Simon Blackquill (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shacklebreaker) wrote2015-03-10 12:10 pm
shacklebreaker) wrote2015-03-10 12:10 pm
Entry tags:
APPLICATION: ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
cerealia
Applicant Info
◎ Name: Candace
◎ Journal:knightess
◎ Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
moonsilver/PM
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Simon Blackquill
◎ Character's Canon: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
◎ Character's Age: 28
◎ Canon Point: Post-game
◎ Background/History: http://aceattorney.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Blackquill
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? No.
◎ Personality: A convicted murderer and a prosecutor, Simon Blackquill exists as a contradiction in the legal system. He embodies "the dark age of the law", a time where the courts are all but discredited amongst allegations of corruption. Although recently granted permission to prosecute again because of his specialised knowledge of psychology, Blackquill is kept on a tight leash and handcuffed at all times. He's dangerous, embittered, and uses his status as a murderer to instill fear in the judge, defence, and witnesses, or else he uses the power of suggestion to push a trial in whatever way he pleases. He tends to belittle those around him by giving them nicknames ("Your Baldness" for the judge, "Fool Bright" for Detective Fulbright, etc.) and will often refuse to give opening statements, forcing the judge into doing so instead. To reinforce his status as a hardened criminal, and often to illustrate a point, he comes out with many anecdotes about his fellow inmates -- usually absurd or exaggerated, such as stories about as a murdering samurai prison chef, or a ninja.
He's also a huge nerd. Apparently out ofa confuseballs localisation effort love for Japanese culture, he imitates the appearance, dress and mannerisms of a samurai, describing courtroom battles as sword battles to the death, and respectfully referring to his opponents, the defence attorneys, with the honorific "-dono". Although he lacks the sword of a real samurai, at the points in trials where he loses his restraint and breaks his shackles, he's able to use a finger-based iaijutsu to slash at his opponents. He jokes, however, that he doesn't "cut down unarmed cowards", so the technique is more another intimidation tactic than anything truly threatening.
To further the motif, he has a hawk companion, Taka, who he uses to handle evidence or to attack the defence, and he habitually keeps one of Taka's feathers in his mouth during trials. He shares a special bond with Taka, who he believes, like all other animals, is "as human in spirit as you or I". He expresses a fondness for birds in general, including penguins, and becomes angry if he feels a bird has been insulted. He believes humans and animals to be of equal value even to the extent he agrees to participate in the trial of Orla Shipley the orca, all in order to indict her trainer for the murder instead.
Like the other prosecutors in the series, Blackquill is calm, rational, logical, and intelligent, only exposing a temper if provoked. Unlike other prosecutors, though, and probably because of his status as a prisoner, he tends to have a less vested interest in the outcome of trials, and doesn't take losses personally. He does seem to lack respect for defence attorneys as a profession at first, however, convinced that they do their job for the money rather than any belief in their client. It's only after his first trial against Phoenix Wright, who is willing to go as far as to cross examine Orla the orca to try to prove her innocence, and then to defend her trainer in court as well, that Blackquill is gradually convinced not all defence attorneys are self-serving and dishonest.
He shares a strange relationship with the detective assigned to be his handler and partner, Bobby Fulbright. They work together with a constantly shifting power balance: Fulbright is at once his superior because of Blackquill's status as a prisoner of the state, and can use the manacles chained to Blackquill's wrists to deliver electric shocks to enforce cooperation. At the same time, Blackquill is the prosecutor in charge of the cases and therefore has authority to order Fulbright around. He frequently manipulates him because of Fulbright's justice-loving, rather gullible nature, while Fulbright never allows himself to be put off by Blackquill's often cruel, prickly personality, insisting that he believes he can be redeemed and that he won't give up on him, much to Blackquill's consternation. Despite their differences, the defence frequently remarks the two seem to be in sync, and there exists a bond of trust between the two that means work together on cases as an effective team.
In reality, for all Blackquill's bad traits, much of it is a carefully crafted persona he has maintained for his seven years of imprisonment. He is, in fact, innocent of all charges of murdering his mentor, Dr. Metis Cykes, but gave a false confession in court to protect her daughter, Athena Cykes, from the same charges. Like a true samurai, he reveres and esteems Metis as a samurai to his lord, and feels beholden to her memory to protect Athena at all costs, even if that results in his own execution. To hide how deeply he cares for her and maintain his facade of guilt, he treats Athena as a stranger in the courtroom, merely referring to her as "Cykes-dono", and even insulting and threatening her throughout various cases. Before the final trial, it is only once he hints at their connection, and the kinder side of him she remembers, when Athena has a panic attack in court. Blackquill encourages her by reminding her of the reason she studied hard to become a lawyer, and she would not want to disappoint "the one who awaits [her]", which later becomes apparent that he was referring to himself. Though he shows no desire to be saved by her, he does seem to care about her development as an attorney, and so he pushes Athena constantly to become a rival worthy of him.
Seven years on death row have taken their toll on Blackquill, psychologically and physically. Part of his hair has turned white from stress, and he doesn't seem to have cut his hair at all in seven years of imprisonment, keeping it in a long ponytail. He has a gaunt face with dark bags under his eyes that make it easy to spot that he doesn't sleep well, and tear tracks along his face from where he has cried over the years to mourn Metis. Around others, however, he attempts to disguise his suffering, behaving dismissively towards his sister when she visits him in prison, and even insulting and patronising her the day before his execution. Resigned to his fate, he drives others away from him in an apparent effort to force them not to care about him. He's also a consummate liar, placing his personal code of loyalty before anything else, and when testifying his own guilt, is able to pile up lie after lie to cover up inconsistencies in testimony and with his emotions. It takes the combined efforts of Phoenix, Athena and Edgeworth to piece together the truth.
Above all, Blackquill has a steely, unbreakable resolve, both in his pursuit of the "phantom" of seven years past, and in honouring the memory of Metis Cykes. Like a true samurai, his loyalty to her takes precedent: he is willing to play the charade of a murdering criminal, and take the truth to the grave with him, if it will save his mentor's most beloved treasure. It is only now after his innocence has been proven, and the Phantom unmasked, that he's began to take a less fatalistic attitude toward his own life. He begins to look forward to the future, free of the burdens of his long incarceration.
◎ Powers/Abilities: Skilled in iaijutsu, a Japanese quick-draw martial art, to the point he can use it with his fingers to create a razor wind that can slice feathers in half, shear off tufts of hair, and even cut masks. He's also almost superhumanly strong, able to shatter his handcuffs with sheer force, despite being fitted with stronger ones every time. To complete the samurai motif, he appears to be a practitioner of takagari, the Japanese tradition of hawking; he has a hawk so well trained that it can handle evidence and attack others on command.
Aside from his considerable skill as a prosecutor, Blackquill is well-versed in psychological manipulation, and can use his power of suggestion to lead others into his way of thinking. The attorneys refer to this as him playing "Simon Says" with the judge and witnesses, given they tend to parrot precisely what he wants them to say and do.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory: Taka, his hawk.
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Air
◎ Sense: Sight. He is associated with birds of prey (most specifically hawks), which have keen eyesight, and his eyes tend to flash like a bird of prey's whenever he's angered. His iaijutsu also requires immense accuracy of vision, to be able to strike a moving target with the speed and precision he is able to.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
+ honorable, intelligent, selfless
- intimidating, cynical, manipulative
~ loyal
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample: Test drive thread
◎ Third-Person Sample:
◎ Name: Candace
◎ Journal:
knightess◎ Contact:
Character Info
◎ Character's Name: Simon Blackquill
◎ Character's Canon: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies
◎ Character's Age: 28
◎ Canon Point: Post-game
◎ Background/History: http://aceattorney.wikia.com/wiki/Simon_Blackquill
◎ Is the character a hacker and/or do they have a sixth-sense? No.
◎ Personality: A convicted murderer and a prosecutor, Simon Blackquill exists as a contradiction in the legal system. He embodies "the dark age of the law", a time where the courts are all but discredited amongst allegations of corruption. Although recently granted permission to prosecute again because of his specialised knowledge of psychology, Blackquill is kept on a tight leash and handcuffed at all times. He's dangerous, embittered, and uses his status as a murderer to instill fear in the judge, defence, and witnesses, or else he uses the power of suggestion to push a trial in whatever way he pleases. He tends to belittle those around him by giving them nicknames ("Your Baldness" for the judge, "Fool Bright" for Detective Fulbright, etc.) and will often refuse to give opening statements, forcing the judge into doing so instead. To reinforce his status as a hardened criminal, and often to illustrate a point, he comes out with many anecdotes about his fellow inmates -- usually absurd or exaggerated, such as stories about as a murdering samurai prison chef, or a ninja.
He's also a huge nerd. Apparently out of
To further the motif, he has a hawk companion, Taka, who he uses to handle evidence or to attack the defence, and he habitually keeps one of Taka's feathers in his mouth during trials. He shares a special bond with Taka, who he believes, like all other animals, is "as human in spirit as you or I". He expresses a fondness for birds in general, including penguins, and becomes angry if he feels a bird has been insulted. He believes humans and animals to be of equal value even to the extent he agrees to participate in the trial of Orla Shipley the orca, all in order to indict her trainer for the murder instead.
Like the other prosecutors in the series, Blackquill is calm, rational, logical, and intelligent, only exposing a temper if provoked. Unlike other prosecutors, though, and probably because of his status as a prisoner, he tends to have a less vested interest in the outcome of trials, and doesn't take losses personally. He does seem to lack respect for defence attorneys as a profession at first, however, convinced that they do their job for the money rather than any belief in their client. It's only after his first trial against Phoenix Wright, who is willing to go as far as to cross examine Orla the orca to try to prove her innocence, and then to defend her trainer in court as well, that Blackquill is gradually convinced not all defence attorneys are self-serving and dishonest.
He shares a strange relationship with the detective assigned to be his handler and partner, Bobby Fulbright. They work together with a constantly shifting power balance: Fulbright is at once his superior because of Blackquill's status as a prisoner of the state, and can use the manacles chained to Blackquill's wrists to deliver electric shocks to enforce cooperation. At the same time, Blackquill is the prosecutor in charge of the cases and therefore has authority to order Fulbright around. He frequently manipulates him because of Fulbright's justice-loving, rather gullible nature, while Fulbright never allows himself to be put off by Blackquill's often cruel, prickly personality, insisting that he believes he can be redeemed and that he won't give up on him, much to Blackquill's consternation. Despite their differences, the defence frequently remarks the two seem to be in sync, and there exists a bond of trust between the two that means work together on cases as an effective team.
In reality, for all Blackquill's bad traits, much of it is a carefully crafted persona he has maintained for his seven years of imprisonment. He is, in fact, innocent of all charges of murdering his mentor, Dr. Metis Cykes, but gave a false confession in court to protect her daughter, Athena Cykes, from the same charges. Like a true samurai, he reveres and esteems Metis as a samurai to his lord, and feels beholden to her memory to protect Athena at all costs, even if that results in his own execution. To hide how deeply he cares for her and maintain his facade of guilt, he treats Athena as a stranger in the courtroom, merely referring to her as "Cykes-dono", and even insulting and threatening her throughout various cases. Before the final trial, it is only once he hints at their connection, and the kinder side of him she remembers, when Athena has a panic attack in court. Blackquill encourages her by reminding her of the reason she studied hard to become a lawyer, and she would not want to disappoint "the one who awaits [her]", which later becomes apparent that he was referring to himself. Though he shows no desire to be saved by her, he does seem to care about her development as an attorney, and so he pushes Athena constantly to become a rival worthy of him.
Seven years on death row have taken their toll on Blackquill, psychologically and physically. Part of his hair has turned white from stress, and he doesn't seem to have cut his hair at all in seven years of imprisonment, keeping it in a long ponytail. He has a gaunt face with dark bags under his eyes that make it easy to spot that he doesn't sleep well, and tear tracks along his face from where he has cried over the years to mourn Metis. Around others, however, he attempts to disguise his suffering, behaving dismissively towards his sister when she visits him in prison, and even insulting and patronising her the day before his execution. Resigned to his fate, he drives others away from him in an apparent effort to force them not to care about him. He's also a consummate liar, placing his personal code of loyalty before anything else, and when testifying his own guilt, is able to pile up lie after lie to cover up inconsistencies in testimony and with his emotions. It takes the combined efforts of Phoenix, Athena and Edgeworth to piece together the truth.
Above all, Blackquill has a steely, unbreakable resolve, both in his pursuit of the "phantom" of seven years past, and in honouring the memory of Metis Cykes. Like a true samurai, his loyalty to her takes precedent: he is willing to play the charade of a murdering criminal, and take the truth to the grave with him, if it will save his mentor's most beloved treasure. It is only now after his innocence has been proven, and the Phantom unmasked, that he's began to take a less fatalistic attitude toward his own life. He begins to look forward to the future, free of the burdens of his long incarceration.
◎ Powers/Abilities: Skilled in iaijutsu, a Japanese quick-draw martial art, to the point he can use it with his fingers to create a razor wind that can slice feathers in half, shear off tufts of hair, and even cut masks. He's also almost superhumanly strong, able to shatter his handcuffs with sheer force, despite being fitted with stronger ones every time. To complete the samurai motif, he appears to be a practitioner of takagari, the Japanese tradition of hawking; he has a hawk so well trained that it can handle evidence and attack others on command.
Aside from his considerable skill as a prosecutor, Blackquill is well-versed in psychological manipulation, and can use his power of suggestion to lead others into his way of thinking. The attorneys refer to this as him playing "Simon Says" with the judge and witnesses, given they tend to parrot precisely what he wants them to say and do.
◎ Weapons & Other Special Inventory: Taka, his hawk.
CEREALIA-Specific
◎ Element: Air
◎ Sense: Sight. He is associated with birds of prey (most specifically hawks), which have keen eyesight, and his eyes tend to flash like a bird of prey's whenever he's angered. His iaijutsu also requires immense accuracy of vision, to be able to strike a moving target with the speed and precision he is able to.
◎ Seven Character Traits:
+ honorable, intelligent, selfless
- intimidating, cynical, manipulative
~ loyal
Samples
◎ First-Person Sample: Test drive thread
◎ Third-Person Sample:
Simon Blackquill had survived the day he had thought would be his last in the living world. He'd narrowly avoided the executioner, had been exonerated of his crimes, had finally banished the dark age of the law for good along with the phantom of seven years past... only for everything he had ever known to come to a devastating end.◎ Is your character retaining any previous game memories? Nope!
Fate -- or the Flamines, or whatever was responsible for this -- had a cruel sense of irony. As he was given the arrival presentation, he could have laughed, if only to mask his grief. But he didn't, the picture of stoic indifference, someone accustomed to shouldering the weight of loss, even if this was far more crushing than his last. The one more dear to to him than life itself was most likely gone, and what did he have left to live for, now? An existence here with only the scarce chance his world might be restored?
That felt like no existence at all. Where his time on death row had been assuaged by the fact it was in service of another, here, there was nothing.
Numb, he began to explore the city. In prison, countless were the days he'd hoped to feel the wind and the sun again, but here, the climate was regulated, the city lights bright and artificial, like the very makeup of this place was trying to mock him. The only thing left to him, as he had always been throughout the long years, was his faithful hawk, Taka. The bird seemed unsettled as he was to be in Cerealia, surveying their surroundings with fierce yellow eyes from his perch on Blackquill's shoulder, as Blackquill wandered through the shopping district. The ex-convict made a single stop, using the card he'd been given to buy food for Taka, then found a nearby bench so he could feed the bird strips of meat from his hand.
"What blighted luck we have, old friend," he murmured to his bird, as Taka ate. If he was attracting stares from nearby because he was talking to a hawk, he paid it no mind. Taka would understand his tone, even if he did not understand the words. He stroked the hawk's crested head, then looked up, staring at the point where the skyscrapers of the city met the sky. How easy it would be, to give up here, after everything... and yet thoughts of Athena, how hard she had worked to save him, sprang unbidden to assault his conscience.
"...I will continue on," he decided, after a heavy silence. "It is what she would have wanted, and I cannot let her struggles be in vain."
As futile as it was, a reason to live was better than none. He would hold fast to it.