Witches Reign Application
Name: Kim
Journal: _rakugosha_
Contact: (AIM)xsmokinbombx (MSN)crescentmoon275@hotmail.com (Plurk)RakuRanger
Character Name: Richard "Dick" John Grayson
Series: DC Comics
Gender: Male
Age & Canon Point: 26; Taken from Batman and Robin(Issue 20); After the movie night in Batman and Robin when Bruce returns. Alfred, Bruce, Damian, Dick, and Tim get together at the Wayne manor to watch Zorro as a family.
Requested Sponsor: N/A
Entry position (Cadet, SeeD, Instructor, other): Instructor
Teaching the follow: (WTR 402) Advanced Weapons Training: Blunt Weapons and (MOV 101) Military Movement (Applied Gymnastics)
Before becoming an instructor, Dick had left the Garden to travel for a little bit. While he traveled, he went in search to study different fighting styles that he could master and learn the histories and cultures of all the cities and towns that scattered the land. He was very passionate about expanding his knowledge. However, Dick found that keeping such information for just himself and missing being constantly around others, Dick returned to the Garden to become a teacher. Here, he may teach what he's learned to those that are learning back at the Garden. As much as he enjoys traveling, as it reminds him of his childhood, Dick returned to the Garden due to the familiarity and the welcoming atmosphere he felt. He considers it much like his home now and treats the students like family.
History:
Comicvine
DC Wikia
Batman Wikia
Wikipedia
First link is probably the most in-depth. Second and third link is less informative then the first, but a good source. Fourth link is a general history and has the least available information to Dick's history.
Abilities & Physical Abnormalities:
Due to Dick's extensive list of canon abilities. I thought it would be better to link you to it while I talk about the most important features of his abilities that he uses.
Because Dick has no superhuman traits, he has to make it up by rigorous training and attaining a skill set so that he can hold his ground against nonhumans and metas. Dick is at his peak human condition; meaning that he is at the top of what his physical abilities are capable of. To go along with this, Dick was trained in an assortment of skill sets by the Batman himself, plus further training with other mentors and instructors to be at where he is now. Although skilled in armed combat, Dick strays away from using any firearms. He only uses them in training to keep his skills up if he ever has to actually resort to it.
Dick's preferred weapons are Escrima sticks, which he started using mainly during his time as Nightwing. He still carries a pair on him as Batman to up his chances of winning when in combat against metas.
His best, and main, skill is his agility and acrobatics. Dick is one of the fastest non-metas and is probably the best acrobat in the DC universe. His agility and acrobatics even surpass those of Bruce. Dick uses this to his advantage by making it hard for others to lay hits on him, but also incorporates his martial arts skills with his acrobatics to create a unique form of fighting that he uses to his advantage. Because of this, Dick is able to hold his ground well, defend himself, and able to knock enemies out quickly. His tactical thinking and thinking on his feet, also makes it so he can read his opponents moves, which helps reduce injuries.
Dick can also play the guitar.
Personality:
Dick is the opposite of what you'd think Batman is. Usually. He's a very optimistic (not stupid) and cheerful (almost to a fault) type of guy. Although he's gone through a lot from seeing loved ones die and suffer near death experiences, he's a very positive guy and takes things as they are. That isn't to say he isn't serious. He takes everything he does seriously and tries his hardest to accomplish whatever goals or get over an obstacles that get in his way. Almost to a point where he often forgets his own health, as seen during the many times where he's injured but continues to fight or do his job. He just enjoys doing just that. He takes his duties quite seriously though and regards a human life highly. Whether they're bad or not, he would never want someone dead.
He's rather friendly and can easily befriend others and is very social. It really shows with how easily he can usually talk to others. He's just a social butterfly. Dick loves crowds and people, which probably was something he just grew up to enjoy when he performed frightening feats for hundreds to thousands of viewers at a young age. Dick is quite talkative. It seems like he has trouble not talking really. He's rather chatty, although he says that's part of his charm. He seems to have the ability to keep entire conversations with himself, probably a habit he made since Bruce isn't much of a conversationalist at times. Dick likes cracking jokes and seems to make rather lame ones at that. He also seems to make rather lame puns at times, although he does that quite less as he gets older. It still doesn't stop Dick from making a bad joke, although it makes it slightly endearing if not a little annoying or stupid. He tends to tease a bit, but never in a hurtful or mean way, but in a joking and light fashion. He easily even humors himself, often able to make cracks at his self or have no problem with others making jokes or teasing him back. He's got a lot of sarcastic wit, and when I mean a lot, I mean that guy can't get through a day without using it. Even when Damian scorns him or says something that might be rude, Dick seems to be able to brush it off. He's got quite a lot of patience to deal with people regardless. This is obviously apparent over the fact that Dick has dealt with Batman for more then half his life along with other problems and people. It also is a valuable asset to have when mentoring Damian, who has a lot of problems with dealing with people in general or when he's constantly taking the reins of teams and being the leader figure. Although stressful, he seems to take it with quite a bit of grace and still is able to keep his light personality.
Dick has a surprisingly explosive temper at times. Raising his voice when he wants to put his foot down and can even get violent, as seen at times when he will get into fistfights with teammates/allies. He will even yell at some of his closest friends and family, although most of his yelling seems to be towards Bruce when they're in argument. Dick still holds a high level of self restraint though. He's able to calmly deal with people when needed. He's also able to hold off any physical urges, such as the time where he refused to engage Blockbuster in combat once and even let the other beat him up without retaliating in any way in return that he was able to get the other to talk and tell him things while being hurt.
His patience gives an edge to Dick's leadership skill, as being able to deal with his teammates through better or worse is a valuable trait. Although human, Dick usually ends up being the leader in many of the teams he has gone through with. He lead the Teen Titans when he was younger and even had lead the Outsiders, although Roy was the one to actually put together the team. What makes him such a good leader is knowing the good and bad of his teammates and being able to place them in positions where their positive or stronger skills are able to shine through. Dick also knows when to put his foot down and when not to. He'll let some things slide when it's appropriate, but he also knows when to be more aggressive or stubborn as to not be a complete pushover.
Although Dick lives the grand life of being a ward/son of a billionaire, he's really quite simple, probably a result from being raised as a Circus kid at first. He simply enjoys life. He much rather do extracurriculars or events involving large crowds then take over Wayne Enterprises or follow in Bruce's footsteps. If anything, he hates the idea if having to deal with business. He wasn't born to do mathematics or science. He really just wants to have fun with his life, although his view of fun is much different from perhaps a normal person's. He still indulges and takes advantage of having a higher standard of living, but he's also shown that he can adapt to living in normal conditions when he had moved out of the Wayne manor to live in Bludhaven.
Dick is very loving towards those he cares about. He acts much like a big brother would act towards his family and friends, regardless of what they have done or how they treat him. He's kind of a worrywort and often lends a hand regardless if asked or not. He has the tendency to even belittle his own life for others, even those who had done wrong to him. Such an instance was before Blockbuster's death where Blockbuster mentions to Tarantula, who had a gun pointed at him, that Dick would do anything to protect Blockbuster from Tarantula, and Dick knowing that he was right about it. This also goes back to Dick's dislike for killing. Growing up on the Circus, where the entire Circus was a 'family,' Dick keeps his loved ones very close and he constantly wishes and tries to keep them out of harms way or to help them when they need it. He isn't beneath threatening others when he feels or thinks that someone might want to put them in danger. He especially has gotten rather defensive when it came to taking care of Tim or when it comes to Damian. It sometimes becomes difficult when Damian and Tim fights with each other since he cares deeply for both. He'll go out of his way to help or protect the ones he cares, such an instance where Batman had put him on a mission while disregarding any of Dick's plans. Dick still ended up helping because he still cares deeply for Bruce. Dick's friendly nature makes it easy for him to get people to like him. Although it's also easy to tell that Dick can also be easily charmed by people as we can look at his record of relationships that he has gone through.
He's extremely stubborn and very independent and has the tendency to keep his stress bottled up to himself which is noticeable throughout the comics with his constant refusal to seek help or leaving back into battle as soon as he's patched up. The same goes for injuries. If he finds that an injury isn't worth attention (which tends to be anything that doesn't bring him an inch towards death), he'll also disregard alerting someone else about it. This is a bit of a problem at times as Dick tends to be an extremely hard worker along with being a leader type. Being in charge or working close with those in charge, Dick knows how to handle large amounts of stress and expectations.
No, but seriously. This guy is incredibly stubborn and seems to have trouble with the whole relying on other people deal sometimes. A lot of his allies/teammates/loved ones know too. His disregard for his health when he gets absorbed in his work tends to be a little worrisome and for being talkative, he seems to be rather good at keeping quiet about things that bother him. He'll go into battle injured to the point where he has to be pulled out by his own teammates from keeping him from getting worst.
Dick is very intelligent though. He was given one of the best educations possible under Bruce. Although a very tactical thinker, Dick relies less on facts and preparation as Bruce does and relies more on instinct and intuition. He relies more on timing then being thoroughly prepared. He's able to read his opponents well though, a skill he relies on since he uses his speed instead of brute strength as his advantage. He can also read people well, and pays attention to body language very carefully. Dick dropped out of college, but is much more intelligent then the average man, although he sometimes plays dumb to fit in. Dick is certainly very observant and, it may seem like he isn't, but he definitely knows more then he usually lets on.
He also comes off as a laidback and very trusting fellow. Dick isn't afraid to make connections with people. He puts a lot of trust in his teammates and allies, treating them more like a family then just co-workers. This might go back to the fact that the Circus, although not usually related to each other by blood, worked like a family unit, so Dick probably considers them as a family in some way. He isn't quite tight-laced either, being extremely calm and chill when there's offtime. He isn't quite as strict about keeping his secret alias apart from his daytime identity, although he still keeps an air of mystery around him. This is more of a way to protect those around him more so then himself, after being a target for Blockbuster.
And boy does Dick love the thrill and dangers. As a kid, he was a trapeze artist, but what made his family even more exciting was the fact that they performed without the safety net. Of course this did lead to his parents death, as they had no safety net to catch them when they plummeted to their death, but the ropes of their flying trapeze was rigged. Still, Dick really does enjoy the thrill of life. Being able to swing from skyscraper to skyscraper keeps him rooted to his Circus days, and going into battle with his teammates seems to be something he enjoys. He does a lot of dangerous things. Although not recorded, Dick broke four world records in one go where he broke the world record for the free fall altitude record, the human balloon flight altitude record, and the longest and fastest free fall records.
Due to the nature of the criminals that run rampant in Gotham, Dick has built up a psychological tolerance of some kind. Dick deals with a lot of psychotics back in Gotham, as many of the big named villains end up back in Arkham Asylum since the number one rule he was taught was not to kill. Also, being in this type of work gives you a certain need for it. It doesn't make watching people die any easier, but it makes it so he doesn't breakdown from it completely either. Dick rarely has huge mental breakdowns, although that isn't to say he hasn't. He has, and it took a huge toll on him when he did. Which leads to Dick having a lot of self-pity at times. It isn't so much that he tries to, but Dick unconsciously pushes all the fault or blame on himself a lot. He's compassionate almost to a fault. Even when things are out of his control or out of his power, Dick will feel guilty for not doing more or being able to help. This is apparent when there's a fire at Haley's Circus. Although he was present and helping with evacuating the premises, people still died and got injured. He also had a meltdown when Blockbuster was shot in front of him, blaming it on himself that he didn't save him although he wasn't even the one who pulled the trigger. He also puts his own life on the line for other people, going farther then what is needed to protect someone.
Dick can also be considered being an idiot. He's brilliant, but he still seems to somehow pull off being an idiot quite well. Throwing himself in the heat of the battle, injured or not; forgetting to sleep to work diligently or solve cases instead; and just overall doing really dumb things. Perhaps it's his love for dangerous things or the thrill, but it really should occur to someone that jumping out of a helicopter without a parachute is dangerous. Or maybe not taking things as seriously as he should can lead to certain death. But hey, he's still alive.
Despite this, Dick will usually come off as playful and happy and extremely chatty. Maybe even a little oblivious at time. He has a large range of emotions he can go through.
What are your plans for the character in-game?
Dick plans on familiarizing himself with all the students and teaching whatever he can with them. He'll probably love to give friendly tips and will always be available to assist anyone who needs help or training. He might also flirt around, but that's just him being friendly.
Anything else? WALLS OF TEXT.
Complete TWO out of the FOUR options.
i) IC Questionnaire (can be found on the application page)
(As this questionnaire is entirely IC, your character is free to lie.)
What do you prefer to be known as?
I'd like to go by Dick please. I don't mind nicknames or going by Richard, but I feel like Richard is too formal. I'm a pretty informal guy.
How old are you?
Currently twenty-six.
Do you have any history in combat?
Yes I do. I was on the force before, and took self defense classes before that to ensure my own safety and the safety of others.
If so, have you ever killed?
I'm standing here right now aren't I? The answer is no by the way. I prefer to survive, thanks.
i) How do you feel when you get involved in some project that calls for immediate and rapid activity?
Excited? Thrilled? I like a challenge and something like that is just what I need to get a day started.
ii) Do you organize and initiate leisure activities?
Define leisure activities. I don't think doing a flip is exactly a way to relax, but I do enjoy a good book. Or ten.
iii) What role do you take when working in a group?
I usually assume the leader position. However, I will always listen to the rest of the group or back down when someone is more capable then I.
iv) How talkative are you around other people?
I don't know if you've realized yet, but I'm quite a chatterbox. I could be talking to a brick wall and you wouldn't get me to shut up. Oh wait, I think I answered this question by now. Whoops!
v) What three things would you want to have with you on a desert island? State your reasoning.
Huh. That's tough. What am I allowed to have? Can I say my survival suit? It has a tracker on there. But if we're going to go with no. Hmm. A flare. A bottle of water. And a sharp weapon, preferably something longer for hunting. The flare is always handy for emergencies. Fresh water to start off with, but I can use the bottle for later. There are ways to separate salt from water. And a sharp weapon for hunting fish. We are on an island right? I'm sure fish still exist in the water.
vi) Is it important to be liked by a wide range of people?
I believe being liked by people in general is important. It's good to have friends and allies, and being alone isn't entirely too much fun.
vii) When the odds are against you, is it worth taking a chance?
Always.
viii) Do you consider yourself to be an impulsive person?
Extremely impulsive.
ix) Would you agree that planning things ahead takes the fun out of life?
Yes and no. I like to be prepared for anything, but I also rely on intuition a lot.
x) Do you like surprises?
Love them. Is there a surprise at the end of this questionnaire?
xi) Do you sometimes wonder if there is something wrong with you?
Not really. I sometimes do, but it tends to be a passing thought. It usually occurs when someone asks me if something is wrong with me. Maybe I should take it to heart? Naw.
xii) Do you consider yourself to be smarter than your superiors, and disagree with their decisions?
All the time. Did I ever tell you how much of a know-it-all I like to be?
xiii) Lastly, how do you feel about cabbages?
They taste good!
ii) Prose sample (can be general or a response to the post's prompt).
iii) Bracket/Commentspam RP sample (can be general or a response to the post's prompt).
[Audio]
Ah! Good morning! Another bright and sunny day. I actually haven't checked outside, so if it's raining, please don't correct me. I'm kidding by the way.
[You hear the rustle of some papers. You can guess he's probably reading the newspaper. Or reading something at the very least.]
Speaking of mornings, how many of you guys are actually early birds? I guess I should have thought about that before making this. Well think of this as a really annoying alarm clock. Except you can't hit the snooze button, but hope whoever is talking will quit his yammering. Namely, me. [Laughs.] It's a nice day out today anyways.
[The next few sentences are a little hard to understand since Dick seems to be eating also.]
Anyone keeping up with the news. Just curious since I find this stuff fasci-hold on. I should stop talking with my mouth full. [Pause.] Like I was saying, the things on the news are fascinating. At least I find them quite interesting.
Well, I better leave you guys to more sleep or whatever you're doing. I have to get to work on time. And I won't be able to finish breakfast if I keep talking.
[End Feed.]
iv) Thread link
Thread from A_Facility