FranzisKay

"...A smile certainly suits you best. In the past... and now as well."

- Franziska to Kay, The Forgotten Turnabout.

FranzisKay is the femslash ship between Franziska von Karma and Kay Faraday from the Ace Attorney fandom.

Canon
Both are canonically friends, although Franziska isn't the kind of person to make friends at all due to her seriousness, and also her behavior towards other people. Since Kay is part of the only three friends that Franziska has (according to her profile's list of friends in the Ace Attorney Wiki, at least), she's in good terms with her.

Turnabout Reminiscence

They meet for the first time, when both of them were young (Franziska being 13 while Kay was 10 at the time). When Kay kicks Miles' leg, Franziska tells him that he must had seen that coming, and aside from that Franziska also asks if they could arrest her as she would become a valuable lead for the investigation, and Edgeworth, in pain, just says that maybe she needed some kind of punishments when they reunite again.

When Kay returns to do the same, Miles quickly detects her and grabs her at the right moment for prevent her not only escaping, but also for her not doing the same thing twice. Kay is very protective of Gumshoe, as she did not know why they had him arrested, but Miles comforts her by offering Kay a Swiss Roll if she would calm down. At doing so, she explains the swiss roll given was for her father (who was the victim murder of the case), which makes everyone surprised at knowing this, but when Gumshoe then intervenes to tell her not to say another word, Kay reassures him by saying that she had already heard everything about what had happened to [her father]. She then breaks up in tears, and Franziska retorts to Miles that he was not being a gentlemen by leaving a woman [Kay] crying, and Edgeworth apologizing and then he offers Kay a handkerchief, to which it's ultimately ignored as Kay used his cravat.

After that, she assures them that she would never cry again, as that was something she had promised to her father, and Franziska compliments her by saying that she was a very good girl by keeping her promise to her father, and because of doing that, she would testify only for Kay that she hadn't cried and Kay thanks her by bowing her head, calling her "lady". Franziska says back it was nothing, since it was the truth. Miles then thinks for himself that because Kay's father was a respected prosecutor, Franziska was sympathetic to Kay's feelings.

After explaining why Gumshoe was lying about her, Kay explains about how they had eaten Swiss Rolls, and for surprising Gumshoe, she had burst her balloon, causing fragments of it to fall on the floor and making Gumshoe throw his chocolate on the floor by accident due to the explosion. Franziska reprimands her by telling she shouldn't throw trash on the floor, as those were bad manners, and Kay apologizes for it. Franziska forgives her as she reassured that she was in a place where she couldn't see the trash, so for that moment she would let that pass.

Kay then disappears when Calisto Yew escapes, as Kay followed Calisto to catch her, and it's not until several years later when Franziska and Kay meet again.

Turnabout Ablaze

Franziska doesn't recognize Kay at first when she sees her as a suspect in murder, which she wondered if it was because she wanted to become the Yatagarasu, but Gumshoe intervenes to tell her that Kay would never hurt anyone. It is in that moment that she wonders who Gumshoe was talking about and Miles reminds her about the case from long ago, describing Kay as the daughter of the victim of that murder. Franziska is then surprised to learn that she was the "feisty" girl from back then, and Edgeworth explains that she was after the Yatagarasu trail, and that was why she had ended up where she was now (taken by Shih-na as a major suspect of the murder crime), to catch whoever had killed her father, to which Franziska understands.

After Kay's name was cleared from the list of suspects, she tells Edgeworth that she was wondering for a while if the lady she was seeing (Franziska) was who she really thought she was, and Miles realizes he hadn't introduced both to each other yet. When introducing, Franziska starts first, and after doing so, Kay remembers her as the "whip lady" from that time, to which Franziska, a bit uncomfortable with the nickname, corrects Kay by saying she could address her as Ms. von Karma, to which Kay immediately does so, and tells Franziska she would leave the investigation of Allebahst on her hands, to which Franziska thanks her assuring that she would find out about both the smuggling ring and the Yatagarasu.

Franziska is later accused by Lang of committing the murder of DeMasque II, but hence Kay, Gumshoe, and Miles team up to save Franziska from those accusations that implied her being the one responsible of committing the crime. Kay then proposes to Gumshoe to do a competition with her about who could save Franziska first, to which Gumshoe gladly accepts it as he was ready to do it so too. At the end Miles could save her, but still everyone was relieved that she was cleared from suspicion. They then learn about the true murderer of the case who was Quercus Alba, and the latter tried to escape, but Lang arrives with his subordinates to prevent him from escaping, but still they didn't have any decisive evidence that would incriminate Alba for the murder, and so they couldn't stop him.

Kay then intervenes by presenting two pieces of evidence belonging to her father to him, so that Alba could not leave the place without first confronting Miles. She then offers him that if he won, she would give him those two evidences that incriminated him for committing dirty dealings. Franziska then worriedly asks Kay if those evidences weren't part of her father, to which Kay cheerfully replies that she trusted Edgeworth, while telling him that when the going gets tough, someone's gotta had to be there to put the wind in the sails. Franziska is proud of her words and Kay herself, saying that she was still feisty after all, and that she applauded her strong nature, and then Franziska joins in to prevent Alba from escaping the place too, saying that she would not lose.

After Alba is arrested, both girls don't see each other again until some time later.

The Forgotten Turnabout

When Franziska arrives at the crime scene, Miles asks Franziska to allow him and Gumshoe to help her in her investigation into the smuggling ring, adding an additional favor about letting them examine the body to find out what had happened to Kay so that she could lose her memories. Franziska is a bit shocked when she heard Kay's name, and Gumshoe supports Miles by telling Franziska that Kay was in really bad shape. Franziska thinks about it for a moment, and although she wasn't aware of what happened with Kay, she agrees, and grants them permission for the investigation, with a price (condition) of course, in which Miles had to explain everything that had happened before, to which Miles accepts.

Although Franziska had suspicions that although Kay had amnesia, she could commit the murder, she still does not confirm this, however Miles could not say otherwise without evidence either, but Franziska still supported the investigation to find out what had happened to Kay.

When Kay regains all of her memories completely and becomes herself again, Franziska is relieved, as she quoted that a smile really fitted her, as in the past, as in the present time. Kay then thanks her for coming too after the compliment, but Franziska denies nervously saying that she had only came because [Gumshoe] had asked her to do so, since he still wanted to see her energetic self of her. Franziska then mentions that she was going to take Karin and Bonnie for questioning, but Kay worries asking what was going to happen to both of them. Franziska reassures her when after mentioning the crimes that they had been involved in, and that they would not disappear, she mentions that when they were in court, she would testify that both had been blackmailed by Blaise (murderer of the case). From there, she, along with both Karin and Bonnie, left the place.

The Grand Turnabout

They don't interact too much, but Kay accompanied Miles to see Courtney (who was preceding Patricia Roland's trial) to listen from her what she would say on taking the case in a different angle. Sebastian was not found in the time for Patricia's trial, who was charged with murder after a previous investigation by Edgeworth. Jill Crane (murder victim of the past case) was supposed to be Roland's defense attorney, but then Raymond Shields took her place. Franziska offered to fill in for Sebastian (who was supposed to be present as the prosecutor of Patricia's trial), but when the trial started, she found out that the evidence against Roland had gone missing. Shields convicted Courtney to suspend the trial instead of ending it in an acquittal, with a 15 minute recess. Miles and Kay found Franziska and Raymond there. Both are also decided on finding the missing evidence in 15 minutes that would incriminate Patricia Roland.

Kay and Miles found Sebastian and retrieved the evidence (destroyed evidence, still usable), so they returned to the courtroom. Franziska left the case on Sebastian's hands as she would see the trial from the gallery.

Franziska reappears a bit later along with Raymond as the latter said that they had finished the trial and so catched the up group of people reunited on a same place (involved as witnesses in the same case, like Lotta, Nicole, Courtney, among others). Miles and Kay were the first ones on noticing them.

Kay and Franziska were the ones out of the people reunited who headed to the Berry Big Circus to confront Simon Keyes after everyone was aware that he was behind the murder of Di-Jun Huang's body double.

After Keyes was arrested, there was no mention of both interacting again.

Quotes
Turnabout Reminiscence

Turnabout Ablaze
 * Kay – "So I wanted to ask for a while now, but...that lady over there, is she who I think she is!?"
 * Edgeworth – "Ah, that's right. I didn't introduce the two of you yet."
 * Franziska – "Franziska von Karma, the prosecutorial prodigy. ...It's nice to see you again."
 * Kay – "Ooh, I knew it! You're the whip lady!"
 * Franziska – "......... You may address me as Ms. von Karma."
 * Kay – "Ms. von Karma, I leave the investigation of Allebahst in your hands!"
 * Franziska – "Thanks. Rest assured, I will outsmart both the smuggling ring and the Yatagarasu!"
 * — Turnabout Ablaze.

The Forgotten Turnabout

Moments

 * Franziska praises Gumshoe's nickname given by Kay calling it "cute".
 * Franziska describes Kay as a stray cat, since the latter had hissed at Miles.
 * Franziska calls Kay "feisty" after the latter mentions that she was about to give the swiss roll she had to Gumshoe, but then she kicked Miles because he was "picking" on Gumshoe.
 * Kay remembers Franziska as the "whip lady" until Franziska corrects her to address her as Ms. von Karma.
 * Franziska getting angry when Kay is held as hostage by Shih-na.
 * Kay joining up along with Miles and Gumshoe to save Franziska from accusations against her being the one responsible for a murder.
 * Kay asking Miles in a shocked horror tone what was he doing "discrediting" Franziska after Miles mentions that there was a contradiction with a piece of evidence in Franziska's testimony.
 * Franziska doesn't whip Kay when she complaint to Miles about the "discredition", but she does it to Gumshoe when he agreed with Kay.

Fanon
It's a rarepair since not much people watch Miles Edgeworth's Investigations, however it's appreciated by those who do so. Since the ship is another example of trope (referring to Franziska as the "Queen"), it's loved as Franziska is commonly headcanoned as a lesbian and so she's paired often with women, with Kay being an example, and the fact that she's seen softening to women only (Miles too, but rather because it's a sibling bond), it makes the ship attractive for fans.

As said before, since Franziska is commonly headcanoned as a lesbian in the fandom, she's paired with almost every women (or at least the most known ones like Adrian, Maya, Ema, or Kay), making people feel indecisive about who to ship Franziska with, but there's a fan art by distinguisheddiaster about her being shipped with the four mentioned before.

Although the ship is known by some fans, it's preferably shipped as a familyship with both Franziska and Kay being headcanoned as sisters, because of their age gap of around 3 years (Kay is 16, while Franziska is 19), Kay being a teenager and Franziska being almost an adult, and so because of it, the latter is rather treated as a big sister to Kay than a romantic partner. But still, it has following on both family and romantic parts.

However it's overshadowed by ships like Faraskye and Franmaya, which are the girls' most popular ships by much, and both have more attention. On AO3 it has 6 fics in the romantic side while 5 in gen.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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