before the infamous class trial of 2k1, phoenix was incredibly introverted, like he wouldn’t talk to anyone at all unless spoken to & generally just didn’t interact with the other kids unless they initiated it. it wasn’t quite that he avoided contact with the others, but he just wasn’t outright trying to make friends, which naturally meant that no one else actively tried befriending him either. so, to compensate for his lack of friends to spend time with, he got really into the signal samurais show & when reruns would be on, he acted like he was the blue samurai, speaking & moving along with the lines, as if he were in the show, which actually was pretty fun to do. it was a tad strange for his parents to see but hey, he was nine, so they let him have his fun. this actually helped spark initial interest in acting, though this spark was subdued a tad after becoming friends with miles, whose determined enthusiasm about becoming a defense attorney, coupled with his spirited defense at the class trial, inspired him to want to become the same. after miles left, however, phoenix reverted mostly back into the way that he was before, acting once again becoming an interest, yet the inspiration to become a defense attorney was still strong. & while he simultaneously wished to pursue both, it wasn’t until a few years later that phoenix’s heart was set on a shakespearean acting career in specific, a fact for which papers on & lengthy discussions of english literature in school can be thanked.