[OOC: 30 THINGS YOU NEVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT PHOENIX]
It's been just under a year since I did this, and it sorely needed an update. I actually did a lot of trimming (it used to be 35 things), but I also combined some stuff and added a whole bunch. (Retconning FTW, amirite?)
Beware spoilers and headcanon!
30 Things You Never Wanted to Know About Phoenix
1. Phoenix is not a morning person. He’s groggy, unintelligible, and often easily irritated until he’s showered and had his coffee (or tea, which he’s developed more of a taste for, thanks to being tied to Edgeworth for a few days. He still uses bags, though :|).
This doesn’t apply when he’s stressed and/or working on a case; in those instances, he’s often up an alert much earlier than intended.
2. For the most part, he's a sound sleeper. In fact, he’s slept through earthquakes on more than one occasion. Little things like lights or TVs turning on or off have been known to send him bolting up in bed, however.
3. Speaking of TVs, he usually sleeps with his turned on. Some kind of static noise is required for him to get to sleep at night. Without it, ordinary sounds like the wind blowing or crickets chirping are magnified and drive him crazy.
4. Phoenix tries to keep regular hours, but he does have a bit of a lazy streak, and waltzing into work up to two hours later than the posted office hours indicate isn’t unheard of (fortunately, he’s cut down on that habit). Once he puts his mind to something, however, there’s no stopping him-he will pour his entire being into a case to find the truth and right the wrongs!
5. He’s most definitely a creature of impulse and wholly trusts in his instincts. While they may have lead him astray on occasion, the pros undoubtedly outweigh the cons, and he’s found himself with little regret over the years.
6. One of his favorite entertainment genres is comedy, with additional leanings toward action and adventure. He’s inclined to avoid "chick flicks" and tearjerkers on the basis of them being horribly predictable and overdramatic. (In reality, they have a tendency to get him teary-eyed, and he may or may not have a few guilty pleasures hidden amongst his DVD collection.)
His main love lies with the classics, however. Since he was a kid, he’s had an appreciation for old mysteries and crime dramas, especially those produced during Hollywood’s film noir period.
7. Because his tastes do lean toward the “old”, pop culture is essentially lost on him, but he’s not particularly motivated to learn. More often than not, he doesn’t get why some things garner such popularity. This leads to jokes about him being old. :|
8. Phoenix does not have a license and does not want a license. When they were fourteen, Larry convinced him to take his dad's car out for a joyride, and Phoenix, panicked and having no idea what the hell he was doing, ended up hitting a parked car. Larry drove the rest of the way home in silence.
It was Phoenix's first and last time behind the wheel.
9. His primary modes of transportation are bicycle and public transportation. While biking has given him nice legs, public transportation has given him a headache.
10. The only pet he’s ever owned was a goldfish named Charlie (no relation to the plant Charley) which, unfortunately, died after a week. He was the type of kid who had animals “follow him home” on a regular basis, but was never allowed to keep them.
It’s just as well. Throughout the years, he’s been subject to two different dogs chasing down his bike while he was riding it, the same tiger attempting to attack him on two separate occasions, and the victim of theft by chimpanzee.
Suffice it to say, he no longer trusts animals. (This extends to Edgeworth’s dog, Sigi, whom he believes wants to consume his soul.)
11. He doesn’t talk about it, but he really misses Mia, especially since her goodbye following Iris’ trial. Often times, he swears he can feel her presence in the office, but brushes it off as his imagination. He did harbor something resembling a schoolboy crush on her back in the day.
12. He loves Maya and Pearls like the little sisters he never had and will do anything to see them happy-even if it means spending money he doesn’t have to indulge Maya’s inexplicably large appetite.
13. Even if he protests and gets irritated, he’s a pushover when it comes to his friends and usually yields to their (often ridiculous) demands.
14. He majored in art, but switched to law when he was 22 after a couple years of “studying on the side”.
15. Phoenix became a lawyer to save Edgeworth. He thought he’d succeeded, but he’s since come to the realization that it was only the first step among many.
16. He started writing letters to Edgeworth when he first read about the up and coming “Demon Prosecutor” while he was in college. He used to wonder if Edgeworth ever received them, and-thanks to the prosecutor’s own admission-he now knows that he did
Then he wondered if Edgeworth ever read them; he’s almost certain he didn’t.
17. When he first began his pursuit of Edgeworth, he collected news articles related to him and his trials, and he put them all together in a scrapbook. It’s sitting in his closet with his photo albums, although he hasn’t looked at it in almost three years.
18. Speaking of photo albums, Phoenix is very fond of taking pictures. Whenever he’s out socially (which hasn’t been too often since graduating college), he always carries a disposable camera. The albums in his closet consist of one from his early childhood to teen years that his mom put together and two that he started in college; one is only half full and hasn’t been worked on in six years, and it sits neglected in the box of photos meant to fill it.
19. He’s keenly aware of how naïve he was in college, and while it’s often cringe-inducing, he secretly looks back on those memories with an air of fondness. (It’s much easier now that he knows the truth about ‘Dollie’.)
20. Thankfully, working in law for three years has given him a more realistic perspective on life. Though he does maintain a positive outlook that borders on idealism at times, it’s tempered by a healthy dose of cynicism.
21. That’s not to say his naïveté isn’t occasionally brought back to the surface, however. His reunion with Iris briefly triggered silly fantasies of picking up where they left off, but he’s since come to terms with the reality of the situation (namely: they’ve both changed a great deal, and he has no idea what either he or Iris wants). He’s resigned himself to the philosophy of ‘whatever will be, will be.’
22. He’s still paying off debt from student loans, the celebratory dinner at the Gatewater hotel, and Lotta’s camera.
23. In fact, his financial status has been in a state of decline ever since Mia passed away. His only means of income is winning trials, but not every client has the money to pay, and he’s not about to go out and hound people. As it is, he’s not always motivated to find work in the first place, and many a credit card has been maxed out as bills go unpaid. His rationalization for not remedying this is that he’s so far in the hole, he could work himself to death and it wouldn’t make a difference. While there is some truth to that, his recent turn over to collections has reawakened his awareness of the issue and its severity.
Miscellaneous:
24. He’s memorized the value menu of every fast food joint within his vicinity. (His favorite is Taco Bell.)
25. His favorite instrument is the piano. He took lessons for three years, but never progressed beyond basic textbook music… but he even messes that up sometimes. He simply doesn’t have the coordination.
26. Some of his favorite singers and musicians include: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, John Coltrane, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Stafford, and Judy Carmichael (all of which lend to the “old” argument-he likes his classics, okay?).
27. His favorite band is Queen. Try not to dis them. :|
28. His hair style is natural; he just uses some hair spray to keep the stragglers in place. (It does hang down when it’s wet, though.)
29. He’s horrible at math.
30. He’s a lightweight when it comes to alcohol; one glass of wine will have him flustered and easily amused. When he’s drunk, the giddiness will last a couple hours, then lead into a few hours of what he thinks is a heightened sense of clarity and awareness before he finally finds the nearest soft surface and passes out.
...I may or may not add to this in the future. >_>
Beware spoilers and headcanon!
30 Things You Never Wanted to Know About Phoenix
1. Phoenix is not a morning person. He’s groggy, unintelligible, and often easily irritated until he’s showered and had his coffee (or tea, which he’s developed more of a taste for, thanks to being tied to Edgeworth for a few days. He still uses bags, though :|).
This doesn’t apply when he’s stressed and/or working on a case; in those instances, he’s often up an alert much earlier than intended.
2. For the most part, he's a sound sleeper. In fact, he’s slept through earthquakes on more than one occasion. Little things like lights or TVs turning on or off have been known to send him bolting up in bed, however.
3. Speaking of TVs, he usually sleeps with his turned on. Some kind of static noise is required for him to get to sleep at night. Without it, ordinary sounds like the wind blowing or crickets chirping are magnified and drive him crazy.
4. Phoenix tries to keep regular hours, but he does have a bit of a lazy streak, and waltzing into work up to two hours later than the posted office hours indicate isn’t unheard of (fortunately, he’s cut down on that habit). Once he puts his mind to something, however, there’s no stopping him-he will pour his entire being into a case to find the truth and right the wrongs!
5. He’s most definitely a creature of impulse and wholly trusts in his instincts. While they may have lead him astray on occasion, the pros undoubtedly outweigh the cons, and he’s found himself with little regret over the years.
6. One of his favorite entertainment genres is comedy, with additional leanings toward action and adventure. He’s inclined to avoid "chick flicks" and tearjerkers on the basis of them being horribly predictable and overdramatic. (In reality, they have a tendency to get him teary-eyed, and he may or may not have a few guilty pleasures hidden amongst his DVD collection.)
His main love lies with the classics, however. Since he was a kid, he’s had an appreciation for old mysteries and crime dramas, especially those produced during Hollywood’s film noir period.
7. Because his tastes do lean toward the “old”, pop culture is essentially lost on him, but he’s not particularly motivated to learn. More often than not, he doesn’t get why some things garner such popularity. This leads to jokes about him being old. :|
8. Phoenix does not have a license and does not want a license. When they were fourteen, Larry convinced him to take his dad's car out for a joyride, and Phoenix, panicked and having no idea what the hell he was doing, ended up hitting a parked car. Larry drove the rest of the way home in silence.
It was Phoenix's first and last time behind the wheel.
9. His primary modes of transportation are bicycle and public transportation. While biking has given him nice legs, public transportation has given him a headache.
10. The only pet he’s ever owned was a goldfish named Charlie (no relation to the plant Charley) which, unfortunately, died after a week. He was the type of kid who had animals “follow him home” on a regular basis, but was never allowed to keep them.
It’s just as well. Throughout the years, he’s been subject to two different dogs chasing down his bike while he was riding it, the same tiger attempting to attack him on two separate occasions, and the victim of theft by chimpanzee.
Suffice it to say, he no longer trusts animals. (This extends to Edgeworth’s dog, Sigi, whom he believes wants to consume his soul.)
11. He doesn’t talk about it, but he really misses Mia, especially since her goodbye following Iris’ trial. Often times, he swears he can feel her presence in the office, but brushes it off as his imagination. He did harbor something resembling a schoolboy crush on her back in the day.
12. He loves Maya and Pearls like the little sisters he never had and will do anything to see them happy-even if it means spending money he doesn’t have to indulge Maya’s inexplicably large appetite.
13. Even if he protests and gets irritated, he’s a pushover when it comes to his friends and usually yields to their (often ridiculous) demands.
14. He majored in art, but switched to law when he was 22 after a couple years of “studying on the side”.
15. Phoenix became a lawyer to save Edgeworth. He thought he’d succeeded, but he’s since come to the realization that it was only the first step among many.
16. He started writing letters to Edgeworth when he first read about the up and coming “Demon Prosecutor” while he was in college. He used to wonder if Edgeworth ever received them, and-thanks to the prosecutor’s own admission-he now knows that he did
Then he wondered if Edgeworth ever read them; he’s almost certain he didn’t.
17. When he first began his pursuit of Edgeworth, he collected news articles related to him and his trials, and he put them all together in a scrapbook. It’s sitting in his closet with his photo albums, although he hasn’t looked at it in almost three years.
18. Speaking of photo albums, Phoenix is very fond of taking pictures. Whenever he’s out socially (which hasn’t been too often since graduating college), he always carries a disposable camera. The albums in his closet consist of one from his early childhood to teen years that his mom put together and two that he started in college; one is only half full and hasn’t been worked on in six years, and it sits neglected in the box of photos meant to fill it.
19. He’s keenly aware of how naïve he was in college, and while it’s often cringe-inducing, he secretly looks back on those memories with an air of fondness. (It’s much easier now that he knows the truth about ‘Dollie’.)
20. Thankfully, working in law for three years has given him a more realistic perspective on life. Though he does maintain a positive outlook that borders on idealism at times, it’s tempered by a healthy dose of cynicism.
21. That’s not to say his naïveté isn’t occasionally brought back to the surface, however. His reunion with Iris briefly triggered silly fantasies of picking up where they left off, but he’s since come to terms with the reality of the situation (namely: they’ve both changed a great deal, and he has no idea what either he or Iris wants). He’s resigned himself to the philosophy of ‘whatever will be, will be.’
22. He’s still paying off debt from student loans, the celebratory dinner at the Gatewater hotel, and Lotta’s camera.
23. In fact, his financial status has been in a state of decline ever since Mia passed away. His only means of income is winning trials, but not every client has the money to pay, and he’s not about to go out and hound people. As it is, he’s not always motivated to find work in the first place, and many a credit card has been maxed out as bills go unpaid. His rationalization for not remedying this is that he’s so far in the hole, he could work himself to death and it wouldn’t make a difference. While there is some truth to that, his recent turn over to collections has reawakened his awareness of the issue and its severity.
Miscellaneous:
24. He’s memorized the value menu of every fast food joint within his vicinity. (His favorite is Taco Bell.)
25. His favorite instrument is the piano. He took lessons for three years, but never progressed beyond basic textbook music… but he even messes that up sometimes. He simply doesn’t have the coordination.
26. Some of his favorite singers and musicians include: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, John Coltrane, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Stafford, and Judy Carmichael (all of which lend to the “old” argument-he likes his classics, okay?).
27. His favorite band is Queen. Try not to dis them. :|
28. His hair style is natural; he just uses some hair spray to keep the stragglers in place. (It does hang down when it’s wet, though.)
29. He’s horrible at math.
30. He’s a lightweight when it comes to alcohol; one glass of wine will have him flustered and easily amused. When he’s drunk, the giddiness will last a couple hours, then lead into a few hours of what he thinks is a heightened sense of clarity and awareness before he finally finds the nearest soft surface and passes out.
...I may or may not add to this in the future. >_>