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Mar. 22nd, 2014 09:17 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
evenrobinPLAYER INFO
NAME: Sage
AGE: 24
JOURNAL:shobogan
IM / EMAIL: shobogan AT gmail DOT com
PLURK:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
shobogan
CHARACTER INFO
CHARACTER NAME: Jason Todd AKA Robin
CHARACTER AGE: 15
CANON: DC Comics (New Earth)
CANON POINT Right after Batman 424.
BACKGROUND:
New Earth is much like our own, save for the addition of vigilantes in vibrant costumes, aliens visiting or invading from across the cosmos, ridiculously advanced technology, and humans with extraordinary abilities through a quirk of genetics, strange accidents, or that technology I just mentioned. (Will radiation give you powers or kill you? It's a crap shoot. Don't try this at home.)
The vigilantes – known as super heroes, generally – are often accepted and even lauded by the general populace. Even police forces, by and large, allow their involvement, working with them either officially or under the table. The Justice League is a team of super heroes that has endorsement by the government (most of the time). They weren't the first, but they've been established for a while, and are generally trusted and respected.
Jason – or Robin – doesn't have much contact with the team at large. His connection is through his mentor and partner, Batman. Most of the time, he keeps to their city; Gotham certainly has enough problems for them to contend with. It's riddled with crime and corruption, and though Batman and his allies have undoubtedly made a difference, there's a long way to go.
Batman's relationship with the law is a bit more complicated than the League's. He works closely with the police commissioner, but Jim Gordon keeps a certain plausible deniability about it. The GCPD uses the bat signal, but a certified officer can't turn it on. In much of the city's eyes, Batman is an urban legend, a way to scare kids straight and put off criminals.
In general, the United States has a good relationship with super heroes; they're recognised as forces of good. The exception is the Legends story arc, in which the world is turned against vigilantes of all stripes. Robin himself is beaten to a pulp by an angry mob. When he sees the other heroes in need, though, he flees his hospital bed to help. In the end, the spell is broken.
Most people have no idea that there's a different boy behind Robin's mask. Bruce found Jason after Dick left the role. He never intended to take another partner, not after Dick nearly died. But here's this kid living on the streets of Crime Alley, the same place that took Bruce's parents from him. Here's a kid with enough guts to steal the tires off the Batmobile. A kid who could make Batman laugh on the anniversary of his parents' death.
Turns out the kid has his own sense of justice and a fair share of courage – when he discovers the home Batman sent him too is really a breeding ground for juvenile criminals, he refuses to be part of it. "I don't wanna learn to be no crook. I just boost what it takes to survive." He takes it upon himself to interrupt their jewel heist.
Bruce made him Robin, and he's been in that role for three years.
It's been starting to strain on him, though. For one thing, his morals don't align exactly with Batman's; for another, he never really had the chance to work through his own anger and grief. Right before he disappears, he murders a man.
Felipe Garzonas was a serial rapist with diplomatic immunity. Jason only wanted to scare him, but when he started to fall, well. He didn't exactly reach for him.
PERSONALITY:
Jason is a complicated kid. He's blunt and kind, clever and reckless, cheerful and moody. He's got a lot of baggage, and not a lot of tools to deal with it.
He's heroic to a fault. Before he ever became Robin, he was ready to thwart a robbery. On the last day of his training, he dove into the street to save a toddler from a speeding car. Protecting people comes naturally to Jason.
He's got a lot of rage, too, but it largely stems from compassion; he knows exactly what it is to feel forgotten and helpless, to be scared and alone. He knows that the world isn't fair and there isn't always someone to save you.
His mother fell through the cracks, and he couldn't catch her. His father died trying to provide for them in the worst way, the only way he knew.
Bruce hoped being Robin would channel that anger into something productive – and it did, for a time. Jason loved being a hero – loved the rush, loved the challenge, loved the purpose. For the first time, he felt powerful instead of vulnerable. And if maybe he got a bit too zealous sometimes, they had it coming.
Problem is, it kept escalating. He became more brutal, more reckless. Unnecessary damage, unnecessary risks. He started out as Batman's lighter half, quick with a joke and quicker to comfort, even staying Batman's hand when rage got the better of him. By the end, he was the one to look out for.
Robin can only do so much. He can't prevent women being beaten or children losing their parents, and he can't always stop it from happening again. When that bitter frustration started gnawing at his gut, there was no stopping it.
And Jason isn't all that good at talking about his feelings. He's got a ton of them, and it shows, but he's not sure how to vocalise them; he's more likely to clam up and sulk. Unfortunately, Bruce is not a great role model in this regard, and Jason didn't have much else in the way of friends. He felt out of place in school, and he didn't have a lot of spare time. Alfred was as supportive as possible, but he's not all that demonstrative either. He's limited, sometimes, in his role as butler.
Jason could have been closer to the original Robin, Dick Grayson, now going by Nightwing – but Dick's parting with Bruce was a fraught one, and he resented how Batman handed over his legacy without consulting him. Eventually they started to get to know each other, but it was a bit too late. He was closer to a different vigilante – Barbara Gordon as his tutor, Batgirl as his ally. (Jason, always, had the utmost respect for women.) Until she retired, anyway.
Then she got shot and maimed by the Joker.
If he felt helpless and furious before, well. He had to be benched for a bit, so he wouldn't do anything stupid. Jason is reckless, especially when he's emotional, and it's very easy to push his buttons. He cares about people, fervently and furiously, and he doesn't know how to step back from that. He's not like Batman, who's learned to be distant and objective.
His first case back was Garzonas. Bad enough, that he was going to get away with it. No - he drove his victim to suicide, just because he could. Jason heard her last words over the phone.
He really didn't go out there with murder on his mind, but once it was done – he felt relieved. Satisfied. Guilty for not feeling guilty. Batman's expression made his gut twist, but he didn't argue with Jason's lie. It was easy enough to turn his back and swing away.
He'd figure it out, somehow.
ABILITIES:
Having spent three years as Robin, Jason is very fit physically - fast, strong, agile. His combat training is extensive. He is, however, still fifteen years old; it's feasible for many characters to overpower him.
He's also been trained in firearms and various other weaponry. He's best with his batarangs, though he'll only have a few in his utility belt.
Batman gave him extensive courses in computer science, forensic medicine and criminology. He's not an expert in any of these subjects, to be sure, but he has a healthy knowledge. He's also fluent in several other languages - French, German, Italian, and Russian. (He's not very good at Russian.)
He's a skilled detective, though this is sometimes undermined by his impatience.
INVENTORY:
Jason will be in his Robin uniform when he gets scooped up. It's made of soft body armour that offers limited against bullets, knives, and blunt attacks. In his utility belt are batarangs, gas pellets, various incendiary capsules, and a grappling gun.
NAME: Sage
AGE: 24
JOURNAL:
shoboganIM / EMAIL: shobogan AT gmail DOT com
PLURK:
CHARACTER INFO
CHARACTER NAME: Jason Todd AKA Robin
CHARACTER AGE: 15
CANON: DC Comics (New Earth)
CANON POINT Right after Batman 424.
BACKGROUND:
New Earth is much like our own, save for the addition of vigilantes in vibrant costumes, aliens visiting or invading from across the cosmos, ridiculously advanced technology, and humans with extraordinary abilities through a quirk of genetics, strange accidents, or that technology I just mentioned. (Will radiation give you powers or kill you? It's a crap shoot. Don't try this at home.)
The vigilantes – known as super heroes, generally – are often accepted and even lauded by the general populace. Even police forces, by and large, allow their involvement, working with them either officially or under the table. The Justice League is a team of super heroes that has endorsement by the government (most of the time). They weren't the first, but they've been established for a while, and are generally trusted and respected.
Jason – or Robin – doesn't have much contact with the team at large. His connection is through his mentor and partner, Batman. Most of the time, he keeps to their city; Gotham certainly has enough problems for them to contend with. It's riddled with crime and corruption, and though Batman and his allies have undoubtedly made a difference, there's a long way to go.
Batman's relationship with the law is a bit more complicated than the League's. He works closely with the police commissioner, but Jim Gordon keeps a certain plausible deniability about it. The GCPD uses the bat signal, but a certified officer can't turn it on. In much of the city's eyes, Batman is an urban legend, a way to scare kids straight and put off criminals.
In general, the United States has a good relationship with super heroes; they're recognised as forces of good. The exception is the Legends story arc, in which the world is turned against vigilantes of all stripes. Robin himself is beaten to a pulp by an angry mob. When he sees the other heroes in need, though, he flees his hospital bed to help. In the end, the spell is broken.
Most people have no idea that there's a different boy behind Robin's mask. Bruce found Jason after Dick left the role. He never intended to take another partner, not after Dick nearly died. But here's this kid living on the streets of Crime Alley, the same place that took Bruce's parents from him. Here's a kid with enough guts to steal the tires off the Batmobile. A kid who could make Batman laugh on the anniversary of his parents' death.
Turns out the kid has his own sense of justice and a fair share of courage – when he discovers the home Batman sent him too is really a breeding ground for juvenile criminals, he refuses to be part of it. "I don't wanna learn to be no crook. I just boost what it takes to survive." He takes it upon himself to interrupt their jewel heist.
Bruce made him Robin, and he's been in that role for three years.
It's been starting to strain on him, though. For one thing, his morals don't align exactly with Batman's; for another, he never really had the chance to work through his own anger and grief. Right before he disappears, he murders a man.
Felipe Garzonas was a serial rapist with diplomatic immunity. Jason only wanted to scare him, but when he started to fall, well. He didn't exactly reach for him.
PERSONALITY:
Jason is a complicated kid. He's blunt and kind, clever and reckless, cheerful and moody. He's got a lot of baggage, and not a lot of tools to deal with it.
He's heroic to a fault. Before he ever became Robin, he was ready to thwart a robbery. On the last day of his training, he dove into the street to save a toddler from a speeding car. Protecting people comes naturally to Jason.
He's got a lot of rage, too, but it largely stems from compassion; he knows exactly what it is to feel forgotten and helpless, to be scared and alone. He knows that the world isn't fair and there isn't always someone to save you.
His mother fell through the cracks, and he couldn't catch her. His father died trying to provide for them in the worst way, the only way he knew.
Bruce hoped being Robin would channel that anger into something productive – and it did, for a time. Jason loved being a hero – loved the rush, loved the challenge, loved the purpose. For the first time, he felt powerful instead of vulnerable. And if maybe he got a bit too zealous sometimes, they had it coming.
Problem is, it kept escalating. He became more brutal, more reckless. Unnecessary damage, unnecessary risks. He started out as Batman's lighter half, quick with a joke and quicker to comfort, even staying Batman's hand when rage got the better of him. By the end, he was the one to look out for.
Robin can only do so much. He can't prevent women being beaten or children losing their parents, and he can't always stop it from happening again. When that bitter frustration started gnawing at his gut, there was no stopping it.
And Jason isn't all that good at talking about his feelings. He's got a ton of them, and it shows, but he's not sure how to vocalise them; he's more likely to clam up and sulk. Unfortunately, Bruce is not a great role model in this regard, and Jason didn't have much else in the way of friends. He felt out of place in school, and he didn't have a lot of spare time. Alfred was as supportive as possible, but he's not all that demonstrative either. He's limited, sometimes, in his role as butler.
Jason could have been closer to the original Robin, Dick Grayson, now going by Nightwing – but Dick's parting with Bruce was a fraught one, and he resented how Batman handed over his legacy without consulting him. Eventually they started to get to know each other, but it was a bit too late. He was closer to a different vigilante – Barbara Gordon as his tutor, Batgirl as his ally. (Jason, always, had the utmost respect for women.) Until she retired, anyway.
Then she got shot and maimed by the Joker.
If he felt helpless and furious before, well. He had to be benched for a bit, so he wouldn't do anything stupid. Jason is reckless, especially when he's emotional, and it's very easy to push his buttons. He cares about people, fervently and furiously, and he doesn't know how to step back from that. He's not like Batman, who's learned to be distant and objective.
His first case back was Garzonas. Bad enough, that he was going to get away with it. No - he drove his victim to suicide, just because he could. Jason heard her last words over the phone.
He really didn't go out there with murder on his mind, but once it was done – he felt relieved. Satisfied. Guilty for not feeling guilty. Batman's expression made his gut twist, but he didn't argue with Jason's lie. It was easy enough to turn his back and swing away.
He'd figure it out, somehow.
ABILITIES:
Having spent three years as Robin, Jason is very fit physically - fast, strong, agile. His combat training is extensive. He is, however, still fifteen years old; it's feasible for many characters to overpower him.
He's also been trained in firearms and various other weaponry. He's best with his batarangs, though he'll only have a few in his utility belt.
Batman gave him extensive courses in computer science, forensic medicine and criminology. He's not an expert in any of these subjects, to be sure, but he has a healthy knowledge. He's also fluent in several other languages - French, German, Italian, and Russian. (He's not very good at Russian.)
He's a skilled detective, though this is sometimes undermined by his impatience.
INVENTORY:
Jason will be in his Robin uniform when he gets scooped up. It's made of soft body armour that offers limited against bullets, knives, and blunt attacks. In his utility belt are batarangs, gas pellets, various incendiary capsules, and a grappling gun.
