[TBP] Turnabout of the Elements (Investigation!)

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Enthalpy
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[TBP] Turnabout of the Elements (Investigation!)

Post by Enthalpy »

My eyes fell down to the clear spring, but, seeing myself there, I turned them to the grass, such shame weighed down my brow:
so a mother seems severe to her son as she seemed to me, for bitter is the flavor of compassion still unripe.

~ Purgatorio, Canto 30
February 23rd in the year 2027, state of Japanifornia. Early this morning, security at the Paville Institute, a psychology research center, discovered the corpse of one Alexandra Kranf outside one of their facilities. An investigation of the area found researcher Nick Johnson stargazing on the building's rooftop, alone. He has now been charged with her murder. Official sources are staying tight-lipped on this one, but leaks from the prosecutor's office say that the prosecution evidence is scanty but unbreakable, the motive is airtight, and the defendant refuses to say a word. Court watchers predict an easy win for the prosecution, but this wouldn't be the first time they've been too quick to judge...

IMPORTANT!
Enthalpy wrote:The wikia is here. In particular, look at this page!
How to Play:

For those unfamiliar with Trials By Post, it is a style of roleplay that occurs within an Ace Attorney-like crime investigation. Unlike traditional roleplays, this style discourages distractions from the main plot. This particular Trial By Post is trial only and will only have four “main” positions and two alternates.

There will be a prosecution and a defense. Both sides will have a main attorney, an assistant attorney and an alternate. The prosecution's role is to get a guilty verdict, and the defense's role is to get a not guilty verdict. You are free to have situations like 2-4, where a character doesn't want the verdict they're fighting for or holds back, but the characters must play their roles. No openly helping the opposition.

The goal of the players is to have the crime be solved, Ace Attorney-style. Even if you are on the wrong side of the case, you are expected to help make the crime solvable for the other side. (Nor should you do everything for your side.) Also for this reason, players may not create or change facts of the case.

Both the main attorney and assistant attorney may make arguments and question witnesses. Only the main attorney may give an opening statement, call witnesses, or make and act on deals with the judge or opposition. If a pair of main and assisting attorneys offer opposing arguments, e.g., they can't agree on where the real crime scene was, the assistant attorney's argument will be ignored.

Each side will also have an alternate attorney. The alternate attorney will come in when either one of that side's attorneys is on announced absence, or an attorney has been penalized out. The GM will notify an alternate attorney to enter the court. For continuity purposes, it will be as if the alternate attorney was there the whole time, just watching, and then swapped places with the attorney in question. If the alternate attorney substitutes for a main attorney, the former assistant now acts in the main attorney's role.

All witnesses will be played by the GM, Enthalpy, in the interests of minimizing miscommunication. Either side may request a witness be called to testify about a specific issue relevant to the case. The witness will testify, and both sides can question the witness until both sides conclude their examination. The first witness will be the detective, called by the prosecution. From then on, both sides need to argue to the judge why they need to hear from their witness.

The judge will also be played by Enthalpy. The judge's role is to keep the trial running smoothly. The judge rules on all objections, motions (including to call a witness or examine something) and penalties. Deals also go through the judge, and she may even make her own. For example, the judge may only permit you to run a blood test on a piece of evidence if you agree to a penalty if nothing turns up. The opposition may ask you to either prove a theory, in which case they'll take a penalty, or you stop talking, but the judge must approve.

Penalties may be awarded for in-character reasons or out-of-character reasons. Reasons for in-character penalties include the traditional badgering, relevance, heavy speculation, lost deals, or purposefully misleading the court. Reasons for out-of-character include inactivity, playing to win instead of playing to solve the case, or giving away answers. This does not preclude other reasons for penalties. After a certain amount of penalties, to be determined, you are penalized out and leave the game. At this time, a substitute will come in permanently, and a new substitute will be found.

In particular, a penalty will be given if players do not post at least once every three days and three times a week, barring an exceptional circumstance, like prior notification of the GM. Three such penalties, if not removed by GM, result in ejection from the trial.

Temporarily, the defense alternate plays as a defense assistant.

It is expected that players will remain active, communicate with their partner, and talk to the GM if they have problems.

Above all, have fun!


Assignments:

August Crowe (Ferdielance) as Main Prosecutor
M.T. Ledger (spd12) as Assistant Prosecutor

Opal Ita (kwando1313) as Main Defense
Simon Lawrence (Bad Player) as Assistant Defense
Connie Harper (calvinball) as Alternate Defense

The Court Record:
Spoiler : :
Autopsy Report wrote:Cause of Death: Asphyxiation due to manual strangulation.
Contributory Cause of Death: Respiratory depression due to sedatives lorazepam and chloroform.
Manner of Death: Murder.
Time of Death: Approx. 7:00-8:00; Deviation of fifteen minutes either way possible, but unlikely.
External Remarks: No pre-mortem marks of note were observed. Clothing was intact. Lividity indicates no movement of the body. External state of the body was consistent with strangulation (cyanosis, ect.), and minor unhealed scratches and bruises along the hands and wrists indicate a brief struggle before death.
Toxicology Report: Toxicology screening confirmed the presence of lorazepam and chloroform. Lorazepam was found in low concentrations and appeared to have entered the blood some hours before death, having been ingested. The chloroform was in higher concentration and appeared to have been administered within half an hour of death, likely within fifteen minutes, having been inhaled. Lorazepam is a prescription-only medication commonly used to treat anxiety or insomnia, and also used by anaesthesiologists as a "supplement" to the anaesthesia. Chloroform is also a sedative agent. It has no medical use and minimal recreational use due to its status as suspected human carcinogen by doctors, and the high risk of overdose by amateurs. Indications were found that these drugs weakened the victim's respiratory system, aiding in the strangulation.
Medical History: During standard check-up conducted two months ago, decedent reported feeling stressed. No medication was offered at this time, nor was her physician aware she was taking any. Family and friends do not believe she had been taking any medication.
Additional Remarks: The body's identity has been confirmed by family, fingerprints, dental records, and DNA comparison. Pursuant to the Ragna-Beckett Act, a second autopsy was performed before submission of this report, and all objections to the authenticity of autopsy reports in trial have been waived.
Signed: Ema Skye and Renée Gouss
Victim's Tablet wrote:A tablet computer owned by the victim and found near her at the crime scene. It has only her fingerprints. It refuses to turn on on despite no signs of physical damage. No accessible hardware, like the SIM card, has been taken. No data transfer cable found. Data inaccessible, but could be transferred pre-damage.
Crime Scene Photograph wrote:A photograph of the crime scene taken by Bobby Fulbright. Lights are set-up to counteract the darkness that comes of investigating a crime scene in the middle of the night. Alexandra lies face-up on a field of grass. Bruises are evident on her neck, consistent with strangulation, and you see the cyanosis and scratching as described in the autopsy report. A tablet computer lies on the ground a foot away from the defendant, and you see heavy footprints about the area, though too smeared to obtain a solid footprint. The victim's coat is open, with its pockets out, and the contents of her handbag are strewn about on the ground. Taken by Bobby Fulbright.
Crime Scene Map wrote:
Image
A diagram of the crime scene. Labeled: "Diagram (particular the waterway and bridge) may not be according to scale. Rest is accurate." Obtained by Paville Institute Security. Victim marker indicates where the body was found. Witness marker indicates where the guard on the bridge was stationed. Killer indicates where Nick Johnson was finished. The red border indicates a couple of feet of untrampled flowers.

The building in the middle is cutaway. The top shows the bottom floor, and the bottom (with Johnson) shows the roof.


Image

The fuller version of the map. You get the sense you shouldn't focus too much on the scale.
Johnny Smiles' Testimony (Timeline) wrote:5:30: Nick Johnson escorts Alexandra Kranf to the moat facility.
6:36: Ross has crossed the bridge from the island side and starts pestering Jackie, who was near the mainland side of the bridge. He has a tablet with him, and the glow indicates it's working.
6:40: Jackie receives a phone call.
6:42: Call ends.
6:45: Jackie finally gets free.
6:46: Jackie tells Johnny that she's there to fix a sagging sign on the bridge, pointing out the broken one. Johnny lets her tend to that part of the rope. She returns to the mainland side after about two minutes.
After 7 PM, there was no activity on the bridge, nor did anybody leave the moat facility after. All times are PM and for the night of the murder.


For some reason, Smiles's whole timeline needs to be shifted an hour forward.
Brain Imaging Lab Entry Logs wrote:February 16
Nick Johnson (researcher) with Ross Moebus (subject).
Nick Johnson (researcher) with subject.
Three other researcher-subject sets.

February 17
Seven researcher-subject sets, and one janitor.

February 18
Four researcher-subject sets.

February 19
Thirteen researcher-subject sets.

February 20
One janitor.

February 21
None.

February 22
Ten researcher-subject sets.

February 23
Nick Johnson (researcher) with Alexandra Kranf (federal inspector), Jackie Riemowski ("tour guide") and Ross Moebus (reasons unknown).
Miscellaneous on-site equipment managers, officials.

Fulbright Note:
No individual entering on the 22nd or 23rd entered earlier that week, barring defendant Nick Johnson and witness Ross. Any repeat visits on the same day have been logged. Last visit on the 16th had nothing of interest.
Video Camera Footage (as narrated by Fulbright) wrote:"Nothing happened on the twenty-first, so starting at the twenty-second." The camera records pretty all of the room except for a blind spot in the doorway. The room's two brain imaging machines, separated by a thick-looking black curtain that's probably there for magnetic reasons, are plainly visible and out of arm's reach from the doorway.

"As you can see, ten groups come in. The first four are the same guy with different people, and the next four are a different researcher with four different subjects. The fourth and fifth tests run at the same time..." Two machines, two simultaneous tests. Makes sense. The video is currently on fast-forward, but there's nothing that really warrants investigation. "The last two pairs that day came separately." Fast-forward goes off, and you carefully note the procedure the first pair uses to turn on the device. Fulbright fast-forwards to the other pair, and they do the same thing.

"Alright so, now the 23rd!" The moment of truth, then. Will Ms. Riemowski's story be confirmed...?

Nick enters the room a minute earlier than the others. Ross enters silently a minute before anyone else but slinks off in the back, out of Nick's field of version. From how he paces back and forth, he appears a bit... nervous? Jackie and Alexandra enter a minute later and approach Nick. It's at that time that Jackie hears Ross and pulls back the curtain. Nick and Jackie are surprised to see Ross there and cast an odd glance at him. He explains (you can hear the audio) "I wanted to make sure things were going okay and I, uh, wanted to talk about my project when I'm done. Just didn't want to intrude." Nick nods at Jackie, accompanies with an eye roll, and the two make no further mention of it.

The victim, Alexandra Kranf seems distracted by looking over the machine. Tablet in hand, she snaps a photograph of the room, and one more for each machine. Jackie starts to explain what the room is... Nothing important there. It gets interrupted when the victim asks of her own accord, "Could I see what it's look when these are turned on? I'd like to try it myself, if you don't mind." Nick responds, "Sure, just press the button marked on. Either machine." Alexandra goes to the nearest machine and presses the button for the machine on the right, the one you saw used six times the day before. The camera catches a blue spark coming from the machine - all four look surprised--

And then the footage fizzles out.
Bridge Movement Diagrams By Jackie and Smiles wrote: BEFORE
Image
DURING
Image
AFTER
Image
The pictures that Jackie and Smiles produce are effectively identical. Of course, there's variation in the path Jackie and Ross took, and Smiles saw Ross before Jackie did (even if his field of vision wasn't perfect at distances), but apart from that, they line up. Smiles likely stopped paying attention to the area of the confrontation afterwards, and his attention was grabbed by the confrontation during that time.
Ross Moebus's Test Results wrote: Image
The test results of Ross Moebus, with both Ross and Jackie attesting this was sent right at the end of their conversation, and Jackie remembering the exact time. All objections to this piece of evidence have been overruled. Commentary does not go tot he truth of the matter asserted.
Moat Filtering wrote:Bobby Fulbright: "We're still filtering through the stuff to try and determine if anything might be relevant. We've got everything from soda cans, ropes, plastic bags, a lunchbox, and even a white jacket! There's nothing that's incredibly suspicious, though!"
Elevator Fingerprints wrote:Bobby Fulbright: After filtering out non-persons of interest and degraded prints, we have matches for Nick Johnson, Alexandra Kranf, and Ross Moebus! Ross's prints and Alexandra's are on all the floors, and Johnson's are only on the fourth floor and the ground floor. His office is on the fourth floor.
March 16th Brain Scan Transcript wrote:Moebus: Oh, you're here, Dr. Johnson!
Johnson: Early again, I see. Well, let's start.
Moebus: Um, okay... Same as always.
[Johnson nods. He begins connecting Moebus to the machine.]
Moebus: So, um... How are things?
Johnson: Tolerable.
Moebus: Um... Anything exciting this weekend?
Johnson: No. You are not paid to make small talk.
Moebus: Yes, Dr. Johnson.
Johnson: No changes I should be aware of, are they?
Moebus: No, sir.
Johnson: Preparing for the coming test already, are you?
Moebus: Um... I've been meaning to, but--
[Johnson glares at Moebus.]
Moebus: I'll do it tonight, I promise!
Johnson: Don't disappoint. Remember, I'll be here at my usual time, after 5 until whenever I head out.
Moebus: Yes, sir.
Johnson: But don't keep waiting around like an idiot this time...
Moebus: I'll try not to.
Johnson: Good. Now...
[The rest of the meeting is a very generic brain scan.]
Visitor's Log wrote:Alexandra Kranf has not seemingly entered Paville before, nor has anybody related to her. Specific checks can be performed upon request.
Background Checks wrote:Background Checks:
Background checks from Detective Fulbright on Jackie Riemowski and Ross Moebus.

Jackie was born in New Yohrope and moved to Japanifornia about five years ago, while in high school. She did start working at Paville a year and a half ago, and is currently enrolled in beauty school. No criminal record, except for two speeding tickets, at 21 and 38 miles over the limit, and one minor DUI. No known connection to Alexandra Kranf, Euklein, or deep ties to Nick Johnson. Fellow students and coworkers describe her as very outgoing, but not particularly focused on her work, with a tendency to speed through it. Financial check reveals a large number of small, impulse purchases, but no serious trouble. The worst she's done is by a season pass to a local amusement park. No medical history to speak of.

Ross Moebus was born in Japanifornia and hasn't moved from the house where he grew up. He joined Paville staff about a year ago, and has been in Mr. Johnson's research for three months. Employers state that he's a diligent, competent worker, but not otherwise exceptional. Coworkers agree with this description but add a tendency to panic, and a general aloofness in conversation. Medical history shows a diagnosis of severe Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Moebus has been medicated for this, having been on lorazepam for some time, as well as a couple of other drugs. Doctor reports a spike in anxiety coinciding with the start of his entry into Mr. Johnson's testing, but the nature of the testing is yet unclear. No criminal history. Financial history is troubled, due to medical expenses and contributing to a family debt, but shouldn't be anything to worry about. Moebus's family debt is legal fees for an uncle who was convicted of extensive involvement with the black market. This debt will likely remain for a couple of years. IQ testing has not been conducted, though interviews with teachers suggest that he struggled with mathematics, and was smarter than he let on, but hardly a criminal mastermind.

On account of this Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Moebus's doctor has requested the defense not press him too hard, as detrimental to his mental health. She does not believe this will solicit misremembered testimony unless defense goes to extremes. Her note is attached.
Police Search Logs wrote:CRIME SCENE:
Alexandra Kranf (Body)
See autopsy for details. Wearing a lavender button-up shirt, black pants, a thin dark blue jacket, and flats. She was wearing a clip-on visitor's badge.
Alexandra’s Handbag
Contents scattered around. Contents are: pens (2, purple), tablet-to-table cable, tablet-to-USB extension, checkbook, credit cards, misc. receipts of no relevance, compact mirror with foundation, lipstick, chewing gum, business cards, tissues, map of the Institute, wallet. Wallet contents include: cash, debit cards, driver's license, and two photographs. The photographs appear to be of herself with her immediate family, and then one with just her two siblings. The data transfer cable was found 2-3 yards away from the other items.
Tablet Computer
See tablet evidence for further details.

Everything can be inspected further.

MOAT CONTENTS:
Lunchbox
An open lunch box. Simple metal, and likely cheap.
Ropes
Two lengths of rope. Each one has a black band on it.
White Jacket
Appears old and worn. Doesn't seem relevant to the murder.
Old Papers
Illegible printed script. It's impossible to make any of the text out.
Generic Trash
Includes but is not limited to plastic bags, paper bags, soda cans, napkins, wrappers from chocolate bars, and handkerchiefs.

CAMPUS SEARCH:
Nothing of general relevance was found, though due to the large scale of the search, something well-hidden could have been missed. Special scrutiny was applied to the defendant's office and the locker of the defendant. Nothing turned up in either location except for personal effects. Can be examined upon request.
Surveillance Footage wrote:According to security cameras, Ross Moebus drove out of Paville at 8:26 PM on the night of the murder. This roughly agrees with the timeline he gave in court, but is slightly later. Secuity guards speculate the additional time may have been caused to troubles at the valet stand, but this has not been confirmed. There is nothing obviously suspicious about the car or Moebus, such as gloves, though he is wearing a hooded sweatshirt. You can barely make out pockets on it.
External Hard Drive wrote:An external hard drive. Black, deck-of-cards shaped, and predictably covered with the victim's fingerprints. This is thicker and has an obviously different texture from the notebook. Fits with the cable found at the crime scene, and can connect to a tablet device or a computer. The ASI (agency she worked for) are examining it and will return it afterwards.
Chloroform Rag wrote:A rag found in a compartment in the trunk of Ross Moebus's car, wrapped around the external hard drive. Has some of Ross's fingerprints, more of Kranf's fingerprints, and nobody else's. Her prints are only on one side, while his are on both. Additionally contains traces of dirt, lipstick, and chloroform. Chemical analyses have matched the dirt samples to those in the area, and DNA testing on the lipstick stain has found traces of Alexandra Kranf's DNA, and traces of chloroform sandwiched between the fabric and the lipstick.

It is indisputable that this is the rag used on the victim, and that Ross Moebus touched it.
Alexandra's Notebook wrote:A small, spiralbound notebook. Black, deck-of-cards shaped, and predictably covered with the victim's fingerprints. This is thinner and has an obviously different texture from the hard drive The ASI (agency she worked for) are examining it and will return it afterwards.
Spoiler : Archived :
To Join:

As this roleplay only has six possible slots, and two of them might not even play, spacing will be tight! If, however, you want to play and definitively can commit to this, fill out the following app. You may submit no more than two apps. At the end of forty-eight hours (or longer if need be), applications will be cut off. I will announce my selections among all those that have submitted an app in this time. Be forewarned that you might not make it in, or may end up as an alternate. To avoid drama, I will not specify the criteria for my selection. If I host a future Trial By Post, priority will go to people who did not actively participate in this round.

Once applicants are selected, they will be PM'd their role and any pre-trial information they should have. I hope to open the courtroom on December 15th.

The Application:

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Background:
On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?:
Last edited by Enthalpy on Sat Jan 16, 2016 11:33 pm, edited 27 times in total.
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
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lazyplague
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by lazyplague »

Spoiler : App :
Without Shane I am nothing.
Last edited by lazyplague on Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Topaz
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Spoken languages: English, 日本語

Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Topaz »

Spoiler : Who is Topaz? :
Name: Isuzu Tingling

Age: 21

Gender: Female

Appearance: Image

Personality: A prodigal young attorney who made her court debut a year ago. Isuzu is highly technically intelligent, but still lacks a good amount of common sense. Her childish looks don't betray her personality, as she is a cheerful and confident attorney who can be serious when she needs to, but prefers to keep thing lighthearted as much as possible.

Background: After years of strict instruction and training under her father, who was a greatly respected defense attorney with a perfect track record, Isuzu entered the business at the young age of 20. Up 'till now, she's yet to be defeated, despite the heavy odds against her. In her image many saw the familiar attorneys of years past, who turned around intense cases in their favor with snap deductions and quick thinking. Although her cases saw her through tough times, she persevered and remained positive, earning her victory after victory. One day she aims to beat her father's track record and become an even greater attorney than he is, all the while protecting the law and delivering justice.

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Defense, preferably as a main attorney. Isuzu could be on the prosecution, but it would make a lot less sense for her to be. Assistant roles are still suitable.
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spd12
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by spd12 »

Spoiler : HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER! :
Name: M.T. Ledger (the initials are a mystery!)
Age: 23
Gender: Male

Appearance:
A tall young man of central American descent, M.T. is probably best noted for his shifty and very expressive brown eyes. He would be a terrible poker player. His head is more on the side of being tall and narrow than round, and sports a mullet of black hair.

You can tell that he barely had enough to rent half of a proper suit - he has the proper white top, but he's in faded blue jeans and open-toe sandals which is hardly professional. Money's tight for him!

He looks very disorganized, with everything looking a touch askew or with pockets overflowing with papers and pencils or what have you, like he might have been pulled out of doing some very important paperwork for this.

Personality:
M.T. is young, inexperienced, and has the wrong idea of what a good lawyer (in so far as the AA-verse goes) is about. He's the product of being pressured to be in a high-paying job while being only just competent enough at it while staring down the abyss of huge student debt. He's thorough with his paperwork, but notably disorganized. Money is always on his mind and will probably be making a number of timely monetary puns ("penny for your thoughts," etc.) every so often. He does not deal with pressure as well as the geniuses and pioneers of the courtroom.

His actual legal specialty involves tax and inheritance law more than anything, so... he's really, really out of his comfort zone going in, as he was never expecting to be part of a murder trial. If he is in the lead (which I don't want to be, but it is possible he may end up there by circumstance), expect him to be maybe a little more permissive than he ought to be under the pressure. I expect the judge to make fun of him every so often, if whoever he's working with isn't doing so already (but I will endeavor for this sloppiness to be sporadic to maintain humorous effect without damaging forward plot momentum).

As this is a one-shot thing, I intend for his character development - if any - to be short and sweet. He's blinded by the ability to be paid a handsome sum to really take a bite out of his student debt as soon as possible, but ultimately - especially per the rules of the game as set forth - he will work towards the truth and come to place more value on how these things affect others' lives, not so much how much money he can make from it. This is especially important as a landmark thing for him, because it's his first trial and will set the stage for the rest of his legal career... or possible lack thereof.

I intend to try and play off whoever I'm paired with as best as possible to help support whatever story they're trying to tell with their own character, if any. A little friction, but not too much, depending on what the narrative structure of the TBP ends up allowing. I've never participated in one, so I profess I may be overshooting a tad in terms of character design here.

Background:
Money gets you places. When your grades just come shy of making the cut to a prestigious law academy, greasing palms tends to be the order of the day. If you don't have a grant or deep coffers that your family is willing to draw from, though... you take loans.

M.T. took them, all right, thanks to pressure to live up to his older brother ("C.D.") whom made it big in the field of psychology research, albeit with some controversy. Transitioning to living on his own in college was fairly rough on him, but ultimately he did reasonably okay in law school and just managed to pass the state bar exam on the third try... and at long last, now is the time to work off that student debt, which is something of a focal point of obsession for him now.

This trial is his first. Either the state thinks the case is airtight enough that he might be able to handle it alongside another prosecutor, or maybe his current employer is bringing him along on a difficult defense for work experience when he leads a case on his own. (Depends on which side he ends up working for.)

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?:
Which side ultimately doesn't matter. I'd prefer either an assistant or substitute role, not the primary one, as per his background of being very new to his job.
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Ferdielance
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Ferdielance »

Spoiler : App :
Name: August Crowe
Age: 65
Gender: Male
Appearance: Crowe is gaunt and sunken-eyed, with a vulture's stooping posture and a fringe of gray hair around a bald dome. His left eye is afflicted with chronic ptosis, making him always seem to half-squint. A thin scar runs up the left side of his face, and he sometimes strokes it in moments of deep thought with his long, lean fingertips.

Have you visualized that? Good. Now put that man in this freesia vest, and this yellow check dress shirt and a bright blue tie and, oh, yes, an orange-and-red Hawaiian lei (this month) and a matching cowboy hat.

Add a disconcertingly mellow smile, and you've got August Crowe.

Just because you look like you missed a date with the embalmer doesn't mean you can't be fabulous. His back problems have worked a number on his posture, but he doesn't intend to get old without a fight.

Personality: In court, August Crowe is laconic and generally low-key in his speech and tactics, throwing out the occasional rhetorical or sarcastic jab, but never being quite as venomous as many on his side of the courtroom. He believes in methodical reasoning over wild leaps of intuition or logic, and will always demand evidence to back up a claim. While he doesn't see the defense as an enemy, he's quick to defend the reliability and value of good policework; the truth matters to him, but so does doing the job he is being paid for. He doesn't believe in browbeating witnesses and suspects, but he'll apply pressure as needed.

Out of court, Crowe loves adventuring to new locales, whether they're half-explored jungles or tourist traps. As he never married, he needs to spend his money on something. His office is lined with tiki memorabilia and kitschy German glass figurines, and he has a habit of always wearing a souvenir from his latest vacation in court. Early on, this was generally regarded as a little unprofessional, but seemed like a minor quirk in comparison to the prosecutors who performed aggravated assault in the courtroom. Nowadays, the judge hardly notices.

Aside from that peccadillo, however, Crowe simply doesn't allow his personal life to interfere with his role in the courtroom.

Background: Do you remember when you actually had to know law to be a lawyer? Like, stuff about "evidence procedure" and "chains of custody" and "hearsay?"

August Crowe remembers.

Born to middle-class parents who owned a small organic farm in Sonoma County, California, August graduated from a small, but prestigious, law school in California, where he specialized in defense law and made a name for himself with his rigor and care. Style of dress aside, he wasn't the most theatrical defense attorney, preferring to work methodically from beginning to end, play it safe, and not take too many risks with the freedom of his clients. He never made unilateral plea decisions or overrode a client's wishes. If a plea bargain was a good idea, it would have been unethical to fail to take one out of pride or a desire to gamble on the truth.

But after twenty years in defense, once his student loans were well paid off, he had a sudden and painful realization: If all the clients I ever defended had been summarily thrown in jail for life, the crime rate in this place would have been halved.

Yes, he defended the innocent, but his job had demanded that he defend the guilty zealously. And while everyone deserved a criminal defense, he found it harder and harder to look the families of the victimized in the eye. Eventually, for the sake of his conscience and the greater good, he became a prosecutor. While it took a while for him to rise in the ranks, he'd been diplomatic enough with the police in his prior career, so he hadn't burned too many bridges.

Now, at 65, Crowe is a seasoned prosecutor, always ready to help newcomers learn how to fight to protect the innocent from crime, bring closure to the victims, and defend the reputation and competence of the police force. Though standards in that department have been dropping for some time... well, he's not about to compromise his principles. Especially not with another, younger prosecutor on the same side of the bench as him.

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Prosecutor's Assistant, Prosecutor, or Alternate. If he's an assistant, he'll act as a Mia Fey-ish mentor to a younger prosecutor. If he's a Prosecutor, he'll spend much of the trial training his assistant.
"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Bad Player »

Settle down, everyone. The king has arrived.
Spoiler : :
Name: Sexy Stripper: Shane Ertless
Age: 23
Gender: All man <3
Appearance: A sexy guy, but without a shirt, and with rockin' abs.
Personality: Who cares? You love him for his body, not his brains.
Background: Shane was a normal little boy, until his parents were tragically killed in a vehicular accident caused by SHSL Shirtless Satsuko Nomi. While most people would probably end up despising the person who killed their parents, Shane developed an intense admiration for Satsuko upon his first gaze of his shirtless splendor. Since then, Shane devoted his life to becoming as sexy as he could possibly be in the hope of becoming as shirtless as his idol.
On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Well, I'm not really sure which side would be best, since he isn't an attorney or anything. If necessary, however, Shane can just do all four positions at once. ((hello))
Fun Fact: While he prefers to be called "Shane" and "Shane Ertless" is his birth name, when he was 18 years old he legally changed his name to "Sexy Stripper: Shane Ertless." Including the colon.
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by tb2fan »

Spoiler : Well we all knew this was coming... :
Name: Harmon Grennan

Age: 20

Gender: Male

Appearance:Standing at about 5’ 9”, Harmon is most distinguishable by his neatly combed orange hair with red highlights. He has a few light freckles on his cheek. He’s rather thin, with deep brown eyes.

He wears an Orange dress shirt with a red collar. He wears black pants, and has two light blue rods attached to his belt. When placed on a table and pulled apart, a red fire symbol appears, and allows him to access the court record and his forensic database.

Personality:Harmon is an incredibly snarky individual, and will make dry remarks about a lot of things. He’s not mean by any stretch of the imagination, but he tends to use his unique humor to cope with adversity in his surroundings. He is incredibly awkward around cute girls

When he tries to talk to a girl he likes, his hands will shake, he’ll blush a very noticeable shade of red, and just tends to jumble his words. This isn't to say he won't try, but let's just say it's one rocket that never quite clears the launchpad.

He has a tendency to get irritated with idiocy, which he responds to with, you guessed it: Sarcasm! But when you get down to it, he really tries to make friends as much as he can

Background: After earning his attorney’s badge in britain at the age of 19, Harmon was asked to join a law firm over in japanifornia due to his two areas of expertise: Forensic Science and Video Evidence analysis.

He soon found himself faced with his first trial, proving his defendant's innocence against an assault charge by turning a piece of forensic evidence on it’s head. (Using blood spatter to prove the witness was suffering a nosebleed, and had not attacked the victim, the wound was self inflicted at a later time.)

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Defense Attorney, Perhaps DA’s assistant. If none of these will work, he would work as a witness, inquiring about a psychological principle that will be integral in his next case.
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by enigma »

Spoiler : OH CRAP HE'S BACK :
Name: Edgar Graves

Age: 34 (heheh...)

Gender: Male

Appearance: Image

Personality: Edgar Graves is a very eccentric and ruthless prosecutor. Outside the court, he's an overly goofy type of guy who seems to be highly incompetent. He conducts investigations in entirely ludicrous manners and acts like a complete and utter idiot. Of course, in reality, he's a much more cunning sort who enjoys employing tactics that are unexpected and sort-of underhanded. Despite this, Edgar isn't the type to hold grudges outside of court. His main way of thinking is that prosecution is a job, and nothing more. So, despite how aggressive, cruel and sneaky he can be, once the battle's over he's pretty okay with whatever verdict comes around.No hard feelings once the trial ends. But until the judge slams down his gavel you can bet he's going to throw everything into his onslaught.

Don't take this to mean he's a fundementally good guy, though. He's slightly sadistic, incredibly arrogant and entirely apathetic. Furthermore, he uses psychological tactics as he pleases. Still, at Edgar's core is the element of surprise and confusion. Tripping up the defense is his main M.O. and breaking their spirit is a bonus.

Background: Edgar was always a little goofy, but at the start he was still empathetic, even kind-hearted. But years of the job have worn him down. Beginning as a bright-eyed naive young prosecutor, he first entered the court with the idea that if the defendant is guilty he'll win, and if the defendant is innocent the defense will win. And that was all well and good (if a little misguided considering the advantage prosecutors get...) until the dawn of "Phoenix-Wright Style Defending". Cross-examining parrots, cross-examining whales, saying a child swung a heavy spear and so forth... And the worst thing about the style, is that it got results. Mainly since the your average prosecutor isn't prepared for this and are powerless to stop it.

Edgar watched as his ideals were broken down. Where nonsense and surprise tactics became common among the defense, ruining his idea of a fair and equal fight. And one day, he decided, he wasn't taking it anymore. If they were going to play the game like that, so was he. He was going to learn to expect the unexpected and produce scenarios that would break down and completely disorient the defense.

And that is how the current Edgar Graves was born.

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Edgar Graves is a prosecutor, through and through. Any thing on that side works for him. However, considering his personality, main prosecutor would be greatly preferred.
Last edited by enigma on Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Hesseldahl
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Hesseldahl »

Spoiler : App :
Name: Alberto Quintero

Age: 23

Gender: Male

Appearance:
ImageImage

Personality: In court he is a cocky and intelligent defense attorney, he tries his best to make angry the prosecution so he can use their emotions to turn around the case against them. He has the idea of keeping your body and mind in a perfect balance so he usually will use difficult tatics that could even risk his case just to think out of the box. He doesn't really trust his client, since he thinks that if your logic is good, then it will be truth. Out of court he's a nice guy who is pretty sweet and honest but has the horrible habit of being to distrustful with people and putting his own interests before anything, making his moral not always white usually making him pretty controler and manipulator . He freak outs and paralyzes when there's a blackout. Thanks to her mother that was a police investigator and sometime after a private detective he learned some of the tatics to obtain information from the witness or the police, he even learned to read the eyes of people when they are lying.

Background:
His parents where a defense lawyer and a private detective, making him a pretty good combination.He grew up in a beautiful house and lived a normal life, until he was kidnapped at the age of 13. At the end their parents managed to catch the kidnapper and recover him, they were pretty scared and the event made him scared of life to darkness,then they moved from Mexico to Japanifornia. The years passed and one day in court his dad was talking with his client until someone shoot his dad (killing him), thanks to that the acussed was declared guilty thanks to a pretty bad lawyer that was around the court at that time, the police never found the shooter. Knewing that probably the shooter was the killer and that the client of his dad was declared guilty he decide to study law to open the case again. At the age of 21 he passed the bar exam and has never lossed a case.

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: A would like to be the assistant of the defense attorney or the defense attorney.
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Sleuth »

Spoiler : :
Name: Cedric Wyrmheart (That's "wyrm" as in "dragon", my friend.)
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Artist's Rendition
The first thing you are liable to notice about Cedric is that ridiculous fringe of black hair strewn across his face as if someone took a paintbrush and slapped it over his face. This hairdo shadows the entire right half of his face, leaving only one bright, purple eye surrounded by eyeliner peeking out from the shadows. Apart from that, however, the rest of his hair is neatly buzzed into a light dust across the back of his head, and if one looks closely enough, they can see a small scar running on the back-left side.

The second thing one will notice about Cedric is his affinity for jewelry-- Two diamond earrings, gem-studded collars and cuff-links, buttons worth more than most cars, and a tacky pearl necklace worn round his neck; a very MANLY pearl necklace, that is. Aside from that, he wears his clothes loose and stylish; his shirt is always open at least two buttons down, his tangerine suit-jacket thrown on carelessly, a tie probably somewhere if he remembered to bring it, and usually a pair of aviator glasses which, if not stuck on his face, ride in his left breast pocket along with the keys to his Porsche and his Android smartphone.

In terms of build, Cedric is very well-built; toned muscles from his hours hitting the gym with paperwork casually strewn to the side, tanned skin from many hours of running while notices built up on his desk, and the makeup of a man who knows he's more important than you. All these put together don't make your typical image of a lawyer, and indeed Cedric wouldn't be caught dead in anything less extravagant than Joesph's coat of many colors, but when he steps into court, everyone immediately turns his way.

Personality: Imagine, if you will, that one kid in high school who was really popular but never really did anything. Then give him a law degree, four metric tons of hair gel, a rock star budget and you have Cedric. To say Cedric Wyrmheart is a bad lawyer isn't quite accurate-- To say he's a terrible lawyer with no interest in his job, only cares about pay and prestige, and retains his job through means of bribery and a network of corruption would be on the right track.

Cedric's life revolves around exactly two things: showing off his wealth, and attaining said wealth. In this case, he's actually a rather good lawyer, being highly opportunistic, a good barterer, and willing to make and break deals. He's lost more cases than he's ever won, but walked away richer due to his dealings under the table. Luckily for him, Cedric is not the only lawyer who thinks this way, and through the magic of corruption and greed, he retains his cushy job playing the system and driving fast cars. This may make Cedric sound like a greedy, self-serving, amoral dastard-- And that is correct. He is highly distant from his work, and oftentimes doesn't even consider himself a lawyer. In fact, Cedric's original aspiration was to become an actor-- A trait that shows very much in the way he carries himself. Everything from his flamboyant hairstyle to his gold-studded shoes revolves around his superstar persona.

However of the many things he is, Cedric is not vain nor deluded; he knows he does not belong in the courts, and is well aware how much of a dastard he is for mucking up the system. Deep down, he knows the system doesn't really help anyone; that the law will always be twisted by those who control it. His justification for keeping his job is essentially: "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." And while Cedric is a terrible human being, he is actually extremely friendly and personable. His showboating and charm are enough to win the crowd onto his side in many instances, and his theatrics and general flamboyance make his cases, if nothing else, a massively entertaining train wreck. Cedric has come to consider his trials more of a "performance" than anything else; a way to live out his dreams of acting on the stage in the courtroom. Whether he wins or lose matters little to him; being in the limelight is all that he wants.

Background: Cedric Wyrmheart grew up as Cedric Wormheart, born to a single mother living in heavy poverty. Cedric's home was relatively nice, but his mother's constant debts left them in a lousy situation for many years. She sold nearly everything to make ends meet, down to her pearl necklace. His main solace would come in reading old magazines he'd find strewn about; gossip and celebrity magazines that told scandalous stories of people in the spotlight. To ease himself, he'd often fantasize about the paparazzi following him around, documenting his life and following the imagined drama of his daily life. He eventually decided to take a career acting, and join the figures in the magazines.

Unfortunately, his mother wouldn't allow him to pursue a career in the liberal arts, and instead forced him to study law and get a high-paying job. Upset at the world and his mother, Cedric decided to take the matter into his own hands, and started committing street-side robbery to fund his future. He got lucky and managed to escape, but wound up with a nasty head wound for his troubles. From then on, Cedric would learn to turn to crime to build up his future. Over many years and many thefts, Cedric amassed a private fund, and by the time he'd entered law school, he was putting it to good use, with gambling, investments, and dirty deals that began to build and build. He bought his degree, and finally stepped into the world of law, ready to have the time of his life. And indeed, Cedric Wyrmheart enjoyed his face put across the magazine covers like he'd always wanted.

On what sides, in order of preference, are you willing to play this character?: Anything's fine idc
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Enthalpy »

Role selections have been made...
August Crowe (Ferdielance) as Main Prosecutor
M.T. Ledger (spd12) as Assistant Prosecutor
Edgar Graves (enigma) as Alternate Prosecutor

Isuzu Tingling (Topaz) as Main Defense
Alberto Quintero (Hesseldahl) as Assistant Defense
Cedric Wyrmheart (SS Sleuth) as Alternate Defense
Congratulations to the six of you who were chosen! Remember that if you were not selected this time (or if you're not able to do much as an alternate), you have priority for future rounds I host.
_______________________________________________________________
The court lobby opens tomorrow. I hope to see the prosecution and defense in their respective lobbies. Even alternates can be there for this stage! Just remember to spoiler tag your conversations, so the prosecution doesn't see what the defense is up to, and vice versa.

I hope to have both sides PM'd with further instructions and information shortly.
Last edited by Enthalpy on Mon Dec 15, 2014 12:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by lazyplague »

I'm sorry Enth but without Shane I must drop out.
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Enthalpy »

Defense alternate has changed to Cedric Wyrmheart (SS Sleuth) due to Dave informing me over xat that he is seriously dropping out due to too many RP commitments. All of my relevant posts have been edited accordingly.
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements

Post by Enthalpy »

Judge's Chambers:

"...and as performing one's legal duty is not undue pain and suffering, plaintiff's claim is dismissed as wholly with merit." And I suggest that you learn from the bad situation you got yourself in, rather than trying to place the blame for it on the state. The one good part about this was that all it needed was a summary judgment... Taking a sip of coffee, Judge Paloma Ayala filed away the paperwork that wasn't due until next week, and glanced at the papers on her desk for the case today. She shuddered in horror and looked for the case due in two weeks.

She couldn't find it.

She glared at her current case files, and they smiled, sweetly, innocently, tauntingly back at her.

It would be me that gets this case, isn't it? She sighed, taking the files in hand. She had, with great reluctance, read over these files three times already. Her normal practice was five readings, even for cases ten times as long as this one. But this case was... special. Very "special." It was days like today that made her glad she bought aspirin in bulk.

"Your Honor?" A bailiff entered through the open doorway, a folder in hand. "The change-of-prosecution forms authorizing Mr. Crowe have come in."

"Great, I'll take them." She wearily took the papers, looking over them as the bailiff left. Crowe's a sane prosecutor, and Tingling isn't bad either... Maybe this case won't be quite so-- No, it will be that bad. It can't be anything other than that bad. Let's... try to get through this. She took another sip of her coffee. This would be a long, painful day...
Spoiler : OOC :
Courtroom is now open! Both sides can go to their respective lobbies, but remember to spoiler tag!

And a note regarding the Crime Scene Map. You may notice a thin layer of red surrounding the moat now. Those are flowers. Because who wouldn't like some harmless decorating, right?
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
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Re: [TBP] Turnabout of the Elements (Enter the Lobby!)

Post by Hesseldahl »

Spoiler : Defense Lobby: :
Alberto look around, but he didn't found anyone except for the baliffs, then he proceeded to seat at the couch, he remebered the day when he knew that girl for the first time, and how responsible she looked. The problem was that she was kinda late!
Then he asked one of the balliffs that if a girl around her twenties had been there and at what lobby he was. The baliff answered him that not a single girl at her twenties had stepped in the lobby and that he was in the defense lobby No.5, he was at the correct lobby.
Then he looked at the profile of the prosecutor in charge of the case, one moment to the other he started laughing."
"What an easy case." he thinked. Then he called the girl named Isuzu.
Last edited by Hesseldahl on Tue Dec 16, 2014 12:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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