characters and want to write more for them. that outlines are my friend. that i should lean into what i like (sap. corny lines. healing) if i want to, and write whatever i want (for fun and for challenge)