(no subject)
CHARACTER ESSAY CHARACTER ESSAY IT'S AWWWWRIGHT (Ha ha.)
THE GAMES -- 1-1 through 3-5
I won't go into this much because I don't have a lot to cover that I/a thousand other people haven't already. Phoenix really evolves over the course of all 3 games, starting out as fidgety, idealistic, and loud, thinking that there's no gray areas in law and that he can really prove the right or wrong in the court of law, and boy is he a lucky guy to have gotten ALL INNOCENT clients up until 2-4. I think that spoiled him a little, making him think everyone he'd defend was innocent and that's what his meaning was in the court of law. Looking back on it, he didn't really -get- it when Edgeworth came back from the dead to ask him what his motivation was in the court of law. While Phoenix was like a-buh?, he didn't get what Edgey was trying to say until Matt showed off his pretty little scars and Phoenix knew just why he was defending him--and it challenged everything he went to uphold before.
I think a lot of people really overlook the second game for favor of the first or the third--but I think this is the best game to get an inside look on Phoenix's personality in general. His stubborn, betrayed attitude at just HEARING Edgeworth's name, his attitude towards Franziska and her ideals in court--where he sort of looks down on her for her von Karmatic ideals and yet he's in the same boat in a strange way, because of how he will get his clients an INNOCENT VERDICT because he believes in them--and both Franziska and Phoenix are challenged to Edgeworth's question by the end of 2-4 because of Matt Engarde's two-faced douchery, and both of them have a new resolve for the better by the end of that game in particular, while Franny's still got her hand on the whip in 3-5 and Phoenix's is like XO while they're working together, they've got this...I don't wanna say mutual respect, but perhaps understanding? For what's gone on between them and are working together in THAT CASE. and then there was the scene where he called her cute when she's angry teehee no I'm not a phoenix/franny fag what are you talking about--
I could make an essay roughly this size on MY THOUGHTS ON PHOENIX/FRANNY but that's not what this essay is about so let's move on--! By game 3 Phoenix's grasp of the law is almost to it's fullest, it takes 3-5 to help Phoenix fully understand that law is a very double edged sword...as pun-y as that is to go with that particular case. But he knows he's not there to defend Godot, or dodge the truth because of his crime. Even if Maya begs him.
Phoenix is there to defend his client, Iris. He is there for the truth, and with that, he doesn't shake, he points the finger at Godot, who takes it. Who knows what he's done. And it all goes full circle, and we go on to Apollo's story. But Phoenix's resolve and what happens to it I'll go over in the AJ section, whoo. ONTO THE NEXT--
ISLAND
Oooooh lordy, First of all, Phoenix is my oldest character and therefore has been here with me since the dark days, a.k.a. when I was a very shitty RPer to the point that I don't like going back on island_library because half the things of mine make me facepalm and the other half makes me cry e-tears of blood. I'd like to think that I wasn't too bad with him back then, but then I'd also like to think that there's absolutely no gay undertones in PW, what with all the 'unnecessary feelings' and 'intellectual attraction' and 'Max Galactica' and pfffffffffft who am I kidding I love the undertones and I hate how I was with him back then.
BUT that's still a part of my characterization for him sooooooo let's begin. Back then, I used to play him really jumpy, which may or may not have been the right way to take it. Sometimes for a mun it gets...boring? to have a muse freak out at EVERY LITTLE WEIRD THING especially if you've been on the island for a while. But Phoenix comes from a very normal world and back then, theme days were a lot more common/frequent so he more or less went to bed sleeping on his suit jacket in his cold and dank cave wondering if the next day he'd wake up a woman or handcuffed to a psycho killer or be a psycho killer or so on and so forth. I think that'd shake him a lot--even if it is a crack RP. I think that WOULD make him a little bit paranoid. Scared, even! He went without canonmates for a long time and therefore, felt pretty isolated and D8 to be here with no way home. If the people with the magick powerz or whatever couldn't blast through, what chance does he have? Hell, even if there wasn't a barrier, Phoenix doesn't know how to make himself a boat and he doesn't trust himself to make a really good one either. So he's grounded either way unless he hitches a ride home with someone else.
And for the longest time that instilled a bit of fear in him. But slowly he got used to it, because really, the island isn't that bad. He made new friends, we got ourselves a Mia and for a long time, a Maya, he slowly began to adjust and get comfortable--not COMPLETELY comfortable, but more comfortable, with the idea that he could be stuck here for a while. He's changed a lot since coming here, as he's gotten a lot stronger thanks to having to go out and get/collect food (cake and pizza trees are for suckers), fish, do all his laundry by hand, hike everywhere instead of drive, which means daily trips from his cave to the hot springs to the shore to the inn maybe to visiting his friends to chilling where wherever something's going on and back--and it does add up after a while. Fuck cars, he's learned how to walk. And that's maybe one thing he's thankful for.
That is to say, he hasn't completely lost his jumpiness, as Kite did a good job of sorta reviving it with his .hacky goodness. He can still be weirded out, he just doesn't let it show as much unless you try hard (or not hard at all, now that I think about it). He's glad none of his friends have died coming here--and he's so glad that Mia is back to life too. I'm sure somewhere deep inside his Wrighty brain, he wouldn't mind staying on the island for the rest of his life--at least to stay with his friends. But it's not something he's completely decided upon nor even come to terms with himself. It's just an idea to him, of course. Just a 'ha ha what if...?' thing. He knows the chances and he's not taking it seriously quite yet.
Just a random bit of info, I think this is sort of his daily routine here by now--
1 AM: Sleep
2 AM: ' '
3 AM: ' '
4 AM: ' '
5 AM: ' '
6 AM: ' '
7 AM: ' '
8 AM: Wake up. Can vary, but usually around this time.
9 AM: Gather up some unclean clothes and whatever he needs for the day, go out.
10 AM: Go to the hotsprings, have a bath, brush teeth, etc.
11 AM: Finish up and get dressed, do some laundry.
NOON: Eat. (usually skips breakfast)
1 PM: Chores. Can vary from getting clean water to foraging for food, etc.
2 PM: ' '
3 PM: Take a walk, usually to the south beach or to the inn. Check up on Edgey's car.
4 PM: ' '
5 PM: Either go back to the cave or stay around the inn for a while. Pick up/return some books from the library.
6 PM: Go back home and fix dinner, maybe? Or get food from one of the plentiful parties that happen here, whatever.
7 PM: Watch the sunset, maybe read one of his books or write down things. (He could be the kind of guy to keep a journal?)
8 PM: Talk to his cavemates/other friends in the area, visit for a while, etc. He's pretty social after all.
9 PM: Go back home, water Charley. Clean up the cave as much as he can, maybe work on things to improve it.
10 PM: Go to sleep. Maybe get up if he can't sleep to go on another walk and stuff.
11 PM: ' '
MIDNIGHT: ' '
...Of course this all varies since lol island, but if I had to pin point it at somewhere, it's about that. Oh Phoenix, you and your domestic bliss.
APOLLO JUSTICE
I don't like Hobo!Nick very much.
Well, I guess that's sort of a lie, I do in a way. I think he's a fascinating, witty character, playing an unconventional Mia to Apollo Kristoph was never Apollo's Mia :(, both a brilliant and humorous addition to the cast that the game wouldn't quite be the same without--!
He's just not Phoenix.
I know, I know this is a very spoiled rant, I DIDN'T GET WHAT I WANTED 3:< that has been done so many times over and over, probably about a million fandomsecrets about it made. Everyone I see has either the opinion of FUCK YEAH HOBO NICK IS AWESOME/SUPERIOR and BAWW WANT THE OLD NICK BACK. I...guess I'm somewhere in the middle there? I guess more towards the OLD NICK ;A; part but still. Hobochans isn't bad he's just...I don't know. I've been playing Phoenix for years now and that's just -not- how I see Phoenix evolving. I can't see them as the same character--I look at the first three games and I see Nick as a more ordinary, if jumpy, idealistic guy surrounded by people who are...not ordinary, but taking it in stride and walking towards that one...goal? Regardless of whether it's keeping his close friends safe or bringing justice to whoever deserves it--be it innocence or whatever, and becoming a better person because of that.
I understand people change as time goes by, and losing his badge to what happened was a big thing to him, and he indeed seeks justice for what happened to him as well as to others, to set things right and fuck over Kristoph for his wrongdoings once and for all. But there's something dickish about him now--no shit, but--he's got this careless attitude that's secretive and dodgy, which is a huge, huge change from Phoenix who would be open with ideas when someone needed help, had no problem sharing information as long as it helped people in the end. Whereas this Phoenix is like FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF APOLLO or just making him do the work when he knows so much more than he lets on. I know this is an artificial way of advancing the game's plot, but...uh?
This is a trial, with lives on the line and guilty people having the chance to walk free--I -know- the AA games are a very shoddy representation of what Law is actually like, but game 1 through 3!Phoenix knows better than to leave things to chance in court, all of his comebacks in courts were very, very lucky, and most of it he could have avoided if he'd just known what the prosecution had known. (p.s.; this point is why I love Klavier) These courts aren't about competing for wins or avenging people--it's about the witnesses, the defendant, and the victim, and establishing the guilty parties within. Phoenix knows that at least by the end of the Matt Engarde trial, where he finds out his own defendant is guilty and he has a much more important decision to make when throwing the case.
(p.p.s; when prompted for an answer at that BIG QUESTION, I always said Matt Engarde was guilty before Franny kicked in the door)
The second I stopped really liking hobo Nick was when he forged the evidence of the playing card with blood, because this is the point where we can really SEE how much Phoenix has changed. Losing his badge must have destroyed him in a way like nothing else, to stop caring about the law in such a way that he puts someone else's badge into jeopardy the same way his was taken 7 years ago. I have always thought that the strongest thing about Phoenix ever was his unshakable morals, after all, at the beginning of, during, and at the end of every case in the first three games, we're always force fed them as it is. EVEN if you took his badge, I thought you couldn't take his morals. I guess I was wrong, because stooping down to get someone back with a taste of their own medicine isn't something he'd do, ever, and even if he did, he wouldn't USE people (Apollo) to do that. Don't get me wrong, Kristoph deserved all that and more, but it's...not a Phoenix thing to do.
It feels that the game took him in a direction he didn't need to go--while many will disagree with me on this \o_O/ I think giving Phoenix more of that rough edge, the smarmy sarcasm and snideness, has made him less easy to identify with because we all know the first one so well. I know the AJ games are being passed the torch by the PW ones, but changing Nick to something like that? C'mon, you didn't have to do that. At least keep some of his old traits for real, instead of shoving in new ones and completely ignoring his interactions with people from the original 3 games. (Sorry Ema, 1-5 was an additional case for the re-release, as much as I love you, I'd rather see some of the real first three game characters)
So uh...I guess if I were to pick how he'd evolve, the closest thing I'd have to say is 'like Mia'. Which is to say, I think he'd be more aloof and rational, taking on a mentor role with ease, but he wouldn't have lost his strong morals. I can easily see him being jaded, but not to the point where he's snide and egotistical towards people who are as idealistic as he was when he started out. I don't think he'd forge evidence--even if there was no other way around it, he's Nick, he'll find a way. Phoenix has bluffed in court before, but he's never gone really low--even if people have done that to him before. The thing about him is trust is a big, big thing. When Kristoph betrays that trust, and when Shadi betrays that trust, and when it all crashes onto him, I could see him changing a little in the more jaded route--but that's not an overnight change and I think it'd take more than 7 years to erase that kind of moral fiber from him. Even if he doesn't have his badge and can't take him to justice on the battlefield of law alone, I think he wouldn't resort to drastic measures and I think his friends wouldn't approve of it either. He had people who could help him, like Edgeworth, Maya, Gumshoe...where did they go in the flashback? They wouldn't leave him, not even after the accusations. They know him better than that, and they'd believe him that he didn't do it.
Oh Capcom, if you're going to give your main character closure, his canonmates -might- help with that. Maybe. Considering how important they are to him and all.
And THAT'S why I'm never canon updating Phoenix ever. That's also why TYL Hobo won't be quite the same as game hobo.
...that was a lot longer than I thought it'd be haha oops.
THE GAMES -- 1-1 through 3-5
I won't go into this much because I don't have a lot to cover that I/a thousand other people haven't already. Phoenix really evolves over the course of all 3 games, starting out as fidgety, idealistic, and loud, thinking that there's no gray areas in law and that he can really prove the right or wrong in the court of law, and boy is he a lucky guy to have gotten ALL INNOCENT clients up until 2-4. I think that spoiled him a little, making him think everyone he'd defend was innocent and that's what his meaning was in the court of law. Looking back on it, he didn't really -get- it when Edgeworth came back from the dead to ask him what his motivation was in the court of law. While Phoenix was like a-buh?, he didn't get what Edgey was trying to say until Matt showed off his pretty little scars and Phoenix knew just why he was defending him--and it challenged everything he went to uphold before.
I think a lot of people really overlook the second game for favor of the first or the third--but I think this is the best game to get an inside look on Phoenix's personality in general. His stubborn, betrayed attitude at just HEARING Edgeworth's name, his attitude towards Franziska and her ideals in court--where he sort of looks down on her for her von Karmatic ideals and yet he's in the same boat in a strange way, because of how he will get his clients an INNOCENT VERDICT because he believes in them--and both Franziska and Phoenix are challenged to Edgeworth's question by the end of 2-4 because of Matt Engarde's two-faced douchery, and both of them have a new resolve for the better by the end of that game in particular, while Franny's still got her hand on the whip in 3-5 and Phoenix's is like XO while they're working together, they've got this...I don't wanna say mutual respect, but perhaps understanding? For what's gone on between them and are working together in THAT CASE. and then there was the scene where he called her cute when she's angry teehee no I'm not a phoenix/franny fag what are you talking about--
I could make an essay roughly this size on MY THOUGHTS ON PHOENIX/FRANNY but that's not what this essay is about so let's move on--! By game 3 Phoenix's grasp of the law is almost to it's fullest, it takes 3-5 to help Phoenix fully understand that law is a very double edged sword...as pun-y as that is to go with that particular case. But he knows he's not there to defend Godot, or dodge the truth because of his crime. Even if Maya begs him.
Phoenix is there to defend his client, Iris. He is there for the truth, and with that, he doesn't shake, he points the finger at Godot, who takes it. Who knows what he's done. And it all goes full circle, and we go on to Apollo's story. But Phoenix's resolve and what happens to it I'll go over in the AJ section, whoo. ONTO THE NEXT--
ISLAND
Oooooh lordy, First of all, Phoenix is my oldest character and therefore has been here with me since the dark days, a.k.a. when I was a very shitty RPer to the point that I don't like going back on island_library because half the things of mine make me facepalm and the other half makes me cry e-tears of blood. I'd like to think that I wasn't too bad with him back then, but then I'd also like to think that there's absolutely no gay undertones in PW, what with all the 'unnecessary feelings' and 'intellectual attraction' and 'Max Galactica' and pfffffffffft who am I kidding I love the undertones and I hate how I was with him back then.
BUT that's still a part of my characterization for him sooooooo let's begin. Back then, I used to play him really jumpy, which may or may not have been the right way to take it. Sometimes for a mun it gets...boring? to have a muse freak out at EVERY LITTLE WEIRD THING especially if you've been on the island for a while. But Phoenix comes from a very normal world and back then, theme days were a lot more common/frequent so he more or less went to bed sleeping on his suit jacket in his cold and dank cave wondering if the next day he'd wake up a woman or handcuffed to a psycho killer or be a psycho killer or so on and so forth. I think that'd shake him a lot--even if it is a crack RP. I think that WOULD make him a little bit paranoid. Scared, even! He went without canonmates for a long time and therefore, felt pretty isolated and D8 to be here with no way home. If the people with the magick powerz or whatever couldn't blast through, what chance does he have? Hell, even if there wasn't a barrier, Phoenix doesn't know how to make himself a boat and he doesn't trust himself to make a really good one either. So he's grounded either way unless he hitches a ride home with someone else.
And for the longest time that instilled a bit of fear in him. But slowly he got used to it, because really, the island isn't that bad. He made new friends, we got ourselves a Mia and for a long time, a Maya, he slowly began to adjust and get comfortable--not COMPLETELY comfortable, but more comfortable, with the idea that he could be stuck here for a while. He's changed a lot since coming here, as he's gotten a lot stronger thanks to having to go out and get/collect food (cake and pizza trees are for suckers), fish, do all his laundry by hand, hike everywhere instead of drive, which means daily trips from his cave to the hot springs to the shore to the inn maybe to visiting his friends to chilling where wherever something's going on and back--and it does add up after a while. Fuck cars, he's learned how to walk. And that's maybe one thing he's thankful for.
That is to say, he hasn't completely lost his jumpiness, as Kite did a good job of sorta reviving it with his .hacky goodness. He can still be weirded out, he just doesn't let it show as much unless you try hard (or not hard at all, now that I think about it). He's glad none of his friends have died coming here--and he's so glad that Mia is back to life too. I'm sure somewhere deep inside his Wrighty brain, he wouldn't mind staying on the island for the rest of his life--at least to stay with his friends. But it's not something he's completely decided upon nor even come to terms with himself. It's just an idea to him, of course. Just a 'ha ha what if...?' thing. He knows the chances and he's not taking it seriously quite yet.
Just a random bit of info, I think this is sort of his daily routine here by now--
1 AM: Sleep
2 AM: ' '
3 AM: ' '
4 AM: ' '
5 AM: ' '
6 AM: ' '
7 AM: ' '
8 AM: Wake up. Can vary, but usually around this time.
9 AM: Gather up some unclean clothes and whatever he needs for the day, go out.
10 AM: Go to the hotsprings, have a bath, brush teeth, etc.
11 AM: Finish up and get dressed, do some laundry.
NOON: Eat. (usually skips breakfast)
1 PM: Chores. Can vary from getting clean water to foraging for food, etc.
2 PM: ' '
3 PM: Take a walk, usually to the south beach or to the inn. Check up on Edgey's car.
4 PM: ' '
5 PM: Either go back to the cave or stay around the inn for a while. Pick up/return some books from the library.
6 PM: Go back home and fix dinner, maybe? Or get food from one of the plentiful parties that happen here, whatever.
7 PM: Watch the sunset, maybe read one of his books or write down things. (He could be the kind of guy to keep a journal?)
8 PM: Talk to his cavemates/other friends in the area, visit for a while, etc. He's pretty social after all.
9 PM: Go back home, water Charley. Clean up the cave as much as he can, maybe work on things to improve it.
10 PM: Go to sleep. Maybe get up if he can't sleep to go on another walk and stuff.
11 PM: ' '
MIDNIGHT: ' '
...Of course this all varies since lol island, but if I had to pin point it at somewhere, it's about that. Oh Phoenix, you and your domestic bliss.
APOLLO JUSTICE
I don't like Hobo!Nick very much.
Well, I guess that's sort of a lie, I do in a way. I think he's a fascinating, witty character, playing an unconventional Mia to Apollo Kristoph was never Apollo's Mia :(, both a brilliant and humorous addition to the cast that the game wouldn't quite be the same without--!
He's just not Phoenix.
I know, I know this is a very spoiled rant, I DIDN'T GET WHAT I WANTED 3:< that has been done so many times over and over, probably about a million fandomsecrets about it made. Everyone I see has either the opinion of FUCK YEAH HOBO NICK IS AWESOME/SUPERIOR and BAWW WANT THE OLD NICK BACK. I...guess I'm somewhere in the middle there? I guess more towards the OLD NICK ;A; part but still. Hobochans isn't bad he's just...I don't know. I've been playing Phoenix for years now and that's just -not- how I see Phoenix evolving. I can't see them as the same character--I look at the first three games and I see Nick as a more ordinary, if jumpy, idealistic guy surrounded by people who are...not ordinary, but taking it in stride and walking towards that one...goal? Regardless of whether it's keeping his close friends safe or bringing justice to whoever deserves it--be it innocence or whatever, and becoming a better person because of that.
I understand people change as time goes by, and losing his badge to what happened was a big thing to him, and he indeed seeks justice for what happened to him as well as to others, to set things right and fuck over Kristoph for his wrongdoings once and for all. But there's something dickish about him now--no shit, but--he's got this careless attitude that's secretive and dodgy, which is a huge, huge change from Phoenix who would be open with ideas when someone needed help, had no problem sharing information as long as it helped people in the end. Whereas this Phoenix is like FIGURE IT OUT FOR YOURSELF APOLLO or just making him do the work when he knows so much more than he lets on. I know this is an artificial way of advancing the game's plot, but...uh?
This is a trial, with lives on the line and guilty people having the chance to walk free--I -know- the AA games are a very shoddy representation of what Law is actually like, but game 1 through 3!Phoenix knows better than to leave things to chance in court, all of his comebacks in courts were very, very lucky, and most of it he could have avoided if he'd just known what the prosecution had known. (p.s.; this point is why I love Klavier) These courts aren't about competing for wins or avenging people--it's about the witnesses, the defendant, and the victim, and establishing the guilty parties within. Phoenix knows that at least by the end of the Matt Engarde trial, where he finds out his own defendant is guilty and he has a much more important decision to make when throwing the case.
(p.p.s; when prompted for an answer at that BIG QUESTION, I always said Matt Engarde was guilty before Franny kicked in the door)
The second I stopped really liking hobo Nick was when he forged the evidence of the playing card with blood, because this is the point where we can really SEE how much Phoenix has changed. Losing his badge must have destroyed him in a way like nothing else, to stop caring about the law in such a way that he puts someone else's badge into jeopardy the same way his was taken 7 years ago. I have always thought that the strongest thing about Phoenix ever was his unshakable morals, after all, at the beginning of, during, and at the end of every case in the first three games, we're always force fed them as it is. EVEN if you took his badge, I thought you couldn't take his morals. I guess I was wrong, because stooping down to get someone back with a taste of their own medicine isn't something he'd do, ever, and even if he did, he wouldn't USE people (Apollo) to do that. Don't get me wrong, Kristoph deserved all that and more, but it's...not a Phoenix thing to do.
It feels that the game took him in a direction he didn't need to go--while many will disagree with me on this \o_O/ I think giving Phoenix more of that rough edge, the smarmy sarcasm and snideness, has made him less easy to identify with because we all know the first one so well. I know the AJ games are being passed the torch by the PW ones, but changing Nick to something like that? C'mon, you didn't have to do that. At least keep some of his old traits for real, instead of shoving in new ones and completely ignoring his interactions with people from the original 3 games. (Sorry Ema, 1-5 was an additional case for the re-release, as much as I love you, I'd rather see some of the real first three game characters)
So uh...I guess if I were to pick how he'd evolve, the closest thing I'd have to say is 'like Mia'. Which is to say, I think he'd be more aloof and rational, taking on a mentor role with ease, but he wouldn't have lost his strong morals. I can easily see him being jaded, but not to the point where he's snide and egotistical towards people who are as idealistic as he was when he started out. I don't think he'd forge evidence--even if there was no other way around it, he's Nick, he'll find a way. Phoenix has bluffed in court before, but he's never gone really low--even if people have done that to him before. The thing about him is trust is a big, big thing. When Kristoph betrays that trust, and when Shadi betrays that trust, and when it all crashes onto him, I could see him changing a little in the more jaded route--but that's not an overnight change and I think it'd take more than 7 years to erase that kind of moral fiber from him. Even if he doesn't have his badge and can't take him to justice on the battlefield of law alone, I think he wouldn't resort to drastic measures and I think his friends wouldn't approve of it either. He had people who could help him, like Edgeworth, Maya, Gumshoe...where did they go in the flashback? They wouldn't leave him, not even after the accusations. They know him better than that, and they'd believe him that he didn't do it.
Oh Capcom, if you're going to give your main character closure, his canonmates -might- help with that. Maybe. Considering how important they are to him and all.
And THAT'S why I'm never canon updating Phoenix ever. That's also why TYL Hobo won't be quite the same as game hobo.
...that was a lot longer than I thought it'd be haha oops.