DCU ∞ Dick Grayson/Nightwing
Player Info
Name: Sho
LJ/IJ/other: [info]boojums_snark
Contact Info: [Boojums Snark and boojums.snark [AT] googlemail.com]
Character Info
Fandom: DC Comic books
Version: Before One Year Later. Like, the evening before Bruce, Dick and Tim go globe-trotting.
Name: Dick 'Nightwing' Grayson
Age: 22
City of Residence: Ahaha NONE. It um TT.TT Formally Bludhaven. I'll drop him in Gotham, though!
Background:
We’ve all heard of Robin, the Boy Wonder, Batman’s side-kick, Right? You’re probably familiar with how their partnership came to pass, or at least, a version of it. The trouble with Dick Grayson is that his character has been around for over 50 years, and throughout the passing of time, the changing of writers, creative licensing and all that jazz, his back-story has changed numerous times. Varying from how old he was when his parents died, to who killed them, even to what university he attended. So to save myself a world of pain, I’ve taken him from the comic books Nightwing, into which writer Chuck Dixon incorporated Robin: Year One into the storyline. Robin: Year One and Nightwing: Year One summarize his back-story rather nicely. To save your eyes (and my fingers) I have taken only ‘key’ moments from his background. Allow me to elaborate~
Born Richard John Grayson. Born into a famous circus family. Born in their traveling caravan. “I learned to walk on sawdust, my first word was ‘rube’”, he would say, fondly recalling the youth spent on the road performing for the world. Born half-Romany, Dick entered the world of performing arts at a very young age, having been trained on the high-wire since he was able to walk upright, at the age of twelve Dick was part of a world-class trio of circus trapeze artists and acrobats, ‘The Haly Circus presents the Flying Graysons!’ A Mother, Father and Son unit of top athletes originally hailing from Gotham.
The night of the sell-out return to Gotham’s big top featured The Flying Graysons as the headlining act, but a young Dick Grayson happened to over hear “Boss” Tony Zucco, a well-known and feared crime-lord threaten the performers safety unless the circus’s owner paid extortion money, some insurance scheme. The owner refused, and that same night in front of a crowd of hundreds just as the Graysons prepared their world-famous performance without a safety net, Dick watched in horror as his parents’ high wire snapped, sending both his Mother and Father plummeting to their deaths. Dick blamed himself for not having warned his parents in time, but even amidst all his loss he was still able to work out just what and who were responsible. Among those that witnessed that night was Gotham Elite, Bruce Wayne, it was also the first night that Dick met Batman, and the Dark Knight had several words of encouragement for the boy; “you can cry over them, or you can take what you’re feeling and do something better with it.”
Dick was entered into an uncaring juvenile services system, on the grounds that social services was full, but eventually wound up in a Catholic orphanage. Bruce Wayne later saved the boy, adopting him as his ward because Dick did not want to replace his deceased Father with the billionaire.
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Comics-verse! Dick Grayson/Nightwing [2/i'msosorry]
[info]knightprodigy
2009-03-15 02:56 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select
[BACKGROUND CONT...] Frustrated by the lack of attention from his new guardian and the mystery still surrounding his parents' death, Dick snuck out of Wayne Manor one evening to solve the crime on his own - only to stumble into Batman, who was also investigating the murder. After awaking in the Batcave Dick learned that the true identity of Batman was none other than his guardian, Bruce Wayne. Together they succeeded in revealing Zucco’s guilt, but the gangster supposedly died of a heart attack before his arrest. Seeing a reflection of himself in Dick; that he could temper compassion with a thirst for justice, Batman made the young orphan the offer of a lifetime; the chance to become his crime-fighting partner. Dick chose the name ‘Robin’, possibly due to that fact that his Mother used to call him her ‘little robin’. And his rigorous training soon began. Six months down the line, Robin was faced with ‘the gauntlet’, his final challenge to incorporate everything Batman had taught him and to evade the Dark Knight on the streets of Gotham from sunset to sunrise. Dick succeeded and simultaneously brought Gotham gang-banger, Joe Minette to justice.
And so, Robin, the boy wonder, was born.
Dick enjoyed his first year as Robin, until a confrontation with Two-Face served as a rude awakening. A judge died, and a bound-up Dick was beaten unconscious with a baseball bat by the master villain while a restrained Batman tried to free himself. An event that would haunt the young man, even to this day. Rather than see Dick further endangered, Robin was sidelined for a while, but not for the last time, and he soon took up the mantle once again.
Continuing his life alongside the Dark Knight, Robin started developing outside interests. He went off to Hudson University, took on solo missions, and became the leader of a young, new force of super-heroes - the Teen Titans. This meant Robin’s time with Bruce and Batman was limited. Without realizing the implications this would later have on their relationship, Dick began to move out from the shadow of the bat.
Many things led to the pair eventually separating and terminating their partnership, many issues had accumulated over the last couple of years, but in Dick’s mind it all came to a head after a fight with Clayface, a fight that he arrive late to due to prior engagements with the Titans. His apologies weren’t good enough and soon things escalated into a heated argument and Robin was fired.
Dick left Wayne Manor, and for reasons unknown to Dick himself, the young man headed to Metropolis, wishing to speak to Superman. The two talked and Superman relayed a story from his home planet of a hero who was also ejected from his family for want to do good. The Hero’s name, as best translated, was Nightwing. After a pep talk from Superman, Dick knew just what he needed. He headed ‘home’, back to Haly’s circus.
In this break, Dick dropped out of Hudson after one semester of studying law and handed over his leadership of the Teen Titan’s to Donna Troy – Wonder Girl.
With a new identity as Nightwing, Dick made his return to Gotham, and although things were still strained between he and Bruce, they still worked together to protect Gotham.
It was at Batman’s request that Nightwing ended up in Blüdhaven, following 21 dead bodies back up the river. He spent his first week barely scratching the surface of Gotham’s sister city. Corruption ran deep in the ‘haven, and Nightwing initially struggled to get a handle on the cities politics. But not one to give up easily, Dick stuck it out and made plenty of friends and just as many enemies along the way, the most notorious of which would be Blockbuster, who would take it upon himself to personally destroy Nightwing’s life.
Nightwing made a life for himself in Blüdhaven. He was far enough away from Batman to feel independent but close enough should he ever need to help back in Gotham. Gotham wasn’t his city, it never had been, but here in Blüdhaven Dick hoped to make a difference.
The town needed more than some masked vigilante, it needs saving from within. With a plan in mind, Dick joined the police and sat about rooting out the corruption from within the force.
Edited at 2009-03-15 03:05 am UTC
(Reply to this) (Parent)
Comics-verse! Dick Grayson/Nightwing [3/ARGH]
[info]knightprodigy
2009-03-15 02:57 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select
[BACKGROUND CONT...] He began spreading himself very thin at this point. He slept very little and focused primarily on his task at hand, his obsession - fixing Blüdhaven. Due to outside influences - but not ignoring Dick’s own negligence - his budding relationship with Barbara Gordon (the former Bat-girl) ended, and due to his ruthlessness and determination to sets things right he was eventually let go from his job as a police officer when his captain and former partner from his rookie days found out about his ‘nightly activites’.
In what was becoming Dick Grayson’s worst month of his life things went rapidly from bad to worse.
I’ve chosen to take Nightwing after the events of Infinite Crisis, an event that spanned across the DC multi-verse, but I’ve taken him before the events of One Year Later, where DC fast-forwarded all of their monthly issues one year in canon after the events of Infinite Crisis.
During the run up to Infinite Crisis Nightwing was lost and unable to turn to anyone, including his former mentor - Batman – for help. His life had been torn apart by the mob-boss Blockbuster, who wrongly blamed Nightwing for the death of his Mother. Blockbuster, who now knew of the dual identities of Nightwing, took all that the hero and Dick Grayson loved and destroyed it. His relationship with Oracle (the original Batgirl) ended, Haly’s Circus, where Dick had spent his childhood with his parents (and which he part owned) was burnt to the ground, and Dick’s apartment building (which he also secretly owned) was blown up, killing most of the residents, including Dick’s Romanian Grandfather (although they’re not related by blood).
Nightwing was - up until the point that damning evidence against Blockbuster was destroyed – going to turn the crime lord over to the police, but in a final confrontation he was unable to see a way that bringing Blockbuster to justice would do any good. Blockbuster had beaten Nightwing both emotionally and physically; the hero was at his lowest ebb, and at that moment, Tarantula, a female vigilante that Dick had hoped to work with towards sending Blockbuster down arrived on the scene and employed her usual sense of justice - she held a gun to Blockbuster’s head and as Dick stepped aside she shot him at point-blank range. At that moment in time, in Dick’s own words, “(Blockbuster) embodied everything that was wrong with the world.”
Feeling he had failed himself, but especially Batman, and everyone who he had ever been involved with, Nightwing sank into a deep depression, unable to trust himself, and unable to escape the guilt of his inactions.
After a time Nightwing worked to turn Tarantula in, not only for the death of Blockbuster but for several other murders, too. He also handed himself over to the police for his part in the killing. Although released, Nightwing disappeared for a while, relocating to infiltrate a mob family that would eventually lead him back to Blüdhaven, the city he had sworn to protect, no matter what. It was actually all part of a plan to gain access into Lex Luthor’s ‘Society’ of super villains as a spy. But eventually, he was double crossed by the mercenary-for-hire Deathstroke after he had promised Nightwing that Blüdhaven would be safe ground. Deathstroke and the ‘Society’ dropped the radioactive Metahuman (DC’s word for Mutant) Chemo on the city.
Nightwing aided his city, ignoring Superman’s advice to stay outside the city limits and let the other heroes capable of withstanding radiation handle it. Nightwing succumbed to a non-lethal dose of radiation poisoning and, after being rescued by Batman, he recuperated in the Batcave. Finally, he confessed the secret of his part in Blockbuster’s death to his mentor, and ultimately Batman forgave his former ward, but told him that his forgiveness doesn’t matter; Dick had to move beyond the death of Blockbuster. Learn from it, do not become it.
Edited at 2009-03-15 03:04 am UTC
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Comics-verse! Dick Grayson/Nightwing *COUGH* [4/EHEH]
[info]knightprodigy
2009-03-15 03:00 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select
[BACKGROUND CONT...] Seemingly with a new lease on life and inspired by Batman’s words, Nightwing proposed to Barbara Gordon (Oracle, the former Batgirl) who tearfully accepted with a kiss.
At Batman’s request, Nightwing rallied the other superheroes from the Titan’s Tower, but Superboy (Conner Kent) was the only one to heed his call. Together, the pair located and attacked Alexander Luthor’s (son of Lex Luthor) tower, the center of the Crisis.
However, during the battle for Metropolis, Nightwing, in an attempt to save Batman’s life, was seriously injured by Alexander Luthor.
Nightwing spent three weeks in a coma with Barbara at his side. Under her tutelage he regained most of his former strength, and it was at this point that Bruce asked him to accompany Robin (Tim Drake) and himself in retracing Bruce’s original journey in becoming the Dark Knight. Dick was hesitant, due to his recent engagement to Barbara, but she encouraged him to go, it was time he learned just who ‘Dick Grayson’ was. She returned her engagement ring so he could make an honest decision for himself.
The pair parted on good terms, but Dick left her an envelope containing a photograph of them as Batgirl and Robin, along with the engagement ring on a chain, and a note that promised he would come back to her one day.
I have taken him from this point in time.
Personality:
Dick constantly worries he’s not good enough. That he’ll fail. That he’ll never be good enough, not for Batman, not for Barbara, and that he’ll never be a good example/Brother to Tim (the latest Robin). He does a good job of hiding these insecurities of his, though, with a cocky comment or laughing it off as a joke.
Dick is a friendly, easy-going and down-to-earth person, he has all the natural qualities it takes to be a perfect leader, someone who people can trust, someone they can depend on and go to for advice, Dick, however, just sees this as him doing his job. Blind modesty.
Perhaps one of the greatest differences between Dick and his mentor (although the two are a lot alike) is that Dick doesn’t have the ‘Bruce Wayne’ persona. Dick is as happy being Dick Grayson as he is happy being Nightwing. He is who he is and doesn’t feel the need to make up a façade.
Dick was always more of a humanitarian than Batman, not saying Batman doesn’t care – far far from it - just that Dick is more forward with his emotions. He was the heart, and perhaps, conscience of Batman and Robin, and he continues to be at the heart of the DC universe.
He tries to be there for everyone, caring little about how run-down or exhausted this may make him, he never puts himself first. Dick’s a people pleaser to a fault, and just as much as a work-a-holic as his mentor. And just as stubborn.
A turning point for Dick was when he realized he was comfortable not being Batman, after all, he’s isn't Bruce Wayne. After a stint in the Dark Knight’s shoes he finally understood his mentor better, and eventually the feelings of bitterness faded. Any arguments or confrontations that he may have passed off as the two of them being completely incompatible, he now knows that actually, it’s okay if they disagree. They’re family and that’s just how things are between a Father and Son. It took many years, but Dick finally stopped being Bruce Wayne’s ‘ward’ and legally became his adopted son, just like Jason (the Robin after him). He got his acceptance.
Dick lives for excitement, for the thrill of the fight, and is constantly on the move. He can’t sit still, not for 5 seconds. He bores quickly and is easily distracted (unless he’s working). It’s also safe to say he’s attracted to dangerous situations, people and relationships.
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Comics-verse! Dick Grayson/Nightwing [5/6! HURRAH]
[info]knightprodigy
2009-03-15 03:02 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select
[PERSONALITY CONT...] It’s somewhat of a running joke that Nightwing is the fandom bike. He attracts the girls, seemingly effortlessly with his charms and honesty. He falls readily and easily, a surprisingly sensitive soul, seeking what he can’t find in himself in others, usually comfort and acceptance. Nine times out of ten, however, he’s usually the one left alone. He’s too nice a boy to tangle with the kind of women he’s attracted to - strong, independent and stubborn. If not being taken for a ride, he’s usually the one that cocks it up, either with his job, his obsessive nature, or his sleeping with an ex then inviting her to his wedding, there’s usually something.
Powers:
A superhero with no powers, you say? Well, yes, they do exist, and Nightwing is perhaps one of the finest examples (Batman being perhaps the finest).
Dick is at the peak of physical human conditioning. His strength, speed, reflexes, coordination, endurance, agility, and durability all rank high, above that of an Olympian medalist it has been stated. Dick is a master acrobat, the only person on earth who can do a quadruple somersault, and generally regarded as the greatest acrobat in the DC universe. He is extremely quick, flexible and agile.
During his years as Robin, Batman taught Dick several forms of martial arts. He has already mastered Judo, Jeet Kune Do, Tawkwondo, Aikido, Wing Chun, Karate and Escrima. He has also has sufficient training in Hapkido, Jiu-jitsu, Savate, Kendo, Ninjitsu, Tai Chi and Capoeira. While Dick has not mastered nearly as many styles as his mentor, he has effectively combined what he does know into a unique style that plays to all his strengths.
Through his martial arts training with Batman, Dick has also become something of a weapons expert. He is proficient with knives, projectile weaponry, and most weapons used in melee combat. Since his days as Robin, he has trained and become skilled in the use of firearms. As one of Batman’s rules instilled in Dick since the beginning the usage of firearms in strictly prohibited, but if you know how to handle a gun, you can avoid being shot by one. Dick’s weapon of choice would be his Escrima sticks, which he has incorporated into his own personal style of fighting.
Batman has trained him in everything from escapology to criminology, from fencing to stealth tactics, to disguise, and numerous other combat/non-combat disciplines such as meditation.
He is also a skilled linguist. He speaks English, French, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese fluently (although he confesses to not being able to read the last three). He has some knowledge of Swahili, Romany and the alien language of Tamaran.
Having been trained by the World’s Greatest Detective it was inevitable that a child of Dick’s talents would also be naturally quite adept at fighting crime. The DC Universe usually rank him at being second only to his mentor. He’s a brilliant strategist with superior leadership skills - to his testimonial he has been the leader of the Teen Titans, the Titans, the Outsiders, and even the Jusitce League. Nightwing’s interpersonal skills and efforts to remain in contact with other heroes makes him a master at rallying, unifying and inspiring the superhero community.
Weaknesses: Insecurities, many. Main ones, in no particular order; women, bruce, and his place in the world. See 'Personality'?
Journal Sample:
Not that the portal in the kitchen wasn't a pleasant surprise, but- uh someone wanna field this one for me? [RECORDED: muttered.] ...When I said I'd meet the others at the station I had actually planned on being dressed for the occasion.[/RECORDING]
Anyone have a quarter so I can call Alfred?
Edited at 2009-03-15 03:04 am UTC
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Comics-verse! Dick Grayson/Nightwing [DONE!]
[info]knightprodigy
2009-03-15 03:02 am UTC (link) DeleteFreezeScreenTrack This Select
RP Sample:
Of course he'd know better than to go sticking himself, or any parts of himself through a dimensional rip. Of course he would. Why, that was common sense. Something Dick prided himself on having a lot of. Mostly. But this particular dimensional rip had appeared out of no where (as they do). Right where the coffee maker should be.
Now, coffee was something 63.7% of American adults drank every morning to bring them, alive and well into the approaching day. Dick fell into this percentile, and as such, expected the machine and the marble top it rested upon to be there when he slumped, bleary eyed in front of it at 6 AM.
Well. Imagine his surprise when this morning, it just wasn't there.
So after a jaw aching yawn, and bone cracking stretch, the last thing he was expecting to be greeted by was the ticket booth at Gotham Grand Central Station, much less the throngs of people now staring at the bed-headed, mug-holding, pyjama-wearing man who had just randomly appeared, Dick could only really -bearing in mind, at this point he was without coffee - mutter a simple, "suck."
