Mia Fey: I had a bad feeling back then, but I didn't know that this would mark the beginning of... the most tragic case I was ever involved in.
Turnabout of Courage
is a fan-made work of the Ace Attorney series. It was created using the Ace Attorney Online trial editor, as an entry for the trial competition Canon? SCREW Canon! hosted on the website. It takes place in an alternate reality of the game universe, where events throughout the franchise's history have been radically changed.
The author of the case is Blackrune, an author of several freaking other trials (that aren't even limited to what's on that list) and a known lover of maids.
It also has an independent sequel, Turnabout Pairs.
20 bucks you didn't see this one coming:
- Adaptational Villainy: Phoenix Wright is the Big Bad.
- Alternate Universe: The entire case takes place in one of these.
- The Bad Guy Wins: The Bad Ending. After Atmey's confession, Peter Burg is declared not guilty and the confetti rains as usual. Back in the defendant lobby, Phoenix invites Mia to a restaurant (presumably the Borscht Bowl Club), with Burg deciding to tag along... "And everyone is happy". Yet the true culprit, Phoenix himself, remains uncaught, with Luke Atmey taking the rap for Larry's murder. Furthermore, Phoenix is not caught for killing Edgeworth and Diego, and Edgeworth's corpse is never found.note
- Batman Gambit: Phoenix's plan relied on the investigation putting weight on the theory that dry ice was used to knock out Larry, causing him to drop out of the tower trying to get fresh air. He was also betting on Mia linking the dry ice to Cool Company, who's CEO happens to be Luke Atmey. Add a potential affair between Larry and Atmey's wife Luna to the mix, and he was an obvious suspect. The only problems with his plan were Peter Burg knocking out Edgeworth, and Edgeworth's wristwatch being ten minutes faster, meaning that the corpse was found earlier than anticipated and forcing Phoenix to spend 35 minutes locating Edgeworth to dispose of him, resulting in a hole in his alibi. However, despite these unexpected factors, he can still manage to get off the hook if Atmey is accused of murdering Larry with substantial and impressive proof, resulting in him willingly "confessing" his crime and playing right into Phoenix's hands - and leading to the Bad Ending.
- Be as Unhelpful as Possible: It is an Ace Attorney case, so this trope is inevitable, but Maria does this just to emphasize how much she really, REALLY doesn't like you. And everyone else, for that matter.
- Big Bad Friend: Phoenix Wright, the true mastermind behind the deaths of Diego Armando, Larry Butz and Miles Edgeworth, is a close friend of Mia Fey and her co-counsel for most of the trial until he's brought to the witness stand.
- The Cameo: Gilligan Teeschlegelsteinhausenberdorf from New Year's Turnabout and Glase Canon from Turnabout Orange appear in different failure conversations of part 3.
- Catchphrase: "Keys, anyone?"
- Character Filibuster: Luna. Von. Doppelbohringen. Saying that she is the embodiment of this trope is NOT asserting it enough. She elaborates... and elaborates... and elaborates... and elaborates... and elaborates... and ELABORATES to the point where it puts you in some sort of trance where you've forgotten how to think and your name is Zupachi Misamana.
- The Chessmaster: To an absurdly literal degree in part 3, which begins with chess metaphors spoken by the true killer, Phoenix Wright, talking of the various witnesses as if they were pieces on a chessboard.
- Crime After Crime: It is revealed that the murderer killed Larry Butz, along with Miles Edgeworth, in order to hide the fact that he killed Diego Armando in the hopes of getting Mia to fall for him instead. At the same time, he tampers with evidence and commits perjury to throw Mia off his trail.
- Crossover: You got your BlazBlue in my Ace Attorney.
- Dead All Along:
- Edgeworth has been missing since earlier the night of the murder, but by the time you get to the investigation and realize he's been missing, he's already dead.
- Larry has also been dead since shortly before the case even began, since he was murdered in the killer's own home.
- Death by Adaptation: Larry Butz, Diego Armando and Miles Edgeworth. All three were murdered by the same man.
- Dramatic Irony: In the Bad Ending, Mia theorizes that if it wasn't for Peter Burg trying to "exorcise" him, Larry might have been able to escape the room filling with carbon dioxide. Those who completed the True Ending, however, know that "Larry" was actually Edgeworth, that Larry was dead long before the events in the tower, and that there was no dry ice to begin with.
- Downer Ending: Both endings in the game are this. In the Bad Ending, Luke Atmey willingly admits to the murder simply because of retribution for his former murder that he wasn't caught on, and then Hazama proceeds to berate the crap out of you for being so stupid, leaving us with the fact that we've just sent an innocent man to his eternal damnation. But you know what? The True Ending is even worse. Seriously, it's more of a downer than ANYTHING in the actual series ever was. Mia catches the true murderer, Phoenix Wright, one of her closest and oldest friends. Then this happens. It turns out HE was the one who poisoned Diego's coffee all those years ago out of jealousy, and everything that happened in this case has been a direct result of that. Absolutely everything is pure tragedy. Mia can't take any solace in figuring out who was behind it all. She's lost everything, and in the most literal sense, it's all over but the crying.
- Failure Is the Only Option: The argument with Hazama, which you can only beat by refusing his hint four times, when Mia realizes that it is entirely pointless.
- Fate Worse than Death: In the Bad Ending, Hazama traps Luke Atmey in a self-contained hell for eternity, unable to prove he wasn't responsible for Larry's death.
- Gambit Roulette: Subverted. If Burg hadn't by a stroke of complete luck knocked Edgeworth out, and/or Edgeworth's watch hadn't had the wrong time, Phoenix's plan would have succeeded without a hitch.
- Heel–Faith Turn: Peter Burg. He wasn't exactly what you'd call a bad person before, but he certainly likes to go on about how much his new-found faith has made him better as a person.
- Hypocrite: If accused of leaving dry ice to render Larry unconscious, Luke Atmey will declare the idea "ingenious" and claim it as his own plan. In the True Ending epilogue, his wife tells him about the plan, which he finds absurd, and then claims that he would have seen through it in an instant.
- I Can't Believe I'm Saying This: Mia, prior to accusing Phoenix Wright for the murder of Larry Butz.
- Just in Time: Subverted. Near the beginning of part 3, Mia receives a letter that claims to be extremely important to the case, but it turns out to be a prank by Hazama.
- Laughing Mad: Phoenix Wright in both a few of his poses during the confrontation with him and in his breakdown.
- Left Hanging: Subverted. "But what about all of that other evidence that never got u—wait, Bad Ending?"
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Luke Atmey's motive for killing Larry is suspecting him of having an affair with his wife. This is Subverted after the discovery of the true killer, Phoenix Wright. However, Phoenix did kill Diego Armando in an attempt to get Mia to love him instead of Diego, poisoning his coffee.
- Oh No You Didn't: Hazama, having told off Luna after being sick of her elaborations, making Luna VERY angry.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Hazama loves to give these (even almost saying these exact words at one point), but as mentioned in a previous trope, the biggest one comes if you go down the path of the Bad Ending. The speech there is almost like a self-insert for Blackrune, really. He stomps in your face for thinking that he'd ever have so many useless pieces of evidence and unexplained plot threads.
- Rogue Protagonist: Phoenix Wright himself, big time.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Mia Fey is still alive and active as a defense attorney by the time Phoenix is disbarred.
- Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Phoenix's fall has him betray, and in some cases kill, his close friends and appropriately horrifying everyone else.
- Villainous Breakdown: It wouldn't be Ace Attorney without one.
- Luke Atmey, when outed as the murderer in one of the endings, declares the murder method (planting dry ice from his company, Cold Company, in a cage in the tower to knock Larry unconscious with the carbon dioxide it created, resulting in him falling out of the window) to be "ingenious" and proceeds to take credit for it, reprising his original "tragic clown" breakdown from Trials and Tribulations.
- The real murderer, Phoenix Wright, has a truly spectacular breakdown. When his plan starts falling apart, his voice starts cracking, his iris shrinks creepily and he starts sporting a major Slasher Smile. When Mia blows apart his claim that it was Edgeworth's plan, he screams "Hold it!" and "Objection!", screaming that it's a conspiracy against him, just because he's Phoenix Wright, and later yells about how his "perfect plan" was ruined by unknown factors. He begins his Motive Rant, and when finally rejected by Mia begins Laughing Mad for several minutes while shaking. His laughter subsides for a moment, and the background turns to flames as he begins laughing anew while sinking, giving the impression that he's being lowered into hell itself. He's finally dragged out of the courtroom, with Mia doing her best to control herself.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!:
- "OK seriously? Accusing me is like the worst joke ever."
- You, after discovering Blackrune's horrifying new invention of supra-objections.
