Early in his career, Phoenix was pretty much a case of “what you see is what you get.” It was obvious in the way he ran his defense that he was wildly imaginative to the point of truly bizarre and fiercely determined to get his client acquitted of all charges. He believed in his clients very easily and to the utmost, happy to make promises of victory to them, even if his investigations began with a murder weapon covered in the defendant’s fingerprints, a witness who saw it happen, and a no-good defendant alibi to start off with. And that was, in fact, usually the case.
The thing is, Phoenix has every reason to believe in these people even when no one else will, because he’s been there before. He’s been on the losing side, he’s been on the side of the accused without anyone there to speak up for him. Pointing fingers, angry words – he experienced all of it as a child in a classroom trial wherein he played the role of the defendant, accused of theft. And while it may seem a trivial event to most people, for Phoenix it was one of the most defining moments of his life and served as part of the impetus into his career as a defense attorney. Never again would someone have to be subjected to the feeling of being utterly and completely alone, not if he could help it.
And despite many changes and tragedies in his life, Phoenix has not strayed from this one mission. He later took up Mia Fey’s philosophy regarding what an attorney must be for their client: the beacon of hope, one that always smiles and never cries until it’s all over. And in the middle of his career, he also adopted Miles Edgeworth’s values, that the only verdict worth receiving is one that reflects the truth, no matter how hard it is to bear. He took these philosophies and made them a part of who he is as a person, carried through the years even as his career in law fell apart. His continued, secret investigations into the truth of the circumstances regarding his disbarment, the mystery of his adopted daughter’s family, and that of one incredibly loud fledgling defense attorney show that Phoenix, true to form, has always been down, but never out.
Despite his generally positive attitude, however, Phoenix can be incredibly sardonic and, while he’s all about believing in people, he can be taken aback and be a little doubtful of people based on how they’re acting or what they look like. He’s always outwardly friendly (to a degree), preferring to keep his “oh my god I don’t want to know how your brain works” type of thoughts to himself. Typically these are people who would get an eyebrow raised in their direction anyway, but considering Phoenix’s usual entourage of spirit mediums with magical heirlooms, one would think he’d be a little more tolerant of the more eccentric of his witnesses and defendants. But ultimately, Phoenix is quick to count the good apples amongst his circle of friends – as evident by the continued appearances of a certain loud, Southern, and impatient camerawoman by the name of Lotta Hart. In fact, his continued friendship with childhood friend and manchild troublemaker Larry Butz says a lot regarding how much he can truly tolerate in a friendship, despite some of his more biting opinions.
Regarding his intelligence, Phoenix has been described as a genius by his friends, but he’s less book smart and more able to apply critical thinking skills to any situation. Seeing a situation from many angles is exactly what wins him his court cases, and he has a knack for recognizing patterns and deciphering what they might mean, for better or for worse. His active imagination tends to have him barreling forward in court and in sore need of a reminder of “yeah that’s great but where’s your evidence?” before he stops and backpedals considerably. But in the end, if his bluffs and notions turn out to be true, Phoenix is remarkably capable of explaining his theories and how the evidence and situation comes into play, patient and understanding of the, uh, respected judge of the courtroom. He’s quick to take notice of minute details that might fly over other peoples’ heads and it’s typically this attention to detail that saves the day in the end.
After losing his badge, Phoenix took on a decidedly different personality for the sake of his safety and that of his friends, as well. He preferred to be seen as a low-life, someone down on their luck and making no motions to change, and the kind of guy who takes nothing seriously – ultimately, the type of person Kristoph Gavin, the one responsible (and later proven) for ruining Phoenix’s career, would not consider a threat. Because of their phony “friends close, enemies closer” type of friendship, Phoenix had to appear completely innocuous while secretly conducting his own investigations into the events that cost him his badge, including what horrible deeds Kristoph was capable of just to cover the whole thing up.
Once Phoenix’s innocence regarding the accusations of forged evidence proven once and for all – and, more importantly, the threat of Kristoph Gavin eradicated – Phoenix was able to hold his head up high and return to his rightful place at the defense’s bench, even if it hadn’t been his intention to do so initially. Back in court, Phoenix is as determined and enthusiastic as ever, carrying on his almost superhuman ability to offer possibilities (aka, bluff) that could be disputed and proven and disproven until somehow, some crazy way, the truth would be brought to light. He has proven to be more mature and serious (… to an extent) in the courtroom, confident and inspiring to his numerous new colleagues in the field. The references he makes to poker matches in his dialogue prove that the last seven years are still fresh on his mind, but he’s still as sharp and ready to go as ever.
Outside of the courtroom, today’s Phoenix finds him much more outwardly lighthearted than he ever was in his younger days, happy to joke and tease. He’s no less passionate about the law, but his personality is considerably more laid back, likely thanks to seven years worth of careful nonchalance. In the end, Phoenix is the same person he always was, always had been no matter whether his occupation had him playing poker professionally in a dark basement or if he proudly wore proof of his rightfully reclaimed profession on a sharp blue lapel.
If the chips are stacked against you and no one’s willing to stand at your side, don’t you worry. Phoenix Wright will always be there, ready to smile until it’s all over.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
phoenix wright ☞ ace attorney ☞ reserved
Early in his career, Phoenix was pretty much a case of “what you see is what you get.” It was obvious in the way he ran his defense that he was wildly imaginative to the point of truly bizarre and fiercely determined to get his client acquitted of all charges. He believed in his clients very easily and to the utmost, happy to make promises of victory to them, even if his investigations began with a murder weapon covered in the defendant’s fingerprints, a witness who saw it happen, and a no-good defendant alibi to start off with. And that was, in fact, usually the case.
The thing is, Phoenix has every reason to believe in these people even when no one else will, because he’s been there before. He’s been on the losing side, he’s been on the side of the accused without anyone there to speak up for him. Pointing fingers, angry words – he experienced all of it as a child in a classroom trial wherein he played the role of the defendant, accused of theft. And while it may seem a trivial event to most people, for Phoenix it was one of the most defining moments of his life and served as part of the impetus into his career as a defense attorney. Never again would someone have to be subjected to the feeling of being utterly and completely alone, not if he could help it.
And despite many changes and tragedies in his life, Phoenix has not strayed from this one mission. He later took up Mia Fey’s philosophy regarding what an attorney must be for their client: the beacon of hope, one that always smiles and never cries until it’s all over. And in the middle of his career, he also adopted Miles Edgeworth’s values, that the only verdict worth receiving is one that reflects the truth, no matter how hard it is to bear. He took these philosophies and made them a part of who he is as a person, carried through the years even as his career in law fell apart. His continued, secret investigations into the truth of the circumstances regarding his disbarment, the mystery of his adopted daughter’s family, and that of one incredibly loud fledgling defense attorney show that Phoenix, true to form, has always been down, but never out.
Despite his generally positive attitude, however, Phoenix can be incredibly sardonic and, while he’s all about believing in people, he can be taken aback and be a little doubtful of people based on how they’re acting or what they look like. He’s always outwardly friendly (to a degree), preferring to keep his “oh my god I don’t want to know how your brain works” type of thoughts to himself. Typically these are people who would get an eyebrow raised in their direction anyway, but considering Phoenix’s usual entourage of spirit mediums with magical heirlooms, one would think he’d be a little more tolerant of the more eccentric of his witnesses and defendants. But ultimately, Phoenix is quick to count the good apples amongst his circle of friends – as evident by the continued appearances of a certain loud, Southern, and impatient camerawoman by the name of Lotta Hart. In fact, his continued friendship with childhood friend and manchild troublemaker Larry Butz says a lot regarding how much he can truly tolerate in a friendship, despite some of his more biting opinions.
Regarding his intelligence, Phoenix has been described as a genius by his friends, but he’s less book smart and more able to apply critical thinking skills to any situation. Seeing a situation from many angles is exactly what wins him his court cases, and he has a knack for recognizing patterns and deciphering what they might mean, for better or for worse. His active imagination tends to have him barreling forward in court and in sore need of a reminder of “yeah that’s great but where’s your evidence?” before he stops and backpedals considerably. But in the end, if his bluffs and notions turn out to be true, Phoenix is remarkably capable of explaining his theories and how the evidence and situation comes into play, patient and understanding of the, uh, respected judge of the courtroom. He’s quick to take notice of minute details that might fly over other peoples’ heads and it’s typically this attention to detail that saves the day in the end.
After losing his badge, Phoenix took on a decidedly different personality for the sake of his safety and that of his friends, as well. He preferred to be seen as a low-life, someone down on their luck and making no motions to change, and the kind of guy who takes nothing seriously – ultimately, the type of person Kristoph Gavin, the one responsible (and later proven) for ruining Phoenix’s career, would not consider a threat. Because of their phony “friends close, enemies closer” type of friendship, Phoenix had to appear completely innocuous while secretly conducting his own investigations into the events that cost him his badge, including what horrible deeds Kristoph was capable of just to cover the whole thing up.
Once Phoenix’s innocence regarding the accusations of forged evidence proven once and for all – and, more importantly, the threat of Kristoph Gavin eradicated – Phoenix was able to hold his head up high and return to his rightful place at the defense’s bench, even if it hadn’t been his intention to do so initially. Back in court, Phoenix is as determined and enthusiastic as ever, carrying on his almost superhuman ability to offer possibilities (aka, bluff) that could be disputed and proven and disproven until somehow, some crazy way, the truth would be brought to light. He has proven to be more mature and serious (… to an extent) in the courtroom, confident and inspiring to his numerous new colleagues in the field. The references he makes to poker matches in his dialogue prove that the last seven years are still fresh on his mind, but he’s still as sharp and ready to go as ever.
Outside of the courtroom, today’s Phoenix finds him much more outwardly lighthearted than he ever was in his younger days, happy to joke and tease. He’s no less passionate about the law, but his personality is considerably more laid back, likely thanks to seven years worth of careful nonchalance. In the end, Phoenix is the same person he always was, always had been no matter whether his occupation had him playing poker professionally in a dark basement or if he proudly wore proof of his rightfully reclaimed profession on a sharp blue lapel.
If the chips are stacked against you and no one’s willing to stand at your side, don’t you worry. Phoenix Wright will always be there, ready to smile until it’s all over.