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One of the more amusing elements of the Ace Attorney games is how the character you play often has two completely different dialogues going on at the same time. One, the character's "outer dialogue," is usually expressed via standard text, with grey text for whispering. The other, the "inner monologue," tends to get expressed through blue text which is TECHNICALLY something you can't hear.
In other words, no, Phoenix is not talking in two distinctly different voices. He's just thinking. LOUDLY thinking -- both Phoenix and Apollo have a bad habit of being easy to read -- but still thinking. If you can read minds, or are very good at interpreting body language, feel free to let your character "read the text." Otherwise, it's completely inaudible to people.
(There may be other text colors that appear -- specifically green text, which he uses during magatama divining and IS spoken out loud -- but the blue text is entirely internal.)
I have taken to putting it into brackets to make the divide more obvious, but I'll keep the explanation here anyway just in case anybody is unfamiliar with the games and wondering wtf.
(no subject)
APPLICANT INFO.
NAME: Badge
CONTACT: Plurk is![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
dragomorph, or dragomorph on Skype
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER INFO.
NAME: Phoenix Wright
CANON: Ace Attorney
AGE: 27
APPEARANCE: Slightly crooked eyebrows and a very distinctive head of spikey hair. Is wearing a blue suit of somewhat cheap quality with a red tie. Always wears his defense attorney badge.
CANON POINT: Post-Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney. For the sake of this app, this normally non-canonical game is situated between the end of Trials and Tribulations and his disbarring in Apollo Justice.
BACKGROUND: This goes past game 3, but only the first 3 games and the side game Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is relevant for his canon point.
(Note that the entry for the latter is incomplete. While Phoenix blames himself extensively for Maya's "death" and despairs, Maya turns out thankfully to be alive and well. Labyrinthia was essentially an extensive set piece maintained in order to try to protect Espella and prevent her from withdrawing into herself for guilt over believing she was responsible for a massive fire that destroyed her town. Thanks to Professor Layton's investigations and Phoenix's efforts to uncover the truth, Espella was completely cleared, the mystery of Labyrinthia solved, and now Labyrinthians continue to exist as a community free of secrets.)
PERSONALITY: Outwardly, Phoenix is a pretty mild-mannered sort of guy. He's easily intimidated, doesn't like to make more of a fuss than strictly necessary, and while he can be prone to emotional outbursts, he's not the sort of guy who homes in on conflict. He has a bit of a dorky sense of humor, but more frequently tends to be the BUTT of jokes rather than the instigator. He'll protest, of course, but rarely do much to stick up for himself otherwise. Meanwhile, most of his less diplomatic comments are kept to himself (or attempted, anyway; he occasionally illustrates exactly what he's thinking on his face). In short, he's generally an everyman.
Until you get him to court.
Phoenix is a turnabout specialist, a guy who can take a seemingly hopeless case and turn it into a victory. Typically, this ends up by the skin of his teeth, thanks primarily to functioning within a court system antagonistic towards defense attorneys, who are seen as obstructing a quick, simple flow of getting as many criminals in jail as possible. But when he truly, honestly believes in the innocence of his client, he's ferocious, exploiting every weakness in a testimony, every seemingly innocuous piece of evidence. And he WILL believe in his clients; he never takes the cases of those who want him only to game the system, as his belief in the law requires him to have faith in his clients. His departed mentor, Mia Fey, taught him everything he knows, including how to think outside the box, and he holds to these teachings dearly.
Phoenix believes in truth and justice over victory. He will fight for his clients, sure, but only to ensure that the full story behind any crime comes out. A true lawyer, in his experience, works with the prosecution to ensure that every loose end, every possible alternate explanation or contradiction, has been ironed out, leaving nothing but the full, undiluted truth. The truth hurts sometimes, and may even cause pain to those he loves, but it has to be put out there. Leave a story incomplete, and justice cannot be achieved. It is only when everything is out there, warts and all, that judgment can be passed.
This frequently translates outside of the courtroom as well. While the later games are not part of this Phoenix's current canon, he has been known to play the long game when it comes to finding justice, as observed by his seven-year investigation into Kristoph Gavin. Usually, something has to trigger his interest to get him to really get going; in RP settings, usually the simple fact that he's been forced into it is enough to get him started in the first place. This is actually illustrated in some respects in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney; once he remembers who he is, he quickly becomes just as deeply involved in the investigation into what's going on in Labyrinthia as the Professor is, albeit often several steps behind Layton in terms of the answers. In short: He's not always the smartest guy, but his tenacity and willingness to pick at any loose threads means that sooner or later, he'll find the truth.
That said, Phoenix is also fiercely loyal to friends. Maya Fey, in particular, is one of his closest allies, and someone he has come to regard like a sister to him. He is most motivated when he has a personal stake in a case -- usually a friend who is either on trial or in danger -- and can otherwise be lazy and overly selective in his clients. (Particularly, he will not come to the defense of anybody who is obviously guilty of the crime they're accused of. He defends people who need defending, not those who just want to get off the hook.) Unfortunately, his loyalty also tends to bring out his rashest decisions, which more often than not hurt more than help. This tends to be most obvious when it comes to Maya; he has, at one point, been willing to run across a burning bridge to save her life, and fell into a deep depression when he thought she was dead during PL vs. AA. But it comes out in his relations with other people as well, such as his insistence on defending Edgeworth even when Edgeworth himself ordered Phoenix to stay out of his affairs. Still, you can count on him to defend you to the end -- and, perhaps, even sacrifice himself if that's what it takes to ensure your safety.
ABILITIES: Phoenix is a baseline human. However, he has an amazing capacity to think outside the box and pry away at contradictions in order to find the truth. As a side effect of the brainwashing he underwent in Labyrinthia, he has also picked up about five (false) years of baking experience, and while he's not perfect at it, he is still working at it as a side hobby. At least without his lawyer identity being repressed, he's not hitting the dough as hard anymore...
While he doesn't possess the ability personally, the magatama he has provides him with the ability to detect "psyche-locks" on people who are lying either consciously or subconsciously. A permissions post has been created here to deal with the potential issues involved with this.
INVENTORY:
1 Defense Attorney Badge, well-maintained
1 Magatama, capable of sensing when people are lying and breaking through the "psyche-locks" in their hearts.
1 Cell Phone, out of service.
WRITING SAMPLES.
NETWORK SAMPLE: This entire post is nothing BUT Network samples.
LOG SAMPLE:
[But why am I even here?]
He felt a bit like a third wheel. Sure, he could ask a lot of questions, but in the end he was a lawyer. Trying to deal with anything beyond that -- like, say, a set of very grumpy and unhappy dragon babies -- only revealed his inadequacies outside of the courtroom. After nearly getting himself killed a couple times, they'd finally let him just handle keeping watch. This itself seemed ridiculous since he couldn't FIGHT either, but it was better than nothing.
[None of this makes any sense. All that effort by the Professor to disprove the existence of magic, and this entire situation throws that out the window. Maybe if I was him, I'd be able to find the real nature of this place. As it is, all I seem to be able to do is follow the flow.]
He sighed. He wished Maya was here. Or, well, anybody. He didn't know a single person here, and so many of them were aliens, or magic users, or whatever. It was like having to learn the world all over again. Again.
[I guess there's no point in feeling sorry for myself. I'm stuck here whether I like it or not. So I'd better just --]
He yelped as a sudden burst of fire and a slightly strangled "SORRY" came from behind him. He fanned his now scorched suit jacket.
[...learn how to tailor. *sigh*]
((OOC note: Please refer here for an explanation of the blue text.))
NAME: Badge
CONTACT: Plurk is
CURRENT CHARACTERS: N/A
CHARACTER INFO.
NAME: Phoenix Wright
CANON: Ace Attorney
AGE: 27
APPEARANCE: Slightly crooked eyebrows and a very distinctive head of spikey hair. Is wearing a blue suit of somewhat cheap quality with a red tie. Always wears his defense attorney badge.
CANON POINT: Post-Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney. For the sake of this app, this normally non-canonical game is situated between the end of Trials and Tribulations and his disbarring in Apollo Justice.
BACKGROUND: This goes past game 3, but only the first 3 games and the side game Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is relevant for his canon point.
(Note that the entry for the latter is incomplete. While Phoenix blames himself extensively for Maya's "death" and despairs, Maya turns out thankfully to be alive and well. Labyrinthia was essentially an extensive set piece maintained in order to try to protect Espella and prevent her from withdrawing into herself for guilt over believing she was responsible for a massive fire that destroyed her town. Thanks to Professor Layton's investigations and Phoenix's efforts to uncover the truth, Espella was completely cleared, the mystery of Labyrinthia solved, and now Labyrinthians continue to exist as a community free of secrets.)
PERSONALITY: Outwardly, Phoenix is a pretty mild-mannered sort of guy. He's easily intimidated, doesn't like to make more of a fuss than strictly necessary, and while he can be prone to emotional outbursts, he's not the sort of guy who homes in on conflict. He has a bit of a dorky sense of humor, but more frequently tends to be the BUTT of jokes rather than the instigator. He'll protest, of course, but rarely do much to stick up for himself otherwise. Meanwhile, most of his less diplomatic comments are kept to himself (or attempted, anyway; he occasionally illustrates exactly what he's thinking on his face). In short, he's generally an everyman.
Until you get him to court.
Phoenix is a turnabout specialist, a guy who can take a seemingly hopeless case and turn it into a victory. Typically, this ends up by the skin of his teeth, thanks primarily to functioning within a court system antagonistic towards defense attorneys, who are seen as obstructing a quick, simple flow of getting as many criminals in jail as possible. But when he truly, honestly believes in the innocence of his client, he's ferocious, exploiting every weakness in a testimony, every seemingly innocuous piece of evidence. And he WILL believe in his clients; he never takes the cases of those who want him only to game the system, as his belief in the law requires him to have faith in his clients. His departed mentor, Mia Fey, taught him everything he knows, including how to think outside the box, and he holds to these teachings dearly.
Phoenix believes in truth and justice over victory. He will fight for his clients, sure, but only to ensure that the full story behind any crime comes out. A true lawyer, in his experience, works with the prosecution to ensure that every loose end, every possible alternate explanation or contradiction, has been ironed out, leaving nothing but the full, undiluted truth. The truth hurts sometimes, and may even cause pain to those he loves, but it has to be put out there. Leave a story incomplete, and justice cannot be achieved. It is only when everything is out there, warts and all, that judgment can be passed.
This frequently translates outside of the courtroom as well. While the later games are not part of this Phoenix's current canon, he has been known to play the long game when it comes to finding justice, as observed by his seven-year investigation into Kristoph Gavin. Usually, something has to trigger his interest to get him to really get going; in RP settings, usually the simple fact that he's been forced into it is enough to get him started in the first place. This is actually illustrated in some respects in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney; once he remembers who he is, he quickly becomes just as deeply involved in the investigation into what's going on in Labyrinthia as the Professor is, albeit often several steps behind Layton in terms of the answers. In short: He's not always the smartest guy, but his tenacity and willingness to pick at any loose threads means that sooner or later, he'll find the truth.
That said, Phoenix is also fiercely loyal to friends. Maya Fey, in particular, is one of his closest allies, and someone he has come to regard like a sister to him. He is most motivated when he has a personal stake in a case -- usually a friend who is either on trial or in danger -- and can otherwise be lazy and overly selective in his clients. (Particularly, he will not come to the defense of anybody who is obviously guilty of the crime they're accused of. He defends people who need defending, not those who just want to get off the hook.) Unfortunately, his loyalty also tends to bring out his rashest decisions, which more often than not hurt more than help. This tends to be most obvious when it comes to Maya; he has, at one point, been willing to run across a burning bridge to save her life, and fell into a deep depression when he thought she was dead during PL vs. AA. But it comes out in his relations with other people as well, such as his insistence on defending Edgeworth even when Edgeworth himself ordered Phoenix to stay out of his affairs. Still, you can count on him to defend you to the end -- and, perhaps, even sacrifice himself if that's what it takes to ensure your safety.
ABILITIES: Phoenix is a baseline human. However, he has an amazing capacity to think outside the box and pry away at contradictions in order to find the truth. As a side effect of the brainwashing he underwent in Labyrinthia, he has also picked up about five (false) years of baking experience, and while he's not perfect at it, he is still working at it as a side hobby. At least without his lawyer identity being repressed, he's not hitting the dough as hard anymore...
While he doesn't possess the ability personally, the magatama he has provides him with the ability to detect "psyche-locks" on people who are lying either consciously or subconsciously. A permissions post has been created here to deal with the potential issues involved with this.
INVENTORY:
1 Defense Attorney Badge, well-maintained
1 Magatama, capable of sensing when people are lying and breaking through the "psyche-locks" in their hearts.
1 Cell Phone, out of service.
WRITING SAMPLES.
NETWORK SAMPLE: This entire post is nothing BUT Network samples.
LOG SAMPLE:
[But why am I even here?]
He felt a bit like a third wheel. Sure, he could ask a lot of questions, but in the end he was a lawyer. Trying to deal with anything beyond that -- like, say, a set of very grumpy and unhappy dragon babies -- only revealed his inadequacies outside of the courtroom. After nearly getting himself killed a couple times, they'd finally let him just handle keeping watch. This itself seemed ridiculous since he couldn't FIGHT either, but it was better than nothing.
[None of this makes any sense. All that effort by the Professor to disprove the existence of magic, and this entire situation throws that out the window. Maybe if I was him, I'd be able to find the real nature of this place. As it is, all I seem to be able to do is follow the flow.]
He sighed. He wished Maya was here. Or, well, anybody. He didn't know a single person here, and so many of them were aliens, or magic users, or whatever. It was like having to learn the world all over again. Again.
[I guess there's no point in feeling sorry for myself. I'm stuck here whether I like it or not. So I'd better just --]
He yelped as a sudden burst of fire and a slightly strangled "SORRY" came from behind him. He fanned his now scorched suit jacket.
[...learn how to tailor. *sigh*]
((OOC note: Please refer here for an explanation of the blue text.))
IC MAILBOX
This is the Wright Detective Agency. And, uh, baking services too, I guess. Anyway, if you'd like to leave a message, do so here and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!
STORY FILE
The following are stories Phoenix has accumulated so far in Ruby City as part of the new project to attempt to predict how to handle things in advance. Note these are only what he has ICly, so facts may be inaccurate or incomplete.
( Tell us a story )
( Tell us a story )
PLANEOCRACY: Mole 2: Electric Boogaloo
The library is dark, though one would suspect this is considerably less of an obstacle to a vampire. Not that it matters to Phoenix, who is currently flipping through a book as if the light were at normal levels. In all honesty, he can't read it; the truth is, he's only looking at it to make it harder to read HIM.
"That didn't take you long," he drawls, still flitting through the book.
"That didn't take you long," he drawls, still flitting through the book.
PLANEOCRACY: The mole
When Nerine arrives, the room is dark, with only Phoenix inside, looking nervous. His face lights up when she arrives. "Oh! Great! You made it! I was worried... I need to tell somebody about this, and you're the first person I thought of I could talk to about it."
There's a curious element to his overall stature; on the one hand, he seems nervous, but close observation reveals a lack of nervous movements that might be associated with such a manner. Odd...
There's a curious element to his overall stature; on the one hand, he seems nervous, but close observation reveals a lack of nervous movements that might be associated with such a manner. Odd...
Personal Responsibility ((RP thread with for_loyalty))
It's taken a lot more footwork in the Nexus than he would've liked, what with the LOLs about and certain musclehead mech riders, but he's finally managed to find a place where people said they'd seen Pen hanging out quite a bit. Even after this, it had taken him a bit to push himself that little bit further to actually go to the guy for help to locate the guy he'd tried to kill. But this wasn't about Pen and Grey's stupid little fight, this was about Some, and if Phoenix has learned anything at all in his time in the Nexus, it's that sometimes one had to make compromises morally to get things done.
The person running the hotel Pen was staying at won't give out Pen's room number, so he finds himself waiting in the lobby. Sooner or later, Pen will have to pass through for whatever reason, and that will be the time to corner him. He just hopes he can reign in the urge to clock him first.
The person running the hotel Pen was staying at won't give out Pen's room number, so he finds himself waiting in the lobby. Sooner or later, Pen will have to pass through for whatever reason, and that will be the time to corner him. He just hopes he can reign in the urge to clock him first.
MAGIC AND MYSTERY ((Thread with sarah_branigan))
The Wonderbar, though it does serve alcohol, does not give off the appearance of a sleazy place. Rather, it seems to revel in its own eccentricity, showing off pictures of several unusual acts it's booked in the past as well as a generous assortment of musicians. Anything goes here, from ventriloquists to country singers to a trio of old French ladies who played common household appliances.
It's here that Phoenix leads Sarah. The decor, which at one time had given him pause, is something he hardly notices these days. He's gotten to be a real regular here.
"Well, this is the place. Show should be starting soon," he says, sitting down. "Care for a drink?"
It's here that Phoenix leads Sarah. The decor, which at one time had given him pause, is something he hardly notices these days. He's gotten to be a real regular here.
"Well, this is the place. Show should be starting soon," he says, sitting down. "Care for a drink?"
RP NARRATIVE: Hey, he actually DOES work from time to time.
Phoenix is not, by general inclination, one to go looking for clients. They tend to find him, or he gets dragged to them by Maya, but he rarely looks for them himself. If nothing else, actively looking for clients gives him the air of an ambulance chaser, which he most certainly is not. Furthermore, he's VERY picky about his clientele; he doesn't want to have to take a job where the only way to get someone off is via technicality. If they're so obviously guilty, they should just plead guilty and make a deal for a reduced sentence; otherwise, it's not REALLY justice so much as "blatant system manipulation," and there's plenty of less scrupulous lawyers for that.
More importantly, though, straight-forward cases like that bore him. Three years of strange cases and nearly two years of Nexus later, he's found that he's actively developed a taste for cases where the answers aren't as straight-forward, where the police obviously hurried the arrest for the public's sake, where there is still truth to be FOUND. It's hard to find the case that isn't a strict case of Occam's Razor, but those are the ones he finds much more rewarding.
However, after the information he got last night, he finds he doesn't really have much choice in the matter. Well, that's a lie, he DOES, but he couldn't do it on good conscience. Not that he can really do much about crazy chaotic beings and world invasions, but if he had the information he could at least pass it on to the people who COUNT. Like the people from that world, or someone who can actually handle that sort of thing without using a pen and looking like a total goddamn doof.
So he looks through some of the impending cases for the next few days for criminals who have yet to be represented. It's not a particularly satisfying mix, but he finally finds someone who has just enough unanswered questions to be worth defending. He's not honestly convinced the guy isn't guilty on some level, since there are just enough incriminating details, but it's not his job to doubt, is it? It's his job to believe long enough to find out whether it was worth believing or not. It's a botched robbery, from the sounds of things, but there's a few things he finds odd about the case that intrigues him enough to take it on.
(And on another level, he finds the choice of prosecutor for the case -- one Klavier Gavin -- definitely piques his interest. Hmm.)
He gets up to head to the detention center. Win or lose, he can only do his best.
More importantly, though, straight-forward cases like that bore him. Three years of strange cases and nearly two years of Nexus later, he's found that he's actively developed a taste for cases where the answers aren't as straight-forward, where the police obviously hurried the arrest for the public's sake, where there is still truth to be FOUND. It's hard to find the case that isn't a strict case of Occam's Razor, but those are the ones he finds much more rewarding.
However, after the information he got last night, he finds he doesn't really have much choice in the matter. Well, that's a lie, he DOES, but he couldn't do it on good conscience. Not that he can really do much about crazy chaotic beings and world invasions, but if he had the information he could at least pass it on to the people who COUNT. Like the people from that world, or someone who can actually handle that sort of thing without using a pen and looking like a total goddamn doof.
So he looks through some of the impending cases for the next few days for criminals who have yet to be represented. It's not a particularly satisfying mix, but he finally finds someone who has just enough unanswered questions to be worth defending. He's not honestly convinced the guy isn't guilty on some level, since there are just enough incriminating details, but it's not his job to doubt, is it? It's his job to believe long enough to find out whether it was worth believing or not. It's a botched robbery, from the sounds of things, but there's a few things he finds odd about the case that intrigues him enough to take it on.
(And on another level, he finds the choice of prosecutor for the case -- one Klavier Gavin -- definitely piques his interest. Hmm.)
He gets up to head to the detention center. Win or lose, he can only do his best.
When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping [RP POST]
There really WAS a Nexus Mall.
Phoenix, in all honesty, wasn't even sure how that could WORK considering the vast types and values of currency across the multiverse, and yet here it was, the ultimate symbol of capitalist culture, right here in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It was an odd mishmash of architecture, to be sure, but there was no mistaking its overall... "malliness." All it needed was a movie theater and -- oh, there it was.
He shakes his head. "Can't believe I never noticed this," he mutters. Still, if any place was going to have videos from all over the multiverse, it would be this one -- and somewhere among them was the possibility of one that could lead them closer to tracking down the location of the infamous Battle Royale.
(Though, to be honest, he's not even that sure he WANTS to watch it if it does exist.)
He turns to Ara. "Uh, so this is the place?" he asks.
Phoenix, in all honesty, wasn't even sure how that could WORK considering the vast types and values of currency across the multiverse, and yet here it was, the ultimate symbol of capitalist culture, right here in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It was an odd mishmash of architecture, to be sure, but there was no mistaking its overall... "malliness." All it needed was a movie theater and -- oh, there it was.
He shakes his head. "Can't believe I never noticed this," he mutters. Still, if any place was going to have videos from all over the multiverse, it would be this one -- and somewhere among them was the possibility of one that could lead them closer to tracking down the location of the infamous Battle Royale.
(Though, to be honest, he's not even that sure he WANTS to watch it if it does exist.)
He turns to Ara. "Uh, so this is the place?" he asks.
Journal Entry: July 22 [PRIVATE]
I don't think I'll ever be able to get rid of this memory. It's going to haunt my dreams forever.
And even if I could through some special means, I'm not allowed to. Because if I forget the memory of what happened there, then I'll forget the insanity he's capable of achieving -- and I'll never be able to protect the ones I care about if he decides to take his vengeance against me out on them.
...I wish I could forget.
And even if I could through some special means, I'm not allowed to. Because if I forget the memory of what happened there, then I'll forget the insanity he's capable of achieving -- and I'll never be able to protect the ones I care about if he decides to take his vengeance against me out on them.
...I wish I could forget.
Journal Entry: July 16
I'd like to apologize to everybody for my disappearance. Seems like no matter how much I wanted to avoid whatever the Nexus was planning, the Nexus decided otherwise. I'm back now, at least, though I've seen a lot of things over this one week that are going to stick in my head for a lifetime. (Christ, I can't believe it's been a week.)
I still have a lot of unanswered questions about the whole thing, to be honest, but I don't think it's going to do me a lot of good to dwell on them. I doubt I'll ever get the answers to those questions at this point anyway. I think I'd rather just move on, get some sleep, and file this under "screw you Nexus."
I still don't know how I lived through all that, but I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I just hope Novak and everybody else got out okay.
I still have a lot of unanswered questions about the whole thing, to be honest, but I don't think it's going to do me a lot of good to dwell on them. I doubt I'll ever get the answers to those questions at this point anyway. I think I'd rather just move on, get some sleep, and file this under "screw you Nexus."
I still don't know how I lived through all that, but I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. I just hope Novak and everybody else got out okay.