Virtual, Visual, Viral is an Ace Attorney fanfic told as a Scrapbook Story consisting mostly of text messages between the main characters. Occasionally, it will also take the form of Instagram posts, Twitter threads, news articles, and other such documents to supplement the story from other perspectives. It started out as a Tumblr blog, but author TrueImmortality has uploaded the entire story onto Archive of Our Own, making it easier for those who missed out on earlier posts to catch up with the story. The chapters/posts range from humorous one-shots to longer, more complex story arcs.
It takes place sometime after the events of Apollo Justice, but before Dual Destinies, with a few deviations from canon. Among other things, Phoenix and Edgeworth are an Official Couple, Phoenix has gotten his badge back prior to meeting and hiring Athena, and characters like Franziska von Karma and Klavier Gavin are no longer Demoted to Extra, corresponding regularly with the rest of the cast. Almost every major character has made an appearance at some point, including Kay Faraday and Sebastian Debeste from the Investigations games.
The story can be accessed here
on Archive of Our Own and here on Tumblr.
This fanfiction contain examples of the following tropes:
- Adaptational Intelligence: Sebastian Debeste is much smarter than his very dim-witted main series self. Justified due to his Character Development and that it's been several years since his last appearance there.
- Anger Born of Worry: Edgeworth goes ballistic at the beginning of "The Truth" arc when Klavier drives Apollo and Trucy to Kurain without telling Phoenix because they'd just found out that he'd lied to them about their sibling connection, going as far as threatening to have Klavier arrested for kidnapping them. He's shown to be highly embarrassed about it later and apologizes.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: During the Hamaski Trial arc, Apollo threatens to leave the safety of Kurain Village and come back to L.A. if Klavier doesn't accept police protection from the mob. Klavier jokes that he would like to see "an angry Apollo Justice descending from Kurain like a vengeful spirit" before assuring him that he did accept the protection. Come "Blackmail, Part 3"... an angry Apollo is coming back to L.A. and it does have to do with the protection detail, but not in a way that either of them could have anticipated.
- Beware the Nice Ones:
- Klavier is just as friendly and noncorrupt as he is in the games, but messing with his friends at the Wright Anything Agency or the Prosecutors' Office is often shown to be a very bad idea.
- Apollo as well. His reaction to Klavier's assault by Buchanan is to inform Kristoph of it, expecting him to attack Buchanan in prison as payback.
- Big Brother Instinct: Apollo and Klavier to Trucy. Inverted with Franziska towards Edgeworth, since she's the younger sibling. Kristoph to Klavier as well.
- Big Damn Heroes: Ema, Sebastian, and Simon Blackquill in "Blackmail, Part 3".
- Call-Forward: Apollo mentions offhand that he's had some experience with having a sibling, though he never mentions Nahyuta by name.
- Canon Foreigner: There are several characters that don't exist in the main series, such as Sam Buchanan, Jose Martinez and Kay's ex-boyfriend Jarret, among others.
- Easily Forgiven: Averted hard during "The Truth" arc when Apollo and Trucy accidentally find out that they're siblings and Lamiroir is their mother. They're so angry that Phoenix hid the truth from them that they drive up to stay with Maya and Pearl in Kurain for several weeks. It's also revealed over time that Klavier, who drove them to Kurain and stayed to help them, is just as angry about it as they are.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Kristoph Gavin still has a pretty strong Big Brother Instinct towards Klavier. He terrorizes the arrested Detective Buchanan when Apollo told him that Klavier was sexually extorted by Buchanan, then later warns Edgeworth Klavier is borderline suicidal during the latter's Et Tu, Brute? moment over Apollo siccing Kristoph on Buchanan (as that involved breaking some major private moments).
- A Father to His Men: Edgeworth to the younger prosecutors, as well as Detective Ema Skye and Kay Faraday.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Discussed in "Best Friend Privileges," with Clay arguing that it doesn't matter how much Phoenix was hurt by Kristoph, it doesn't excuse the way he's treated Apollo
- Happily Married: Gumshoe and Maggey.
- Hate Sink: Detective Sam Buchanan, the misogynistic, homophobic cop who gets beaten to a pulp by Klavier after calling Edgeworth a slur. Edgeworth later reveals to Franziska that Klavier had been putting up with harassment from Buchanan for months. He later makes derogatory comments about Ema and finally crosses the line in "Blackmail, Part 3," when he attempts to assault Klavier in the Chief Prosecutor's office (Edgeworth being in the hospital at the time). He's completely despised both in and out of universe. And There Was Much Rejoicing when Gumshoe finally fires him.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Ema, Sebastian, and Simon Blackquill give one to Buchanan after they catch him trying to assault Klavier in the Chief Prosecutor's Office. Phoenix likens it to a MMA brawl.
- Odd Friendship:
- Apollo and Wocki Kitaki
- Klavier and Vera Misham
- Wocky's friend, Daggers, and fellow inmate Kristoph Gavin
- Official Couple: Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth, Dick Gumshoe and Maggey Byrde, and Larry Butz and Tanya.
- Only Sane Man: Jose Martinez, one of the few confirmed good cops under Gumshoe.
- Scrapbook Story: The entire fic is told in the form of text messages, Instagram posts, and the like.
- Tranquil Fury: When Phoenix makes an Innocently Insensitive remark comparing Klavier to Kristoph, Apollo has this to say:Apollo: Mr. Wright. Thank you for thinking of a solution to the problem. But say that last bit to my face the next time we're together and see what happens.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Ema and Apollo with Klavier. Clay and Apollo also fall into this dynamic at times.
